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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35 results found

Diversifying End of Module Assessment Project Options on a Level 3 Classical Studies Module – A Pilot Study to Evaluate Pedagogic Strategies and Assess Benefits and Challenges

Project leader(s):  Astrid Voigt

This pilot is related to the production of a new module on Greek and Roman myth which places a dual emphasis on developing students’ skills for independent academic research and communicating to non-specialist audiences.

Academic Conduct Matters: Assessing the Impact of Academic and Disciplinary Interventions on Student’s Retention, Progression, and Completion

Project leader(s):  Encarnacion Trinidad-Barrantes

This project is primarily concerned with investigating historic data (2011-2020) on referrals for poor academic practice in order to determine: 

Image Descriptions within Art History Pedagogy

Project leader(s):  Andy Murray Susie West

The new Art History and Visual Cultures degree is an opportunity for the department to review its position on accessibility for Levels 2 and 3.

Flexible Study Intensity in Arts and Humanities: Classical Studies and History

Project leader(s):  Elayne Chaplin Trevor Fear Anna Plassart Suzanne Forbes

The Open University provides opportunities for flexible study, with the majority of our students opting for part time engagement (studying only one module in each academic year and completing a degree in 5-6 years).

Addressing the White Racial Frame in OU Music’s Module Materials: Incorporating Active Debates to A342 Learning

Project leader(s):  Marie Thompson Martin Clarke Byron Dueck

In recent years there has been increasing attention to the ways that music scholarship, curricula and programming reflect and reproduce legacies of racism and colonialism.

Creative Interactions: Phase 2

Project leader(s):  Heather Richardson Clare Taylor Helen Mosby Diana Newall

This project builds on the recently completed FASSTEST project, Creative Interactions: Teaching with OU's Art Collection.

Raising Awareness and Increasing Attainment in BAME Diaspora Communities in South Wales

Project leader(s):  Jessica Davies Jeremy Rees Sarah Roberts Elizabeth Ford

The context for the project is that 2018/19 saw notable increases in overall registrations in Wales, coupled with a slight decline in BAME proportions in Wales across the period measured (MarComms Insight Programme 2019, ‘Can we grow the OU’s appeal to Black, Asian and minority ethnic stude

Improving the Retention and Progression of Students on the Arts and Humanities Access Module at the Open University

Project leader(s):  Hannah Lavery Steve Padley Anactoria Clarke

This project aims to improve the retention and progression of students on our Arts and Humanities Access module by trialling additional support and advice initiatives.

‘The Project Game: Is My Topic EMA Material?’

Project leader(s):  Renate Dohmen Georgina Holden Pamela Bracewell-Homer Georgina Holden

This project aimed at first year students on the MA in Art History (A843) supporting them in their preparation for their assignment, the 3,000-word final assignment for A843, with a focus on helping them identify a suitable topic that allows for a successful discussion.

Assessing the Impact of Changes to the Tuition Model for English Literature Modules in Terms of Attendance, Attainment, and Retention

Project leader(s):  Encarnacion Trinidad-Barrantes Jessica Davies Hannah Lavery Tim Hammond Elizabeth Ford Steve Padley

In the past, Open University tutorials tended to be run by individual tutors for the students assigned to their tutor group.  Since 2016, however, there has been a move to ‘group tuition’ which allows students to attend tutorials running at their preferred time and venue (including onl