Blog Archives

Insights from the Annual Course Reviews

The University of Sussex’s Annual Course Review (ACR) process provides an opportunity for review, reflection and evaluation of the delivery of our teaching and is a key part of the University’s quality assurance and enhancement framework. However, the ACR isn’t

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Measuring educational gain through Assurance of Learning (AoL)

Farai is Associate Dean (Education & Students) in the University of Sussex Business School and Professor in the Department of Economics. She has several years’ higher education teaching experience in statistics, development economics and other applied economics topics. She has

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Assessment in a world of Generative AI: What might we lose?

Introduction For the most part, assessment in higher education is viewed in the negative as opposed to the positive. It is something to be endured, worked through, marked and managed. Assessment causes significant anxiety and stress for students and staff

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Developing a feedback policy for Life Science

Dr Joanna Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, explains how the School of Life Sciences developed and implemented its feedback policy.   What we did:  Over the summer of 2021 I led a working group in the Life Sciences tasked with developing

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Closing the ‘feedback gap’ for international postgraduate students: An embedded writing approach

Dr. Brown embarked on his teaching journey in the realm of outdoor education during the 1980s before transitioning to teach Geography at the secondary school level. In 2004, he transitioned from the classroom to become an Educational Advisor for Learning

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Mapping the circular economy: A flexible mapping project for Product Design students

Claire Potter is a Senior Lecturer and the course convenor of the BSc / BA Product Design degrees, teaching on and leading on a variety of modules. In this case study, Claire describes how module and course design help develop

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Building learning communities through formative group work

Dr Zahid Pranjol, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences and Deputy Head of School for Life Sciences, explains how a formative project-based learning (PBL) group work assessment helps develop his Foundation, first and second year students’ belonging and team work skills.  

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Scaffolding summative assessments

Dr Lorraine Smith 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

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Embedding writing into seminars as a deliberate and supportive practice

Dr Verona Ni Drisceoil explains how and why you should build in opportunities for deliberate writing practice in seminars, or even in the lecture theatre.

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Developing academic literacies – part one

Embedding study skills, it is argued, helps students make the important link between the conventions of academic writing, the contested nature of knowledge, and the way writers use theory and evidence to argue. What to do about study skills? What

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About this blog

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. Find out more on our About page.

Please note that blog posts reflect the information and perspectives at the time of publication.