HEA Seminar

TAG HEA Evidence-based Practice Seminar - March 4, 2010 at 10:00 - 15:00 in Scholars Bar, Foster Refectory, Foster Building (Lunch included)

Evidence-based Practice Seminar Series 2010

Enhancing Professional Learning and Teaching Practice through Technology

The Higher Education Academy is running a national seminar series on enhancing excellence and innovation in learning, teaching and assessment.  UCLan has been awarded funding to run one of the seminars on the TAG project.

TAG is a JISC funded research project that aims to explore the impact on retention of the creation of a dynamic, interactive, web based platform of support, which enables potential students to develop realistic expectations of HE.  It was developed in response to research, such as that referenced in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (2007), which looked at retention and withdrawal in HE.  Literature shows many students are coming from backgrounds where they have no peers or family members with experience of HE to draw on (Thomson and Quinn (2007) and the students’ expectations of university do not match the reality. Arguably students who go to university with misguided expectations are likely to withdraw or struggle with the course. Cook et al (2006) suggest that for each student that withdraws, there must be more who are having difficulties, yet are just managing to remain at university.

TAG aims to help potential students understand what to expect from HE and help them develop ownership of their learning and experience.   HEFCE’s Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the use of Technology implementation framework suggests that technology can be used for strategic gain in the area of learning resources, allowing students to access support, information, guidance and communicate with others to widen participation, enhance the student experience and improve employability skills.   TAG is an open source resource that, through the use of technology, enables potential students to access information about university life and studying as well as providing resources to enable them to develop basic academic skills prior to arrival.  TAG is expected to be particularly beneficial for students from a widening participation background as it would enable them access to information they may not be able to access from their peers. 

TAG also enables them to start developing the study skills that other students may already have, before they arrive, easing the transition and showing them that university could also be an option for them.  As TAG aims to support students from application to first assessment, many of the resources available on TAG could be used after the students have arrived and teaching staff could use the approach of TAG to create additional support for students to access as and when they need it in addition to their taught lectures and subject specific support.

The TAG is also providing opportunities for students to develop their employability by acting as a client for assessment or providing a means for students to undertake work in addition to their course to boost their CV’s. 

By providing the opportunity for students to prepare for university and produce content for TAG, students will be more engaged with the university.  Burnett (2006) and Handelsman et al (2005) suggest that students who are more engaged are more likely to succeed and be effective learners. Active engagement in creative activities – such as developing content for TAG  - can have a positive impact on students’ learning and personal development (Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) cited by Hu et al (2007)).