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BGE pupils' analysis of soils in Scottish schools — This project allowed primarily S2 students to learn about the soil, and its properties, in their school playground. Students collected samples which were sent to the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry and analysed by Y4 and Y5 masters students. Throughout the year long project schools were updated with progress through a series of newsletters. They also participated in a poster competition and the winning teams and their teachers were invited to the Grand Environment Day held in the Department in September 2018.
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Peer instruction in Chemistry — Peer Instruction is an educational technique that challenges students with conceptual tests, which are solved alone and then in small group discussion. It is both quick and effective, and can dramatically enhance student understanding and knowledge retention when used as part of a traditional lecture. Students gain the same kind of benefit as a discussion-based 1:1 tutorial, but Peer Instruction can be applied to every participant in a very large group.I have implemented Peer Instruction within a suite of traditional lectures delivered to 250 first year undergraduates in chemistry. I have done this to introduce elements of active learning and tackle some well-established difficult threshold concepts in the area of organic chemistry. I also deliver staff training in this area, on behalf of the faculty of science and the wider university (STEP course: “Peer Instruction: A Practical Guide” or similar).
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Pre-lab quizzes and videos to support preparation for practical work — I implemented a series of pre-lab quizzes, which are low/no stakes exercises completed by students before attending a practical working environment, in this case a first year undergraduate chemistry teaching laboratory. Pre-labs can be supported by video demonstrations, resources which I have also created.
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Enhancing Student Transition from Study to Employment Through Student Driven Engagement with Alumni — The five departments in the Faculty of Science engage with alumni in a variety of ways. For example, during 2015/16 the Careers Service organised successful alumni events for M&S, Physics and Biomedical Sciences generating positive student feedback on the benefits. In January 2017, SIPBS held a similar alumni event. The Faculty would like to introduce an annual careers networking event in all five departments, creating a framework to streamline implementation. These events will be supported by staff in each Department within the Faculty of Science and colleagues in Professional Services but fundamentally will be student led.
This work was supported by Enhancement Theme funding from the Quality Assurance Agency Scotland
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How to Overcome Barriers to Student Engagement with Work Based Placements - Stage Two
— The aims of the project were:
- To review all undergraduate and postgraduate taught placement and internship activity across the Faculty of Science.
- To identify the benefits perceived by students who have participated in such activities and align these with existing evidence from industry.
- To identify the perceived barriers to student engagement from those with non-participation.
- To create a range of resources that addresses any gaps identified that will empower students to take advantage of opportunities to gain work experience and ultimately assist their transition from university to graduate employment
The first stage of this work was reported in an earlier SPELT case study: http://spelt.strath.ac.uk/display/SPELT/How+to+Overcome+Barriers+to+Student+Engagement+with+Work+Based+Placements
This work was supported by Enhancement Theme funding from the Quality Assurance Agency Scotland
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How to Overcome Barriers to Student Engagement with Work Based Placements — To review all undergraduate and postgraduate taught placement and internship activity across the Faculty of Science. To identify the benefits perceived by students who have participated in such activities and align these with existing evidence from industry. To identify the perceived barriers to student engagement from those with non-participation. To create a range of resources that addresses any gaps identified that will empower students to take advantage of opportunities to gain work experience and ultimately assist their transition from university to graduate employment.
This project was supported by Enhancement Theme funding from QAA Scotland.
The full report is available at the bottom of the page.
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One minute papers for student feedback —
One Minute Papers provide a cheap and easy instrument for students to give teachers feedback on each lecture (or other encounter), on top of a basic attendance check. A generic form is issued to the class at the start of each lecture, asking students to identify themselves and then fill in free text responses to “What have you learned in this lecture?” and “What should I try harder to explain?”, as well as quiz questions if appropriate. The students return completed forms as they leave the room. The teacher can then reflect on this feedback and respond to it (without naming names) at the beginning of the next lecture.
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Using a class story-board to outline the teaching, assessment and feedback from the start of a teaching block —
Class story-board to outline the teaching, assessment and feedback for a class from the start of a teaching block.
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Reorganising teaching lab structure to manage student perceptions of fairness —
Reorganisation of 3rd year teaching lab including changes to assessment and feedback practise and allocation of student experiments.
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Use of Myplace quiz as a revision tool for a final honours class —
Use of Myplace quiz as a revision tool for a final honours class.
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Industrial Placement Scheme for MChem students — Supported Industrial Placement Scheme for MChem students in their penultimate year of study.
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Practitioner Lectures in the Centre for Forensic Science — A new practitioner lecture series has been incorporated to the MSc/PgD Forensic Science, Professional and Career Skills FS986 class and the MChem/BSc Forensic and Analytical Chemistry CH560 class.
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Major Crime Scene Exercise in Forensic Science —
As part of the MSc/PGD in Forensic Science, the students have the opportunity to undertake a crime scene exercise which provides them with comprehensive direct practical experience of crime scene to court processes and procedures. The exercise involves attending a mock crime scene at the University Stepps Playing Fields, recovering evidence, examining the evidence in the laboratory on their return and then producing a court report.
This is also a collaborative exercise as the report produced by the forensic science students then goes to students of the University’s Law School who act as the prosecution and defence when the forensic science students present their evidence at Glasgow Sheriff Court in front of a sitting Sheriff.
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Collaboration between the Law Clinic and the Centre for Forensic Science — A collaborative student-led project has been formed between students from the Centre for Forensic Science and project members of the Law Clinic’s Criminal Convictions Unit (CCU).
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Vertically Integrated Events for Degree Programmes in Chemistry — These activities were developed to provide a networking opportunity for students on individual degree programmes. These informal events are held in the first semester each year and students from every year of each degree programme are invited. Refreshments are served and a number of speakers give short, informal presentations. The speakers include students who have completed study abroad, placements and internships, recent alumni who are now in employment, recent graduates who have chosen to continue into postgraduate study and, in some cases, an industry representative who will present an industrially sponsored prize to a recent prize winner.
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Direct entry students in the Science Faculty — This short project was designed to investigate how students who entered the University through non-standard routes found the transition from school to University. The project was designed to fall in with the QAA theme relating to Students’ Transitions into Higher Education. The focus of our study was aimed at those students who had entered the University at 2^nd year with Advanced Highers or A-Levels. The full report is available below.
This work was supported by Enhancement Theme funding from the QAA.
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Treasure Hunt Assessment — A new assessment was added to the final year of the MPharm where students were given a clinical problem at 5pm and the solution had to be submitted by 5pm the following day in the form of a letter to a consultant
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A Peer Mentoring System, where 4th Years Mentor 1st Years — As part of our revised curriculum we introduced sessions where the final year students mentored the new intake of students in workshops related to the production of a health promotion campaign.
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Developing an Interdisciplinary Curriculum that Focused on Professional Skills Development —
We redefined the emphasis of our curriculum, moving from classes in particular topics – medicinal chemistry, pharmacy practice, pharmacology, pharmaceutical science – to an interdisciplinary class that (i) emphasized students learning rather than our teaching; (ii) was interdisciplinary, focusing on body systems and people rather than disciplines like chemistry, pharmacology and pharmaceutics; and (iv) focused on the development of professional skills.
We emphasize skills development through (i) 'Being a Pharmacist' classes that run through every year and which integrate what is being taught in other more knowledge based classes and workshops with relevant practical skills; (ii) by teaching key transferable skills such as communication explicitly; (iii) by an extended and increasing programme of experiential learning (in all bar the very first semester) where students go out to work on specific topics in community or hospital pharmacies; and (iv) through interprofessional learning with medical and dental students from the University of Glasgow.
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Social Learning in Tutorial — The Department looked at two new tutorial models which can be thought of as a form of social learning.
Case 1: PH 352 Quantum Physics and Electromagnetism – In this class the students were split into four groups of approximately 30 students. In the electromagnetism tutorials the students were then sub-divided into groups of 5 to 6 students and then allocated problems to work through together. At the end of the tutorial the students worked through one of the solutions in front of all students explaining the key physics rather than going through the mathematical steps.
Case 2: PH 358 Condensed Matter Physics – In this class the lecturer allocated 10% of the class mark to the tutorials. Again the students were split into four groups of approximately 30 students The students were set homework questions which were to be completed outside of the tutorial. At each tutorial the students would tick a sheet indicating which questions they had done and a portion of the 10 % mark would be awarded to the student irrespective of whether the student had achieved the correct answer or not. The idea was to encourage the students to attempt the questions without worrying about the correct answer. At the tutorial any student who had ticked that they had completed a question could be asked by the tutor to explain his or her solution to the rest of the group (this was an honesty check) and then the tutor would lead a discussion about the student’s approach and the physics behind the problem.
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Pharmacology Essay Enhancement Tool —
A 1-hour essay exercise on a previously announced topic written under exam conditions. Individual written feedback was given on each paper, but not a formal mark which would contribute to their final grade. In a follow up tutorial, strengths and weaknesses of essay writing and exam preparation were explored, with time for individuals to discuss their personal performance afterwards. Having explained these points, an essay enhancement tool was provided which enables students to critically self-evaluate their own attempts at essay writing and thereby improve their performance. The tool enables them to do this independently, or with peers in small study groups if that is their preference. This innovation has been tried in both final year and second year students.
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Use of Computer Simulations to Enhance Learning in Pharmacology — We have developed a suite of Pharmacological simulations.
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The Use of Social Media in Mathematics and Statistics — We obtained a small grant to employ a couple of students to set up and monitor a Facebook page for new students starting maths based degrees within our department.
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Use of Personal Response Systems for Assessment — Personal Response System (PRS) handsets were used during normal lectures for students to answer multiple choice topics on the material being presented.

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