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Academic Skills Programme

Information for Staff

The Academic Skills Programme is managed by the Student Study Skills Coordinator, based in the Careers Centre. The programme supports taught students to develop their study skills and comprises face-to-face workshops, online provision and one-to-one support in six thematic areas: literacy, maths and statistics, information management, IT, communication and personal effectiveness.

The 2017/18 programme will include resources, support and workshops provided by the Student Study Skills Coordinator, English Language Centre, Library, Maths and Stats Lab, Disability Support, Foundation Centre, Counselling Service and the IT Training Team. The programme will be open for bookings late September.

If you have any queries regarding this programme, or you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us: academic.skills@durham.ac.uk

Resources

Durham University has institutional membership of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE), the professional association for people working in the field of learning development in universities across the UK. See the website for information about:

•regional and national events

•peer-reviewed resources at LearnHigher

•Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE)

For further details about Durham University involvement in ALDinHE, contact academic.skills@durham.ac.uk

Student Led Review of E-Learning

Background

Evaluation of the use of technology in teaching at Durham University is frequently carried out in isolation and there is no overall picture of the real impact that such technologies, both mandated and optionally adopted by staff have upon the overall student learning experience. In addition, there is limited knowledge and understanding of the online tools, apps and communication tools being used in learning and teaching, some of which could be of potential benefit to the wider student population, through integration into more mainstream teaching and training.

This project aimed to:

  • provide a wider understanding of these practices,
  • increase staff and student awareness of effective technological practices,
  • feed into the design of learning, training and developmental activities and practices.

Process

The project is a collaboration between the Learning Technologies Team and the Careers Centre.

26 undergraduate students were recruited and trained to conduct focus groups with student volunteers from their departments or colleges. The questions provided served as the basis of the process with the students having the flexibility to tailor them to suit their discipline.

Following the focus groups, each student focus group leader submitted a recording and a written report. The final report provides a summary of the key finding and is illustrated by extracts from the reports produced by the student focus group leaders.

Resources