FASSTEST

FASS Centre for Scholarship and Innovation logo

FASSTEST brings together colleagues from across the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, providing a mechanism for professional development through practice-based scholarship within a mentored community.

Much of our work is organised on a project basis with project management aimed at the delivery of new educational outcomes and scholarship outcomes. FASSTEST supports a rolling portfolio of approximately 40 active scholarship projects under a number of themes which include:

  • Online and blended tuition
  • Assessment
  • Employability/careers
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Multisensory/multimodal learning

If you are interested in learning more about a particular project or connecting with a project team, please contact us at FASS-Scholarship@open.ac.uk. 

Projects

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29 results found

Exploring Dissertation Students’ Experiences of Working with Ethical Issues when Undertaking their Dissertation Research

Project leader(s):  Jenny Lynden

Students studying for British Psychology Society (BPS) accredited degree pathways (Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Social Psychology and Psychology with Counselling) complete a final year dissertation module (DE300).  This module trains students in advanced research methods and involves th

Understanding Student Learning of Emotive and Sensitive Content

Project leader(s):  Julia Downes Ruth Wall Anne Alvaer

This ongoing project investigates how diverse distance students learn about sensitive and emotive topics in an undergraduate introductory criminology module.

Running an Effective Online Gallery Visit

Project leader(s):  Lindsay Crisp Veronica Davies

We know that there are a number of both tangible and intangible ‘tried and tested’ benefits of face-to-face gallery visits.

Identifying Future Directions: Where do Final Year Psychology and Counselling Students Find Information about Postgraduate Study?

Project leader(s):  Rhiannon Edwards Mary Dobson

Research question: Where do final year Psychology and Counselling students gain information about postgraduate study? 

OU Student Views on Work Experience, Work Placements and Virtual Internships

Project leader(s):  Volker Patent Gemma Godfrey

This project aims to further understanding of the views and perceptions of students on work experience and work-placements at the Open University.

Evaluating the Inclusion of Academic Coaching within an Online-Only Postgraduate Module (DD801)

Project leader(s):  Lucy Wilde Kesi Mahendran Jitse van Ameijde

The central aim of the project is to evaluate the academic coaching provided in DD801.

Assessing the effectiveness of targeted forum activities in relation to student retention

Project leader(s):  Emilie Rutledge Roberto Simonetti Julia Chukwuma

This project considers student retention rates in relation to forum activity participation. While an array of factors—individual and institutional—impact these rates in Higher Education, creating a strong sense of student community is one organisational level measure that can addressed.

An examination of social and cultural factors that may affect engagement in study activities linked to academic writing skills

Project leader(s):  Sharon Xuereb Cathy Schofield

It is vital for students to understand and uphold the principles of academic integrity throughout their studies. Although this is often a value that is promoted by higher education institutions from the outset, academic misconduct does appear to be a growing problem.

The OU and Scotland’s Colleges’ Collaborative Teaching Partnership: An Evaluation

Project leader(s):  Gerry Mooney Janet Cole Iain Macpherson Steven McGeever Khadija Patel

The primary purpose of the proposed project was to: