EVENT IS FREE TO ATTEND BY REGISTERING ONLINE

https://www.bhamonlineshop.co.uk/events/eventdetails.asp?eventid=201

This half-day regional conference will provide an opportunity for colleagues in Sociology, and the Social Sciences more broadly, to come together to discuss the issues of learning, teaching, assessment and assessment as we enter uncertain times in higher education.  In particular, the conference will focus on two linked issues of importance to anyone interested in widening participation and in teaching students from unconventional backgrounds.  The argument is that providing access to HE is inadequate unless students are enabled to participate effectively in academic life once they arrive.

The event will include three presentations from colleagues in the field of Sociology with a view to generating discussion around our existing practices, and offering space to think through future practices.

Dr Paul Sutton (Marjon) -- ‘Academic Literacy’: It is more than a matter of providing study skills – students need to develop deeper and more critical insights into academic conventions and dispositions.  Dr Sutton’s paper, based on his CSAP work in researching notions of effective feedback, considers the growing interest in ‘academic literacy’ as a response to this need.

Prof. Dave Harris (Marjon) – ‘Teaching to the Test’: Prof. Harris’s paper approaches the issue of pedagogy through a consideration of the controversial topic of ‘teaching to the test’.  Lecturing staff usually want to help students prepare for assessment, but where is the line to be drawn between help and open rehearsal?  Given an increasingly instrumental orientation on the part of students (and managers), how can and should assessment and grading be related to wider academic goals?  The dilemmas are explored through consideration of the work in secondary schools, and implications for HE teaching are to be discussed in a genuinely open manner.

Prof. Rob Mears (Bath Spa):’What’s Wrong with Assessment?’: Despite a decade of exhortation to improve and refine the assessment process, the information we have about change in assessment regimes remains anecdotal. The knowledge gained by external examiners about departmental practices is fragmented. C-SAP has played an important role in supporting and funding local initiatives, but we are far from having any overall picture of what is happening in the disciplines. This talk will will summarise the results of recent survey of Sociology staff and data from student focus groups on assessment. I will also raise some critical questions about the role of external examiners, both as guarantors of standards and agents of enhancement.

Programme

Directions

Directions to Marjon are available on this location map.