1March 2013

Journal

ISSN 2050-9995 (Online)

In relation to the general ethos of the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, the journal exists not only for the publication of papers within our thematic scope but also as a collegiate and developmental platform for new authors, those new to journal reviewing, and for scholars who are seeking to gain experience in journal editing and publishing.

This developmental ethos manifests itself in a range of activities and opportunities that currently include the following:

• Direct support for authors who are seeking to publish their first paper• Peer support for those new to reviewing• Editorial internships• Special issues• Joint copyright

The editorial team for the journal will be looking for other ways in which to use the journal itself as a development platform for academic practice within the area of academic writing, reviewing, and publishing, and are open to suggestions from reviewers, contributing authors, potential guest editors and the wider academic community.

The editors welcome submissions of articles, research notes, opinion pieces and book reviews. The types of articles we will publish include:

Want to getpublished

in 2013?The Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice aims to provide a supportive publishing outlet to allow established and particularly new authors to contribute to the scholarly discourse of academic practice (both generally and in their discipline area) through the publication of papers that are theory-based and supported by evidence, as well as through the publication of Opinion Pieces and ‘On the Horizon’ papers on emerging work.

Original research Reflective analysis papers Review papers Case studiesand also Interactive papers

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For further information visit JPAAP.napier.ac.uk Or contact JPAAP@napier.ac.uk

JPAAP.napier.ac.uk

tfj March 2013 3

Contents3 tfj March 2013 Editorial

4 Comings and Goings

4 Senior Teaching Fellows

4 Vice Principal (Academic) Update

5 ENRoute update

5 HEREN Blog

6 Academic Professional Development Page

7 Participant Viewpoint on the ENMCA Experience

8 Improving our NSS Results; is Face to Face Marking an Answer?

9 Curriculum for Excellence Scholarship Scheme

10 International Exchange and Knowledge Transfer

12 Teaching By Doing

14 Diary Dates

15 Conference Report

16 Launch of Open Access Journal: Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice (JPAAP)

17 Book Review

18 Around the Faculties

20 SIG Update

21 Student Focus

22 Grants Panel Update

23 Teaching Fellows Journal Editorial Team

tfj March 2013 EditorialAlistair Sambell

The first objective in our University strategy is “to be academically excellent”. This objective lies at the heart of our academic agenda, in particular delivering the best possible student experience and strengthening our research profile. While such aspirations are, at a high level, familiar and longstanding, the context for higher education is changing rapidly. This change is reflected in how we (or perhaps more significantly ‘our stakeholders’) interpret academic excellence. Performance measurement, public information and accountability are central to the new higher education landscape. Last year saw the introduction of Key Information Sets (KIS), the online publication of detailed, programme-level information such as the National Student Survey (NSS) results, employment statistics and approaches to teaching and learning for all potential students, encouraging them to make informed choices about their study options. This year also sees the latest cycle of assessment of our research activity, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), publicly rating the quality of research activity in all UK universities. The Scottish Funding Council has introduced Outcome Agreements with every Scottish university as part of the government’s ‘something for something’ approach. The Outcome Agreements include increasing access for traditionally under-represented groups and providing more flexible and efficient learning pathways for students into, and through, higher education. The introduction of Curriculum for Excellence in Scottish schools will change the prior learning experience for many of our future students. Technology will potentially revolutionise access to education, with ubiquitous portable computing, the growth of the internet and the introduction of new learning technologies promising a radical change in higher education, offering increased personalisation and ready access to a wealth of material from providers around the world.

Within the University, we must remain committed to the core principles and values of higher education, based upon the truly life-changing experience we can offer each and every one of our students. We must also, however, respond to the challenges presented by this changing context. Success will come by placing students at the heart of all we do, by being ambitious for our students, by innovating and by sharing our practice. Hence the community of Senior Teaching Fellows and Teaching Fellows is central to shaping our academic future, and this community has been involved in a number of recent initiatives such as deepening our understanding of our student satisfaction, strengthening our focus on programmes, considering the role of technology in learning, and enhancing the Edinburgh Napier graduate attributes related to employability, internationalisation and research.

As well as enhancing the student experience, we also have an opportunity through this work to develop ourselves as higher education practitioners, which is an important aspect of our University strategy. We are currently awaiting a decision on accreditation of our new continuing professional development framework for those engaged in teaching and the support of learning, ENRoute, which includes accreditation of the Teaching Fellowship scheme against Descriptor 3 for award of Senior Fellow of the HEA. I hope that many of you choose to put yourselves forward for further professional recognition against the UKPSF as one way of publicly demonstrating your achievements and your work on behalf of our students. •

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Comings and GoingsWe said goodbye to Debbie Raychoudhury in early February as she left us to take up a post as primary school administrator. We are grateful for the significant contribution she has made to our work.

We are looking forward to welcoming Ruth back from maternity leave at the start of April. In the meantime, please bear with us as things are a little less smooth with no Teaching Fellow administrator for the moment.

With the promotion of five Teaching Fellows to Senior Teaching Fellow roles last autumn, the community now comprises 43 Fellows and 18 Senior Fellows. You can see the list at: http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/academicdevelopment/TFscheme/Pages/TFnames.aspx

We have started to do some work on updating our profiles and will continue this through into the summer. We have a new format that we are trying out that we feel will better enable us to communicate our interests and achievements to internal and external audiences. An example may be seen below which will soon be live on the new OVP (Academic) intranet site. Kirsteen Wright, our OVP Publications Officer will be leading this work and will be in touch in due course. •

Vice Principal (Academic) Update

The recent Academic Agenda newsletter outlined a large number of different strands of work, all underwritten by the common purpose of enhancing the experience of our students.

There is much work around engagement in the National Student Survey and addressing the issues underlying the responses we receive. Discovering more about what our students think through our internal satisfaction survey pilot, being led by Sandra Cairncross, will help support programme level actions, and that in turn is supported by Fiona-Jean Howson’s Programme Leading development activity and Karen Aitchison’s leadership of the Programme Design Framework. Strengthening the programme focus, and local ownership of the student experience, are key considerations and pilot projects are underway in all Faculties to uncover ways in which we may enhance the student experience by redesign of the curriculum. The pedagogic innovation work we are undertaking in projects such as Digital Futures, led by Keith Smyth, and Reconceptualising the Curriculum, are ways to build on the excellent work to date within the University and of the Teaching Fellow community. This agenda is aligned with external activity, including the current QAA Enhancement Theme, Developing and Supporting the Curriculum (DSC), being led by Karen Aitchison, and the response to the QAA Enhancement Led Institutional Review led by Rowena Pelik.

The contribution of Teaching Fellows and Senior Teaching Fellows to this activity is already clear and continues to be of importance. •

Senior Teaching FellowsOn 7 March, 14 of the 18 Senior Teaching Fellows met with the Vice Principal (Academic), Alistair Sambell, to discuss the Senior Teaching Fellow role from their perspective and that of the wider University. We heard about Alistair’s vision for Senior Teaching Fellow involvement in the achievement of the current academic agenda, explored what the ENRoute CPD framework means for us and planned relevant actions for the effective use of this grouping of academic leaders in helping support the achievement of the University’s Academic Strategy. •

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The HEA announced recently that they would waive the two-year rule for application for FHEA following successful completion of an accredited programme. So, if you have done the Edinburgh Napier PgC TLHE or an equivalent HEA-accredited programme elsewhere and have not registered that to obtain professional recognition, please see the HEA website for further details (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professional-recognition). It is a simple online application process that requires upload of your transcript, available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/accredited-provision/apply/. The ENRoute Programme Team and Steering Group are now being set up. Contact Anastasia Dragona or see the website for more details.•

ENRoute UpdateAngela Benzies

The documentation for the University’s continuing professional development framework for those engaged in teaching and the support of learning, ENRoute, has now been submitted to the Higher Education Academy.

We are expecting a decision on 16 April on our initial accreditation request for the PgC Blended and Online Education (for award of Fellow of the HEA) and the Teaching Fellowship Scheme (for award of Senior Fellow); the PgC Teaching and Learning (for award of Fellow) has been accredited for several years so this will simply be reaccredited against the current UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF).

HEREN BlogThe HEREN blog was set up in May 2012 by Karen Strickland as a way of communicating and sharing the activities of the HEREN network. The blog offers a way of publicising some of the work and events of the HEREN community.

What we want:

The topics we’re interested in offering posts on are:

• Interesting developments in teaching and learning, perhaps small studies you have been involved in

• Summaries of recently published articles on education topics which can link to publications

• Presenting at conferences or conference reviews• Writing articles and books• Writing grant proposals• Using social media for research and self-promotion• Understanding the publishing business• Current and possible future states of publishing• Academic life.

As the site grows, we would like to have a team ready to respond to particular questions or issues. We know such a commitment is difficult, so this guide is written with the aim of getting the most out of you without taking up too much of your time.

If you could commit to contributing over a period of time (say, six months or so) then please send us a brief biography (about a paragraph long), a picture of yourself, and a sentence about the area you’d like to cover.

Generating ideas for blog posts:

Here’s four really easy ways of getting blog content together fast:

• Repurpose something you’ve already written. • Look at what other blogs are featuring.• Have a quick brainstorm and write down everything

you can think of about the area you specialise in, then measure this list against the type of content we’re looking for.

• An option for the seriously time-poor is to work on something collaboratively. We’d be happy to work on your idea with you and we can do this via email.

Making it bloggy:

• Instructional blogs need to be clear. Style, of course, is very personal but it’s good to keep paragraphs short and make use of headings to break the text up.

• A blog post of about 700 words is good. Remember, blog readers get bored quickly.

Submission, scheduling and promotion:

• Please email posts to K.Strickland@napier.ac.uk. If you have images you want to include, please attach them to the email, or we can provide some.

• Please also include a one-line biography that we can use for publicity and to introduce your contribution. Mistakes such as typos will be corrected, but other than that, we’ll leave your text as it is. •

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Academic Professional Development Page

What’s new…The Academic Professional Development team is expanding! Welcome to three new faces: Bridget Hanna, Martin Gaughan and Rachel Murray all join the team to work on and support new and exciting development projects.

Bridget

Bridget joins the team bringing with her a wealth of experience from over 15 years as a teacher and academic. Bridget has worked both as a Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and as an Associate Lecturer at the Open University as well as in many other teaching roles. She is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and a Fellow of the HEA.

Within Academic Professional Development, Bridget will be looking at the areas of academic leadership, assessment and feedback and working on a developmental basis with Faculty of Engineering, Computing & Creative Industries (FECCI). These projects link into her own research interests, which are around the role of assessment in learning and how assessment affects professional identity. Bridget also has a particular interest in the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) and how this maps onto other provisions in the University. She is looking forward to working across the two elements within our own proposed accreditation route, ENRoute. Talking about this new route, Bridget said: “There is a deep reservoir of knowledge and experience already present within the staff who teach here and it’s great to be able to help people get recognised for the work that they do.”

In addition to working on the above projects, Bridget is also keen to develop more informal and collegiate forms of learning, such as the existing Crofters Club and Learning Lunches. She says she is looking forward to enjoying the stimulation of academic life at Edinburgh Napier and will be developing her own Teaching Fellow application over the coming months.

Martin

After a well-established career as a nurse specialising in learning, disability and the mental health of young people, Martin joins the team on a secondment focusing on Research Ethics development and

supporting Technology Enhanced Learning through online and workshop development.

Martin has an MPhil by research, which will provide a good foundation for one of his key projects – developing a short online course in Research Ethics – which all Faculty and research staff will be encouraged to participate in. Still in developmental stages, this course will be launched around April/May 2013 and will include modules such as History of Research Ethics, Working with Vulnerable Groups and Ethical Considerations. It will also act as a useful online resource for colleagues to refer to relevant and up-to-date materials on the topic of Research Ethics. Another benefit will be the collaborative nature of a course of this kind, which will allow for colleagues across the University to hear about the research topics of other participants.

Rachel

Rachel joins the team as Coordinator to ensure the department’s activities are integrated, accessible and have a high profile across Edinburgh Napier. Rachel is a graduate of Edinburgh Napier and has a background in learning event management with experience gained in PricewaterhouseCoopers and EAC Language Centres.

She is the main point of contact for event bookings and is always looking for ways to improve the booking process to encourage colleagues to participate in development. Rachel enjoys supporting development projects and will be involved in many areas including event coordination and promotion, process improvement, learning materials development and training evaluation. She will also contribute to the provision of key team activities including Academic Induction, Conferences and Symposia. •

From left to right: Bridget Hanna, Martin Gaughan and Rachel Murray

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Isabel Dosser, Martin Gaughan, Anne MacNab and Janis Ross

Promoting mentoring and coaching in our organisation

There are nine participants from a number of Faculties and Professional Services across the University in the current cohort of the ENMCA and, between them, they are mentoring or coaching more than 20 people from varied backgrounds in aspects of their academic practice.

Mentors are benefiting from exposure to a number of experiences such as professional supervision, action learning sets, peer learning, and a series of four workshops, the aim of these experiences being to increase confidence and competence in accordance with the SEDA Professional Development Framework in mentoring and coaching. There is unanimous agreement across the current mentor group that individual supervision with Professor Diana Eastcott is energising, stimulating and thought provoking. The opportunity of this one-to-one interaction provides a positive sounding board and affirmation of the mentors’ evolving practice.

Sharing stories and reflecting on mentoring experiences with peers and tutors within highly interactive workshops has provided a supportive space for exploration, reflection and skills enhancement. ENMCA action learning sets follow a structured approach which facilitates each participant in sharing current issues related to mentoring experience, practicing questioning techniques and providing support for action planning. Participants referred to action learning sets as “a powerful experience which helped develop supportive peer relationships”. The researching, reading and sharing of a range of theoretical concepts and approaches has further enriched these sessions.

Awareness of behaviours of self and others was identified as fundamental in effective mentoring, as indicated in Clutterbuck’s 10 Mentor Competencies (Clutterbuck, 2004)1. All mentors voluntarily undertook ‘Myers Briggs Type Indicator’ (MBTI) profiling as a means to deeper understanding of their own and others’ preferred ways of working. This was followed up in one-to-one sessions offered by Human Resources &

Development (HRD) colleagues trained in MBTI profiling and then discussed together at the following workshop, in a session led by the HRD team, in relation to how this might be applied to mentoring and coaching practice. The wide variety of different backgrounds from which the mentors were drawn and their differing personality profiles provided a wealth of professional perspectives.

Mentees, who were recruited for the course in a number of ways by the mentors and programme leaders, are benefiting from a professionally managed process which includes a contract based on the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Code of Ethics as well as application of evidence-based techniques. Each mentee was offered a minimum of five hours with their mentor over a period of six months, during which time the mentor completes a reflective diary. Reflection is integral to the whole process with subsequent implications for improved mentoring and mentee practice and achievement of developmental goals in relation to the enhancement of academic practice.

Already participants are reporting progress on a variety of aspects of academic and professional development in the few months since mentoring began, which is having a positive impact upon both the Mentors and Mentees concerned and their effectiveness within Edinburgh Napier University. Harnessing the potential of such an approach across the University on an ongoing basis will be one of the considerations of the current cohort within their final assessment. •References

1 Clutterbuck, D. (2004) Everyone Needs a Mentor: Fostering

Talent in Your Organisation. 4th edn. London: Chartered Institute

of Personnel and Development.

10 Mentor Competencies can be found here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4OYegB6lbQAC&pg=PA48

&lpg=PA48&dq=10+mentor+competencies&source=bl&ots=yIK

PHeCuD8&sig=nxFYP_JUe0lqsADb_lIS6X74DtI&hl=en&sa=X&ei

=Z5NAUb_3McWLOKOzgYgE&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage

&q=10%20mentor%20competencies&f=false

Participant Viewpoint on the ENMCA Experience

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these sessions, the marks achieved for component 2 (an online test) were compared for the two groups. Although the ‘face to face’ group seemed to do better in the test, the results were not significantly different (80.2% vs 77.1%, p = 0.12). This meant that the overall module mark for students who chose ‘face to face’ marking was higher than that of the other students (73.8% vs 68.2%, p <0.001).

A survey of students who signed up for the feedback produced 24 responses. Of these, 80% said the feedback had been “very” or “extremely” useful, and all respondents said that they found this form of feedback more useful than written feedback. Some (verbatim) comments from students are included below:

“It made it much clearer where I had gone wrong, and it was really good to hear positive remarks, I feel it really boosted my confidence in my skills. It was also nice to meet tutors on a closer basis.”

“I think that getting the automatic response to the essay is more informative than written comments. You can focus on each aspect of the essay individually which is more informative than generic comments.”

“It gave me a better idea of what I could improve on than if I were given it in writing. Written feedback is helpful, however the main limitation is that you can’t question the marks or results and such like. I preferred the face to face session much more, and found it much more useful.”

Improving our NSS Results; is Face to Face Marking an Answer?

Charlotte Chalmers, Janis MacCallum, Claire Garden

Feedback is a vital part of learning, yet it tends to be part of what can feel at times a rather dreary process of marking piles of papers and it is squeezed into the time when we are not with our students, so that marking is done (far too often) in our evenings, weekends and holidays. This year I decided I would do things differently. Rather than spending my time marking essays in the quiet of my office or home, and handing back work some weeks later, complete with detailed marking schedule, why not spend that time with the student and give them the feedback at the same time as marking their essay? In addition, this could all be done within a week of the student handing in their work. They would benefit from much faster (and possibly more useful) feedback, and I would benefit by being able to hand back work quickly, knowing that the student had received the feedback intended.

‘Face to face’ marking

Students on a first year module in the School of Life, Sport & Social Sciences have a 1000 word essay to write which is worth 40% of the module assessment. From the cohort of 207, students were asked to sign up for ten-minute slots (estimating that it would normally take an hour to mark six essays) on calendars pinned to staff doors (three members of the teaching team chose to take part). ‘Face to face’ marking took place in a meeting room, the member of staff used the detailed marking criteria produced for all students, and students were asked to make notes during the session. Staff did not mark or make comments on the essay until the student was present. The mark was calculated from the criteria sheet, and the student left with their marked work and any feedback they had noted.

Results

Of 205 students who submitted an essay, 45 turned up for a ‘face to face’. The mean mark awarded for these students (72.1% vs 63.4%) was significantly higher (students t test, p <0.001) than the mean for the students who received written feedback. To identify whether this was down to the marker being more generous with the student present, or whether it was because the more able students tended to sign up for

“It made it much clearer

where I had gone wrong, and it

was really good to hear positive

remarks, I feel it really boosted

my confidence in my skills. It

was also nice to meet tutors on a

closer basis.

”

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immediate feedback at the time of marking. Obviously, marking is no longer anonymous, but the students signed up for this voluntarily. On the positive side, the benefits in terms of getting immediate feedback and in understanding what is being marked are obvious. Staff who undertook the sessions found them more enjoyable and rewarding than providing written feedback. We plan to do the same next year (with some adjustments), and to timetable these sessions from the start of the trimester so that the feedback really does become part of the learning process, and an active communication between tutor and student. •

“It was good getting feedback so soon as it was still fresh what I had written, very good feedback and able to ask questions”

Conclusion

There are obvious drawbacks to marking work in this way, not least the apparent inflation of marks for students who received ‘face to face’ marking. Conversely, perhaps we tend to be harsher in our marking when the student isn’t present. The method we adopted was not to negotiate marks, rather to give

Curriculum for Excellence Scholarship SchemeIain MacDonald

I have recently had a grant approved for educational research under the HEA Curriculum for Excellence Scholarship Scheme.

As a member of the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) Curriculum Board, I am actively involved in its advocacy and in consultation with schools and government in my subject area. The NSEAD has recently reported on the English Baccalaureate. This HEA initiative provides an opportunity to engage Scottish schools with Curriculum for Excellence and the impact it is having on the choice of subjects.

As a lecturer in graphic design and researcher in art and design pedagogy, I have a committed interest in how art and design is taught across secondary and higher education. My contribution to pedagogic research has been recognised by Edinburgh Napier University with several awards and the granting of Teaching Fellow status.

The focus of my recent academic study has been on the effects of new technology and the importance of a pluralistic approach to media. The development of literacy and technical skills across digital and physical materials is central to the empowerment of the student, both as creative consumer and producer. Each year, the demand for places on our courses grows, with competition from the UK, Europe and Asia. We see evidence of different pedagogies with a range of skills and creative expression in applicant portfolios.

The focus of my project will be to observe how art and design is taught in secondary schools. The aim is to identify the factors that influence the student’s decision to continue, or not, their art and design study at 14 and 16. Another aim is to find out how it can engage with new media and where interdisciplinary approaches can be developed. The objective is to ensure that teachers, pupils and their parents are informed of the opportunities in the creative industries and that pupils have the necessary skills to compete for university places and succeed in higher education and employment.

A report for the NSEAD Curriculum Board will contribute to the organisation’s strategic planning to advise at government and school levels. The report (co-written with Patricia Brown, Faculty Head of Art and Design at John Ogilvie RC School and fellow NSEAD Curriculum Board member) will also be delivered as a conference paper at the International Journal for Education in Art & Design annual conference, where I have spoken for the last three years.

My department, in liaison with Education Scotland, has been working with and has existing partnerships with several schools in Edinburgh, Fife and Hamilton. These range from independent to faith and state schools: George Heriot’s, Merchiston, and Royal High in Edinburgh; Viewforth, Kirkaldy High and St Andrews R.C. in Kirkaldy, Fife; and John Ogilvie R.C. in Hamilton. •

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Richard Firth

Introduction

Since becoming programme leader for BDes (Hons) Product Design, I have focused on developing our international exchange profile and securing industry links and opportunities for the programme, students and staff. One of my aims since becoming a Teaching Fellow is to use these links to develop long term international collaborative projects between the various institutions and industry.

The following articles share some of that recent work. I hope to follow up the progress on these and other projects in future TF publications.

International Exchange

January 2013 kicked off a big year for our International Exchange Programme. We have 16 third year Product Design students currently on study programmes in Australia, China, Norway, Holland and France.

In addition to this, we have joined and developed the Carousel International Student Staff Exchange Project. This involves the participating institutions hosting a week-long design workshop for 20 exchange students per institute. Product Design will host the first event in Edinburgh in March. We will conclude the project in another week-long workshop in April at one of our partners’ overseas venues.

I wanted to get involved because this project allows students and staff who are not able to go on longer exchanges the opportunity for an international experience. Although Carousel is aimed at third year students, I have involved some students from years 1 and 2. My desire here is to encourage students to start taking ownership of these opportunities earlier on in their student career and have them start to plan for future events, establishing a ‘can do culture’.

At the start of February 2013, I spent a week working in Norway with a team of international design staff

and students (we have four Product Design students currently on exchange there). This is the fourth year we have run this workshop. Now, with relationships, trust and common aims fully established, we hope to collaborate internationally on a number of projects with our students during the next 12 months in preparation for next year’s workshop.

There are many benefits for engaging with international exchange, not least being able to create opportunities and watch students participate in something they never thought possible when they first joined the University. One aspect of international exchange I value is being able to step away from the programme and view it from the outside, without the day-to-day distractions associated with being on site. A lot of the planning for the year ahead is often inspired by and sketched out during a few days away each year.

Edinburgh Napier exchange students and

staff check out the course route in preparation for

their annual sledge design-and-build

competition, Norway.

International Exchange and Knowledge Transfer

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Knowledge transfer: Transferable skills v transferable job titles

Since January 2012, I have been involved with a knowledge-transfer scheme working for Blazing Griffin, an indie game-development studio based in Edinburgh. This time-limited scheme was secured using an initial innovation voucher which developed into a larger follow-on voucher that covered secondment costs.

Still working in the University, I also work part-time in Blazing Griffin as the Art Director and as a concept artist. This involves working closely with game designers, writers, and programmers, and collaborating with external freelancers, such as audio designers and musicians. Blazing Griffin being a small studio (around eight people), my actual scope of work is wide and varied – collaboration and discussion are in; job title, status and ego are out.

I have spent most of my professional design career working in interpretation and museum design, manufacture and installation. Some twenty years on, I am confident that I have a set of skills that are refined with a proven track record, so when the opportunity came to work in a completely different area of design that I have no experience of, I wondered if my skills would be transferable.

Working in the creative industries really does offer opportunities to bring skills, not titles in to the workplace. This ‘transferable’ way of working is something that we try to instil in our students. A few years ago, a product designer was perceived to do only one thing. Now product designers use their skills in a wide range of non-traditional areas and environments. Being able to demonstrate this, using practical examples from real-world experience, helps to encourage it in our students, highlighting career paths they may not have imagined. Concept art for the forthcoming new release of Distant

Star, a turn-based 4x strategy game.

Thinking about my career as a lecturer, the opportunity to work in a new industry has put me back in the position of being a learner again. This has helped me reflect and empathise with our students at key stages of their learning and development.

I decided to keep a visual diary and present my progress each week to my students. They have valued me talking about the things I have found challenging, and showing the mistakes I have made. For some, these presentations have helped ‘demystify the art’ of what we teach. For others, they have enabled them to relate their own progress and recognise a similar learning arc, when they have seen my own learning develop over the months.

I started my career with a degree in product design but have worked continually across a broad range of disciplines and working in the gaming industry is something I never imagined I would have the opportunity to do.

Throughout my career, the job titles have changed, but the core skill bases have remained the same. The boundaries between job title and projects are blurring – they probably always have – but I think our students need to know that and be encouraged to ‘cast the net wide’. •

Contribute to the next editionWe are always looking for articles to feature in the Teaching Fellows Journal. Our next editorial meeting will be in June and production starts in early September. Please contact tfj@napier.ac.uk with your proposal and we’ll get back to you. Also check out our website for more information on the type of articles we would like and how to contribute:

http://staff.napier.ac.uk/tfj-contribute

October 2013

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Teaching By DoingIan Lambert

Programmes within the Art, Design & Communication Subject Group have a strong ethos of learning by doing – our students undertake creative practice in a studio learning environment where they develop practical skills and creative thinking through projects.

Our teaching is informed by design practice and research. In keeping with our ‘learning by doing’ maxim we decided to formalise teaching research linkages by taking ‘teaching by doing’ as a pedagogical

approach. Last year, we were awarded funding from the University’s Teaching Fellows Grants Panel for a project entitled Teaching by Doing (TF 1129). Through this, we used our own work as an exemplar and resource for undergraduate students in their Major Project module. Each student is attached to an ‘atelier’ (studio group) themed on the basis of the lead tutor’s practice and/or research interests and the funding enabled tutors to realise their design work, some of which is shown below. •

Ian Macdonald – 10 Gateways to Enlightenment In a series of ten 10-second shots of doorways and gateways, Iain attempts to capture an essence of campus life at the Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Henan Province, China. For a city that has a rapidly growing population of nearly 9 million, it is perhaps surprising to find tranquillity and space. However, appearances can be deceptive because the sound of the crowd is never far away.

Myrna MacLeod – Waiting for the Light Waiting for the light is an interdisciplinary response to the often debilitating Seasonal Affective Disorder experienced by its designer. The piece represents the time of year, late February, when the light begins to return, with the sounds that accompany it from the early morning.

Richard Firth – Robot Visions; Technological Legacies This project is an exciting blend of design innovation and themes of eco-responsibility. The shape, texture and composition of each robot hold traces of earlier technology: First World War helmets, toasters, phone boxes. The aesthetics and structural frameworks (the ‘product semiotics’) of these earlier technologies enable the machines to mutate into new forms: robots for today, born of the past.

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Euan Winton – Ghosts in the Machine Ghosts in the Machine is an exploration in digital light painting in physical space, which builds on the idea of ‘design as performance’ and utilises human movement as an analogue tool. ‘Design as performance’ is a recurring theme in Euan’s work and challenges the idea that design should be artefact driven.

Ian Lambert – Whisky Bowls Victor Papanek described design as goal directed play. In this atelier, students are encouraged to explore the design process through making – using design as a research tool – and identify opportunities for new and existing infrastructures and waste streams in enriching the local creative economy. Ian Lambert has played with a resin casting process, developed with Paul Kerlaff, using exhausted whisky cask staves to create a range of fruit bowls.

Left: Group Board Our team members have continued to develop their own work, the excellence of which is shown in our annual staff exhibition. Our Research and Practice informs our teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and we have also published articles and papers on design pedagogy.

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Diary DatesDiary Dates are coordinated by Kate Durkacz

(K.Durkacz@napier.ac.uk) and Joan McLatchie (J.McLatchie@napier.ac.uk) – contact them with any

dates you would like added.

Diary Date information is also available at:

http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/academicdevelopment/TFscheme/Pages/DiaryDates.aspx

9th HEA Annual Conference

Powerful partnerships: defining the learning experience University of Warwick3–4 July 2013

The 9th HEA Annual Conference will explore the increasing use of partnerships to address the challenges presented by change. In this uncertain environment, higher education is investing in partnerships, both within the UK and internationally, to develop new avenues and markets, drawing on the vibrancy and unique strengths of each partner. These partnerships are multifaceted and we address this at the conference within three strands: students; employers; and organisations as partners. This conference will develop our understanding of how such partnerships affect the student experience and educational outcome, and also benefit society as a whole. While recognising the competitive environment, the conference will discuss and dismantle issues around partnerships to discover how to sustain success through partnerships.

The call for contributions is now closed, but bookings are open until 7 June 2013 (Early Bird closes 5 April).

Website: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/annual-conference

18th Annual SEDA Conference

Creativity in Educational DevelopmentMercure Bristol Holland House Hotel14–15 November 2013

Themes:• Engaging students creatively as partners • Creativity in curriculum design • Experiential learning • Creativity in technology enhanced learning • Learning, teaching and developing through games

and play • Creative professional development • Creative teaching, assessment and feedback • Creative approaches to quality assurance and

enhancement Proposals should be submitted electronically to SEDA, using the proposal form, by 3 May 2013.

Website: http://www.seda.ac.uk/index.php?p=14_2&e=440&c=1

The Open and Flexible Education Conference 2013

EADTUTransition to open and online education in European universitiesLes Cordoliers, Paris 24–25 October 2013

Themes:• National and institutional aspects of opening up

education• Institutional models for online or blended course

and curriculum development and delivery• Innovations in technology enhanced learning for the

future• Quality assurance in online and distance learning• Other related topics (see website for full list)Deadline for submission of conference paper abstracts and full research papers: 1 May 2013.

Deadline for submission of full conference papers: 15 August 2013.

Website: http://www.eadtu.eu/activities/conference-2013/call-for-abstracts-and-papers.html

ECE 2013 – The European Conference on Education

Brighton, UK11–14 July 2013

As previous IAFOR Conferences on Education have shown, education and lifelong learning can be seen as a solution to a host of local and global problems whilst globalised education systems are becoming increasingly socially, ethnically and culturally diverse. The theme for this conference is Learning and Teaching through Transformative Spaces.

Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 20 May 2013.

Website: http://ece.iafor.org/index.html

tfj March 2013 15

Iain Macdonald

The 3rd iJADE (The International Journal of Art & Design Education) and NSEAD (National Society for Education in Art & Design) Research Conference 2012 was held on 19-20 October at Liverpool John Moore’s University School of Art & Design. The theme was Creativity and Democracy and the conference explored the relationships between social and political organisations and the place of creativity in education and the community. Is creativity at the centre of democratic education?

There were many delegates from overseas: Taiwan, USA, Korea, Australia, Norway, Spain, Greece and Ireland, as well as representatives from across the UK who teach at secondary, FE and HE levels.

Engaging young learners in creative practice and developing a curriculum that has meaning and relevance with current technologies are key issues that concern the art and design community in education and industry. I presented a paper with Andy Ash, Lecturer at The Institute of Education, University of London, called Shifting the Focus: listening to pupils. In our paper, which followed a line of research we presented at the iJADE 2010 conference, we continued to develop our philosophical argument for including moving image in the Art & Design curriculum. We shared

Conference Report

ICHE 2013 : International Conference on Higher Education

World Academy of Science, Engineering and TechnologyHoliday Inn, Paris27–28 June 2013

The 34th International Conference on Higher Education aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Higher Education and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted.

Deadline for paper submission: 31 March 2013.

Website: http://www.waset.org/conferences/2013/paris/iche/index.php

our new case studies of pupil and student voices and insights, showing examples of innovative practice from secondary schools in England and Scotland to support the discussion. While there are pockets of outstanding practice in secondary education, and within Scotland a supportive online community called Creativity Portal, there is further opportunity to develop a culture that embraces and shapes the change to curriculum.

Our discussion examined the agents of change in education, which we identified as collaboration, communities of practice, critical pedagogy and pupil voice. The day-to-day experiences and aspirations of students are shaped by many factors - how are we preparing? Was there ever such a thing as a ‘secure future’? Allowing pupils and students agency in their learning can help prepare them for a continually changing employment and educational landscape. Our studies of sharing the learning of new media and practices in areas of more traditional art practices are but one example of an opportunity to build collaborative practice.

As a community of educators in design and beyond, we demonstrate within the Teaching Fellowship the function that Wenger describes: “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2006). We all have an important part to play, whatever our subject discipline. •

12th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel 5–8 January 2014

Contributions are invited from all areas of education, including: Higher Education; Adult Education; Distance Education; Curriculum, Research and Development; Educational Technology.

Submission/Proposal Deadline: 9 August 2013.

Website: http://www.hiceducation.org/cfp_edu.php •

A comprehensive list of upcoming Higher Education conferences can be found at: http://www.conferencealerts.com/topic-listing.php?page=2&ipp=100&topic=Higher Education

16

Engaging in scholarship of learning, teaching and assessment is a key activity which contributes to enhancement of academic practice. One way of doing this is by contributing to the scholarly discourse by publishing in academic journals. The publication process, however, can be daunting, intimidating and off-putting for those who have not engaged in it previously, and the competition is high, with equally high rates of rejection. Equally, the low publication rates may be due to time constraints, simply not having time to do something extra to make work submitted for an academic award suitable for the specifications of an academic journal. The Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice aims to provide a supportive publishing outlet to allow established and particularly new authors to contribute to the scholarly discourse of academic practice (both generally and in their discipline area) through the publication of papers that are theory-based and supported by evidence, as well as through the publication of Opinion Pieces and ‘On the Horizon’ papers on emerging work.

In relation to the general ethos, the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice provides a collegiate and developmental platform for new authors, those new to journal reviewing, and for scholars who are seeking to gain experience in journal editing and publishing. This developmental ethos manifests itself in a range of activities and opportunities that currently include the following:

Direct supportFor authors who are seeking to publish their first paper in one or more of the thematic areas of the journal, we will provide direct support through assigning ‘critical friends’ from within the editorial team, who will be happy to advise on the development of initial ideas for the formats of papers we publish.

Peer support We welcome academics with experience in the thematic areas of the journal, but who are new to the journal submission reviewing process, to become involved as reviewers for the journal. This will include an opportunity to work for an initial

period of reviewing with a colleague who is already experienced as a reviewer.

Editorial internships The journal will soon be offering editorial internships, normally two a year, for academics who are experienced in the thematic areas of the journal, have some publications of their own and experience as a reviewer, and who wish to develop knowledge and experience on the editorial side of journal publishing.

Special issues The Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice welcomes the opportunity to work alongside colleagues in the field to develop Special Issues of the journal dedicated to particular themes or emerging areas of work. Having a good idea for a special issue, and being willing to take on Guest Editor responsibilities for the special issue (with support provided from the regular Editorial Team), is much more important than prior editing experience.

Joint copyright Copyright of all articles published in the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice will be shared between the journal and the author(s). This will allow authors to republish their paper or article in full through their own and other online outlets (for example, their own blog or website or institutional websites or research repositories). Any re-published papers should carry a statement up front explaining that the article was originally published in the Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice with full reference.

The first issue will be published in June 2013 and thereafter twice a year. The editorial team for the journal will be looking for other ways in which to use the journal itself as a development platform for academic practice within the area of academic writing, reviewing, and publishing, and are open to suggestions from reviewers, contributing authors, potential guest editors and the wider academic community. For further information including author guidelines, please visit the journal website: http://JPAAP.napier.ac.uk or follow the journal on twitter: @JofPAAP •

Launch of Open Access Journal: Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice (JPAAP)Editors: Professor Mark Huxham, Dr Keith Smyth, Karen Strickland (Edinburgh Napier University), Dr David Walker (University of Dundee), Dr Panos Vlachopoulos (Aston University)

tfj March 2013 17

Book Review Karen Campbell

Brockbank, Anne (2006)

Facilitating Reflective Learning Through Mentoring & Coaching

ISBN: 978-0-74944-844-8 London: Kogan Page

The audience for this book is those that are mentoring and those that are being mentored. It can be used by the novice mentor or those more experienced and looking to review or extend their knowledge.

Chapter one provides a ‘route’ through the book. This part in itself is excellent for those that are requiring a quick review of the contents and signposts to specific areas of mentoring and coaching. There is a clear indication of the importance and the interaction between the chapters of the book. Each chapter, in turn, gives a comprehensive description of the difference between mentoring and coaching; models of mentoring and coaching; practical skills to incorporate into practice; and ethical considerations. The added value of this book for me was chapters two, three and four.

Chapter two introduces the concept of embedding mentoring and coaching into organisation structures to enhance and enable change in our working environment. By embedding mentoring and coaching, however, “are we learning for improvement or transformation?”. Brockbank and McGill suggest that we have to look beyond just improving our organisations and that we have to transform our

thinking and social practices, reflection being the key to this process of transformation. This leads nicely onto chapter three, which describes the ‘learning theories’ developed from the longstanding research of Argyris and Schon (1996). The explanation offered by this book is so much easier to understand than the original authors’. It also makes the reader aware of the emotional aspect of mentoring and coaching and the normal human phenomena of ‘defensive reasoning’ when faced with a problem. Chapter four builds on the importance of reflective dialogue in the mentoring and coaching relationship and how this is a crucial interaction to minimise ‘defensive reasoning’ and therefore enable learning for transformation.

This book was offered as a core text on the new SEDA-accredited Mentoring and Coaching Award and helped me to understand that the process of a mentoring- coaching relationship can have a wider organisational impact. The reflective nature of the one-to-one relationship or peer supervision can shift the client’s individual thinking about their underlining values and beliefs of their working environment and encourage transformational learning. •A new revised second edition of this book is also available:

Anne Brockbank, Ian McGill Facilitating Reflective Learning: Coaching, Mentoring and Supervision ISBN: 9780749465070 Edition 2 London: Kogan Page

Further Reading Argyris, C. & Schon, D. (1996) Organisational learning II, Theory,

method and Practice, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,

Reading, Mass.

Want to find an old tfj article... Well now you can!

All back issues of the tfj are now online and fully searchable. Go to http://issuu.com/teachingfellowsjournal

You’ll find all the current editions as well as all those previously published online. You’ll be able to search within one issue or search all the issues together to find articles of interest. The previously published online articles do follow a simple design format but we hope you’ll enjoy revisiting issues and articles previously published in the tfj.

18

Office of the Vice Principal

(Academic)

Session 2012/13 continues to be a very busy one in the Faculty. Progress with the use of Moodle continues to develop at a very fast pace, with Senior Teaching Fellows starting to use the more advanced features that Moodle allows to benefit both staff and students. Ian Smith has been working on both Assessment and Feedback (including the use of Turnitin) in his Being Digital module, using group work in his Digital Storytelling module and using 100% online submissions with the module Scripting for Interactive Media. Recognising the benefits for staff in using online submission, Ian and our learning technologist, Ruth Johnstone, ran a development session for School of Computing staff. Ian’s evangelistic approach and expertise in use of the gradebook with rubrics has influenced his colleagues to forge ahead using online submission. Once assignments are marked, students are able to see their grade immediately but also the written feedback provided by the tutor.

Shifts in pedagogical use of Moodle are now starting to appear in some modules in SACI, where the focus of Moodle activities is now upon designing online activities such as those related to databases where students research and collect exemplars, for example of online tutorials, and contribute these to a Moodle activity database. This saves tutors time in not having to teach the content within the tutorials but also creates student produced content for use within future modules.

Previous updates have mentioned research work being undertaken by Kendall Richards of FECCI and Nick Pilcher of the Business School around Contextualizing higher education assessment task words with an ‘anti-glossary’ approach. Kendall and Nick continue to experience great success from this work, having had a paper recently accepted by the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. This response nicely rounds off a Teaching Fellows funded project (TF 1042) which started with focus groups back in 2010 and led to papers being presented at various conferences in the UK (including the HEA), seminars and workshops in the UK and Singapore/Taiwan, publication on the HEA

OVP Teaching Fellows and Senior Teaching Fellows are leading or participating in various aspects of the University’s academic agenda and academic practice initiatives, both institutional and national. In terms of externally-facing projects, Developing and Supporting the Curriculum (DSC) is the current QAA Enhancement Theme and includes work on enhancing the programme focus, reconceptualising the curriculum, flexibility and internationalisation. Julia Fotheringham is working closely on this with Karen Aitchison, the project lead. Keith Smyth is leading the Digital Futures initiative, which seeks to examine and enhance our use of technology across a broad range of applications, with a particular focus on teaching and support of learning. This fits with the implementation of the 3E (Enhance, Extend, Empower) Framework, the University’s new benchmark for use of technology in modules. Karen Strickland is leading a University-wide review of the Personal Development Tutor system, drawing upon feedback from internal audit and the NSS. Having submitted ENRoute documentation to the Higher Education Academy, Angela Benzies is now engaged in the process of setting up the Steering Group and Programme Team and starting the process of mentor, assessor and workshop facilitator development, including drawing in participants from the Edinburgh Napier Mentoring and Coaching Award as well as the Teaching Fellow community. There are also some really interesting things happening in the modules we teach; for example, Prof Grainne Conole, a renowned author and researcher in TEL, will be leading a webinar this month in one of the student-led seminars, and we are looking forward to our first encounter with open courses in April when we will be leading a short module on ALT’s Open Course in Technology Enhanced Learning. • Angela Benzies, OVP(Academic), A.Benzies@napier.ac.uk

Around the Faculties

Faculty of Engineering,

Computing & Creative

Industries

tfj March 2013 19

The School of Management recently held a School meeting that included an hour of discussion around Learning, Teaching and Assessment issues. The focus of this hour was Moodle and a demonstration of existing good practice from members of the School. Maggie Anderson demonstrated discussion boards, Miles Weaver his use of Twitter with students and Stephen Robertson his use of Moodle activity logs and how these can be used to monitor student engagement.

The School of Marketing, Tourism & Languages is planning a series of training sessions covering a range of social media tools. The objective is to enable staff to familiarise themselves with these tools and identify ways in which they could enhance their teaching practice. These sessions are being organised in response to development needs identified by staff at the last School away day. • Joan McLatchie, The Business School, J.McLatchie@napier.ac.uk

In the Faculty of Health, Life & Social Sciences (FHLSS), a range of activities continue. Anne Waugh presented a poster on the desirable values-based attributes and key skills for nursing and midwifery candidates at the NHS Education for Scotland Recruitment & Retention Conference. She will also present a poster on good practice using an electronic repository of evidence for enhancement-led programme review by professional bodies at a forthcoming QAA Conference. Charlotte Chalmers, Janis MacCallum and Elaine Mowat’s study An evaluation of the effectiveness of audio feedback, and of the language used, in comparison with written feedback is complete and being written up for publication.

A key finding was that whilst the format of the feedback given did not make a difference to student marks, the audio feedback was more detailed and richer than the written feedback. Currently, Dr Kathy Velander is undertaking research to help communities develop tourism, based on an analysis of their needs and desires and linked to market demands for tourism. This aims to ensure their tourism development meets not only their needs but also those of the tourist market it is seeking to engage. Data collection for Margaret Conlon and Susan Watt’s study Exploring the student experience of developing interpersonal skills in the first year of the undergraduate nursing programme is complete, with three lucky student participants

winning Amazon tokens. Following completion of the study, recommendations for teaching and learning interpersonal skills in all fields of clinical practice will be prepared.

Margaret and Allison Alexander are developing a student-led debate with the University of West of Scotland: 10 October – World Mental Health Day and Scottish Mental Health Week. Collaborative arrangements for organising the debate are progressing and support for funding and organising the event is under consideration. Marjory Key’s research An exploration of practitioners’ perceptions of the impact of Masters level inter-professional child protection online education on their current practice, supported by a Teaching Fellow grant (TF 1143), commences in March and a further team member was appointed to support this activity. Meanwhile, Susan Watt and Liz Adamson were successful in gaining a Teaching Fellow grant (TF 1154) supporting an away day for Teaching Fellows to foster collaborative working and networking. Susan also has four papers to present, focusing on educational research, at an International Clinical Skills Conference in May. • Karen Campbell, FHLSS, K.Campbell@napier.ac.uk

Faculty of Health, Life &

Social Sciences

The Business School

website, a chapter in Researching Intercultural Learning: Investigations in Language and Education, edited by Lixian Jin and Martin Cortazzi (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). I am sure the Teaching Fellows Community would like to add their congratulations to those Nick and Kendall have already received from colleagues in the Faculty.

Alison Varey (SoC) has worked with colleagues in Academic Practice within the OVP to run a workshop session on 15 March which explored the potential of Professional and Practice-based Doctorates. This session included input from Professor Peter Smith (Emeritus Professor at University of Sunderland), who was until recently the Programme Leader for the Professional Doctorate scheme at the University of Sunderland. • Caroline Turnbull, FECCI, C.Turnbull@napier.ac.uk

20

SIG M

SIG TEL

As we are now in the second iteration of the Edinburgh Napier Mentoring and Coaching Award (ENMCA)and are also moving towards the implementation of ENRoute across the University, the availability of trained mentors and the need for them is growing. SIG-M discussed this as part of its meeting in November, attended by a number of colleagues from Faculties and Professional Services who are involved or interested in mentoring and/or coaching. We considered the objectives of the group, reviewed the draft remit for SIG-M and agreed some changes, talked about how we could promote the group and attract more members. It’s likely that we will set up a Moodle space or adjust the one that already exists, which was created following the pilot of the ENMCA to provide mentoring and coaching resources to the programme completers.

Some SIG-M members will attend the Mentoring Scotland 2013 conference at the University of Stirling on 7 May, whose focus is mentoring in higher education, with some presenting on the ENMCA. This opportunity arose out of an enquiry from the University of St Andrews to Angela Benzies in the summer in relation to the ENMCA and SEDA accreditation and is proving to be an exciting opportunity to network with colleagues active in mentoring across Scotland. One particularly interesting development is the possibility of becoming involved in beta testing of St Andrews’ Mentoring and Coaching software, SUMAC, for mentor-mentee matching and record-keeping. Three SIG-M members will present on the topic of Empowerment of academic staff through mentoring and coaching at the QAA Enhancement Themes conference in Glasgow in June and a small-scale research project in this area is ongoing.

SIG-M warmly invites all colleagues involved in mentoring and coaching from across the University to join, whether in an academic or other role. We are having a SIG-M networking lunch as part of the final workshop of the ENMCA on 29 April in Sighthill, so please let us know by 19 April if you’d like to come and meet the current cohort and others interested in this area of work. For more information, please contact Angela Benzies (A.Benzies@napier.ac.uk) or Caroline Turnbull (C.Turnbull@napier.ac.uk).

Summary of Remit for Special Interest Group in mentoring and Coaching: SIG-M

To support, develop and enhance mentoring and coaching work, including relevant Teaching Fellow activity; to contribute to relevant University strategies, policy and procedures and support alignment with University values; to locate, communicate and apply external resources and existing knowledge relevant to mentoring and coaching; to contribute to the operation and development of the SEDA ENMCA.•

Members of SIG-TEL are currently involved in a number of Technology Enhanced Learning and related initiatives across the University. This includes organising their own Faculty events, contributing to the Digital Futures Working Group, and launching the new open-access online Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice (http://JPAAP.napier.ac.uk), which is planning a Special Issue in TEL for publication in the new year.

An expanded membership of SIG-TEL will be brought together at the next meeting of the group, where we will also be seeking a co-coordinator to help lead the activities of SIG-TEL going forward. If you would like to get involved in SIG-TEL, please contact the representative for your department or Faculty: Keith Smyth (K.Smyth@napier.ac.uk) or Karen Strickland (K.Strickland@napier.ac.uk) (OVP Academic); Joan McLatchie (J.Mclatchie@napier.ac.uk) (Business School); Robert Mason (R.Mason@napier.ac.uk) (Engineering, Computing & Creative Industries) or Karen Campbell (K.Campbell@napier.ac.uk) (Health, Life & Social Sciences). •

MentoringAngela Benzies and Caroline Turnbull

Technology Enhanced Learning

Keith Smyth

tfj March 2013 21

Student Focus

Placement at Teaching Fellows JournalThomas Storr

The prospect of a work placement had a major influence on my decision to apply for the MSc Publishing course here at Napier; numerous former students had cited their placement as an instrumental component of the course, having equipped them with vital experience and enabled them to work effectively in future publishing roles. For Áine and me, the placement opportunity at Teaching Fellows Journal has facilitated our direct involvement in the practical processes of publishing whilst being tuned to our specific interests. Our responsibilities have encompassed some of the editorial and production activities required of a journal publication. These have included copy-editing and proofreading, arranging text and pictures in InDesign, and correspondence with printers. Our efforts have contributed to the journal you are reading!

This opportunity has allowed us to develop industry-specific skills to a fuller extent than could have been achieved solely through academic study. We are immeasurably grateful for this opportunity and are confident that, like former students, the benefits of our placement will prove far-reaching and useful to whichever roles we pursue in the future.

Áine Flaherty

A placement at The Teaching Fellows Journal has provided me with invaluable practical experience of working within a publishing environment. With an aim to enter the Publishing industry after completing my MSc Degree, I hoped to hone skills previously learnt from the course and put them into action during my time here. The tjf did not disappoint and has provided the perfect platform for this objective. During our time here, Tom and I have been involved in all aspects of the production process such as editorial, printing correspondence and the layout and design of the journal.

We are both extremely grateful for this opportunity and for the help and guidance provided to us by Angela Benzies, Kirsteen Wright and Anastasia Dragona. Our time here has been informative and worthwhile and we were made to feel part of the team immediately. Being able to assist with the production of the journal and make a meaningful contribution to the team has been gratifying and I am pleased to have had this opportunity.

Live ProjectsComplementing our academic studies has been our involvement in two live projects for Edinburgh Napier University’s own imprint, Merchiston Publishing. This year we are working on two very exciting projects: Robert Louis Stevenson’s short gothic story Olalla, and Christine Orr’s The Glorious Thing, which explores life on the home front of Edinburgh during the First World War. Our aim is to reintroduce these forgotten Scottish literary gems to a contemporary audience.

Through these projects, students were able to enhance their skills through their involvement with every aspect of the publishing process: production, finance, rights, digital, editorial, and marketing. Students and teachers have worked tirelessly in getting these projects off the ground and we would like to extend our gratitude to Avril Gray and David McCluskey for their assistance during the production of both titles.

If you would like to find out more information about these projects or the course, please visit www.publishingdegree.co.uk

We are currently hoping to raise funds for the publication of Olalla. If you would like to donate to the republication, please visit: http://www.sponsume.com/project/republishing-olalla-robert-louis-stevenson. •

Olalla Robert Louis Stevenson (Draft Cover)

The Glorious Thing Christine Orr (Draft Cover)

22

Ref. no.

Lead Title Amount (£)

TF1142 S Watt SNMSC

International Clinical Skills Conference

1,080

TF1143 M Keys SNMSC

An exploration of practitioners’ perceptions of the impact of Master’s level interprofessional child protection online education on their own current practice

2,009

TF1145 M Conlon SNMSC

Reviewing teaching and learning strategies that aim to develop interpersonal skills in first year nursing students

1,023

TF1148 K Campbell SNMSC

Reference Guidance Flashcard

2,203

TF1153 K Campbell SNMSC

Mobile Application for Reference Guidance and Flashcard Generation

3,500

TF1154 S Watt SNMSC

Working together: Encouraging collaboration among Teaching Fellows University-wide

500

TF1149 C Chalmers SLSSS

An evaluation of the effectiveness of audio feedback, and of the language used, in comparison with written feedback

544

TF1163 M Huxham SLSSS

When learning makes you sad - the emotional challenges of teaching climate change

4,050

TF1155 N D’Annunzio Green Business School

To examine the transfer of learning throughout Master’s level study in the Business School and the extent to which the process added value to students’ professional and personal development

2,116

Ref. no.

Lead Title Amount (£)

TF1146 M Foster STML

Attendance at Annual SEDA Conference Fee

661

TF1150 M Foster STML

Re-constructing ‘culture of learning’ - international student experiences in China and the UK

3,401

TF1158 C Penman STML

Co-construction of pedagogical resources with and for language students

1,900

TF1165 C Penman STML

LOC TOOL WORKSHOP (cross-university event to enable the production of learning objects)

967

TF1151 I Macdonald SACI

Shifting the focus: listening to pupils

312

TF1156 I Macdonald SACI

Digital gardens with real toads in them: the place of heritage media in a digital art and design education

1,138

TF1157 I Lambert SACI

La Nouvelle Alliance Graphique – re-stating & re-invigorating poster design in Scotland through student collaborative practice informed by the learning cultures of France

1,930

TF1139 B Davison SoC

Presentation at Frontiers in Education Conference 3-6 Oct 2012, Seattle

1,744

TF1160 K Goh SEBE

Bringing real-world application into Teaching – NapierWay Project

1,774

TF1161 S Smith SoC

Conference Fee Attendance at HEA Stem Conference April 2013

441

The Grants Panel met in December and considered 20 new grant applications. Please see table below for those approved.

The next round of applications will be invited in May 2013 and considered August/September. All Teaching Fellows are welcome to apply.

The work on the new Teaching Fellows database is nearing completion. We are currently doing a test run to iron out any snags in collaboration with Information Services Colleagues James Blair and Mark Skinner, and we will have the database up and running in time for the next funding round. •

Grants Panel Update

tfj March 2013 23

Kirsteen WrightPublications Officer

t: (0131) 455 3217e: K.Wright2@napier.ac.uk

Teaching Fellows Journal Editorial Team

Angela BenziesSenior Teaching FellowTeaching Fellows Coordinator

t: (0131) 455 6105e: A.Benzies@napier.ac.uk

Ruth LoughTeaching Fellows Administrator

t: (0131) 455 6360e: R.Lough@napier.ac.uk

Edinburgh Napier University • Office of the Vice Principal (Academic)Sighthill Campus • Sighthill Court • Edinburgh • EH11 4BN

e: tfj@napier.ac.uk • www.url.napier.ac.uk/tfhttp://www.napiereducationexchange.com/pg/groups/10882/teaching-fellows-journal/

Anastasia DragonaInformation and Project Officer

t: (0131) 455 5018e: A.Dragona@napier.ac.uk

Kate DurkaczTeaching FellowSchool of Engineering & the Built Environment

t: (0131) 455 2349e: K.Durkacz@napier.ac.uk

Joan McLatchieSenior Teaching FellowSchool of Marketing, Tourism & Languages

t: (0131) 455 4341e: J.Mclatchie@napier.ac.uk

Edinburgh Napier University is a registered Scottish charity. Reg. No. SC018373

Áine FlahertyMSc Publishing

School of Arts & Creative Industries

Thomas Storr MSc Publishing

School of Arts & Creative Industries

Visit our website at:

http://www.url.napier.ac.uk/TF