Paper Presentations

Young Biomedical Science Programme: The Design and Impact of a Longitudinal Training on Medical Education for Postdoctoral Fellows

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SAMARASEKERA, D. D.1*, HOOI, S. C.2, TAN, C. H.3, BAN, K.4, KOH, D. R.2, LIAN, D.5, YAP, C.2, CHEN Z. X.2, Raja Indran, I.3, ANG, E. T.6, LIU, H. Y.7, and Lee, S. S.1

1Centre for Medical Education (CENMED), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM)
2Department of Physiology, YLLSOM
3Department of Pharmacology, YLLSOM
4Department of Biochemistry, YLLSOM
5Department of Pathology, YLLSOM
6Department of Anatomy, YLLSOM
7Department of Microbiology and Immunology, YLLSOM

*dujeepa@nus.edu.sg

 

Samarasekera, D. D., Hooi, S. C., Tan, C. H., Ban, K., Koh, D. R., Lian, D., Yap, C., Chen Z. X., Raja Indran, I., Ang, E. T., Liu, H. Y., and Lee, S. S. (2023). Young Biomedical Science Programme: The design and impact of a longitudinal training on medical education for postdoctoral fellows [Paper Presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. (Insert URL)

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Biomedical science, educators, teaching career, course design, programme impact

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

INTRODUCTION

an academic role (Golde & Dore, 2001; Austin, 2002). Graduate students and early career scientists, including postdoctoral fellows, often face limited options for structured opportunities to enhance their understanding of who want to learn more about teaching and, more importantly, learning, have few role models to turn to. This can be more pronounced in medical and basic science departments where the emphasis is on generating and publishing research data to advance their scientific research. Even when scientists themselves are interested in teaching or participating in science outreach programmes, they may be discouraged because their contribution in teaching and learning may not be aligned to their research goals. Despite the obvious need for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to develop skills in education, few universities offer graduate students and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to enrol in an education programme, and if they do, the course is usually short and may not equip the participants with the necessary essential skills with structured guidance. There is also the challenge of non-clinical faculty teaching in health professional programmes such as medicine, dentistry and nursing contextualising the content relevance to future practice. Therefore, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM) designed the Young Biomedical Science Programme (YBMS) (Figure 1) for postdoctoral fellows to provide foundational skills in Medical and Health Professions Education to be effective future educators. This programme aims to provide opportunities to foster collaboration amongst novice educators across departments, link up with expert and experienced local and international biomedical science educators and clinician educators, and provide the YBMS participants with mentoring, in the early stages of their career.

The components in the YBMS programme
Figure 1. The components in the YBMS programme.

 

METHOD

The components in the one-year programme includes a compulsory module (attend seven workshops and complete an online module within the year), select one educational-related track out of three, practicum component (large group and small group micro-teaching) and complete a learning portfolio. Throughout the programme, the participants are supported by mentoring from experienced educators. The entire programme will be concluded with a capstone during the Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC). Using an action research design with Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation, we evaluated the programme up to the third level which is Behaviour for three cycles. For first level on Reaction, we sent a survey related to the programme and gain feedback to improvise (13 questions on a 5-point likert scale, with five open-ended questions). For second level on Learning, YBMS educators are required to do a practicum which involves small and large group teaching applying what they have learnt from the workshops. Lastly, for the third Level, we gathered data on subsequent products or outcomes achieved once they returned to their workplace after they have completed the course.

 

RESULTS

For the past three years, we have 18 participants graduated from the programme (10 for Cohort 2021, five for Cohort 2022, and three for Cohort 2023). From the survey, the participants found that the workshops attended helped them to understand the relevance of educational principles and apply in a real-world setting. They found that mentoring is particularly helpful in shaping their career journey. Two graduated from the programme and they developed a postgraduate course in health professions education with other academic staff and CenMED for doctoral students at NUS Medicine. This will be launched in 2023 as part of an elective module. In addition, two participants of the programme presented their research in HECC 2022 and APMEC 2023.

 

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the graduates are better prepared to understand student learning and applied what they have learned. It is hoped that the early development of knowledge and skills about teaching and learning will encourage graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to continue their growth as educators throughout their careers.

 

REFERENCES

Austin A. E. (2002). Preparing the next generation of faculty: graduate school as socialization to the academic career. Journal of Higher Education. 73, 94–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2002.11777132

Golde, C. M., & Dore, T. (2001). At cross-purposes: What the experiences of today’s graduate students reveal about doctoral education. Philadelphia: Pew Charitable Trusts

Markowitz, D. G., DuPré, M. J. (2007). Graduate experience in science education: The development of a science education course for biomedical science graduate students. CBE Life Science Education. 6(3), 233-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.07-01-0004

 

Spoken Cantonese Assessments in “Design Your Own Course”

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Jyh Wee SEW
Centre for Language Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

clssjw@nus.edu.sg

 

Sew, J. W. (2023). Spoken Cantonese assessments in “Design Your Own Course” [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/spoken-cantonese-assessments-in-design-your-own-course/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Assessment, Cantonese interview, heritage language education, remix, spoken Cantonese

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

Cantonese has 85.5 million speakers worldwide (Wordspath, 2022), of which 133,000 are in Singapore (Leong, 2022). Many local elderly folks rely on Cantonese for entertainment as well as healthcare advice. Spoken Cantonese is thus a repertoire for healthcare and social workers to engage with their clients. In August 2020, the course DMA1401L01 “Spoken Cantonese” became a learning option at the National University of Singapore (NUS) through the “Design Your Own Course” initiative. Despite its pass-or-fail status, proper assessment components were expected for a four-unit course. This discussion highlights three types of assessment completed by the first batch of 39 students who learned spoken Cantonese through the course that ran for 12 weeks (Sew, 2021a).

 

In Week Six, the learners submitted a Cantonese remix video (Sew, 2021b). The remix assignment stipulated that the learners rewrite the lyrics of a familiar Cantonese song with any ideas derivable from their daily experiences. The foundation for this task was based on a 25-minute enrichment segment, in which learners pronounced the Romanised Cantonese lyrics and contextualised the Cantonese metaphors in the songs. With an enhanced rhythmic intelligence following the enrichment, the Cantonese learners would be well-informed to select 風雨同路 by Paula Tsui (Table 1) to galvanise the audience in a donation drive, not least because Tsui’s song renders a powerful metaphor of care and support, namely accompaniment amid the swooshing wind and beating rain.

 

Table 1
Samples of Cantonese songs in DMA1401L01 “Spoken Cantonese”

Francis Yip:
上海灘		 Andy Lau:
謝謝你的愛		 Paula Tsui:
風雨同路		 Jacky Cheung:
等你回來		 Danny Chan:
一生何求

 

The learners were directed to exploit CantoDict, an online trilingual dictionary, for tracking the Cantonese equivalents of English words in remixing. An example of a remix entitled COVID-19 and I that capitalised on上海灘 for describing the rampant behaviours occurring in public transport during the first year of COVID-19 is in Table 2 (shared with permission).

 

Table 2
Snippets of remix in DMA1401L01 “Spoken Cantonese”

Original lyrics of 上海灘 Remix COVID-19与我 Imagery
Long ban long lau 搭巴士 坐地鐵
Maan lei tou tou gong seoi
wing bat jau		 我的口罩實在不夠

 

In Week 12, the learners had to complete a video interview with a Cantonese speaker on a topic of common interest. Some of the interviewees were either parents, grandparents, relatives, or friends from an exchange programme (Table 3). Displaying genuine camaraderie in limited fluency, the learners communicated warmly about adapting themselves to a new environment, retirement, and studying a particular subject, among others.

 

Table 3
Snapshots of Spoken Cantonese interview in DMA1401L01 “Spoken Cantonese”

 

The final assignment was a reflection blog post submitted in Week 13, for which the learners blogged their Cantonese experience, highlighting the highs and lows in their learning journey. Table 4 contains the Cantonese content preference hand-picked by some of the learners.

 

Table 4
Topics highlighted in “Spoken Cantonese” blog reflections

Positive Response Topics
3 Cantonese Idioms
2 Cantonese Taboos
2 Cantonese Romantic Terms
2 Glocalisation with
Local Place Names		 Cantonese place names for Bright Hill, Bukit Ho Swee, Chinatown, Clementi, Red Hill, Harbourfront, Yew Tee, and Sentosa.

 

In hindsight, forbidding face-to-face contact at Kent Ridge in 2020 was a blessing in disguise, as the learn-from-home practice became an opportunity to orchestrate heritage language education in a series of virtual classroom via Zoom, resulting in targeted interactions that led to a series of stimulating spoken Cantonese learning. The heritage language education experience presented a new cultural vista to the learners, that may rectify any misconception regarding a less commonly taught language.

 

REFERENCES

CantoDict. http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/scripts/wordsearch.php?level=0

Leong, C. (Aug 24, 2022). Do Singaporeans speak Cantonese? Best in Singapore. https://www.bestinsingapore.co/how-many-singaporeans-speak-cantonese/

Sew J. W. (2021a). What do students want? Invited Talk at DYOM Learning Circle, CDTL, NUS.

Sew J. W. (2021b). Assessing a Spoken Cantonese module based on student feedback. 3rd International Conference on Language Studies, UNIMAS, Kuching, Sarawak, 8-9 Sept. 2021.

Wordspath, T. (Dec 29, 2022). Where is Cantonese spoken? Wordspath. https://www.wordspath.com/where-is-cantonese-spoken/

 

Conversations with the Industry—How Professional Communication Training in IHLs Can Better Meet Changing Workplace Demands

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*Norhayati Bte Mohd Ismail, Susan LEE, and SIM Swee Choo, Sylvia
Centre for Language and Communication (CELC)

*elcnmi@nus.edu.sg

 

Norhayati, I., Lee, S., & Sim, S. S. C. (2023). Conversations with the industry—How professional communication training in IHLs can better meet changing workplace demands [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/conversations-with-the-industry-how-professional-communication-training-in-ihls-can-better-meet-changing-workplace-demands/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Workplace, communication, professional, adaptability, self-awareness

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

INTRODUCTION

In today’s rapidly evolving world, identifying critical/essential workplace communication skills is of paramount importance to empower graduates entering the workforce with the necessary skills to thrive, contribute meaningfully, and adapt to the ever-changing demands of the modern workplace.

 

Employers seek professionals who are competent in articulating ideas clearly, collaborating efficiently, and engaging with diverse stakeholders (Clokie & Fourie, 2016). However, graduates face challenges transferring or applying acquired communication skills across genres, contexts, and in workplace situations, and this is made more complex with the use of technology (Du-Babcock, 2006). Other observations highlighted the importance of interpersonal communication in speaking (DeKay, 2012), and dispositions such as adaptability, agility, and resilience in the workplace (Prieto & Talukder, 2023). Graduates’ ability to socialise in the workplace with ‘acceptable’ attitudes and behaviours impact co-workers’ perceptions of their qualities as relatable and self-aware (Coffelt & Smith, 2020) team players. Additionally, the focus on emotional intelligence in the workplace informed that self-regulation and relationship management are critical in shaping executives and leaders’ communication styles (Nguyen et al., 2019; Drigas & Papoutsi, 2019).

 

The study seeks to (1) understand industry’s perceptions of fresh graduates’ communication competencies, emotional quotient (EQ) skills, intergenerational and intercultural communication skills, adaptability and self-awareness, and gathers industry’s inputs on skills to future-ready undergraduates, and (2) evaluates the extent to which customised professional communication courses offered by the Centre for English Language Communication (CELC) in NUS are aligned with the communication demands of the current workplace and considers future directions for improvement.

 

METHODOLOGY

To gain insights from industry’s perceptions and expectations, semi-structured individual interviews based on 10 key questions were conducted with 20 executives from varied sectors, with informed consent for sharing obtained. Their professional roles range from technology consultancy, marketing and communications, advertising, medical technology, product application and web services, data protection and analysis, as well as risk and compliance analysis in sectors like higher education, pharmaceutical, airline, public healthcare, and non-profit organisations.

 

FINDINGS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Recurrent insights from interviewees revealed a consistent lack among newly hired graduates in the following aspects: to speak up to build rapport, check in with co-workers and ask timely questions; to speak and present concisely and simply with contextual clarity; to heighten their sense of self-awareness and respond appropriately in the organisational setting; and to leverage generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). It was also found that certain skills and dispositions are especially useful in helping fresh graduates transition from school to work. These include cultivating adaptability and reflexivity; developing self-awareness; having authentic practical experiences; and strategically communicating personal values, skills, and achievements.

 

The findings offer insights on evolving workplace demands and set future directions to inform curriculum design for professional communication curriculum in institutes of higher learning (IHLs). By examining emerging trends and evolving workplace communication demands, areas where the existing curriculum may benefit from enhancements are identified. This includes exploring potential opportunities to integrate GenAI tools like ChatGPT (Sousa & Wilks, 2018), address intercultural and intergenerational communication challenges, and encourage a growth mindset that promotes lifelong learning. Such conversations with industry ensure that course designers in CELC align with the CELC’s experiential learning approach, a feature that undergirds the Centre’s professional communication curriculum. These enhance the quality of authentic learning (Herrington & Oliver, 2000) in the curriculum so that graduates are better prepared for real-world challenges. By incorporating these forward-looking perspectives, the goal is to ensure that CELC’s professional communication training remains relevant and equips undergraduate students with the multifaceted skills required to excel in a dynamic professional landscape.

 

Figure 1 captures the summary of our findings, evaluation of the selected courses and future directions, based on our preliminary investigation.

Summary of industry’s inputs gathered through our conversations with employers and professionals from diverse sectors, evaluation of selected CELC courses and possible future directions (based on our preliminary investigation).
Figure 1. Summary of industry’s inputs gathered through our conversations with employers and professionals from diverse sectors, evaluation of selected CELC courses and possible future directions (based on our preliminary investigation).

 

REFERENCES

Clokie, T. L., & Fourie, E. (2016). Graduate employability and communication competence: Are undergraduates taught relevant skills? Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 79(4), 442–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490616657635

Coffelt, T. A., & Smith, F. L. M. (2020). Exemplary and unacceptable communication skills. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 83(4), 365–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490620946425

DeKay, S. H. (2012). Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored region. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 449-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912458966

Drigas, A. & Papoutsi, C. (2019). Emotional intelligence as an important asset for hr in organisations: Leaders and employees. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning. Apr. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijac.v12i1.9637

Du-Babcock, B. (2006). Teaching business communication: Past, present, future. Journal of Business Communication, 45(3), 253-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/002194360628877.

Herrington, J. & Oliver, R. 2000. An instructional design framework for authentic learning environment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 23-48. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30220266.

Kleckner, M. J. & Blutz, N. (2021). Addressing undergraduate skill gaps in higher education: Revisiting communication in the major course outcomes. Journal of Education for Business, 96(7), 411-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2020.1844119.

Nguyen, T., White, S., Hall, K., Bell, R. L. & Ballentine, W. (2019). Emotional intelligence and managerial communication. American Journal of Management. 19(2), 54-63.

Omilion-Hodges, L. M. & Sugg, C. E. (2019). Millennials’ view and expectations regarding communicative and relational behaviors of leaders: Exploring young adults’ talk about work. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 82(1). 74-100. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490618808043

Prieto, L., & Talukder, M. F. (2023). Resilient agility: A necessary condition for employee and organizational sustainability. Sustainability 2023, 15, 1552. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021552

SkillsFuture Singapore. (2022). Skills demand for the future economy. Prepared by Workforce Development Agency, Singapore. https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/skillsreport

Sousa, M. J., & Wilks, D. (2018). Sustainable skills for the world of work in the digital age. Syst. Res, 35, 399–405. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2540.

Udemy Business. (2023). 2023 Workplace Learning Trends Report. https://business.udemy.com/2023-workplace-learning-trends-report/

World Economic Forum. (2020). The Future of Jobs Report. 2023 World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/

 

Law Clinics: Microcosms of the Inter-disciplinarity Inherent in Law Practice

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WONG Siew Yin, Eleanor, Sonita JEYAPATHY, and CHEONG Jun Ming, Mervyn*
Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education, Faculty of Law

*mervyn@nus.edu.sg

 

Wong, E. S. Y., Jeyapathy, S., & Cheong, M. J. M. (2023). Law clinics: Microcosms of the inter-disciplinarity inherent in law practice [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/law-clinics-microcosms-of-the-inter-disciplinarity-inherent-in-law-practice/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Clinical legal education, law clinics, experiential learning, legal skills programme

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In practice, a lawyer gets parachuted into the client’s world in all its complexity and chaos, and must help the client come up with a legal solution for the unique challenge at hand. A legal problem is rarely ever just a legal problem. The law transcends every aspect of society, community, and enterprise.

 

The lawyer must be able to understand their client’s specific needs to target a solution to them. Apart from being confident and competent in legal principles and theories, the modern lawyer must be able to appreciate and comfortably operate in landscapes where the law intersects with other disciplines such as technology, finance, psychiatry, and forensics.

 

So really a lawyer cannot just be a lawyer. A lawyer must also be able to operate in the world of a detective, profiler, psychologist, a techie, and much more.

 

How then do we prepare law students for this? The key must revolve around providing students with opportunities to hone their ability to be agile learners and to expose them to legal challenges that present themselves in evolving legal landscapes in a closely supervised way, so that they can develop crucial practical competencies.

 

Our solution is to develop and curate law clinics for our students which are microcosms of the interdisciplinarity inherent in the practice of law, and utilise resources and networks to actively support these students as they participate in the law clinics.

 

Through the Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education, the NUS Faculty of Law is the first law school in Singapore to establish law clinics as part of the faculty’s regular course listing of elective subjects. The NUS law clinics expose the participating students to legal matters that could have cross-disciplinary aspects in actual live legal matters.

 

Like most experiential learning modalities, the pedagogical approach adopted is: first, for the clinic supervisors to expressly articulate their thought process through discussions on the live legal matters, including the reasoning behind decisions to take certain action or not, and the students are guided through reflection to pick up the learning points; and second, a mastery learning approach by providing students with constant feedback and opportunities to revise and improve their work before giving a final assessment grade for the task assigned.

 

Under the sub-theme of “Interdisciplinarity and Education”, the proposed paper presentation will focus on three of the faculty’s law clinics: the first two relate to the legal-tech and environmental, and social and governance (ESG) space, respectively, and the third deals with criminal law litigation involving serious crimes where forensics and psychiatry issues arise. The paper will elaborate on how these law clinics are curated and carried out and highlight key findings, from past students’ feedback on how the students’ learning journey in the law clinics have impacted their outlook about legal practice. The paper will then conclude that the NUS Law clinics course, new as it may be amongst Singapore’s law schools, provides an appropriate platform for law students to actively appreciate and acquire an ability to confidently think, both critically and creatively, from a wider and more comprehensive perspective, where interdisciplinary aspects are involved in their legal practice, upon their graduation.

 

REFERENCES

Giddings, J. (2014). Contemplating the future of clinical legal education. Griffith Law Review, 17(1), 1-26. http://dx.DOI.org/10.1080/10383441.2008.10854600

Rice, S., Evans, A., Noone, M., Giddings, J., Cody, A., & Copeland, A. (2012). Best practices: Australian clinical legal education. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296449685_Best_practices_Australian_clinical_legal_education.

Mlyniec, W. J. (2012). Where to begin? Training new teachers in the art of clinical pedagogy. Clinical L. Rev., 18(2), 505-91. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2008973

Wilson, Richard (2018). Legal aid and clinical legal education in Europe and the USA: Are they compatible? In Outsourcing Legal Aid in the Nordic Welfare States. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322009213_Legal_Aid_and_Clinical_Legal_Education_in_Europe_and_the_USA_Are_They_Compatible.

 

Unveiling the Influence of Emotions on Students’ Feedback Uptake

cdtlsd Paper Presentations

Sreeja NARAYANANKUTTY1*, Yang Yann FOO1, Fong Yee CHIU1, and Joo Seng GAN2

1Department of Technology Enhanced Learning & Innovation, Office of Education,
Duke-NUS Medical School
2Centre for Development of Teaching & Learning, NUS

*sree_81@nus.edu.sg

 

Narayanankutty, S., Foo, Y. Y., Chiu, F. Y., & Gan, M. J. S. (2023). Unveiling the influence of emotions on students' feedback uptake [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/unveiling-the-influence-of-emotions-on-students-feedback-uptake/

SUB-THEME

Others 

 

KEYWORDS

Feedback uptake, emotions, emotion regulation, peer support, control and value appraisals

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

BACKGROUND

The ongoing challenge to improve students’ variable feedback uptake (Jonsson & Panadero, 2018) has prompted calls to understand how emotions (Goetz et al., 2018) affect the way students process and use feedback (Lipnevich & Smith, 2022). Our study was underpinned by Pekrun’s (2006) control-value theory of achievement emotions, and was guided by this question: How do emotions influence graduate medical students’ feedback uptake?

 

SUMMARY OF WORK

We conducted six focus group discussions (FGD) and twelve interviews with 27 graduate medical students in Singapore (age: 18 to 35, with and without working experience). We asked them to describe the emotions they experienced when given positive and negative feedback, and how these emotions influenced their feedback uptake. Voluntary recruitment was made via email, posters, and presentations at student meetings. The FGD and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic (Terry et al., 2017). We wrote familiarisation notes, coded the data inductively (at both latent and semantic levels), and deductively (sensitised by CVT constructs of perceived control, perceived value and activating achievement emotions). Candidate themes were then constructed, revised, and finalised.

 

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

We constructed three themes: 1) control and value appraisals may supersede valence in influencing feedback uptake; 2) emotion regulation facilitated productive feedback processing; and 3) peers helped students to process their emotions. Feedback valence seemed less important than whether the feedback offered students opportunities to improve. Positive feedback deemed disingenuous or incongruous undermined the credibility of the feedback provider and tended to be ignored, while negative feedback that enhanced participants’ perceived self-efficacy to successfully tackle some future tasks (control appraisals) that supported their learning goals (value appraisals) were accepted. Even though negative feedback would upset the participants, they regulated their emotions by practicing mindfulness to calm themselves down to process the feedback in a more calibrated fashion. Participants also reported that they turned to peers to process the negative emotions they experienced. Below are some of the selected quotes for illustrating each theme and more will be shared later.

Theme 1

“I’ve been told, very straightforward that, hey, this will not work, and this is why it will not work. Regardless of whether I attach my identity to what I was doing, feedback (that helps me improve) is very easy to accept, because we all have to achieve the same goal.” (Year 1_P8)

Theme 2

“Emotion is something we cannot control many times. But we can actually control our behavior. I practice mindfulness to calm myself down.” (Year 3_P1)

Theme 3

“If it’s pertaining to stress or whatever, I have my external support network, my friends and classmates help a great deal.” (Year 2_P2)

 

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that negative feedback could be accepted, which contrasts with prior research indicating that negative feedback aroused negative emotions leading to poor uptake (Sargeant et al., 2005; Goetz et al., 2018). However, for negative feedback to be accepted it needs to have high perceived control and value. To accept such feedback, participants had to process their emotions on their own and also with peer support. Hence it may be useful for university teachers to consider adopting feedback models such as R2C2 (Sargent et al., 2015, 2016, 2017), an evidence-based and theoretically-informed approach that promotes feedback dialogue by building relationship, exploring reactions, exploring content, and coaching for performance change. Pertaining to feedback uptake, the exploring content component could provide opportunities for teachers to guide students to self-assess goals the latter deem important using stated rubrics. By so doing, it may help the students be aware of the changes they need to make, and the desire for improvement might motivate them to exercise emotion regulation strategies to accept and use the teachers’ feedback.

 

REFERENCES

Goetz, T., Lipnevich, A. A., Krannich, M., & Gogol, K. (2018). Performance feedback and emotions. In A. A. Lipnevich & J. K. Smith (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Instructional Feedback (1st ed., pp. 554–574). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316832134.027

Jonsson, A., & Panadero, E. (2018). Facilitating students’ active engagement with feedback. In A. A. Lipnevich & J. K. Smith (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Instructional Feedback (1st ed., pp. 531–553). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316832134.026

Lipnevich, A. A., & Smith, J. K. (2022). Student–feedback interaction model: Revised. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 75, 101208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.101208

Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9

Sargeant, J., Mann, K., & Ferrier, S. (2005). Exploring family physicians’ reactions to multisource feedback: Perceptions of credibility and usefulness: original article. Medical Education, 39(5), 497–504. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2005.02124.x

Sargeant, J., Lockyer, J. M., Mann, K., Armson, H., Warren, A., Zetkulic, M., Soklaridis, S., Könings, K. D., Ross, K., Silver, I., Holmboe, E., Shearer, C., & Boudreau, M. (2018). The R2C2 model in residency education: How does it foster coaching and promote feedback use? Academic Medicine, 93(7), 1055–63. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002131

Sargeant, J., Lockyer, J., Mann, K., Holmboe, E., Silver, I., Armson, H., Driessen, E., MacLeod, T., Yen, W., Ross, K., & Power, M. (2015). Facilitated reflective performance feedback: Developing an evidence- and theory-based model that builds relationship, explores reactions and content, and coaches for performance change (R2C2). Academic Medicine, 90(12), 1698–1706. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000809

Sargeant, J., Mann, K., Manos, S., Epstein, I., Warren, A., Shearer, C., & Boudreau, M. (2017). R2C2 in action: Testing an evidence-based model to facilitate feedback and coaching in residency. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 9(2), 165–170. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-16-00398.1

Terry, G., Hayfield, N., Clarke, V., & Braun V. (2017). Thematic analysis. In C. Willig, W. Stainton Rogers (Eds), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology, 17-37. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_103 .

 

FUNDING

This research is supported by Ministry of Education, Singapore under its Tertiary Education Research Fund (MOE2021-TRF-032). Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the Ministry of Education, Singapore.

 

Interdisciplinarity in Science Communication: Promoting Student Engagement and Learning Through the Digital Collaborative Platform Miro

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Amelyn THOMPSON* and Brenda YUEN
Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)

*amelyn.t@nus.edu.sg

 

Thompson, A. A., & Yuen, B. (2023). Interdisciplinarity in science communication: Promoting student engagement and learning through the digital collaborative platform Miro [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/interdisciplinarity-in-science-communication-promoting-student-engagement-and-learning-through-the-digital-collaborative-platform-miro/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Digital collaborative platform, student engagement, science communication, news article writing, interdisciplinary collaboration

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

ABSTRACT

Higher education research suggests the use of learning technology promotes student engagement (e.g. Bond et al., 2020; Chen et al., 2010; Fan & Di, 2020; Fonseca et al., 2014). This paper discusses the impact of technology-enhanced inquiry-based learning tasks using the digital whiteboard Miro in SP1451 “Exploring Science Communication through Popular Science”, part of the College of Humanities and Science (CHS) Common Curriculum. This interdisciplinary core course for NUS science undergraduates has the key learning outcome of communicating scientific concepts effectively to educated non-specialised audiences. Miro was chosen because of its vast array of features and tools for real-time collaboration, commenting, and presenting in teams.

 

Technology-enhanced learning supports interdisciplinary learning by integrating different perspectives or facilitating mutual understanding in pursuit of goals or learning tasks (Littlejohn & Nicol, 2008); meanwhile, valuable data otherwise lost in traditional contexts is preserved (Henrie et al., 2015). Research suggests well-designed inquiry-based learning tasks promote positive learning outcomes including deep thinking, knowledge application, and logical reasoning (Harada & Yoshina, 2004; Kuhlthau et al., 2015). Technology-enhanced inquiry-based learning tasks have been implemented in SP1541 to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and enhance students’ engagement and performance.

 

According to Bond et al. (2020), engagement is defined as “energy and effort” expended by students in their learning community, observable through “a range of indicators” (p. 3). In search of these indicators, we adopted Redmond et al.’s (2018) online engagement framework for higher education. This framework extends the traditional definition of engagement (Fredricks et al., 2004), which considers behavioural, cognitive, and emotional dimensions by adding collaborative and social dimensions.

 

The objectives of this study are to:

  1. investigate the extent to which the use of Miro enhances students’ engagement in the discussion of science news articles during synchronous tutorials in online and face-to-face modes; and
  2. examine the correlation between students’ perceived engagement level and perceived science news writing competence.

 

This study employs an embedded mixed-methods design, where qualitative data supplement quantitative data, encapsulated in an online questionnaire administered at the end of the semester. The questionnaire comprises 23 statements measuring the five dimensions of engagement (Redmond et al., 2018) on a five-point Likert scale, and four items for students to self-rate their writing competence based on the criteria established in the criterion-referenced assessment rubric (i.e. criterion-based writing competence). It also includes three open-ended questions regarding students’ perception of their use of Miro and its impact on their learning.

 

The findings indicate Miro is effective in fostering collaborative and cognitive engagement, while comparatively lacking in social engagement, across both online and face-to-face modes. Quantitative results showed a moderate, positive correlation between online engagement and writing performance in the online mode; however, this was not reflected in the face-to-face mode. Qualitative responses corroborated the quantitative results and confirmed the importance of Miro as a useful tool for review in both contexts.

 

This study is particularly relevant to interdisciplinary core courses as technology-enhanced learning is potentially more impactful when integrated in the early years of university (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). The findings provide several pedagogical implications in higher education. First, Miro’s value lies in its ability to foster collaborative and cognitive engagement, especially as collaboration may prove challenging in interdisciplinary environments, although teamwork remains a vital part of the experience (Corbacho et al., 2021). Second, it may be worth extending the use of Miro asynchronously to boost social engagement. Third, Miro is helpful in promoting behavioural engagement, including supporting peers (Redmond et al., 2018). This is crucial for collaborative tasks like peer feedback, where feedback is a sense-making process with students using comments from various sources to improve performance (Carless & Boud, 2018).

 

REFERENCES

Bond, M., Buntins, K., Bedenlier, S., Zawacki-Richter, O., & Kerres, M. (2020). Mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: a systematic evidence map. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8

Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354

Chen, P., Lambert, A., & Guidry, K. (2010). Engaging online learners: The impact of web-based learning technology on college student engagement. Computers & Education, 54, 1222–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.11.008

Corbacho, A.M., Minini, L., Pereyra, M., Gonzalez-Fernandez, A.E., Echaniz, R., Repetto, L., Cruz, P., Fernandez-Damonte, V., Lorieto, A. & Basile, M. (2021). Interdisciplinary higher education with a focus on academic motivation and teamwork diversity. International Journal of Educational Research, 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2021.100062

Fan, S., & Di, Z. (2020). Technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1754-88. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1831545

Fonseca, D., Marti, N., Redondo, E., Navarro, I., & Sanchez, A. (2014). Relationship between student profile, tool use, participation, and academic performance with the use of Augmented Reality technology for visualized architecture models. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 434-45. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.03.006

Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059

Harada, V. H., & Yoshina, J. M. (2004). Inquiry learning through librarian-teacher partnerships. Linworth Publishing.

Henrie, C. R., Halverson, L. R., & Graham, C. R. (2015). Measuring student engagement in technology-mediated learning: A review. Computers & Education, 90, 36-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.09.005

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. (2015). Guided inquiry: Learning in the twenty-first century (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Littlejohn, A., & Nicol, D. (2009). Supporting interdisciplinary studies using learning technologies. In B. Chandramohan and S. Fallows (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Theory and Practice (pp. 30-43). Routledge.

Martin, F. & Bolliger, D.U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning 22(1), 205-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092

Redmond, P., Heffernan, A., Abawi, L., Brown, A., & Henderson, R. (2018). An online engagement framework for higher education. Online Learning, 22(1), 183-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1175

Thompson, A., & Yuen, B. (2022). Using Miro to enhance students’ online engagement and learning in a science communication module. Teaching Connections. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/teachingconnections/2022/08/26/using-miro-to-enhance-students- online-engagement-and-learning-in-a-science-communication-module/

 

An Evaluation of the Baseline Trait Polymathy of Undergraduates from the NUS College of Humanities and Sciences

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Hui Ting CHNG1*, Ryan Ray Yen LEE1, and Maiya MURPHY2

1Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science (FOS)
2Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

*phacht@nus.edu.sg

 

Chng, H. T., Lee, R. R. Y., & Murphy, M. (2023). An evaluation of the baseline trait polymathy of undergraduates from the NUS College of Humanities and Sciences [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/an-evaluation-of-the-baseline-trait-polymathy-of-undergraduates-from-the-nus-college-of-humanities-and-sciences/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Polymath, interdisciplinary

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world where problems are multifaceted, complex, and intertwined, interdisciplinary approaches are increasingly recognised as necessary to solve these challenges (Araki & Cotellessa, 2020). History has shown us that many innovations were developed by polymaths, individuals who rejected disciplinary boundaries, learnt deeply about diverse subjects, and could transit seamlessly among disciplines (Araki & Cotellessa, 2020, Burke, 2020, Root-Bernstein, 2003).

 

Recognising the importance of interdisciplinarity, recently NUS formed the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS), where students from the Faculty of Science (FOS) and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) learn several core courses including interdisciplinary courses together so that they will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to thrive in this fast-changing world. However, some questions remain to be answered: Do students value interdisciplinarity or polymathy? How interested are they to engage in disciplines other than their own major(s)?

 

As there is still a lack of consensus on the definition and conceptual domains of polymathy, Araki and Cotellessa (2020) proposed to adapt the 4Ps framework from creativity research to study polymathy. The framework can be used to analyse polymathy in four perspectives: person, process, product, and press. The “person” perspective relates to an individual’s abilities, traits, and fluctuating state characteristics. In terms of trait, Araki (2015, 2018) found that polymaths exhibited both disciplinary depth and breadth, along with the ability to integrate across disciplines. However, at present, there are no psychometric tools available to evaluate an individual’s trait polymathy as past works mainly used biological analyses or hermeneutic-phenomenological methods (Araki, 2018).

 

This study thus aims to evaluate the baseline trait polymathy of undergraduates from NUS CHS based on the constructs described by Araki and Cotellessa (2020). A self-developed survey comprising Likert-scale questions for students to rate their disposition towards and the extent of value they give towards the pursuit of depth, breadth, and integration of diverse disciplines will be used. In August of Academic Year (AY) 2023/24, students from NUS CHS will be invited to participate and respond to the survey. Data analysis will be conducted during Recess Week and data will be available to be presented at HECC 2023.

 

As research about polymathy is still in its infancy, our study will be the first to evaluate baseline trait polymathy using a self-developed survey. It will inform us on NUS CHS’ undergraduates’ disposition and valuation towards interdisciplinarity, which would aid educators in designing effective interdisciplinary courses.

 

REFERENCES

Araki, M. E. (2015). Polymathic leadership: Theoretical foundation and construct development [Master’s thesis, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro]. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3166622

Araki, M. E. (2018). Polymathy: a new outlook. J. Genius Eminence, 3, 66–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.18536//jge.2018.04.3.1.06

Araki, M. E., & Cotellessa, A. J. (2020). Creative polymathy and the COVID-19 crisis. Frontiers in Psychology, (2020), 3580. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.601508

Burke, P. (2020). The polymath: A cultural history from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag. Yale University Press. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15pjzh6

Root-Bernstein, R. S. (2003). The art of innovation: Polymaths and the universality of the creative process. In L. V. Shavinina (Ed.), International Handbook of Innovation (pp. 267-78). Elsevier.

 

Co-creating the Research League: Into the Multiverse of REx Workshops

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Losheini RAVINDRAN* and John Leo CAINES
Undergraduate Research Coordinating Team, Office of the Provost (PVO) 

*loshr1@nus.edu.sg

 

Ravindran, L., & Caines, J. L. (2023). Co-creating the research league: Into the multiverse of REx workshops [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/co-creating-the-research-league-into-the-multiverse-of-rex-workshops/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Undergraduate research, collaborative learning, Undergraduates Research Opportunity Programme, UROP, REx, course upgrade

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on interdisciplinarity and education, and the role of the REx programme in building partnerships with the various departments and disciplines across the campus. Research Experience, known as REx is a course upgrade to the UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme) course. The pertinence of research in undergraduate education has been underscored in the recent innovation and development efforts of today. Given the rising importance of the research and innovation sector, it is important for the institution to work towards providing quality research education for students in the very early stages of their undergraduate education. In pursuit of contributing to increase the number of undergraduate students engaged in research, the REx course upgrade programme was conceptualised to provide students with a strong foundation in research by introducing them to topics which include formulating good research questions, constructing good hypotheses, choosing optimal research methods, writing a research paper, and communicating research professionally.

List of REx workshops offered by the REx programme
Figure 1. List of REx workshops offered by the REx programme. 

 

The course upgrade design of the programme has been structured in a way that the running of each workshop provides an introductory interaction with the topics and caters to the general research foundational needs of students across the various disciplines. This ensures that there is sustainability and consistency associated with the learning of the REx workshops and programme at large (Hansen, 2000).

 

Workshops such as “Ethics in Research” focused on that idea that educational experience is interaction, particularly in the form of “free communication” (Garrison, 2015, p. 14), where students were given the task of analysing various case studies that posed an ethical dilemma in research. This enabled students to have more space in brainstorming the thought processing of ethical factors without any inhibitions. This interaction facilitated greater critical thinking in developing greater awareness about what were the considerations to be made when dealing with human participants, for instance.

 

It is pertinent to note that these workshops were collaborations with the various units in NUS. The workshop “Research Methodologies” was conceptualised with regular discussions with NUS Libraries, and the expertise of colleagues from the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG) was sought for the workshop “Career in Research”. We have also opened our discussion and collaborative efforts with external vendors that aim to explore effective ways in communicating data and also reached out to Kontinentalist to conduct the “Data Storytelling” workshop. This REx-branded workshop received much support from our faculty colleagues and students. The reason for our consistent pursuit in seeking partnering opportunities with the various units (and relevant research organisation/industries moving forward) stems from the sense of shared purpose and mutual interdependence in achieving intended learning outcomes in promoting research to undergraduates, given the benefits of collaborative approaches to higher-order learning (Garrison, 2015). We are focusing in moving towards a collaboration in forming a cohesive research ecosystem than a cooperative one, given that cooperation deals more with a common task than a common goal.

 

We have been cognisant of the importance in measuring the effectiveness of this collaborative pursuit in making research an enriching experience for students enrolled in the UROP+REx programme and collated students’ feedback. For example, in the feedback data for the seminar “Research with Visual Narratives”1, 61% of REx attendees liked the hands-on segment of learning how to design a comic. Most of the REx fellows shared that the seminar was well-facilitated and encouraged them to brainstorm the various illustrative dimensions to any research undertaking.

Quote highlighting feedback findings for Research with Visual Narratives seminar.
Figure 2. Quote highlighting feedback findings for “Research with Visual Narratives” seminar.

 

Although all the REx attendees found the seminar to very useful in communicating research to the general public, the REx attendees from the Faculty of Science felt that most of the time, unless their research is some large scaled scientific discovery, they will be communicating and presenting their work to other fellow peers in the same field as them. Hence, they felt that a formal presentation or something like a scientific poster would be expected in such cases rather than an informal presentation. While these considerations pose the question of the level of relevance of this approach across the disciplines, it is significant to note that more than half the number of attendees saw a visual narrative approach in presenting research as a tool of communication that connects audiences across various disciplines.

 

Hence, REx’s pilot efforts reinstate the possibility of venturing into a “multiverse” of research learning possibilities across various disciplines, with the common shared purpose in making research an insightful experience that propels undergraduate education towards a collaborative learning ecosystem.

 

ENDNOTE

  1. This seminar teaches students how to look closely at visual narratives. The main examples are comics/graphic novels, but including brief discussion of other types of narrative visual media, such as film, animation, and even memes. Looking at some recent publications that present complex theoretical concepts in comics format, students will learn how visual narratives direct our attention and create meaning.

 

REFERENCES

Garrison, D. R. (2015). Thinking collaboratively: Learning in a community of inquiry. Taylor and Francis.

Hansen, R. E. (2000). The role and experience in learning: Giving meaning and authenticity to the learning process in schools. Journal of Technology Education, 11(2), 23-33. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/8234

Kortz, K. M., & van der Hoeven Kraft, K. J. (2016). Geoscience education research project: Student benefits and effective design of a course-based undergraduate research experience. Journal of Geoscience Education, 64(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.5408/15-11.1

Semingson, P., Smith, P., & Anderson, H. I. (2018). The Community of Inquiry framework in contemporary education: Emerging research and opportunities. IGI Global

Undergraduate Research Coordinating Team, PVO. (2023). REx Programme Pilot Report.

 

Unessay—Gateway to Future Higher Education (HE) Assessments in an AI World?

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Chitra SABAPATHY
Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)

elccs@nus.edu.sg

 

Sabapathy, C. (2023). Unessay—Gateway to future higher education (HE) assessments in an AI world? [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/unessay-gateway-to-future-higher-education-he-assessments-in-an-ai-world/

SUB-THEME

AI and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Unessay, higher education, AI, student autonomy, multimedia, oral communication

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has caused educators to find that their assessments (e.g., Kung et al., 2022) and pedagogies are vulnerable to them. However, it is important to recognise that AI should not solely be viewed from the perspective of facilitating cheating, particularly since tools like ChatGPT have become integrated into students’ lives. Instead of focusing on prohibitions or strictly monitoring for academic dishonesty, it would be beneficial to explore ways to embrace and utilise these technologies in education (Dawson, 2020) and design assessments that could represent “future realities” of respective disciplines. This presentation highlights the potential benefits of adopting “unessay” as an alternative pedagogical approach in higher education. Unessay offers students a degree of freedom, necessitates ownership, fuels passion (Jakopak et al.,2019), creativity, critical thinking, interdisciplinary understanding in which individuals articulate their ideas, beliefs, and identities. Students are afforded the autonomy to select their own topic within a specific subject area and determine their preferred method of presentation, provided that it is both captivating and impactful (O’Donnel, 2012). By granting students autonomy, fostering creativity, and encouraging critical thinking beyond conventional academic norms, unessay not only equips them with the essential skills required to navigate an AI-driven future but also offers them the freedom to explore alternative modes of expression (Nave, 2021). This approach engenders motivation and investment in their academic work. It also compels students to consider the intended audience, choose appropriate rhetorical strategies, and synthesise information effectively. This is evidenced in previous studies, such as how students used unessay in unique ways in history classes (Guiliano, 2022; Irwin, 2022; Neuhaus, 2022), histology of organ cells (Wood and Stringham, 2022), computer programming (Aycock et al., 2019), writing (Jakopak et al.,2019 and Sullivan, 2015), and applied cognitive psychology (Goodman, 2022). In CS2101 “Effective Communication for Computing Professionals”, the assignment task encouraged students to apply Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, involving describing unique experiences, reflecting on feelings, evaluating and analysing those experiences, and concluding with a future plan. This assignment departed from traditional written reflection essays, allowing students to use AI and innovative multimedia formats such as videos, podcasts, and infographics to express their insights and learning. Drawing from the implementation of the “unessay” strategy, its effectiveness as a teaching approach was assessed through an anonymous end-course survey. This survey incorporated both quantitative and qualitative feedback gathered from approximately 50 students who were enrolled in the course as well as tutors who taught on the course. The data provided insights as to how students engaged with the “unessay” strategy and what their perceptions of its effectiveness were, and the tutors’ perceptions of using this strategy in the course. This presentation aims to facilitate discussions and reflections on the unessay concept and how this could be integrated into higher education (HE) assessment, serving as a potential gateway to a more diverse and inclusive assessment framework.

 

REFERENCES

Aycock, J., Wright, H., Hildebrandt, J., Kenny, D., Lefebvre, N., Lin, M., Mamaclay, M., Sayson, S., Stewart, A., & Yuen, A. (2019). Adapting the “Unessay” for use in computer science. Proceedings of the 24th Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education, 1–6.

Dawson, P. (2020). Cognitive offloading and assessment. In M. Bearman, P. Dawson, R. Ajjawi, J. Tai, & D. Boud (Eds.), Re-imagining University Assessment in a Digital World (pp. 37-48). Springer International Publishing.

Goodman, S. G. (2022). Just as long as it’s not an essay: The unessay as a tool for engagement in a cognitive psychology course. Teaching of Psychology, 0(0), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283221110542

Guiliano, J. (2022). The unessay as native-centered history and pedagogy. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 6-12. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.6-12

Irwin, R. (2022). The un-essay, and teaching in a time of monsters. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 13-25. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.13-25

Jakopak, R. P., Monteith, K. L., & Merkle, B. G. (2019). Writing science: Improving understanding and communication skills with the “unessay.” Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 100(4), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1610

O’Donnel, D. P. (2012, September 4). The unessay. Daniel Paul O’Donnell. http://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell/Teaching/the-unessay

Nave, L. (2021). Universal design for learning UDL in online environments: The HOW of learning. Journal of Developmental Education, 44(3), 34-35. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45381118

Neuhaus, J. (2022). Introduction to the Fall 2022 Special Issue: Using the unessay to teach history. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 47(1), 2- 5. https://doi.org/10.33043/TH.47.1.2-5

Sullivan, P. (2015). The UnEssay: Making room for creativity in the composition classroom. College Composition and Communication, 67(1), 6-34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24633867

Wood, J. L., & Stringham, N. (2022). The UnEssay project as an enriching alternative to practical exams in pre-professional and graduate education. Journal of Biological Education. Informa UK Limited, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2022.2047098

 

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