Institute of Teaching and Learning

Karen Beswick SFHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Education, working in Initial Teacher Education and other programmes across the Manchester Institute of Education (based in the School of Environment, Education and Development). Previously as a primary (advanced skills) schoolteacher, and since her move to HE, Karen is passionate about teaching and learning, particularly in assessment and how learners make sense of feedback.

Karen says, "I'm keen to change the relationship of typical assessment feedback from cognitivist terms where teachers give information about strengths and weaknesses of student work and how it can be improved, to a process-orientated social constructivist view of feedback where feedback processes involve students as active generators of their own understandings in using feedback from teachers (or lecturers) to guide their development."

The notion of students as partners can represent a counter-narrative to the consumer model by providing a shared and collaborative space for students and staff to work together within a framework of shared responsibilities. From the workshop design, the scalability of this project is that any course (site-wide) can use student voice to identify areas for improvement in assessment feedback, and in turn create a feedback policy that enables student feedback literacy development, enabling students to act decisively on the advice given in a positive manner. Karen's project is titled "Developing the interplay between ‘teacher’ and student assessment feedback literacy".

Alison Harvey SFHEA is a Teaching and Scholarship Lecturer in Materials Science. Having previously completed a PhD and worked as a post-doctoral researcher in this field, her focus is now on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in higher education. Alison teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as providing teaching related workshops for staff in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. A significant part of her role has been the creation and development of two bespoke units for the Advanced Biomedical Materials CDT. Alison has found an interest in introducing social science topics in STEM curricula, and the teaching of reflective practice skills in STEM disciplines.

Alison says, "reflective practice skills are a key aspect of self-directed learning and both personal and professional development. I want to find a way of teaching STEM students to use reflective practice skills to engage with the feedback they receive on their work."

Alison's project, "Using reflective practice to build feedback literacy in UG STEM students", aims to co-create a programme with students that will teach reflective practice skills as an approach to engaging with feedback, finding a way to make this work efficiently within a degree programme so that it can be implemented more widely.

John Roache is a Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literatures in English. He has published extensively on issues of textual and socio-political marginality, and is now looking to harness this work in the development of more inclusive approaches to pedagogy both inside and outside his subject area.

John's project, "Out of the margins: harnessing methods of digital annotation as a means of amplifying the student voice", aims to explore established and newer forms of digital annotation as a means of bringing currently marginalised students into a more central, empowered, and visible position within the learning environment. In this sense, it will focus on the co-construction of a hybrid learning environment that combines the best advantages of digital and `in-person` pedagogies and, in the process, help to facilitate a more sustained and nuanced mode of pedagogical engagement.

In the long run, the hope is that this project will not only help to increase levels of student participation across the University, but might also enable us to develop a more representative and inclusive understanding of the student voice as a whole.

Adam Cooke is a Teaching and Learning Officer for the University of Manchester Library with a focus on access and success initiatives. He is an experienced teacher having taught for over ten years at secondary schools and now leads on the development of the Library’s widening participation and social responsibility contributions. He has an MA in Educational Leadership from the University of Manchester and is interested in how education can tackle social inequality including how the sector can widen access for students and educators to research socially just best practice.

As universities aim to tackle awarding gaps, the lived experiences of students from so called 'widening participation' backgrounds become an important area of research. This qualitative study attempts to centre the voice of students from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education through a series of focus group and interviews. How have students experienced targeted academic interventions? What are their perspectives on when, where and how this work is best delivered? The research is interested in the importance of language - how do students want to be addressed? - and what are their opinions on the ethical use of their data to design and deliver interventions?

The aim of Adam's project, "Developing a co-constructed toolkit for in-course academic support", is that the research can co-create a framework of best practice for anyone involved in work around awarding gaps, widening participation and social responsibility. It is hoped that by bringing the voices of students being targeted into the centre of the conversation and decision making, it can move it closer to a more equitable system for all.

Rachel Parker-Strak SFHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion Buying and Merchandising at the University of Manchester. Rachel's scholarship activity revolves around developing pedagogy that fosters a sense of belonging and community within the higher education environment, as well as teaching and learning practice. Focusing on embedding belonging and measuring the impact this has on the student journey.

Rachel Studd SFHEA is a Reader in Design at the University of Manchester. Rachel is a Teaching and Scholarship academic and has conducted research into the pedagogy of transition into HEIs and building a sense of belonging through student community and inclusion. Building relationships with peers, the culture of their degree programme and institution throughout the entirety of their educational journey and beyond.

Rachel and Rachel's project, "Empowering Students and Building Community: The ABC Tool Kit Concept", takes an existing process and expands its horizons. It involves integrating a proven best practice discipline project into a versatile toolkit that can be applied across various disciplines and boundaries. It's not just about taking the basics; it's about evolving into a strategically underpinned pedagogical outcome that can be personalised and delivered effectively.

At the heart of our project lies a commitment to supporting student voices. We aim to build trust, partnerships, and clarity throughout every step of their academic journey. This includes embedding skills development, promoting well-being, and enhancing employability within a structured educational scheme. Our approach ensures that these vital elements are delivered at the right time and pace for all students, fostering a sense of community and engagement right from the beginning.

The ABC Toolkit concept represents a dynamic shift in education, one that prioritises student voices, embraces collaboration, and fosters a deep sense of belonging. Together, we can empower students and build stronger, more connected communities within our educational institutions. We're eager to see how it can be scaled up and adapted across other faculties and different student cohorts. Our goal is to create a lasting impact on education by promoting inclusivity, empowerment, and community-building.

Elaine Clark SFHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Management. Elaine originally trained, and worked, as a professional Actress; appearing in Musical Theatre and Drama across the UK and abroad and featuring in a number of West End Productions. After ten years, Elaine decided a change was needed and trained as a psychologist. Upon completing her training, Elaine worked with people within the NHS and whilst doing so studied part time for a PhD, graduating from the University's Alliance Manchester Business School in 2008.

Elaine says, "I love working within the University and feel that I have found a space where I can draw on my earlier training and skill in both theatre and psychology to engage and empower students and to support them in enhancing their mental well-being. Within the University, I have worked as Programme Director for the BSc Management degree and became aware of increasing issues with mental well-being for our students. I therefore studied with Advance HE to identify ways to enhance well-being through the curriculum and this has become a consuming passion for me."

As part of her work to enhance mental wellbeing, and in particular, confidence, Elaine is currently working to adapt the face-to-face unit - Communicating with Confidence (delivered by the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning) - into a blended unit. One of the strengths of the face-to-face unit is the sense of belonging and community which is established within the class, a feature which emerges though the interactions and coaching which are created. When speaking with students about adapting the unit the translation of this community to an online unit is one which is often highlighted as a key challenge. 

Through this project, "Enhancing Confidence and Well-Being Through The Creation of a Blended Unit", Elaine is seeking to explore:

• How can students be empowered to support each other online?
• How can a real sense of a supportive community and resultant belonging be created online?
• What are the benefits (if any) of using an online module to enhance mental wellbeing and confidence?
• How can different student preferences and additional needs be supported online?
• How can students be involved in the creation of this module as co-creators/designers?

Claudia Henninger SFHEA is a Reader in Fashion Marketing Management in the Department of Materials. Thomas Rodgers PFHEA is a Reader in Chemical Engineering Education in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Claudia and Tom co-lead the Faculty of Science and Engineering Mentoring Excellence Programme which supports GTAs to achieve Advance HE fellowships through the University's accredited scheme (formerly LEAP). 

Claudia and Tom's project, "Evaluating the value and impact of GTA training and mentoring - what is efficient and effective?", will evaluate existing GTA training and mentoring programmes in the University through the experiences of some of the GTAs undertaking the training and their teaching. The project will evaluate the impact of the training on the UG learning experience, the attitude of GTAs to their roles and understanding of their own development, and the barriers and success criteria that the GTAs impose on themselves. The project aims to produce guidance on how the training and mentoring can help GTAs with the barriers and success criteria analysed.

Designing smarter assessments, Prof David Schultz SFHEA

This project explores aspects of assessments such as design, delivery and supporting effective student engagement, with a focus on creating resources and guidance to support staff in developing inclusive, authentic assessments which are less vulnerable to forms of academic malpractice such as collusion and contract cheating.

• Read Dave's ITL fellowship project report (July 2022)
• StaffNet article about Dave's project (March 2023)

Staff assessment literacy, Sally Hickson SFHEA

• Read Sally's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Peer-to-Peer Assessment: empowering students to write their own feedback using comparative judgement and making inner feedback explicit, Jenni Rose SFHEA

Active feedback empowers students to write their own feedback using comparative judgement and making inner feedback explicit. I’m working on applying this idea using a variety of comparators, sharing my work through a series of workshops and writing up a journal article to spread the word. Once set up this idea requires minimal teacher input, increases student agency as well as increased satisfaction with feedback.

To co-create a programme-level strategy in order to embed inclusive assessment into the pharmacy undergraduate degree, Jennifer Silverthorne SFHEA NTF

This project utilised an evidence-based approach to develop a set of indicators of inclusive assessment, that can be applied at either a programme or course unit level. Jenny worked with a range of stakeholders to explore the student voice and develop a culture change intervention to facilitate disclosure and access to assessment support for disabled learners.

Come watch with me: blending the synchronous with the asynchronous, Dr Jen McBride SFHEA

Building on a successful trial of “watch-parties” in online teaching, Jen's project aimed to establish the critical – and causal – factors which best promote effective learning, student engagement and community in different flexible and blended learning environments. This project evaluated the effectiveness of flexible and blended learning in different contexts, and created a broader framework to optimise our flexible and digital learning practices which brings together the very best of online and in-person teaching. 

• Read Jen's ITL fellowship project report (September 2023)
• StaffNet article about Jen's project(January 2024)

Developing an education framework for simulated learning, Dr Emma Ormerod SFHEA

Emma's project aimed to provide a flexible framework to support staff in embedding simulation as an effective teaching method, integrating an approach that deepens student learning and confidence building while supporting staff in delivering this as a new teaching method or enhancing their existing approach to simulation.

• Read Emma's ITL fellowship project report (December 2023)
• StaffNet article about Emma's project (March 2024)

Pilot studies for a flexible, competency-based course in Quantitative Biology, Dr Thomas Nühse SFHEA

In Thomas' project, student volunteers joined small-scale pilot courses to explore the boundaries of flexibility and considered how should we balance flexibility vs timetabling, structure vs openness, guidance vs independence, to provide the best learning experience. The project explored ahat kinds of materials, assessments, feedback and support keep students engaged and motivated in an unconventionally flexible course. 

• Read Thomas' ITL fellowship project report (July 2022)
• StaffNet article about Thomas' project (March 2023)

Student use of webcams during live online synchronous teaching, Dr Craig Morley SFHEA

Craig's project investigated staff and student perceptions and practice of webcam use and its impact on engagement and learning. The aim of the project was to identify strategies to support students to engage, to enable staff to gauge engagement whether webcams are used, and to produce community-sourced, co-created profiles of recommended best practice.

• Read Craig's ITL fellowship project report (2022)

Developing virtual labs, Dr Maria Canal SFHEA

Maria's project explored the potential of virtual labs to create more flexible, interactive and personalised learning environments through the use of technology. This involved the development and evaluation of one such online 'virtual science lab' practical.

• Read Maria's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Effective use of online discussion boards, Dr Ralf Becker

Ralf's project explored potential outcomes and the different engagement patterns of student groups with online discussion boards and developed a set of resources to help staff and students to use online discussion boards for learning and community-building effectively. 

• Read Ralf's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Flexible learning opportunities and applied pedagogy, Prof Jen O'Brien PFHEA NTF

Jen's project focused on the evaluation and development of the flexible learning opportunities enabled by the University College of Interdisciplinary Learning's (UCIL) digital learning, on exploring the potential of the “Creating a Sustainable World: 21st Century Challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” course and on building the University Living Lab for Pedagogy to enhance partnership for applied learning.

• Read Jen's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Supporting digital capabilities, Dr Jane Mooney SFHEA

Jane's digital literacy project focused on helping students and staff to understand and articulate their digital skills, and on supporting teaching leaders to embed relevant digital skills provision within programmes.

• Read Jane's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Student “Study Expenditure” and its Alignment to the “Study Budget” in Flexible Learning, Neil Morrison

This project explores the mechanisms to monitor the student workload ("study expenditure") and its relationship with the “study budgets” in the University’s implementation of flexible learning for 2021-22. The key outcome will be an enhanced understanding of good practice in defining and applying study budgets, and in supporting students in managing their own learning schedules with a view to informing future adjustments to the University’s flexible learning model, and it also has implications for student well-being.

Experiences and perspectives on online teaching and learning, Steve Wheeler

Steve's study analysed student and staff experiences and perspectives of online teaching and learning at the Unviersity and explored effective strategies, areas for enhancement, and the potential for integrating advanced technologies into online education. The outputs of Steve's project include practical recommendations for staff to enhance online teaching and foster a more engaging, flexible, and accessible learning environment.

• Read Steve's ITL fellowship project report (September 2024)

Inclusivity and representation in digital learning materials, Dr Chris Sutton SFHEA

As a researcher, teacher and now learning technologist, Chris strives to be an ally, dedicated to challenging dominant narratives and systems of inequity and discrimination, particularly in education. This project acknowledges the considerable disparities in health and healthcare for ethnic minority groups, fat people, older adults, people with disabilities, transgender people and women. These disparities are true not only for patients but also regarding outcomes and obstacles faced by healthcare students and staff. One reason for these disparities is that for much of healthcare education, the `normal` body as presented in teaching materials is that of the white, slim, young, non-disabled, cis-gendered male.

Chris' project makes advances in this area, by collating existing teaching resources and working with people from underrepresented communities to create new ones that authentically reflect the diversity of human life. All outputs will be made open-access for the widest possible impact on health education and patient safety at the University and beyond.

• Read Chris's ITL fellowship project report (November 2024)

Widening participation for neurodivergent students through curriculum design (teaching, learning and assessment), Janine Dixon SFHEA

Janine's project aims to widen participation for neurodivergent students and to better understand their needs, as well as celebrate their strengths. It will look at the student experience of our neurodivergent learners to highlight what we are doing well on and what can we improve further on. A key part of the project was to join the dots in terms of the support and resources already available at the University to ensure they are easy for students and academic advisors to find, as well as to develop further resources for staff (delivering) and students (experiencing) teaching, learning and assessment at Manchester.

• Read Janine's ITL fellowship project report (December 2024)

To co-create a programme-level strategy in order to embed inclusive assessment into the pharmacy undergraduate degree, Jennifer Silverthorne NTF PFHEA

My project on inclusive assessment (with a focus on disability) has two workstreams of “evidence” and “engagement”. Utilising an evidence-based approach, Jenny will develop a set of indicators of inclusive assessment, that can be applied at either a programme or course unit level. Jenny will then explore the student voice, working with a range of stakeholders to develop a culture change intervention to facilitate disclosure and access to assessment support for disabled learners.

Accessible by design: developing inclusive pedagogies, Dr Wendell Kimper

This project will look at how we can change our approach to teaching to remove barriers to access for disabled students, with a particular focus on harnessing the innovations that have taken place during the pandemic to create more inclusive learning environments.

Students as course creators on a new independent study course unit, Dr James Brooks

This project involves the creation of a course unit where students independently research a topic of their choosing and build high quality, inclusive learning material for it. More broadly, my vision is for students to use the independent study unit to forge a path for those that follow. We can use this to guide both the specific topics we teach within disciplines and our more general approach to blended learning. Through this course the student gets the option to explore a topic of their choice, to take ownership of their learning, and to see their learning very directly through the eyes of a teacher. Lecturers get rich feedback from the students and a direct and clear path to integrate the student voice into the curriculum.

• Read James' ITL fellowship project report (August 2023)
• StaffNet article about James' project (February 2024)

Student-staff partnership in teaching and learning design, John Owen SFHEA

• Read John's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Developing a peer support scheme to support the transition of an articulated programme, Dr Li-Chia Chen SFHEA

Li-Chia’s project aims to develop and pilot a staff-facilitated, peer-support scheme for international students on a newly launched articulated programme, the dual-degree BSc Clinical Pharmacy (2+2+1) programme between the China Pharmaceutical University and the University of Manchester, from September 2021. The project will pilot a co-designed peer mentoring scheme to enhance international students' learning experiences and help them reach their potentials without being disadvantaged by estrangement, cultural backgrounds and learning styles.

• Read Li-Chia's ITL fellowship project report (July 2022)
• StaffNet article about Li-Chia's project (April 2023)

Providing effective support to WP students from applicaiton through to end of year 1, Dr Emily Cooksey

This project aims to look at the support needs of students joining from Widening Participation backgrounds. By focusing on the bridging support between admissions and joining departments, the aim is to provide transitional support to enable our WP students to hit the ground running with their studies and provide them with an effective welcome to the university. 

Academic advising: lived experiences of students and staff, Jennie Blake PFHEA

• Read Jennie's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Academics in residence and support for commuter students, Dr Nick Weise PFHEA

• Read Nick's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Developing learning interventions, Steven Broom

• Read Steve's ITL fellowship project report (July 2021)

Between July 2020 and February 2021 the Academic Advising Task and Finish Group (AATFG) oversaw an evaluation of the effectiveness of our Academic Advising practices. To help us do this, we participated in an international project (with OneHE and Peer Review Portal) that helped us survey our practice and benchmark our performance against participating HEIs from around the globe. The outputs included a SWOT analysis and a set of recommendations.  The resulting Global Review Action Plan is being taken forward by the Senior Advisors' Network. 

• Chair: Professor Peter Green, Vice-Dean (Teaching, Learning & Students) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Secretary: Emma Sanders, Teaching and Learning Officer (Academic Development)
• Group membership and Terms of Reference
• Report of the Academic Advising Task & Finish Group (February 2021) (pdf)

The AATFG reported to the Teaching and Learning Engagement Forum (TLEF) in 2021.

The Contract Cheating Task and Finish Group (CCTFG) met between April and September 2020, tasked with looking into what support was required for both staff and students about the extent and consequences of ‘Contract Cheating’, within the broader context of awareness and training around Academic Integrity. 

• Chair: Prof Judy Williams PFHEA NTF, Director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning
• Secretary: Emma Sanders, Teaching and Learning Officer (Academic Development)
• Group membership and terms of reference

The CCTFG reported to the Teaching and Learning Engagement Forum (TLEF).

Outputs:

• Contract Cheating Toolkit 
• We need to talk about contract cheating, TEA blog post (21 September 2021)

The Differential Attainment Project preceded the creation of the Institute of Teaching and Learning, and coordinated a series of pilot projects and interventions between March 2017 - March 2019.

Outputs:

• Differential Attainment Project Report (2019)
• Reports from the Differential Attainment Pilot Projects (2017-2019)

• Public engagement and cultural professionals' mentoring in course assessment and feedback by Kostas Avarantis (School of Arts, Languages and Cultures).

• Transition to University as a nursing student by Steven Pryjmachuk, Bernie Hannity, Janet Ellis, Jane Griffiths and Caitlin McWilliams (School of Health Sciences).
• The Bridge to Higher Education: A case study using the Fashion SOC as the scaffold (2016) and Transition into University: Fashion and Materials SOC – Case study (2015) by Rachel Studd and Gianpaolo Vignali (Department of Materials, School of Natural Sciences).
• Nurture through transition by Sam Aston (The University of Manchester Library). 
• Mindfulness: The Phase One Medics Perspective (2015) by Sarah Shepherd and Claire Mimnagh (Division of Medical Education, School of Medicial Sciences) and Interventions to promote mental health in professional students (2016) by Sarah Shepherd, Claire Mimnagh, Jo Hart and Mary Walsh (Division of Medical Education, School of Medicial Sciences/Counselling Service).
• Student Open Access Research (Appendices) by Simon Bains & Frances Pinter and Publishing and research learning for students by Simon Bains (The University of Manchester Library).
• "It is not the easy option people think it is”: A focus group/action research study of the experience of live at home students in the Manchester Medical School and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work by Shaun Speed, Pip Fisher, Dianne Burns and Sarah Calvert.
  
• Projects with the ‘E’ factor: a model for innovative interdisciplinary final year projects to enhance the student experience and employability by Maggy Fostier and Carol Wakeford (Faculty of Life Sciences).
• Outputs resulting from the project - ‘Summer internships – what works? Evidencing impact of undergraduate quantitative skills from the University of Manchester Q-Step Centre’s Pilot Year’ by Jackie Carter.

• What makes an Inclusive Learning Environment?, by Cath Prescott.
• Creative methodology to explore the social problems of hearing loss in marginalised communities by Sheila Fidler, Jenna Aston, Diane Harris.
• Creating inclusive learning environments through 'We Get It' student Ambassador programme by Cath prescott (School of Health Sciences/Equality and Diversity team).

• Understanding and supporting International Students PGT outcomes by Juup Stelma and Susan Dawson (School of Environment, Education and Development).
• Predicting Student Success: Assessing the relationship between student engagement and attainment by Hannah Maltby, Dan Swain and Sami Karamalla-Gaiballa.
• Maximising academic potential by optimising support for students returning to university following industrial placement and interruption by Michelle Keown and Tracey Speake.

• Flipped Teaching by Angela Davies, Andy Brass, Mandi Banks-Gatenby and Diane Harris (School of Health Sciences/School of Environment, Education and Development).
• Learning Through Resources by Claire Fox (School of Social Sciences).
• Across the Divide: How can University-school partnerships influence academics' pedagogic practice? (2016) by Lynne Bianchi, Peter Green, Sophina Choudry (School of Engineering/School of Environment, Education and Development) and Mind The Gap -a year 2 project building on the findings of the 'Across the Divide' project (2017) by Lynne Bianchi (School of Engineering).
• Video and Rich-Media Resources in HE Engineering Education by Martin Gillie, Fiona Saunders and Andrew Gibson.
• Talk about Medicines: an evidence-based approach for teaching and learning by Kurt Wilson and Sarah Collins (Division of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences). 
• Developing peer assisted student support for eLearning students by Roger Harrison (School of Health Sciences).
• Defining and measuring the behaviours of transformational educators by Dianne Burns and Judy Williams (School of Health Sciences/School of Medical Sciences).
• Evaluating Field-based Learning: Multidisciplinary Mobile Mapping Methods by Chris Perkins.
• Students in public (SIP): Establishing processes for publishing and disseminating student research in the context of course unit delivery by John Zavos (School of Arts, Languages and Cultures).
• Unpacking links between learning gains, learning styles and achievement amongst 1st year pharmacy students at Manchester Pharmacy School by Sarah Willis, Harsha Parmar, Victoria Silkstone and Zubin Austin (Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences).

• Learning Criminology Inside: Prison based Criminology instruction at Manchester - Shadd Maruna (School of Social Sciences).
• EDriNet The Educator Driven Network by Jennifer O'Brien (School of Environment, Education and Development).