Rebecca McCready Learning and Teaching Advisor School of Medical Sciences Education Development

http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk

Rebecca McCreadyLearning and Teaching AdvisorSchool of Medical Sciences Education Development

The IT Skills Certificate of Attainment


Content• Which IT skills and why?• Teaching in the curriculum• IT skills assessment

models• The Certificate• Feedback• Improvements for 2011/12


Which IT skills?• Essay Management• Using Word• Images and tables• Long documents• EndNote (with Library)

• Data Management• Excel• Access

• Presentation Skills• PowerPoint• Posters


Why is it important?• The 1997 Dearing Report review of HE:• Recommendations on key skills including

use of information technology.» Yorke (2006)

• Greater and more complex use of IT in curriculum.

• Development takes time and practise.» Yorke (2006)


Teaching in the curriculum

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

EssaysDataPresentations

PresentationsSupport for dissertation

BSc PSYCHOLOGY

Data EssaysPresentations

EssaysDissertationSupport

BSc BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Essential to link skills taught to skills assessed


Integration is important

“In no case can skills development be ‘boxed off’ from the rest of the curriculum, since students develop through a range of curricular (and extra-curricular) engagements.”

» Yorke and Knight (2006)


Assessment Model: Biomed Sci

• Data Handling and Spreadsheet Skills

• Supports Pharmacology module• Assessed on attendance,

completion, coursework

Stage 1

• Document Management 01• Supports a range of word processed

coursework• Assessed on attendance,

completion, coursework

Stage 2

• Document Management 02• Supports a range of word-processed

coursework• Assessed on attendance,

completion, coursework• Document Management 03• Supports dissertation• Assessed on attendance and

completion

Stage 3

Formative feedback

Summative assessmentFormative feedback

Formative feedback

Formative feedback

All attended and

completed =

Certificateawarded


Assessment Model: Psychology

Essay Managem

ent

PSY1001

(Text)

PSY1010

(Objects)

Formatted essay and

report

Data Handling

PSY1010

Experiment write up

Presentation Skills

PSY1001

Delivered presentation

Summative assessment

Stage 1

All attended and

assessed = Certificateawarded

Also includes Library Skills assessment


Skills assessed – PSY1001• Marked by Library staff

(5%):• Search grid;• Medline or PsycInfo.

• Marked by IT staff (5%):• School template;• Use of styles;• Next page breaks;• EndNote and APA 5th style.

• Marked by Module Leader:• Presentation skills (10%).• Essay content (80%).


Skills assessed – Certificate only• PSY1010 report:• Captions and cross-

references;• Management of images

and tables.• Excel: • Coursework submission in

PSY1010.



Feedback provided


Why assess?

“Curriculum goals should be assessed because that which is assessed gets taken seriously. That which isn’t, doesn’t.”

» Yorke and Knight (2006)


Resits


Student success

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

90

26

17

Pass rate for Certificate of At-tainment

Failed

Passed after refresher

Passed first time


Skills covered detailed on back.

Distributed March 2011.

~60p/certificate


Why provide a Certificate?• Students need to be ‘knowing students’.

» Knight and Yorke (2006)

• Need help with claims to complex achievements that cannot be assessed by more traditional means.

» Knight and Yorke (2006)

• Employability skills should be assessed.» UKCES (2010)


Feedback from Psychology

4%

54%

29%

5%

8%

Have the skills helped you with your academic work?

1.Strongly Agree2.Agree3.Neutral4.Disagree5.Strongly Disagree



Assessment in PSY1001Assessment in other modules

Certificate of AttainmentUsefulness of the skills

Increasing employabilityGetting feedbackGeneral interest

OtherI wasn’t motivated

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%59%

33%49%

22%26%

12%6%

8%35%

What motivated you to learn the skills covered by the certificate?



0%10%20%30%40%

0% 3%12%

35% 36%

15%

Do you use the skills for other non-academic work, such as voluntary

or paid work?

}15%



1.Yes, need to produce as evidence

2.Yes, listed out in application form

3.Yes, made reference to in interview

4.No, not yet

5.Don’t expect to use at all

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

4%

5%

3%

88%

10%

Has the certificate enabled you to doc-ument these skills for interview, job

application etc?

12%}



12%

51%

22%

9%

6%

Do you value having this Certi-ficate?

Strongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly Disagree


ImprovementsCourse revisions• Information Skills

Assimilation: essay formatting skills only.

• Writing a lab report:• Managing images

and tables;• Using captions,

cross-references;• Inserting equations.

Admin improvements• Clarify and simplify

requirements.• Simplify the

administration.• Provide feedback

electronically.• Make the physical

certificate more generic.

NEW


Conclusion

Taught Assessed Used

The Certificate:

Focuses learning; Encourages uptake and use; Raises awareness of skills learnt; Rewards achievement; Provides evidence of employability skills.

Key skills need to be


References• Knight, P. T. and M. Yorke (2006).

Employability: judging and communicating achievements. York, Higher Education Academy.

• UK Commission for Employment and Skills (2010). Employability: Incentivising Improvement. London, UKCES.

• Yorke, M. (2006). Employability in higher education: what it is – what it is not. York, Higher Education Academy.

• Yorke, M. and P. T. Knight (2006). Embedding employability into the curriculum. York, Higher Education Academy.


Further Information• Contact

[email protected]• x4542• Visit http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk.

• To discuss delivering and supporting IT skills in your curriculum

mailto:[email protected]

http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk/

Documents

Rebecca McCready Learning and Teaching Advisor School of Medical Sciences Education Development