Goldsmiths - University of London

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Awards and fellowships

Fellowships in Previous Years

Below are some of the Goldsmiths staff who have previously been Learning and Teaching Enhancement Fellows, and a summary of each individual's fellowship project.

Stella Harvey (Centre for English Language and Academic Writing, 2006)

Academic Literacy for Students with Non-Traditional Routes to Higher Education

This project studies the impact of identity in acculturating to Higher Education, particularly for students from Access courses or other "non-traditional" routes. Although these students sometimes perceived a compulsory academic writing development course as patronising, by the end of the course students came to realize its value.

Stella proposes continuing this preliminary research, by:

  • identifying departments which would most benefit from subject-specific academic literacy provision
  • identifying continuities and discontinuities between Access course provision and requirements at degree level
  • liaising with the Language Studies Centre's in-sessional coordinator to provide subject-specific academic writing development courses to other departments which would benefit

Overall, she aims to raise awareness of the needs of this group among academic staff.


Liz Green (PACE, 2006)

Post Qualifying Training in Social Work

Liz Green proposes developing new Post Qualifying Training, to start in 2007.

"Post Qualifying Training has existed for some years but a key change is that Higher Education Institutions have become the awarding body for Post Qualifying Awards. The new Post Qualifying framework opens up exciting new opportunities for use to add to our portfolio of social work programmes as well as actively engaging with employers."

Liz's intentions are to:

  • build a strong representative stakeholder structure to establish, develop and introduce Post Qualifying Awards.
  • develop the Requirements, Curriculum and Conceptual Framework into a coherent and practical deliverable programme.
  • establish methods of delivering the programme that relate to existing core programmes and are consistent with the requirements, curriculum and conceptual framework of the new Post Qualifying Awards
  • establish methods of assessment that are fair, equitable and demonstrably contribute to improved standards in professional practice
  • establish quality assurance and evaluation that are rigorous and transparent
  • establish a sound financial base for the programme
  • work with the regional and national networks to develop the Post Qualifying framework

Julia Lockheart (Centre for English Language and Academic Writing, 2006)

Subject-Specific Adjustments for Students with SpLDDs

Julia Lockheart proposes "working with the recently established guidelines on making adjustment to learning, teaching and assessments for students with Specific Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (SpLDDs) to make subject-specific and explicit guidance where possible and appropriate."

She intends to begin with the Design and Psychology departments, to "form a starting point with two very different academic cultures from which to approach more departments". Julia will work directly with Dr Elisabeth Hill from Psychology and Juliet Sprake from Design. All three have been awarded the title Goldsmiths Fellows for their involvement with this work.

This will involve:

  • meeting with students with SpLDDs within the department
  • meeting with the entire department to assess current guidance, and to discuss the Disability Discrimination Act - "though I will be facilitating the process, the members of the departments must take ownership of the subject specific guidelines created."
  • seeing written models from students and seeing guidelines and marking criteria

Ultimately, case studies and agreed marking and assessment procedures will be uploaded onto learn.gold.

Using this process as a pilot, "information could be disseminated through L&T representatives as we canvass for the next departments to get involved."

Jorella Andrews (Visual Cultures, 2006)

Embedding and Supporting Student-centred and Personalised Learning, Teaching and Assessment Practices

Face-to-face teaching within the Visual Cultures department is already student-focused, encouraging students to develop self-reflexivity and independence of thought in relation to their studies. However, a distinguishing feature of university education is that the most effective forms of learning occur in out-of-class, often off-campus, contexts.

Jorella's project uses the College's learn.gold system to develop a range of web-based administrative and student-led learning/self-evaluation resources, including a student-led Visual Cultures Society with on-line site/forums for collaborative student-led events and project-work. Collectively, these resources intend to position active and personalised out-of-class learning more effectively and holistically at the centre of what the department does, not only conceptually but also on a practical level.

Lucia Bowen (Centre for English Language and Academic Writing, 2005)

Dyslexia and Modern Foreign Language Assessment

Lucia's project works to present a set of guidelines relating to Modern Foreign Language students with dyslexia. These are also intended as a pilot for other departments who wish to implement subject-specific guidelines for similar situations.

The project aims to:

  • make a set of proposals in a written report, to be fed into Goldsmiths strategy for SpLDD students
  • create guidelines, drawn up in close collaboration with NMFL colleagues, on what allowances should be made for dyslexic students.
  • devise training workshops for colleagues to disseminate findings and practical applications
  • run a specific examination workshop for MFL students to look at how best to use the extra time allocated them in aural, oral and written skills papers. These workshops would be open to students screened for dyslexia but unable to apply for formal assessment eg. European Union students who aren't eligible for help with the costs of an educational psychologist
  • make specific time in the Exam Board meetings (Language Studies Centre and Comparative Literature) to discuss students with dyslexia.

This will also involve: liaising with other institutions as to their guidelines; examining SENDA requirements; a literature review to establish current thinking on best practice; interviews with past/present dyslexic students; liaising with student support, dyslexia specialists in the Language Studies Centre, and members of the Association of Dyslexia Specialists in Higher Education.

Tony Lawler (Design, 2005)

Designing and Learning Styles

Tony's fellowship project proposed to extend his existing research into designing and learning styles, initially to the Design Department, and possibly to other departments. He had organised a conference/training weekend with other experts from school curriculum areas, to:

  • develop their own criteria for excellence in their areas
  • collect evidence through student's performance to support this criteria
  • review assessment and curriculum delivery in the light of this work

His experience with design and technology teachers has been that they have "see their subject afresh, and that students have benefited from the energy and extra understandings that their teachers have developed."

Tony ran a similar one day session with Design department staff, introducing the project, exploring the nature of evidence and examining samples of student work to explore the nature of excellence.

The results have been fed into students personal development planning.

"Fundamentally the students have been encouraged to become more metacognitive about their learning and through this empowerment to manage their own learning more effectively."