The why and how of teaching ethics to bioscience students

In July 2019 I was involved in a session on The Why and How of Teaching Ethics to Bioscience Students. I was a panellist, along with Professors Lynne Sneddon (from the University of Liverpool, UK) and Prof Ros Gleadow (from Monash University, Australia). I recently became aware that the session is available on YouTube.

My short talk on our approach to ethics teaching in Biosciences at Leicester starts about 16 minutes in (here), but listening to the session afresh I would encourage you to listen all the way through.

Introducing the BoB Collection

Regular visitors to this site will be aware that I quite often blog about the BoB, the amazing collection of TV and radio programmes for use in education. I was struck recently that these posts are listed in chronological order, which is not always appropriate. I have therefore started a separate page where BoB-related materials are listed in a more systematic way. To access these resources, just click on the new “BoB Collection” tab at the top of this page.

 

Embracing the potential of digital exams

Horizons in STEM Higher Education has become a summer fixture for many science academics. In keeping with many 2020 events, this year’s conference switched to an online format. The first plenary lecture was Digital Exams: Transforming Assessment by Professor Mariann Rand-Weaver from Brunel University.

This was a really inspiring session, demonstrating the opportunities that are presented by actively moving examinations from a traditional paper-based format to using digital platforms.

Brunel has been moving to digital exams over the past few years (i.e. not just in response to recent pandemic), partly motivated by asking themselves why exams were almost the only time we ever ask students to hand write anything these days. Additionally, a switch to provision of computers is already a typical “reasonable adjustment” on accessibility grounds, so why not level the playing field by allowing this for all?

There are a range of benefits. For the markers it is easier to read typed scripts. The answers are often better structured, as the students can move around the text to the relevant point. There are also administration benefits – e.g. less paper , less manual handling, more streamlined processes.