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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88 results found

Exploring the experience of ‘previously registered’ students

Project leader(s):  Janet Hunter Karen Twiselton

The aim of the project is to explore the experience of students who have been registered on the same module for one or more previous presentations, have either withdrawn, deferred, or been deregistered, and have subsequently returned to study on the same module.

Face to Face Day schools: Understanding attendance and non-attendance on psychology modules

Project leader(s):  Caroline Kelly Katy Smith Marianna Latif Rachel Penny Paige Cuffe Madeline Knightley

This project aimed to understand attendance for optional face-to-face tuition events on psychology modules. A mixed method approach was used to capture the student voice, and the five methods are presented here.

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.

ChatGPT and the distance learner: working with AI to write assignments as the site of teaching and learning

Project leader(s):  Edward Wigley Sonja Rewhorn Zoe Doye

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made headlines across the world that proclaim an existential threat to humanity, with ChatGPT being heralded as the beginning of a new era in technology.  This scholarship project explores how this disruption could potentially lead to enhanced teac

Transition to Postgraduate Study: the MA in Music

Project leader(s):  Rosemary Golding Byron Dueck

This project considers some of the barriers students might face when moving onto the MA in Music, either from within the OU or with prior experience of higher education from external institutions.

Evaluating the Impact of ‘Write Now’ Sessions: Adapting Approaches from Academic Writing Retreats to Create a Learning Community of Student Writers (Phase 2)

Project leader(s):  Debbie Parker-Kinch Anactoria Clarke Jasmine Hunter Evans Hannah Lavery

Phase 1 of this scholarship project piloted and evaluated ‘Write Now’ sessions on the Open University undergraduate English Literature module A233 ‘Telling Stories: the novel and beyond’, during the 2022-23 academic year.

The Quality of Tutor/Student Early Interaction in Post-Level 1 Modules

Project leader(s):  Wendy Humphreys Vicky Johnson

This project builds on  a previously completed project which found considerable variation in how tutors communicate with their students at the beginning of a module.

Understanding the influence of demographics on attendance and access of synchronous and asynchronous online tuition

Project leader(s):  Lindsay Crisp Melissa Bailey Hannah Lavery Donna Smith Katy Smith Joanna Robson

This project draws together a team of colleagues from across the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to explore participation in ‘live’ online learning events and summary recordings with no students present known as ‘Learning Event Summaries’ (LES).

Trialling multiple innovations; production, pedagogy and delivery on A329, the Making of Welsh History

Project leader(s):  Richard Marsden

Independent learning is usually envisaged as something that students do alone. But on ‘A329, The Making of Welsh History’, an online distance-learning dissertation module at the Open University, the situation is quite the reverse.

Co-designing inclusive and accessible distance learning film and media curriculum at Level 1

Project leader(s):  Kaya Davies-Hayon Mark Fryers

This project originates from the new Department of Film and Media and aims at designing a new Level One curriculum with diversity and inclusivity embedded as its core principles.