School of Computer Science induction and linking academic skills to employability

Abstract

This project is split into two facets:

The first involved a teaching assistant working to develop a system that employs the University's iVLE as much as possible for getting into contact with students before they join the University. This consists of information explaining what the students can expect once they come to Birmingham, and advice on how to prepare for this experience (aspects of student life addressed: student life, academic work (specific to Computer Science), and study skills (learner independence)). The teaching assistant also followed a focus group of first-year students to evaluate the effectiveness of this element in the induction process. An additional task was to review material developed by other schools for this purpose and integration or adaptation of this into web pages.

The second part of the project examined feedback, a second teaching assisted worked with specific lecturers of first-year modules to develop mechanisms for more effective and timely feedback. Possible ways for improving feedback are on-line self-assessment questionnaires, interfacing with the University's >>Progress>> system, and others. An important element of this work involved working with the students concerned so that they became aware of the feedback mechanisms that exist and that are being newly developed. Via the standard questionnaire described above, monitoring of the success of these mechanisms was enabled.