• Blogging for beginners? Using blogs and eportfolios in Teacher Education.

      Hughes, Julie; Purnell, Emma (Lancaster: Lancaster University, Department of Educational Research, 2008)
      This paper explores the use of an eportfolio and an educational blog within, and beyond, a professional pre-service teacher education programme, the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) for the post-compulsory sector. Writing within dialogic storytelling practices in an online environment allows student teacher development and identity to be seen “as a gradual ‘coming to know’” (Winter, 2003, p.120) dependent upon connections and interactions with others through both text and non-text formats such as metaphor, music and video. The authors explore their personal experiences as teacher (Julie) and learner (Emma) and eportfolio’s potential for longer term impact on and in their professional teaching lives.
    • Developing Practitioner Skills in Construction Health and Safety Management: An Integrated Teaching and Learning Approach

      Oloke, David; Yu, Hao; Heesom, David (The Centre for Education in the Built Environment, 2007)
      The Construction (Design and Management) – (CDM) Regulations of 1994 and their subsequent revisions have played an important role in improving construction health and safety management. However, the awareness of corresponding responsibilities and the intuitive management of relevant knowledge continue to pose the greatest challenges to the duty holders in terms of implementing the Regulations. Within the context of established learning styles and teaching techniques, an integrated problem-based and collaborative learning approach is being adopted in the delivery of a series of special construction health and safety short courses for construction professionals. The programmes are attended by an average of ten participants with varied construction related backgrounds on each of the iterations. Starting from the theoretical framework of the Regulation requirements, the approach evolves into contextualised problem solving in respect of each of the stages of the construction process. Well defined pre-selected problem solving tasks and background related problem solving tasks are collectively applied to facilitate efficient and effective knowledge transfer and acquisition. A collaborative learning approach was finally applied to elicit peer knowledge thereby enriching participants’ individual knowledge base of the generic issues. Participant feedback suggests that the programmes have been successful in achieving their main aim of enabling awareness and improving the health and safety knowledge and management skills of the practitioners. Further work is envisaged in extensively reviewing other learning approaches and developing the more reasonable integrated approach to reflect changes in relevant legislation and the diversified experience of the practitioners who attend the programme.
    • Focused seminar group teaching and learning: a more collaborative approach?

      Clarke, Karen (University of Wolverhampton, 2004)
      This research continued an earlier research project (Clarke and Lane, 2002) based in Early Childhood Studies, whereby the perceptions of one cohort of students regarding small group teaching and learning were examined. The earlier findings showed that students valued the opportunity of discussing particular subject-related topics in small tutor-led groups. In this earlier research there was also a significant improvement in the grades achieved by the students, which they attributed to the additional small group seminar. The original research was extended to include students who were studying on different degree and higher education programmes within the School of Education at the University of Wolverhampton. Other teaching staff were also involved in the research.
    • The Forensic Institute Research Network.

      Sutton, Raul; Jamieson, Allan J. (York: Physical Sciences Centre, The Higher Education Academy, 2008)
      The burgeoning activity in forensic science in universities continues to attract criticism. A positive aspect is the potential to inject a much-needed boost to research in all forensic practices. Only recently has fingerprinting, for example, been exposed to rigorous scientific examination and, to a great extent, been found wanting as regards its science – probability apparently has no place in fingermark examination. In response to the opportunity The Forensic Institute brought together representatives from more than 40 UK universities to discuss how this new resource, academics and students, could be used to further research in the forensic sciences. It was envisaged that many casework-related problems, such as environmental frequencies of trace evidence, could be best accomplished by a lot of small student projects coordinated on a national and perhaps international level by a steering group. This steering group in turn would be part of an integrated research strategy developed in conjunction with practitioners. A virtuous cycle of practice, research, development, and practice would be the outcome. And so, in 2004, The Forensic Institute Research Network (FIRN) was born.
    • Widening Participation: A Virtual Approach to F.E. Collaboration.

      McConville, Sally A. (University of Wolverhampton, 2007)
      The aim of the project is to devise a Wolverhampton On Line Learning Framework (WOLF) programme specifically designed for use by students undertaking nursing access courses at local colleges of Further Education. There are three main intended outcomes: 1) provide the students with a ‘taster’ of the realty of pre registration nurse training both theoretically and practically hoping that this will aid retention rates and increase the employability of the students on qualifying. 2) To create a smooth transition from studying as a student at further education level to higher education level. It is further hoped that the introduction to WOLF prior to commencement on pre-registration courses will improve students’ key skills in preparation for studying at higher education level and familiarise the students with WOLF as it is used quite extensively in pre-registration training. 3) To generate enthusiasm and interest in the pre-registration nurse training available at Wolverhampton University, with the assistance of Technology Supported Learning, to aid recruitment. The outcomes link with the School of Health Teaching and Learning Strategy (2001) where it states a mechanism should be provided for interactive information exchange and a resource should be provided for developing key skills in I.T.