Projects matching your search criteria
Using EBL to improve the teaching of science, technology and innovation policy in a business school context
The proposal aims to explore the use of EBL to improve the quality of the teaching of science, technology and innovation policy studies in MBS (and thus to improve the learning outcomes and employability of students taking those courses) by building upon our strong tradition of multi-disciplinary, research-led teaching and by consolidating existing ad-hoc practice of EBL into a more systematic use of multiple teaching methods to improve recruitment and retention onto STI policy course units and pathways. The outcome will be to increase the uptake of EBL in our teaching thereby improving the quality of teaching provision. Staff and student evaluation of course units and the pathway/programme will indicate the extent to which we succeed, as will the extent to which we are able to maintain/increase student numbers and at the same time improve student learning.
Project Team: Dr Kieron Flanagan, Dr Elvira Uyarra, Ms Kate Barker, Dr Michael Keenan, Prof Philippe Laredo Faculty: Humanities
Funding year: 2006
Keywords: MBS, science, technology, innovation, business, policy, multi-discipline, enterprise, case, undergraduate
Life Sciences Enterprise Projects
Development of a new type of final year project in the Faculty of Life Sciences. Students will identify an area of life sciences in which there is potential for a hypothetical new product. After receiving didactic and EBL-based training in business methodology from the Manchester Science Enterprise Centre (MSEC), teams of students will conduct market research and formulate a business plan for their product. We anticipate that this will improve students' understanding of how businesses are structured and the skills required to be an entrepreneur and develop students' independent learning and decision making skills.
Project Team: Dr Maggie Fostier, Dr Tracey Speake, Dr Martin Henery Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2006
Keywords: science, enterprise, msec, final-year, project, product development, market research, business, teamwork
Case Study (PDF, 111.6Kb)
Building Capacity for EBL through Staff Development
The aim of the project is to facilitate the process of restructuring two third year courses: Concurrency and Theory of Games and Game Models in the School of Computer Science. We intend to achieve this by developing capacity of two ambassadors in EBL approaches. These ambassadors will work with practitioners who have incorporated EBL for their courses through workshops and face-to-face meeting. This project will enable students to engage in the course material more actively, provide students with opportunities to manage their own enquiry, facilitate learning partnerships between student groups through peer-review/assessment, improve student motivation in learning and develop improved resources that encourage students to develop independent learning skills.
Project Team: Graham Gough, Peter Jinks, Alan Williams, Andrea Schalk, Marjahan Begum, Adrian Albin-Clark Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
Funding year: 2007a
Keywords: computer science, project, ambassadors
Refining EBL for Scientific Problem Solving
This project aims to provide a deep evaluation and refinement of a scientific skills course, which was changed to an EBL format in 2006-07, so that the module may develop in ways that enhance student learning. Students' experiences and opinions in the 2006-7 and 2007-8 cohorts will be analysed to improve not only delivery but the ways in which student feedback is obtained. The barriers to wholehearted student participation and learning will be identified, in the expectation that they can be decreased so that all students find effective ways of improving their confidence, knowledge and skills. The current set of activities will be critically assessed to determine whether they can be improved or replaced. The insight gained will be disseminated such that it can assist others wishing to use EBL for scientific topics.
Project Team: Dr Michele Warren, Dr Paul Connolly, Dr Alison Pawley, Susan Gregory Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
Funding year: 2007a
Keywords: science, experience, evaluation
Critical Project Development Skills in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine
The Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) provides service teaching to several hundred students from disciplinary backgrounds across the humanities and the social, physical and life sciences. By adopting an EBL approach to the delivery of its modules, the centre hopes to equip the students with the necessary skills essential for historical project work as well as other transferable skills such as independent learning and critical thinking.
Project Team: Dr James Sumner, Dr Flurin Condrau, Dr David Kirby Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2007a
Keywords: science, history, research, technology, medicine, project
Linking Teaching and Research: Using Research Seminars to Enhance Enquiry-Based Learning Activities in Faculty of Life Sciences Tutorials
This project aimed to link teaching with cutting-edge research in the biological sciences by using Faculty research seminars as a basis for the development of enquiry-based tutorial activities, incorporating video clips of the seminars.
Project Team: Tristan Pocock, Carol Wakeford and Ian Miller Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2007
Keywords: seminars,tutorial activities,biological sciences, Final Level projects
Case Study (PDF, 240.2Kb)
Critical Project Development Skills in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine
We have developed a short course using an enquiry-based approach to orient final-year students, some of whom have little or no prior experience, in techniques of archival research, critical source investigation, and the management of an extended writing project in the history of science, technology and medicine.
Project Team: James Sumner, Flurin Condrau and David Kirby Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2007
Keywords: archival research, medicine, technology, science, science writing, public policy
Case Study (PDF, 219.9Kb)
SedWorks: A 3-D visualisation software package for acquiring key professional skills through virtual field work
The aim of this project is to develop a software application that will create a 3-D, virtual geoscience world (SedWorks). The application will help students acquire scientific content, cultivate critical-thinking skills and hone their problem-solving ability, while also providing them with the opportunity to participate in and practice the activities undertaken by professional earth scientists. This is a collaborative project between the eLearning team at the University of Manchester and School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (SEAES). The software will run as a standalone application for Mac OS X and Windows in addition to web and mobile deployment. This project will provide students with the opportunity to engage interactively with real-world scientific questions by gathering evidence, formulating explanations, evaluating alternatives and justifying explanations. This learning tool will also represent a significant step forward in the integration of eLearning and EBL methods into the teaching of undergraduate geoscience.
Project Team: Merren Jones, Philip Boulton and Alison Hamilton Faculty: Engineering and Physical Sciences
Funding year: 2009
Keywords: geoscience
What is Science for?
What is Science For? will be introduced in 2009-2010 as a new compulsory course unit (5-credit equivalent) for second-year undergraduates in the Faculty of Life Sciences. The aim of the course unit is to increase students understanding of the broader social and ethical context of science. The course will involve both face-to-face and electronic learning components, utilising enquiry-based learning techniques such as student-led discussions, peer review and assessment in virtual and campus-based learning environments. In future years, the project team aim to extend the applicability of the course unit across the other Faculties.
Project Team: Sarah Chan, Rebecca Bennett and John Harris Faculty: Humanities
Funding year: 2009
Keywords: ethics science
