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BEAMS

The following pages are dedicated to the faculties and departments that constitute the School of BEAMS: the Bartlett, Engineering Sciences and Mathematical and Physical Sciences. We aim to work in a discipline-specific context, providing support and advice for those staff who support teaching and learning, underpinned by our expert knowledge.

Current Projects

Teaching Scholarship Collection

Projects and Timescales

Description

Outputs

Teaching Scholarship collection (BEAMS)

Oct 12– Jan 13 (then on-going maintenance)

This project is establishing a database of published papers on BEAMS-teaching subjects, with critical annotations and ratings for others' guidance. They will provide exemplars to prompt and guide innovative/effective approaches to teaching across BEAMS.
  • Database to inform our Learning & Teaching guidance and guidance to UCL staff on publishing papers about their teaching
  • Dissemination of the best papers (termly)

Assessment and Feedback - MAPS

Projects and Timescale

Description

Outputs

Assessment and Feedback - major project (MAPS)

Nov 12 – July 13

We are investigating current and potential assessment and feedback practices across MAPS in order to:

- Recognise good practices and facilitate their further development

- Investigate how best practice can be translated more easily across the faculty and between faculties.

This is being conducted primarily through focus groups (staff and students separately).

  • An internal report
  • A presentation to FTC, DTCs and SSCCs
  • Workshop for staff
  • Updated action plan for our work
  • Suggestions for changes to the academic regulations
  • Publication of non-sensitive results in peer-reviewed education journals.
  • Contributions to the Teaching and Learning Portal

Baseline Study of Student Experience (Engineering)

Projects and Timescale

Description

Outputs

Baseline study of student experience (Engineering)

May – Aug 12 (stage 1)

This was delivered in tandem with the Bartlett 'Building of Excellence' project to gather comparable data over several years to see what effect the large-scale planned changes will have.
  • Findings incorporated into the ‘Building of Excellence’ report.
  • Next steps: the design of a fuller longitudinal study for annual use and interrogation

Crits Project

Project and Timescale

Description

Outputs

Crits Project

Dec 12 – July 13

The aim is to identify best practice in the crits process, not least to reduce the levels of anxiety for Architectural students, thereby improving students' abilities to learn from the process. 
  • An internal report
  • Publication of non-sensitive results
  • Further work with the schools to ensure best practice is implemented
  • Contributions for the teaching and learning portal

Personal Tutoring Project

Project and Timescale

Description

Outputs

Personal Tutoring project (MAPS, in collaboration with Paul Walker)

Dec 12 – May 13

We aim to develop personal tutoring practice within the faculty in order to improve the support students receive in terms of personal development, careers advice and pastoral care. This in turn should improve the NSS satisfaction rates for Personal Development, the DLHE data and progression rates.
  • Workshop to departmental tutors about incorporating PDP into personal tutoring
  • In collaboration with Paul Walker (SLASH-FTF)
  • Personal tutoring and career guidance workshop.
  • Ultimately creation of scalable resource (Moodle) for MAPS (that will extend beyond the initial project)

Building an International Network of the Best Schools (Engineering)

Projects and Timescale

Description

Outputs

Building an international network of the best schools (Engineering)

Dec 12 – July 13

The faculty tutor wishes to build an international network of the 'most interesting engineering schools in the world' with direct and sustained input from CALT
  • Active teaching collaborations and short 'exchanges' with a select group of the best engineering schools
  • Shared curricula and collaborations are intended in the longer term

Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Support (Engineering)

Projects and Timescale

Description

Outputs

Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (PGTA) Support (Engineering)

Dec 12 – Feb 13

To be run in conjunction with HEA: resources being built up, Moodle site begun and to be ongoingly developed.
  • PGTA training
  • Moodle site
  • These will act as exemplars and scalable resource for PGTA training in the faculty and then BEAMS

Completed Projects

Educational Development Research in the Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment

In March 2012 the Bartlett Management Advisory Group asked CALT to carry out applied research identifying and disseminating current good pedagogic practice in order to enhance and develop existing practice across the school.

For the CALT/BEAMS Educational Development Research, CALT’s BEAMS school-facing Teaching Fellows, along with Dr Silvia Sovic and CALT's BEAMS School Support Officer/Research Assistant, undertook a two-tiered study.

The quantitative preliminary study, an Opinio survey, was shared with the Faculty of Engineering Sciences. This survey of student learning was sent to all undergraduate and taught postgraduate students from both faculties and enabled the evaluation of curricula reforms comparatively across the two faculties.

The qualitative second part of the study involved student and staff focus groups and interviews, as well as document analysis of Faculty Teaching and Learning Strategies, evaluation reports and Subject Benchmark Statements.

Development of the Atkins/UCL MSc in Rail Integrated Design Management

Atkins’ UK rail business has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with University College London to launch a new MSc in Rail Integrated Design Management. The course, which will be taught by Atkins and accredited by UCL, will further equip design leaders and technical managers with the skills to manage large multidisciplinary engineering design projects and to work effectively with their stakeholders.

All of the modules but one will be taught by Atkins staff. However, the only teaching experience that many of them have has been gained through running in-house training. CALT’s former Principal Teaching Fellow Elizabeth Grant hosted a series of academic development teaching workshops and seminars over the past academic year looking at programme and module specifications, curriculum design and planning, and assessment.

Please click on the presentation below, given at The Future of Education-Employer Partnerships Westminster Briefing on 3rd March 2012, for more information on the development of this new industry-linked programme.

'Developing an MSc in Rail Integrated Design Management' Westminster Briefing Presentation

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