The School of Health & Social Care

Double award for team’s innovative approach to learning

Page published 13 September 2011

Anne Quinney, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at BU

Team from the School of Health & Social Care awarded for displaying innovation in learning and teaching.

A team from Bournemouth University’s School of Health and Social Care has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education Academy for its student-focused approach to learning.

The School’s ‘Exploring Evidence for Practice’ core team led by Professor Kathleen Galvin received an Innovation in Learning and Teaching Award for Assessment from the Academy’s Centre for Social Policy and Social Work.

Anne Quinney, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at BU, received the prize of £1,500 on behalf of the team at the conclusion of this year’s Joint Social Work Education Conference held in Manchester. Other members of the team include Dr Maggie Hutchings, Academic Lead for E-Learning and Educational Enhancement; Andy Pullman, Web Team Leader; Vince Clarke, Learning Technologist; Professor Les Todres, Professor of Qualitative Research and Peter Atkins, Service User and Carer Forum.

The team successfully designed, developed and facilitated an innovative unit of study entitled ‘Using Evidence to Guide Practice’. The unit focuses on lifeworld-led education and was delivered to two groups of 300-plus students across a range of courses during the last academic year.

The unit develops ‘research mindedness’ through a creative mix of specially-designed multimedia case scenarios; keynote lectures by members of the professoriate and other research active staff; online and face to face group work activities; enabling students to engage with the scholarly outputs and research projects undertaken in the School.

The award is given for the unit’s innovative assessment which consists of a multiple choice on-line exam and a group blog. The online multiple choice exam was the first of its kind in the university.

Earlier this year, the team was also honoured in BU’s inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for ‘Excellent educational experience underpinned by Research’ for the same unit of study.