Photo opportunity, 1.10pm, Wednesday January 22, 1st Floor Conference Suite, Tower Building, University of Dundee
"Testimonials" from students about how new and improved teaching practices at the University of Dundee have enhanced their learning experience will be heard at a forum on Wednesday January 22.
The undergraduates will be talking at a meeting of academic staff about their experiences of four award-winning projects, each of which received one of the University's Honorary Graduates Awards for Innovation In Teaching in 2002.
Now in its ninth year, the award was set up to provide an opportunity for innovation and excellence in any aspect of teaching within the University to be recognised. Normally only one or two projects are selected to receive awards. Last year, however, four projects were deemed to be of an exceptional standard. They were the Health Care, Law & Administration Honours course; the International Student Workshops in Lightweight Deployable Structures; the Emigrants' Database Project for Colonial American Social History and the Global Economic Perspectives course.
Stephen Watt, a second year student, completed Professor Mono Chatterji's Global Economic Perspectives course and will speak about it on Wednesday. He said, "One of the great parts of this course is that it is based entirely on case studies. This really assisted my learning as looking at the experiences of another person made the course easier to follow that just studying a particular theory or topic. We also had the practical experience of a field trip, which was very useful as it demonstrated to us how even the little economics we had learned in only a couple of months had a major impact on the real world. I also developed important transferable skills, especially IT, which have proved very useful in all my other subjects."
In addition to presentations from students, staff members who devised the projects will also give an account of their methods and objectives. The afternoon will also included a workshop session where staff can discuss the construction of a mock bid for submitting to the next award round. The afternoon will close with a plenary session providing staff with the opportunity to discuss the award criteria and related issues.
Alison Swanson, of the Centre for Learning and Teaching which is organising Wednesday's event, said, "In addition to recognising and rewarding the staff who won the awards, the forum will provide an opportunity for other staff members to develop their own ideas for improving their students' learning experience."
By Jane Smernicki, Press Officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk