(Photo: One learning sets response to collaborative group presentation)
The term ‘learning set’ was used to describe a small group of students who worked collaboratively to solve a problem and then reflected on their actions in order to inform future learning. McGill and Beaty (2013), in providing the underpinning for this approach, note that “the trend toward student-centred learning, transferable skills and closer links with industry and services has required higher education institutions to look to ways of linking with the ‘outside’ world and introducing more effective methods of student learning”.
Students worked in learning sets (three students) to prepare for their first assessment, a group presentation. Located in real-world scenarios, students were required to act as Sport Development Officers for Worcester City Council, and work collaboratively and respectfully with their fellow team members, to jointly develop a localised 8 week Sportivate development plan for a specified target group within the city. The assessment included a 10-minute presentation by the learning set to the whole module group, together with accompanying written work including an action plan.
Sportivate is a national sport development programme which gives 14-25 year-olds, who are not particularly sporty, access to six-to-eight weeks’ of free or subsidised coaching in a range of sports, with a view to retaining their participation level thereafter (Sport England, 2016).
The approach worked well during the first year of delivery with students identifying that they ‘really enjoyed working in groups’ (student 1, 2016), and liked the ‘well-structured and informative sessions’ (student 2, 2016). All students who submitted an assessment passed (n=26) with grades ranging from C+ to A-; a much higher achievement rate than for other similar module assessments. As such a learning and teaching project was undertaken into the efficacy of learning sets as a pedagogical frame, and through consideration of data gained from ASSIST questionnaires (Entwistle, 2000) and focus group interviews, identification that the use of learning sets promoted a deeper and more strategic approach to learning (and was appreciated by students as an effective way of promoting group processes and learning) was found.
This case study is linked to the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education (2011) as it focuses on three of the main areas of activity including:
- developing effective learning environments and approaches to student support and guidance (A4),
- designing and planning learning activities and programmes of study (A1), and
- engaging in continuing professional development in subjects and their pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and the evaluation of professional practices (A5).
The core knowledge areas outlined include:
- identifying appropriate methods for teaching, learning and assessing in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme (K2),
- considering how students learn, both generally and within the subject discipline (K3), and
- the use and value of appropriate learning technologies (K4).
The Module Leader will continue to test these findings with a different cohort of students, and having reflected on the outcome is now inspired to extend the approach into other modules, and also to develop further collaborative teaching and learning research approaches.
References
Entwistle, N. (2000) Promoting Deep Learning through Teaching and Assessment: Conceptual Frameworks and Educational Contexts. [Online] TLRP Conference, Leicester, November 2000. Available from: http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk//docs/entwistle2000.pdf accessed: 29 October 2015.
McGill, I. and Beaty, L. (2013) Action Learning: A Guide for Professional, Management & Educational Development. Abingdon, Routledge.
Sport England (2016) Sportivate. (online) available from https://www.sportengland.org/our-work/children-and-young-people/sportivate/ accessed: 18th July 2016.
The Higher Education Academy (2011) The UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning in higher education (online) available from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/recognition-accreditation/uk-professional-standards-framework-ukpsf accessed: 18th August 2016