'Staying in touch with teachers to support the transition'

Dr David ReadDirector of Undergraduate

Admissions and School Teacher Fellow

Background2000-2004:▪ Number of A-level entries each year was

continuing to fall.▪ Applications to chemistry degrees were

falling.▪ A number of chemistry depts were closed

down.

What was ‘Chemistry for our Future’?

Success! 2 year pilot with 4 strands▪ £3.6m awarded for pilot starting 06/07.

What was ‘Chemistry for our Future’?

▪Strand 1: Outreach (C:TNG).

▪Strand 2: Teacher fellowships.

▪Strand 3: HE Curriculum development.

▪Strand 4: Smarter use of existing laboratory space.

▪ Successful bid for funding under strand 3.1 (‘From Registration to Graduation’ ).

▪ £45k over 2 years (~ 0.5 FTE).▪ SoC matched the funding to appoint a full-

time STF for 2 years.▪ Two roles - support outreach activities

- develop support for 1st yrs▪ Took up the post at end of May 2007.▪ CFOF pilot was extended for a further year –

finished July 31st 2009.

My original role at Southampton

Outreach at Southampton

• Some of our activities

▪Talks in Schools/Colleges(demonstrations & topic-based)

▪Practical workshops in Schools(also in-house)

▪Practical sessions in our labs(Y10 and Y12)

▪Spectroscopy Tours(including problem-solving)

Supporting students in making the transition to university

• Creation of ‘Welcome Website’ for access in August (after A-levels).

• Contents:• Course overview.• ‘Week in the Life’.• Virtual tour of dept.• Online survey.• A-level revision

resources.

Other developments

Zappers (electronic voting systems) have been widely used in UG teaching and outreach

Pre-lab resources help students to prepare for the lab.

Other developments

Recorded lectures are very popular with students (but are they used ‘correctly’?).

Novel approaches to self-assessment have impacted positively on learning

▪ Outreach▪ CPD courses for teachers (SLCSE)▪ Hants Post-16 Teachers Group▪ Annual Post-16 teachers’ study day▪ Informal visits▪ Invited talks at meetings and conferences.

Staying in touch with schools

http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/5853/

http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/5853/

http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/5853/