Ruth Pickford | Leeds Metropolitan University (original) (raw)
Papers by Ruth Pickford
Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
This paper presents the outcomes of a small research project that sought to explore the value of ... more This paper presents the outcomes of a small research project that sought to explore the value of a Staff Associate scheme linked to the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) in a post-92 university. The Associates are a group of academic and professional service staff seconded from their Schools and services for one day a week, usually for a year, to work collaboratively with the core full time Centre for Learning and Teaching team on projects of interest which relate to learning development and align with the strategic aims of the university’s Education Plan. This paper reflects on the findings from narratives provided from autoethnographic Associate reflective diaries and survey responses that sought to explore the participants’ practice experiences, learning journeys, and perceptions of the value of their membership of the Associate scheme. The discussion is widened by the consideration of findings from the participants, which contributed to the iterative development and enhance...
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 2021
This paper outlines ongoing work undertaken by a university educational development team to stren... more This paper outlines ongoing work undertaken by a university educational development team to strengthen and share colleagues’ academic practice in relation to inclusive learning and teaching activities interventions. The paper outlines our institutional “Fora” structure (coordinated by The Centre for Learning and Teaching) and, taking one of the three Forum events as a modelled example, shows how consideration of the research literature informed colleagues’ discussion and catalysed the sharing of written and oral best practice through participatory action research (PAR) to ultimately build a resource guide. This paper specifically focuses on exploring the different approaches that colleagues adopted to build their students’ “sense of belonging” (both for the face to face and online experiences). A student’s perceived strong sense of belonging to their university can be a core factor in enhancing student satisfaction, engagement and retention (Pickford, 2016; Thomas, 2014). Critique a...
This short guide to designing first-year assessment and feedback has been produced by the First L... more This short guide to designing first-year assessment and feedback has been produced by the First Level Assessment and Feedback Project (FLAP) to provide staff with assistance in developing their assessment practices and to help them reduce their workload by cutting down on marking and the overheads associated with assessing first-year students.
Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2021
Inclusivity is fundamental to higher education, its course design, its assessment and its deliver... more Inclusivity is fundamental to higher education, its course design, its assessment and its delivery. The principles of inclusivity offer all students the opportunities to achieve to the best of their ability. The purpose of this case-study is to outline the context, process, development and initial evaluation of a newly generated tool designed for academic colleagues. The Inclusive Course Design Tool (ICDT) offers a series of questions for reflection with supporting guidance rooted in theory and research on inclusion, pedagogy, multiculturalism, universal design for learning and implicit and unconscious bias. This first version of the tool encourages course teams to reflect on and interrogate the nature of inclusive academic practice in their courses, in their course curricula, their classrooms (virtual or physical) and their approaches to student learning and support. The contextualised rationale for the tool, its design, the consultation process, its early evaluation and future con...
ITALICS
This paper describes a programme of innovative changes in enterprise education and a subsequent e... more This paper describes a programme of innovative changes in enterprise education and a subsequent evaluation, brought about by the introduction in 2005 of the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CETL): Institute for Enterprise at Leeds Metropolitan University. This paper ...
Distance and E-Learning in Transition. Learning Innovation, Technology and Social Challenges The ... more Distance and E-Learning in Transition. Learning Innovation, Technology and Social Challenges The rushed development of information and communication technologies and their impact on the world of learning in the last decade have profoundly changed the paradigms, ...
Constraint Networks: Techniques and Algorithms A major challenge in constraint programming is to ... more Constraint Networks: Techniques and Algorithms A major challenge in constraint programming is to develop efficient generic approaches to solve instances of the constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). With this important aim in mind, this book provides an accessible synthesis of the ...
Assessing Skills and Practice Students in higher education today are expected to demonstrate a wi... more Assessing Skills and Practice Students in higher education today are expected to demonstrate a wide range of skills and abilities to show that they have mastered not only subject content but also the ability to put their learning into practice in real-life contexts.This book explores ...
Proceedings of the Teaching, …, Jan 1, 2003
Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
This paper presents the outcomes of a small research project that sought to explore the value of ... more This paper presents the outcomes of a small research project that sought to explore the value of a Staff Associate scheme linked to the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) in a post-92 university. The Associates are a group of academic and professional service staff seconded from their Schools and services for one day a week, usually for a year, to work collaboratively with the core full time Centre for Learning and Teaching team on projects of interest which relate to learning development and align with the strategic aims of the university’s Education Plan. This paper reflects on the findings from narratives provided from autoethnographic Associate reflective diaries and survey responses that sought to explore the participants’ practice experiences, learning journeys, and perceptions of the value of their membership of the Associate scheme. The discussion is widened by the consideration of findings from the participants, which contributed to the iterative development and enhance...
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 2021
This paper outlines ongoing work undertaken by a university educational development team to stren... more This paper outlines ongoing work undertaken by a university educational development team to strengthen and share colleagues’ academic practice in relation to inclusive learning and teaching activities interventions. The paper outlines our institutional “Fora” structure (coordinated by The Centre for Learning and Teaching) and, taking one of the three Forum events as a modelled example, shows how consideration of the research literature informed colleagues’ discussion and catalysed the sharing of written and oral best practice through participatory action research (PAR) to ultimately build a resource guide. This paper specifically focuses on exploring the different approaches that colleagues adopted to build their students’ “sense of belonging” (both for the face to face and online experiences). A student’s perceived strong sense of belonging to their university can be a core factor in enhancing student satisfaction, engagement and retention (Pickford, 2016; Thomas, 2014). Critique a...
This short guide to designing first-year assessment and feedback has been produced by the First L... more This short guide to designing first-year assessment and feedback has been produced by the First Level Assessment and Feedback Project (FLAP) to provide staff with assistance in developing their assessment practices and to help them reduce their workload by cutting down on marking and the overheads associated with assessing first-year students.
Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2021
Inclusivity is fundamental to higher education, its course design, its assessment and its deliver... more Inclusivity is fundamental to higher education, its course design, its assessment and its delivery. The principles of inclusivity offer all students the opportunities to achieve to the best of their ability. The purpose of this case-study is to outline the context, process, development and initial evaluation of a newly generated tool designed for academic colleagues. The Inclusive Course Design Tool (ICDT) offers a series of questions for reflection with supporting guidance rooted in theory and research on inclusion, pedagogy, multiculturalism, universal design for learning and implicit and unconscious bias. This first version of the tool encourages course teams to reflect on and interrogate the nature of inclusive academic practice in their courses, in their course curricula, their classrooms (virtual or physical) and their approaches to student learning and support. The contextualised rationale for the tool, its design, the consultation process, its early evaluation and future con...
ITALICS
This paper describes a programme of innovative changes in enterprise education and a subsequent e... more This paper describes a programme of innovative changes in enterprise education and a subsequent evaluation, brought about by the introduction in 2005 of the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CETL): Institute for Enterprise at Leeds Metropolitan University. This paper ...
Distance and E-Learning in Transition. Learning Innovation, Technology and Social Challenges The ... more Distance and E-Learning in Transition. Learning Innovation, Technology and Social Challenges The rushed development of information and communication technologies and their impact on the world of learning in the last decade have profoundly changed the paradigms, ...
Constraint Networks: Techniques and Algorithms A major challenge in constraint programming is to ... more Constraint Networks: Techniques and Algorithms A major challenge in constraint programming is to develop efficient generic approaches to solve instances of the constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). With this important aim in mind, this book provides an accessible synthesis of the ...
Assessing Skills and Practice Students in higher education today are expected to demonstrate a wi... more Assessing Skills and Practice Students in higher education today are expected to demonstrate a wide range of skills and abilities to show that they have mastered not only subject content but also the ability to put their learning into practice in real-life contexts.This book explores ...
Proceedings of the Teaching, …, Jan 1, 2003