Integrated Provision in Civil Engineering

"We had a lot of say in what we were learning, this made the sessions more targeted to our needs and more enjoyable. Stephanie was very enthusiastic and always ready to help with any challenge we faced. The topics were very interesting and the perfect level of difficulty for someone who is just learning about academic writing and assessments and equally for someone who has done this before but needed a refresher."  [Anonymous feedback for Semester 1 2022-2023]

The remit in Civil Engineering included a complete remodelling of the in-sessional provision to provide a comprehensive, embedded and targeted approach, both in terms of content and delivery, across a range of nine MSc programmes and a student cohort of around 350 students. This involves designing and delivering a range of sessions including weekly workshops on academic language and literacies (with a strong focus on completing assessments successfully). In 2022, I also introduced an optional weekly Grammar for Academic Purposes workshop, which has been very popular. In addition, I run small-group and individual tutorials for students in need of additional support, ad-hoc workshops and appointments to deal with queries and issues raised by students and lecturers throughout the academic year. The syllabus for the support workshops was designed based on a strategic analysis of student needs and in close consultation with Programme Leads.  

Both Academics and Student Education Services in Civil Engineering have been extremely supportive and welcoming, and we have managed to establish excellent working relationships which allow us to make swift, impactful changes to student learning and the student experience as a team. Thus, I have been able to play an active part in reviewing modules as part of the Curriculum Re-defined initiative by giving insights into the additional difficulties faced by international students or speakers of other languages. I have also been able to respond to issues identified by lecturers and by covering them in my weekly workshops or by producing suitable self-study materials. 

 I have also implemented a new school-wide diagnostic exam open to all Civil Engineering MSc students at the start of Semester 1 to identify issues with academic language and literacies and has allowed for a more concerted effort in addressing the most pressing issues within the school and to collect valuable data across several modules to impact decision making in terms of assessment and teaching. This exam has replaced several separate optional formative assignments run by module lecturers and was designed in collaboration with Programme Leads. The implementation of this exam has increased participation in the start of course diagnostic activity from 1-2 submissions per year to 212 submissions this year.  In the first two years the exam was used for standardisation purposes to allow for alignment of the English for Academic Purposes Programme with expectations within the school. Students receive individual feedback on their work which signposts them to sessions and materials that are particularly relevant to them. This not only helps them better understand the provision available but also prompts them to participate actively on the learning platform and to approach me with queries. Students who struggled with the mock exam task are offered weekly or fortnightly additional support tutorials with the option of joining a tutorial group of 4 students (1 hour) or working with me 1-2-1 for 15 minutes. The feedback for the mock exam is also shared with programme leads and personal tutors to help them better understand issues present in their cohort at the start of the year.  

The School of Civil Engineering is very active in TALENT (Teaching and Learning Enhancement NeTwork), a highly active cross-faculty network supporting excellence and innovation in student education, which won the Collaborative Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. I was invited to join the network early on in my secondment and I have found it invaluable. The network runs weekly coffee mornings, discussion forums and pedagogy events. This allows me better understand approaches to teaching and assessment within the school and to contribute valuable insights into the international student experience by leading, organising and actively contributing to sessions and thus informing teaching practice and decision making across faculties. I regularly prompt discussions within the network, most recently about teaching genre and balancing student workload models. This has led to me being invited to present on the topic of ‘Too much freedom? Reframing assessment for inclusivity: a practical model’ at a dedicated cross-faculty workshop. In my talk, I discussed the merits and demerits of using models and templates when setting essay, report and reflection tasks for more inclusivity and to improve student performance without compromising the integrity of the assessment.  

 Overall, my secondment to the School of Civil Engineering has been extremely successful due to the school’s supportive approach to my work and their trust in my expertise. I, in turn, have done my best to fully understand the needs of students and staff and to tailor provision accordingly.