Broadening and Discovery Themes Handbook December 2015 Approach to broadening within the Leeds Curriculum

Transcription

1 Broadening and Discovery Themes Handbook December 2015

2 1. Broadening As part of the Leeds Curriculum, all students will engage with a broad education which challenges, complements and contributes to the main discipline(s) being studied. The skills and intellectual flexibility which broadening develops will enhance academic outcomes and enable our graduates to compete and contribute in the workplace and in wider society in the years after University. Broadening enhances the opportunities for students to: pursue a personal academic interest and explore new ideas expand their intellectual perspective by applying their knowledge of their primary discipline(s) to different contexts further develop and refine transferable skills in critical thinking, evidence evaluation, debate, communication engage with students from different degree programmes, facilitating deeper learning and academic/social interaction diversify their learning to add value and enhance their employability through developing complementary skills through alternative projects 2. Discovery Themes To define the full breadth of study opportunities available at Leeds, we established ten interdisciplinary Discovery Themes. The Discovery Themes, each of which has a dedicated academic lead, and a number of sub-themes, bring together related teaching from across the University. The Discovery Theme Leaders are responsible for developing the academic vision for their Theme. Over the past two years they have established cross-disciplinary staff networks and identified potential pathways through the Themes and sub-themes to aid student choice. They have also developed a number of new discovery modules, some of which act as a gateway or introduction to some of the Themes. Most students will enrich their disciplinary learning by taking specific discovery modules from these Themes. Where programmes do not allow students to take discovery modules, one or more of the Themes must be incorporated into the teaching of that programme. All discovery modules belong to at least one Discovery Theme and may appear in several. 3. Discovery Themes website Discovery Themes web pages (within the Leeds for Life website) were launched in August 2014: This is an exploratory website which allows students to navigate through the Themes and sub-themes and create a shortlist of discovery modules. This shortlist can be exported, printed and ed by the student. It is important to note that this website does not replace online enrolment students are still required to register for discovery modules via the Portal and online enrolment. The website includes introductory videos for each Discovery Theme, guidance, and a list of modules available in each Theme and sub-theme, giving students the freedom to choose combinations of modules that create imaginative and personalised learning pathways. Students are advised in the normal fashion to check their timetable to avoid clashes with core and optional modules. Schools are able to monitor the uptake of discovery modules using the SWRTPCD Banner report. 2

3 4. Discovery Themes Fair A Discovery Themes Fair took place on Wednesday 23 September 2015 in the Great Hall. It was structured to focus on each of the 10 Themes. The Fairs are an opportunity to provide students with further information and advice about the discovery modules they are interested in taking. The 10 Discovery Theme Leaders attended (see annexe 1 for contact details), with colleagues representing modules in their Theme. A second fair will take place in May 2016 for all students making discovery module choices for 2016/ Personal Tutors Students are encouraged to discuss their choice of discovery modules with their Personal Tutor (via prompts on the website and in the Leeds for Life personal tutoring web forms). The decision about which modules to choose ultimately rests with the student and while their choice may be related to their career plans, the modules they choose need not be immediately related to the subject discipline of their degree. 6. Quality Assurance Programme Approval and Amendment STSECs should consider whether the proposed new or amended programme includes the opportunity for students to undertake discovery modules and discuss the opportunities and how they are spread across the programme. A typical pattern would be 40 credits of opportunity to take discovery modules, spread over more than one level. If the proposed new or amended programme is designed not to enable engagement with the Discovery Themes, the STSEC should discuss the rationale for this and establish the detail of how students will engage with Broadening (as defined by the Discovery Themes). The FTSEC should review proposals for new and amended programmes to ensure that the approach to broadening is clear and justified. Module Approval and Amendment In order to add modules as discovery modules and to place them within relevant Discovery Themes, there needs to be initial discussion at the STSEC. The STSEC should ask itself whether the module: Is appropriate to be taken by students from outside the discipline Provides opportunities for student engagement in addition to large-group lecturing to facilitate deeper learning and academic/ social interaction between individuals drawn from different degree programmes Is of an appropriate size to be readily accommodated within the home programme of the student taking it as a discovery module (i.e. 10 or 20 credits) Has sufficient capacity to accommodate discovery students in addition to those taking it as a core or option Provides an opportunity to use innovative teaching or assessment methods which might make the module accessible to more students Has pre-requisites which are accessible to the students taking discovery modules. (i.e. if a level 2 discovery module has a level 1 module as a pre-requisite then that level 1 module should be offered as a discovery module, or another means of meeting the pre-requisite identified this may require liaison with Discovery Theme Leaders to establish whether appropriate pre-requisites are being delivered by other Schools). 3

4 The STEC also needs to consider which Discovery Theme (or Themes) the discovery module should be included in. All discovery modules must belong to at least one Theme and sub-theme and may appear in several. The Discovery Themes website displays the portfolio of modules in the different Themes and sub-themes: The nomination of a module to a specific Theme or Themes is subject to discussion with the relevant Discovery Theme Leaders. The final decision about whether a module appears in a particular Theme rests with the relevant Theme Leader. Module amendments, which may affect the module s eligibility to be included in a Discovery Theme (such as changing the status to remove it as a discovery module) should be discussed carefully. Where a module attracts a significant number of students taking it as a discovery module, the School should discuss any change of status with the relevant Discovery Theme Leader(s). New and amended discovery modules are subject to the same approval deadlines as all other modules and all must be owned by a nominated School and Faculty, even if modules are team-taught across several Schools and exclusively designed to be discovery modules. The use of module codes (such as the LEED code) should be discussed, especially if it is felt that the module code itself may be off-putting to students. The Module approval form has been amended to include: a. Tick boxes to identify which Discovery Theme(s) and sub-theme(s) it is suggested the module should be included in b. A text box in which to write a short rationale for the inclusion in the Discovery Themes (i.e. why this module should be included in X and/or Y Discovery Themes) c. Contact details and a prompt to confirm Discovery Theme Leaders have been consulted about new/amended discovery modules. Theme Leaders (see annexe 1) would like to hear from members of staff interested in developing cross-disciplinary discovery modules. Inactive/withdrawn modules If a School is considering making a module unavailable for an academic year, or stopping it altogether, the relevant Theme Leader(s) should be consulted. Theme Leaders must be consulted before a final decision is made to remove the module. For more information about the University s approach to broadening, including further details about Discovery Themes and modules please visit: or contact Kate Cater in Learning Enhancement (k.cater@adm.leeds.ac.uk) 4

5 Annexe 1: Discovery Themes and Sub-Themes Theme and sub-themes Creating Sustainable Futures Science for sustainability Managing sustainability: About sustainability Managing Sustainability: Skills for sustainable futures Society and sustainability: About sustainability Society and Sustainability: Skills for sustainable futures Getting Involved in Sustainability Enterprise and Innovation Enterprise, Entrepreneurship & Society Enterprise and management Support Systems Innovation Ethics, Religion and Law Ethics Religion Law Crime, Sin and Vice Pluralism, Toleration and Diversity Business Gender and Sexuality Politics and Public Policy Professions and Professionalism Environmental Issues Exploring the Sciences People and Planet Science and Health Scientific Thought and Methodology Modelling, Making Sense of Data and Analytical Thinking The Universal Language of Science Logical Reasoning and Truth The Physical Environment Microbes, Plants, Animals and Evolution Space, Sound, Energy, Light and Matter Language and Intercultural Understanding Learning a Language Understanding Language(s) Culture History and Society Theme Leader William Young C.W.Young@leeds.ac.uk Alison McKay A.McKay@leeds.ac.uk Janet Holt hcsjh@leeds.ac.uk Terry Kee T.P.Kee@leeds.ac.uk Caroline Campbell C.Campbell@leeds.ac.uk 5

6 Media, Culture and Creativity Media and Technology Film and Photography Art and Design Heritage Culture and Critique Literature Music Creative Practice Theatre and Performance Mind and Body The Art and Science of Mind and Body Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Mind, Body and Society Personal and Professional Development Applied Languages Business and Enterprise Career Planning and Placement Coaching, Leadership and Sport Creative Development Digital Literacy Education and Teaching Numeracy and Applied Maths Research Collaboration and Public Engagement Power and Conflict Governmental and Institutional Personal and Inter-personal Cultural, Popular Cultural and Performative Social and Societal Studies Theories of Power and Conflict Technology and its Impacts History and Culture Roles and Risks Globalization and Environment Performance and Creativity Technology in Practice Bryan White Annie Jamieson Rafe Hallett Nick Robinson Graeme Gooday 6