Flying start: Practices, communities and policies to ease the transition to university writing and assessment
- Start date: 2008-08-01
- End date: 2010-12-31
- Amount: £200,000
- Status: in progress
- Funding Initiative: NTFS - Projects
Writing is crucial to student success at university: for assessment, for learning within disciplines and for employability. This widening participation project takes a cross-sector approach to bridge the 'separate worlds' of writing and assessment at pre-university and undergraduate level and ease the transition between the two.
The project will:
• inform and influence policy makers through evidence-based practice: a fundamental goal is to contribute to the HEA strategic aim of being 'an authoritative and independent voice on policies that influence student learning experiences'.
• build communities of practice with a life beyond the project: HE and FE lecturers will work with schoolteachers to share understandings of each others' context, aided by writing and assessment experts and pedagogical researchers.
• feature students as key stakeholders: University student 'transition mentors', school students, and dyslexic students will be key players in the communities of practice.
• be inter-institutional and inter-disciplinary: Six universities (Liverpool Hope and Derby in the first stage, expanding to four more in the second stage ), four NTFs, two CETLs and expert consultants in education policy.
• build on a proven track record and expertise in:
- student assessment and writing
- widening participation
- student mentoring.
The project team will be hosting a large cross sector event in the form of a symposium in collaboration with the Write Now and Learnhigher CETLs at Liverpool Hope. The symposium is entitled:
'Bridging the Gap: transitions in student writing, a symposium' on 10 June 2009.
Organisation/Institutions:
Liverpool Hope University