In this case study, Dr Katie Piatt, Head of Educational Enhancement and co-Chair of the Playful Learning Association, talks about how she developed an escape room for the University Pasts and Futures conference as a fun way to introduce students and staff to the work of Asa Briggs.
What I did
I designed and implemented an escape room for the Universities Past and Futures conference held by the School of Media, Arts and Humanities in September of 2023. This conference set out to explore what we can learn about the past of the University and how we can imagine its future by exploring the archives and showcasing the history of the University’s people and architecture. I wanted to introduce participants (students and staff) to Asa Briggs, who was a professor of history at Sussex and served as dean, pro-vice chancellor and vice-chancellor. Reflecting on his time at Sussex, Briggs stated that he had more pleasure intellectually forming the University of Sussex than all his other experiences to date (Field, 2011). Briggs’ passion for the University and his storied history working for Alan Turing’s code-breaking team at Bletchley Park inspired my idea to introduce his role at Sussex through an escape room. Assisted by my parents, who studied at Sussex, and members of the EE team, I located a variety of archival materials related to Briggs’ time at Sussex. Using these materials, I designed puzzles that would familiarise players with some code breaking techniques. We ran the session five times across the day so that different groups could participate.
Why I did it
Playful learning helps to create safe learning environments in which learners are empowered to work together, take risks and build resilience. By creatively exploring new possibilities and ways of being, students are more likely to remember what they have learned. I thought that an escape room would be an ideal way to exemplify playful techniques in education and used this event to demonstrate how we can explore University history in different ways. I also wanted to provide a team bonding experience that enhanced communication skills and an understanding of each other’s strengths. I designed this escape room to showcase the benefits of playful learning, but I also wanted to provide participants with a novel example of open scholarship, demonstrating different ways of teaching and knowledge exchange using University archives.
Impact and student feedback
Participants really enjoyed the experience and commented that it would be good for students as a way of learning. They noted that the theme of the escape room and the problems that it involved complemented the conference presentations and enabled them to engage with the ‘map of learning’ in an interactive way. I was really pleased with how the escape room provided an opportunity for conference participants to get to know each other and work together to solve problems, which provided a more meaningful way to make new connections than a typical meet and greet.
Challenges
Designing the escape room for the right level was a challenge. My expectation was that most participants would be beginners, so I did not want the puzzles to be overly difficult. This is why it is important to test the escape room with participants before implementing it at your event or in the classroom. Designing the escape room for a particular time slot was also challenging. We wanted participants to attempt the breakout room between the different conference sessions, which meant that I had to reduce the number of problems so that participants did not feel rushed. Although I designed this escape room as a short fifteen-minute activity, it could be extended to work as a longer activity for students in class.
Future plans
I plan on keeping this as a resource to demonstrate playful learning through escape rooms and as an example for others to think of designing their own.
Top tips:
Make sure to run lots of testing on your puzzles—what is obvious to you is not to everyone else and it spoils the fun if people get frustrated.
Don’t overcomplicate it! Remember the aims and plan each puzzle around that. It is tempting to add red herrings and lots more archive material, but this just takes longer to plan and makes it harder for players
Borrow do not spend! There are lots of materials that can be used as props around the university. Reach out to the Educational Enhancement team who can help lend you boxes and padlocks and old typewriters or whatever you need.
Make and test your reset plan! As this activity was being run repeatedly through the day, we needed a plan to reset things as quickly as possible. For example, the order you need to local keys back inside boxes is critical.
In this case study, Tab Betts, Lecturer in Higher Education Pedagogy at Sussex and National Teaching Fellow, explains how community introductions on Padlet support inclusive practice in his classroom.
What I did
In order to set up an inclusive approach to building community, before the start of the module, I ask students to post a self-introduction on a group Padlet. The introduction includes some text, a photo and a short audio or video recording in which learners teach other students how to pronounce their name and suggest a strategy that might help others in the class to remember their name. I start this off by posting my own introduction and welcome video on the group Padlet, and I provide a mnemonic for remembering my name by linking it to the tab key on the keyboard. Although I use Padlet, it is also possible to do community introductions using a discussion forum or a WhatsApp group.
Why I did it
I think it is important to place inclusivity at the forefront of what we do. As someone who is neurodivergent and who has lived as an ethnic minority in another culture, while I haven’t experienced the hardship that many have, this motivates me to aim to remove potential barriers that students face in higher education. It is easy to become disillusioned with the lack of inclusivity in our existing systems. However, first impressions are crucial, and these small interventions show how much we value difference and diversity in the classroom. In terms of logistics, this asynchronous activity is easy to plan and saves a lot of time in our first class, since we have already introduced ourselves to each other.
Impact and student feedback
Students are pleasantly surprised when I remember their names, and they often comment to me that they really appreciate it. Students from different countries tell me that they also really appreciate the effort I make to pronounce their names. In general, students have reported that community introductions make it easier to participate in group work because they have already had a chance to meet their peers.
Challenges
Sometimes students feel shy about posting pictures of themselves or videos. I think it is important to take a flexible approach, so I let students know that they are welcome to post audio recordings instead of videos and that they do not have to post pictures of themselves, but could instead post a picture of something which will help us to remember them. Another barrier is that many students find that this is very different to the educational experiences that they have experienced in the past, and faculty might be resistant to trying something new. However, faculty should not be afraid to do things differently. The fact that I was recently awarded a National Teaching Fellowship for these kinds of interventions demonstrates than going outside the norm to be more inclusive is valued at the University of Sussex and the higher education sector as a whole.
Future plans
I teach students who will themselves go on to be university lecturers, so I am planning on developing a training guide that introduces the different inclusive strategies that I use in the classroom, and this will include a section on the importance of community introductions.
Top 3 tips
Make sure that students are familiar with the task and the platform you are using. For instance, I record short 2-minute videos using Panopto to show how I complete the tasks that I have asked students to do on Padlet.
Be flexible in your approach. For example, I do not force students to include a photo of themselves if they feel uncomfortable or shy. Sometimes students will post a picture of flowers in their garden, and I think this still tells us something about them.
Contact Educational Enhancement for guidance and support. They will help you find the best inclusive practices and digital tools to meet your teaching goals.
Jeanette Ashton is a Senior Lecturer in Law (Education and Scholarship) and a non-practising solicitor, having joined the University of Sussex after 8 years at Brighton University. She convenes and teaches on the LLB programme in the Law School. She works on employability, is interested in the intersection between academic and professional skills, and is part of the Clinical Legal Education team.
Kieran Durcan is a Senior Lecturer in Law (Education and Scholarship). He convenes and teaches a number of core and optional modules on the LLB and MA programmes within the Law School. He is interested in module design and enhancement and is keen to embed practical skills across the law programmes having previously been the placement lead within the School.
Introduction and revisiting the pedagogical context
In part one of this blog post we outlined the context of the introduction of a new Level 5 Business Law and Practice module (BLP) for Sussex Law School. We won’t recap this in its entirety, for more detail see They told us what they want, so now what, but in summary this module was introduced in response to a significant change in the legal education sector through the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), the University’s strategy of embedding employability/professional practice within the curriculum, and to bridge a gap between Level 4 and Level 6 commercially-focused modules in the Law School. The module, we hoped, would give students a sound foundation on which to base future choices, both in terms of final year optional modules and career paths
Taking a participatory design approach, we engaged students to work with us to ensure the “use, usability and utility of educational design for both teachers and students” (Di Salvo et al, 2017). We conducted a concurrent legal education study to explorethe students’ experience of engaging with this process and the impact, if any, on their experience of studying on the module following its first iteration, which we explore in this blog post. In terms of the module content itself, which the participants had shaped, we were particularly interested to hear their thoughts on the more innovative features of the BLP module. Such features include the embedding of employability and professional skills within the module, a self-reflective post-seminar skills audit, the use of a case study business to frame seminar discussion, and the use of an authentic assessment in the form of a business report.
How did the students respond to the module itself?
Delivery and content: Participants reflected that this was a different type of module from their usual modules, where they learn the applicable principles and apply them. By taking a more holistic, practice-focused approach, which both reflected the breadth of business law and participants’ input in the design stage, we were not surprised by this response. However, what we had perhaps underestimated was the possibility that this would generate some anxiety and unease. One participant described the start of the module like being in ‘deep waters’ as the other Level 4 and 5 modules were not comparable. The participant felt like the initial stages of the module came like a tsunami, primarily due to the breadth of content, but thankfully as the module progressed, their understanding came together.
Resources: Alongside more traditional resources, we wanted students to engage with a broader range of resources from the business world, e.g., Ted Talks and podcasts. We hoped this would help them to understand how their learning transcended the boundaries of the module and related to the business world, with the aim of deepening their commercial awareness. Participants had highlighted this as high on their ‘wish list’ for the module. Participants appreciated the use of non-traditional resources, with one commenting that this was much more engaging for students and brought the content to life.
Anchor points of embedded professional practice: Throughout the module we built in a number of key sessions with the objective of them acting as anchor points, not only for the students but for us as teachers, which we could draw upon to link the legal theory with the world of practice.A key priority when designing the module was to integrate professional practice within the students’ learning journey in order for students to grasp in a more firm and meaningful way the sometimes nebulous concept of commercial awareness while also providing an insight into the world of business law practice. A senior in-house General Counsel, for a large corporate organisation, delivered the initial lecture. They covered the breadth of legal issues that a business lawyer will work on, including contracts, financing, mergers and acquisitions, copyright, franchising and employment. For our second anchor point we worked with the Careers and Entrepreneurship team to create a “Meet the start-ups” session, where, after learning about different business structures, students heard from four real-life business owners, who outlined their business model and their entrepreneurial journey, alongside why they had chosen their particular business structure. This was followed by a networking session where students had the opportunity to talk directly to the business owners over lunch and quiz them a little further about their experiences in business.
We concluded the module with a session on dispute resolution, again delivered by practitioners, highlighting legal issues that businesses may encounter e.g., problems with the supplier, and how this might be resolved outside of a lengthy, costly court process. Throughout the module we drew upon these anchor point sessions, linking the learning to practice. To complement these anchor point sessions, we integrated a targeted selection of Forage virtual work experience tasks into the seminar preparation, giving students a taste of practical tasks they would be likely to encounter working in business law. One of the participants told us that this embedded professional practice “put us in a different place”, brought the content to life, and helped them to feel part of the professional world.
A new form of assessment: 25% of the module is assessed by MCQs, which reflects the form of assessment in the SQE. These questions feature mini case studies, requiring students to apply their learning to practical scenarios. The main assessment takes an authentic approach (Mueller, 2018) and asks students to produce a short business report centred around a business case study. For our students, this was the first time they had been asked to produce an assessment in a report format. Participants told us that although this did cause some anxiety, as it was something different from the norm in terms of their assessment experience, they indicated that the dedicated report writing skills session alleviated that to a great extent and one participant stated that they now feel confident in that area, with this giving them “practical experience before enter[ing] the workplace”.
Self-reflective skills audit: Within the module we wanted to give students an opportunity after each seminar to reflect on the skills that they had gained, both in terms of preparing for their seminars but also from their attendance and engagement with each seminar. These skills audits were accessible through QR codes linked to each seminar. The audits were introduced after the initial seminar cycle, so were not embedded from the very start of the module. Unfortunately, student participation with these skills audits were not as high as we had hoped, and this may have been due to the failure to embed and explain the importance of these audits from the very start of the module. This is an area of student participation that we hope to improve in the next iteration through greater explanation of the importance of the audit to personal development.
What was the impact of participating in the design?
Ownership: Participants told us they valued seeing their input reflected in the module, with one describing this as a “cheer moment.” Being part of the module design process meant that they saw the module from a different perspective. In short, they explained that they felt part of its development, rather than as an end consumer of an already prepared module over which they had no influence.
Understanding of different priorities: In discussing their own personal ‘wish list’ for the module within the initial focus groups, participants were able to hear different perspectives and priorities from their peers and appreciate that a key part of the design process was to factor in and balance sometimes competing priorities. Some participants also recognised that within the initial focus groups they may have suggested niche topic areas which may not have necessarily appealed to a wider student base. Participants also spoke about trusting faculty to ultimately make tough decisions on module content and to balance the different student priorities.
Bridging the gap between students and lecturers: Participants appreciated the opportunity to work with faculty on a project which would benefit them and future cohorts. They valued the transparency and opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’, making lectures ultimately more personal. One participant told us they had highlighted their role in assisting us in the project on their CV, which became a talking point in their interview for an internship in a competitive field, and they believed this helped them to be successful in that process.
Key takeaways
When delivering a module with innovative features, spend time at the start of the module explaining these features to students. Explain to students the wider considerations behind the module, highlighting the challenges the module might present and the differences within the module compared to the other modules students may have studied to date. Seek to reassure students about these innovative features and encourage participation with them while building in support as appropriate. After the first iteration, bringing in students from the previous cohort to share their experiences of the module could help support current students by setting academic expectations and demystifying the innovative features of the module.
Consider building in participatory design, and the necessary time and resource for this, as part of module/curriculum design and development.
Consider building in some optionality within modules, so that students feel more ownership of their learning.
Consider introducing non-traditional resources as part of module design.
Consider the nature of the assessment and how incorporating an authentic form of assessment within the module can enhance the module learning and the development of practical skills with the appropriate assessment support in place.
Concluding thoughts
From our perspective and that of our study participants, BLP was on the whole a success, and we were delighted to win a ‘World Readiness’ award in the 2023 University of Sussex Education Awards . What the study has shown us though, is that we underestimated how different the module actually is to other modules on the course, and that, whilst students were enthusiastic about this difference, it would cause some anxiety. This is something we will be addressing on the next iteration.
The participatory design aspect of the module was new for us and a positive experience, though we would like to have seen more students engaging with the process, particularly in Part 2, where the numbers fell. Bovill notes that “offering the opportunity to co-create learning with a whole class of students does not guarantee full participation and inclusion” and, whilst we acknowledge that it was important that students felt no compulsion to participate, working with a larger number of students would have been welcome (Bovill, 2019, 1030). For future projects, we would like to explore extending the ‘work-integrated learning’ dimension, bringing together our external workplace partners and our students at the planning stage (Ruskin & Bilous, 2020).
To conclude, our experience of designing BLP has shown us how working with students enhances the learning and the student experience, well summarised by one of the participants, who told us:
“I feel like that’s a valuable experience, and I wish every module would do this, because in some modules it feels like it’s archaic assessments that every year are just worded a little bit differently, but it’s still the same concepts and themes…..I feel like I had more passion when I was able to say what I wanted in the module”.
References
Bovill, C. (2020) ‘Co-creation in learning and teaching: the case for a whole-class approach in higher education’, Higher Education, 79 pp.1023-1037. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00453-w
Di Salvo, B. et al. (2017) Participatory design for learning: Perspectives from practice and Research. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Ruskin, J. & Bilous, R.H (2020) ‘A tripartite framework for extending university-student co-creation to include workplace partners in the work-integrated learning context’, Higher Education Research & Development, 39(4), pp. 806–820. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1693519
In this case study, Dr Jo Wilson, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, talks about how she introduced ‘Legal Document Pack Exercises’ (LDPE) as a form of authentic learning and assessment on a core law module.
What I did
Students in my Contract Law 1 module take on the role of a Trainee Solicitor and they are given a bundle of documents from a client which range from email and text message exchanges, invoices, newspaper articles, adverts, contractual provisions etc. They must read though the documents, draw out the legal issues, and prepare a written answer, advising the client. Below is an example of instructions students receive and a visual of the sort of documents they analyse.
Authentic learning opportunities are embedded throughout the module, so that students can develop their skills relating to reading documents, drawing out the relevant legal issues, and producing a written answer, in preparation for the assessment. These learning opportunities, which are also interweaved with skills-based sessions, take place as follows:
Week 1: Seminar: How to read a case
Week 2: Workshop: How to answer a PQ/LDPE in Contract Law and Beyond
Week 3: Seminar Offer & Acceptance LDPE
Week 5: Exemplar for LDPE in Week 3 released
Week 5: Seminar: Consideration LDPE
Week 7: Seminar: Economic Duress LDPE
Week 9: Misrepresentation LDPE
Why I did it
There were three key driving factors that prompted me to take this approach; first, I wanted to create a more interesting and engaging learning opportunity for students (Burns, 2015), second, I wanted to give students the opportunity to develop their employability skills, and in doing so help to bridge the ‘skills gap’ between education and practice (Sotiriadou et al, 2020); and finally, linked to inclusivity and widening participation, I wanted to ensure that all students, including those who are unable to take advantage of our co-curricular skills programme (because of work or care commitments, for example), have the opportunity to develop their transferable skills.
This was a novel approach in the Law School, where assessment modes are dominated by traditional essays and problem questions.
Challenges
One challenge was that I had to upskill in creative software, and another was that creating the documents took an incredible amount of time, both in terms of initial set up, and then ongoing time costs.
First, in terms of software, if you want to produce documents that are authentic, you will need to develop your creative skills! When I initially introduced LDPEs, I used Microsoft Word to produce the documents, and they were not particularly realistic. To overcome this, I taught myself how to use Canva, a brilliant online graphic design tool, and I was able to produce some fantastic, authentic looking material.
Second, in terms of time, this learning exercise and assessment mode requires a huge commitment in terms of timing. Preparing the seminar material is a large undertaking, but that material can then be used year after year (with updates, as necessary). Beyond that initial exertion, you will need to dedicate much more time when it comes to prepping your assessments. Unlike an essay title, which can be quick to write, producing a LDPE is very time consuming. Not only do you have to develop and write the scenario, as you would with a traditional problem question, but you also must create the documents to tell that story.
Impact and student feedback
The response to the introduction of LDPEs as a learning activity has been overwhelmingly positive. In December 2021, 129 students completed a survey on curriculum changes in Contract Law 1.
93% agreed, or strongly agreed that the legal document pack seminar activities were interesting and engaging
94% agreed, or strongly agreed that the seminar activities created an authentic learning experience
94% agreed, or strongly agreed that overall, the use of legal document packs in seminars enhanced their student learning experience
Students were asked: ‘What was your experience of the legal document pack seminar activities? Is there anything you would change?’ and some of the responses were as follows:
“These were the highlights of my semester workwise. These document packs felt like practical, real word simulations that allowed me to play the proper role of lawyer-in-training, while also getting strong practice experience in structuring a problem question properly. I really hope to see more of these before I’m done at Sussex!”
“The experience was fantastic and practical. Having the ability to work with our clients in assessing their issues and providing potential solutions was greatly appreciated. The additional subtle details made the preparation work enjoyable with rewarding application opportunities. Absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much :)”
“The legal document packs were an excellent way to engage students in the learning process.”
“I loved the document packs, it provided a more interactive and enjoyable way of applying what we had learnt in the lectures. I also loved figuring out the law through the texts and emails. 10/10!”
Future plans
We are now in the third year of using the LDPE’s and they continue to work incredibly well, so there is no plan to make any changes. What I am doing, however, is continuing to disseminate the importance and benefits of authentic learning. In December 2023, I am co-hosting with colleagues from other institutions an online symposium, ‘Authentic Assessment in Law: Critical and Practical Reflections,’ and I am currently writing a book, alongside Dr Verona Ni Drisceoil, on ‘How to Design and Embed Authentic Assessment in Law’ (2025, Edward Elgar).
Top 3 tips
Use existing assessment scenarios that you have and ‘convert’ them into LDPEs by producing documents that tell the same story.
Ensure that you embed opportunities throughout the module for students to practice LDPEs.
Utilise software such as Canva to produce authentic documents.
Dr Kevin Masters, Lecturer in Strategy and Marketing, University of Sussex Business School
Biography
Kevin Masters is a Lecturer in Strategy and Marketing at the University of Sussex Business School, where he convenes and teaches a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and online modules.
Kevin studied at the CIPFA Education and Training Centre in London to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Business and Financial Management, before obtaining an MBA (with distinction) from the University of Hull. He completed a Doctorate in Science and Technology Policy Studies from SPRU (University of Sussex) in 2009 and concluded a PGCertHE leading to Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2018. More recently, he submitted a dissertation for a Masters in Education at the University of Sussex School of Education and Social Work and awaits the result.
Prior to teaching, Kevin had a long career in UK local government, culminating in his appointment as the Executive Head of Customer Services for two local councils (Adur and Worthing) working in partnership.
Introduction
Bourdieu and Passeron (1977) argue that various types of cultural bias (such as class, colour, ethnicity, disability, and gender) cause a form of non-physical violence known as ‘symbolic violence’. They assert that this is particularly evident in education and can have the effect of limiting the life chances, experiences, aspirations, and expectations of its victims. Subsequent commentators are particularly critical of business schools for their role in the neoliberal reform of UK higher education which they maintain has exposed universities to market forces, converted them into quasi-business institutions and perpetuated the privileges of the capitalist ruling classes (Brown 2018, Alajoutsijarvi, Alon and Pinheiro 2021, Danvers 2021). Gordon and Zainuddin (2020:707) go further, describing business schools as “the epitome of market-mediated, performative and managerialist ideologies”.
The Study
As a Lecturer in the Business School, I was interested in exploring instructors’ perceptions of Bourdieusian ‘symbolic violence’ and its implications for teaching and learning in UK higher education. A positivist research design seemed unlikely to provide the required enlightenment. A review of literature revealed that situated knowledge and personal value judgements can be accommodated within social research and even partisan research can be good, rigorous, and motivated by a commitment to bring about social and political change; however, the underlying positionality of the researcher must be made transparent (Gewirtz and Cribb 2006). In my study, I opted for qualitative interviews using the Zoom audio-visual conferencing platform. I interviewed ten instructors from the Business School: four interviewed as a group and six interviewed individually.
The study sought to answer four research questions:
What is the experience and impact of ‘symbolic violence’ within the neoliberal context of a UK business school?
How, if at all, do teachers in UK business Schools understand the emergence and impact of ‘symbolic violence’ within their classrooms and curricula?
What do teachers in UK business schools do, or think they could do, to mitigate against the risks associated with ‘symbolic violence’?
How helpful do teachers in UK business schools think it is to conceptualise neoliberal reform in UK higher education as a type of cultural bias that is perpetuating ‘symbolic violence’?
Results
The results suggest that teachers in UK business schools are broadly familiar with cultural bias and have some experience of it, both as educators and sometimes as former international students, but are mostly unaware of ‘symbolic violence’ and wish to know more about it. The most common example of cultural bias that the participants could identify concerned instructors’ unreasonably high expectations about the use of English language in the classroom and academic writing in summative assessments. This suggests that other equally pernicious effects of cultural bias might be less well understood, with implications for the debates around decolonialisation, gender and neoliberal reform.
In this study, some of the participants criticised the neoliberal reform of UK higher education, protesting that “it’s all about making money” while others highlighted its benefits and resisted negative criticisms. Some of the participants expressed concern about acting against cultural bias independently for fear of possible recriminations and lack of support from university leadership but others felt unrestricted in their teaching practice. These findings may be consistent with Bourdieu’s assertion that efforts to change education systems from within are doomed to failure because pedagogic action is inseparable from pedagogic authority.
Finally, this small case study in a UK business school suggests that instructors are mostly aware of critical literacy and critical pedagogy. These involve challenging taken-for-granted views and identifying, demystifying, and resisting dominant ideologies and hidden discourses. While the participants in this study did not engage directly with Bourdieusian ideas, they did engage in critical reflection about UK higher education and using this language in the study allowed them to think objectively about their teaching practice.
The research suggests that the nature and consequences of ‘symbolic violence’ in UK higher education are not well understood but that there is substantial scope for pedagogic action and further enquiry. Consequently, I have constructed a Personal Scholarship Plan for 2023/24 that focuses on the dissemination of the findings from the research. The quest will begin with a presentation to the School of Education and Social Work’s Researching Educational Practice Conference in November. Meanwhile, colleagues from the Student Experience team are helping me to identify opportunities for the promotion of critical literacy in the classroom.
References
Alajoutsijarvi, K., Alon, I., and Pinheiro, R. (2021). The Marketisation of Higher Education: Antecedents, Processes and Outcomes in Branch, J. D. and Christiansen (eds) The Marketisation of Education: Marketing and Communication in Higher Education. London, Springer.
Bourdieu, P. and Passeron, J-C. (1977) Reproduction in Society, Education and Culture. London, Sage.
Brown, R. (2018) Higher Education and Inequality. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education 22(2): 37-43.
Danvers, E. (2021) Individualised and instrumentalised? Critical thinking, students and the optics of possibility within neoliberal higher education. Critical Studies in Education 62(5): 641-656.
Gewirtz, S. and Cribb, A. (2006) What to do about values in social research: the case for ethical reflexivity in the sociology of education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 27(02): 141-155.
Gordon, R. and Zainuddin, N. (2020) Symbolic violence and marketing ECRs in the neoliberal university. Journal of Marketing Management 36(7-8): 705-726.
In this case study, Dr Alison Bailey, Senior Lecturer in Management, shares her experience of using Buddycheck for peer evaluation.
What I did
I am the module convenor for the Introduction to Business and Management module which runs in Year 1, Semester 1. Because the module is core to most undergraduate degrees in the Business School, and is also a popular elective, we typically have more than 850 students on the module. Since the module design is closely aligned to Team Based Learning principles, it is assessed by 100% coursework, of which 60% is derived from a group presentation, 5% of which is an individual engagement mark derived from peer evaluation scores. This is why I jumped at the chance to take part in the trial of Buddycheck, a peer evaluation tool which integrates into Canvas. As part of this trial, I incorporated Buddycheck into my long-established approach to peer evaluation in the module. I first asked students to submit a formative evaluation in week 7, to ensure they were familiar with the process. Students then completed a summative evaluation in week 10/11, depending upon which week students presented their business plan, to evaluate their peers’ contributions to the group project.
Why I did it
Before using Buddycheck, students emailed their peer evaluation to tutors. As you can imagine, collating and applying formative and summative peer evaluation scores was an enormous task for the module team. Buddycheck, by contrast, was easy to use and integrated well into Canvas. For example, if group memberships changed, I was easily able to re-sync the groups in Buddycheck with the Group sets in Canvas. The tool also enabled me to send automated emails to students with the evaluation link and send reminders to those yet to complete.
Impact and student feedback
The tool enabled class tutors to determine the evaluation grade awarded to students easily. Bearing the numbers involved, this is an important issue. The tool also gave feedback to students and, by using predesigned questions, negative or hurtful comments were avoided
Future plans
I plan to use Buddycheck again this semester for the same cohort AND for a second year Leadership module. The second-year students used Buddycheck last year, so they will be familiar with it.
Top tips
Use pre-designed questions if they fit, but don’t be afraid to alter if you need to.
Explain Buddycheck fully to students so they see the benefit. Consider linking it to employability since we all experience appraisals in the workplace.
Spend time with your teaching team explaining the tool and make sure to provide supportive training.
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The statue at the centre of the controversy: a statue of Cecil Rhodes
In this case study, John Masterson, Senior Lecturer in World Literatures, talks about co-created learning communities and his module ‘Decolonising the Curriculum: Literature and Theory of the Global South’ (Q3309).
What I did
I was keen to offer Sussex students the opportunity to engage with their compatriots in the ‘global South’ to discuss how and why decolonising agendas might play out differently in different, contextually specific locations. Having worked at Wits University in Johannesburg prior to joining Sussex, I have important connections in South Africa, and given that the Rhodes Must Fall campaign initiated by students at UCT was the catalyst for broader Fees Must Fall campaigns in the country, I created a module that enabled Sussex students to talk to their contemporaries in Johannesburg. These conversations helped us to consider how and why literature and more critical interventions from the ‘Global South’ interrogate some of the founding tenets of contemporary theory.
Why I did it
The module was conceived at a time when the School of English, more broadly, embarked on a wide-ranging curriculum review. Given my teaching and research interests in postcolonial and/or transnational and/or global literary studies, I was keen to expand our offerings in these areas. This module embodies the commitment of the School of Media, Arts and Humanitiesto embedding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion in the curriculum as part of socially informed conversations with its diverse student community.
Impact and student feedback
At the heart of this module is thinking about how and why the debates we’re engaging in, in a predominantly academic setting, are both shaped by and have the potential to inform the world beyond the university. Students were able to see this by talking to their contemporaries in South Africa about how they put their lives on the line by participating in these protests on their respective campuses. By establishing these properly collaborative discussions, students began the work of unpacking/deconstructing the sense that knowledge production is the sovereign possession of those in the ‘Global North.
Challenges
The key challenges have been mainly logistical. The aim to involve students in curricular co-creation is laudable but, having run the module for three years now, there are planning implications. As it stands, the module runs in the final term of the final year of undergraduate study. The vast majority of students are, rightly, preoccupied with their final dissertation. As I don’t get to work with them until the Spring term, and reading lists need to be in well in advance, it is a challenge to square this circle. Another key issue, in terms of working with South African students as colleagues, is time, resources and synchronisation. Trying to find times that suit both Wits and Sussex students has been tricky, as has technological provision/reliability. South Africa was particularly impacted by the COVID pandemic and, having spoken to colleagues there, the HE ripple effects are still being felt in a number of ways. That said, I don’t want to give up on this collaborative aim. Given that the module is designed to introduce students to other, under-represented voices and alternative practices, the fact that I lead on it, given my own institutional and other positionality, is a rather intractable problem. It would be great to have other bodies and voices involved in the pedagogical arena itself. As colleagues and students are so stretched in terms of time and resources/remuneration, I can’t in good faith ask someone to do something for nothing. A final issue raised by students over the course of the module is the notion that it can’t live up to its name. Many have made the entirely valid point that, just because you have ‘Decolonising the Curriculum’ on your books, it is still bound by the various structures and strictures of the neoliberal institution. To what extent is ‘Decolonising’ just a token gesture? A forthcoming iteration of the module will be called, rather more generically, ‘Decolonisation and Literature.’
Future plans
I am on research leave in January, so the module won’t run in 23/24. This is perhaps no bad thing. In light of some of the challenges set out above, I want to explore the possibility of making more connections between the privileged spaces of our lecture and seminar rooms and the world beyond, both locally and internationally. I do believe the South African connection can be made to work, but I also want to consult students on how we might take some of the more theoretical questions swirling around ‘decolonisation’ into cultural and political spaces in Brighton. If there were to be more resources to hire colleagues with expertise in non-European and non-American literatures, not to mention languages, that would also allow for a more collaborative pedagogical and practical approach.
Top 3 tips
Involve students from the outset. Listen to what they’re asking for and how they’re approaching this. Be prepared to engage them in any honest conversation about what is/has been offered in the past and why.
Be willing to break out of your own academic silo. Consider models of ‘best/better practice’ in other institutions, both nationally and internationally
Leave one or two ‘blank’ weeks, in which students determine the content/focus of the teaching for those sessions. This helps to further centre the student voice.
In this case study, Dr Lorraine Smith, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, discusses how she scaffolds summative assessments for Foundation level students.
What I did
I implemented both an essay plan and draft formative assessment so that students had the opportunity to receive valuable feedback/forward to aid them in the preparation of their summative essay assessment. To do this, I utilised Grademark in Turnitin, as it seemed to be the simplest and most straightforward way for students to upload, and review their feedback as well as for the markers to work through the scripts to give constructive comments on the main areas of assessment criteria.
Why I did it
I decided to scaffold the summative assessment because I found that students were particularly anxious about writing academic essays for the first time. I wanted to provide students with lots of feedforward for their final assessed work.
Challenges
Setting this up in Canvas is simple and does not need a lot of preparation (just new assignments with dates and some instruction text) but depending on the cohort size, marking these extra pieces of work must be factored into the logistics of achieving the desired outcome. I usually use one tutor to help with marking due to the tight marking turnaround. Another challenge is ensuring that students who want to take advantage of feedforward opportunities are appropriately prepared and submit the work by the deadlines since they feed into the next part of the work and into the final summative deadline.
Impact and student feedback
Students have hugely valued the extra support at the beginning of the course, and it has also improved the quality of students’ essays and understanding of crucial aspects of academic work including paraphrasing, argument development and Harvard referencing.
Future plans
Based on its success, I plan on continuing to use this method of formative work with feedforward.
Top 3 tips
Make sure students have realistic expectations of what will be given in the feedforward (ie not grades in this case)
Make instructions very clear to students along with deadlines
Ensure you have adequate markers in place who appreciate the tight marking turnaround
Gillian Sandstrom, Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Kindness, explains the benefits for student belonging of greeting your students when they arrive in class, even if you don’t know their names.
What I did
Recent research in social psychology has found that even minimal social interaction (e.g., chatting with the barista at the coffee shop) can help people feel more connected. I was interested in whether this would be the case in my own classes, so I conducted a study on my students’ sense of belonging. Students were recruited from my second-year undergraduate statistics lab classes in two separate academic years and from a colleague’s first-year undergraduate statistics lab class. All students in each sample attended the same lecture each week but were split by the university’s timetabling system into smaller groups for lab classes. This gave me the opportunity to compare interventions. In one lab students were greeted at the door (i.e., the minimal social interaction condition), in another they were given name cards to put on their desks and in the control lab, students did not use name cards and were not greeted at the door. This was not a reduced contact condition but one that reflects the usual situation at the university.
Why I did it
Many studies have shown that when students perceive a positive relationship with their instructor, it can lead to greater persistence, satisfaction, and even better grades. We often talk about the positive impact that learning students’ names can have on building rapport, but many instructors find it difficult to learn student names, and this is even harder with very large cohorts, in which students, unsurprisingly, report fewer feelings of belonging. Thus, I wanted to find out how greeting students as they arrive in class stacks up compared to the best practice of learning names.
Impact and student feedback
I found that students who were assigned to a greeting condition reported a stronger relationship with the instructor and that this greater relationship strength predicted greater interest/enjoyment, relatedness and belonging. This intervention produced similar results to a more traditional name card condition, which is used to help instructors to learn students’ names. These findings show that even when instructors struggle to learn students’ names, they can still build rapport by greeting students as they enter class. This is a simple intervention that instructors can make in their classroom that could have a meaningful impact on the student experience.
Challenges
More research is needed to establish the generalizability of the findings. The current study examined data gathered in only two classes at one university.
Future plans
Ideally, we would study the effects of greeting students in many classes, with many instructors, who are all blind to the hypothesis.
Top 3 Tips
What advice would you give another member of staff/department who wanted to emulate what you have done? Please give your top 3 tips for someone wanting to do something similar
Don’t underestimate how much of a difference you can make to students through minimal social interaction (and you’re likely to feel good too!)
Remember that even small interactions with students can be meaningful – a chat is great, but a smile, or even simply making eye contact can create a feeling of connection
Try to learn a few students’ names. In my experience, even if you don’t know all of their names, students appreciate that you’ve tried to learn any.
Learning Matters provides a space for multiple and diverse forms of writing about teaching and learning at Sussex. We welcome contributions from staff as well as external collaborators. All submissions are assigned to a reviewer who will get in touch to discuss next steps.
