Banner for the STEM Faculty

STEM Annual Teaching

Conference 2022

You are here

  1. Home
  2. STEM Teaching Conference 2022

STEM Teaching Conference 2022

The 3rd Annual STEM Teaching Conference (online via MS Teams)

Conference date: 2nd March 2022

We will be exhibiting contributions from individuals or teams who develop innovative ideas and/or illustrate best practice on the central theme of Enhancing Student Engagement in our STEM distance learning context as exemplified by any of the 10 principles explained by Understanding and Developing Student Engagement, edited by Colin Bryson, Taylor & Francis Group, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Contributions focus on areas of excellence in STEM teaching, student support, assessment, student representation and governance which exemplify and encompass best practice around fostering and improving student engagement.

Conference programme and booklet

The Conference Programme is available to download herePlease note that all sessions will be recorded. The recordings will be made available after the conference is finished and a link will be shared when this is ready. 

Conference Booklet is available here where you will find more details about the presentations.

Keynote Speaker: 

Tom Lowe, Head of Student Engagement & Employability, The University of Winchester

Tom Lowe, Head of Student Engagement & Employability, University of Winchester

Speaker Biography:

Tom is the Head of Student Engagement and Employability where he leads the University’s careers, student development and extra-curricular opportunities, staffing and strategies relating to fostering student success at Winchester. Tom is also the Vice Chair (Acting) for the international network RAISE (Researching, Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement) and the programme leader for the MA in Student Engagement in Higher Education, working at the cutting edge of Student Engagement in international Higher Education.

Tom has recently published a co-edited book "A Handbook for Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theory into Practice" which offers an array of case studies of best practice, sector commentaries and critical reflections on engaging students in educational developments. Tom is an expert in the practicalities surrounding Student Engagement in quality assurance, learning and teaching, University governance and Students' Unions, as well as student involvement in extra-curricular activities and overcoming barriers to student success through inclusive practice. He has experience working with over 30 HEIs from across the UK and is a frequent contributor and author in journals and conferences.

Speaker Abstract:

Engaging open and distance students in their success in 2022 The need to research, pay attention and support ‘Student Engagement’ in Higher Education continues to grow, with increasing measures placed upon our institutions relating to retention, satisfaction, and student success. Creating a learning environment where our students truly thrive and can be inspired are motivations most educators can get behind, but beyond our feelings towards education, our universities are increasingly faced with government interest and measures relating to the ‘outcomes’ of University study. The time of “doing things the way we have always done them” in all Universities is changing, and it is more important than ever, especially during the chaos of COVID-19, that we come together to reflect on how Higher Education should adapt to the students of today. This talk will ask participants to look beyond the metrics and begin thinking about what online students’ may deem their engagement to be in 2022. How can we create new environments and practices that support the post-pandemic world we are moving into? How might students, who still enrol into the Open University for its flexibility, become part of a community where engagement can occur whenever and however, they wish? This talk will argue that engagement and belonging begins with mattering, with each and every interaction being student centred . This talk will reflect on the above and outline the need to keep belonging, student support and student engagement a priority in Higher Education, to ensure our students matter, and enabling us to work together to be partners in our students’ success.

How to register

Registration is now open for the 3rd STEM Annual Teaching Conference being held online via MS Teams on Wednesday, 2nd March 2022 (09.30am Registration, Welcome and Introductions from 10am – 4pm). 

Registration closes at 10am on Monday, 28th February.

Please register your attendance via Eventbrite (link below) and joining instructions will be shared with you a couple of days before the conference takes place.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-3rd-annual-stem-teaching-conference-tickets-224089406447

For any enquiries, please contact Michelle Leonard (Michelle.Leonard@open.ac.uk ) or Jayne Jones (Jayne.Jones@open.ac.uk  ).

Posters and Presentations 

Black student experience on S112: improving a level 1 STEM module by Louise MacBrayne, Jennie Bellamy, Elaine McPherson, Angela Richards. Download the full poster here.

Linking Labcasts to Assessment – Encouraging Student Engagement with Live Events by Louise MacBrayne, Rob Janes, Mike Batham, Kate Bradshaw. Download the full poster here.

Translating scholarship findings into practical actions by Clare Morris and Carol Calvert with others. Download the full poster here.

Investigating remote access to live exercise physiology testing experiments through an interactive webcast by Ben Langdown, David Conway, Karen New and Vikki Hayley-Mirnar. Download the full poster here.

Modulating reflections on student support integration and partnership working - a multi-team systems perspective by Karen Potter and Sinead O’Connor-Gotra. Download the full poster here.

A collaborative home experiment to form bioplastics and study their degradation by monitoring the release of a dye with a smart phone by Simon Collinson. Download the full poster here.

For any questions you may have on the presentations, please contact the authors directly.

 

Panel Discussion and Plenary

We are delighted to welcome our panel to our annual STEM Teaching conference. 
Our discussion will focus on the multiple ways in which the OU seeks to drive direct engagement with our students. So many people contribute to the team effort which supports students from the moment they enquire to the moment they graduate and beyond. For all of us in a distance learning context, engaging with our students in a meaningful and productive way can be challenging. 
Our panel will present their perspectives on student engagement at various points in the student journey and how we could foster better engagement to ensure the highest quality teaching and learning experience for all our students.

 

We will be joined by:

Diane Butler

Chair: Diane Butler, Associate Dean Academic Excellence 

Diane Butler is Associate Dean (Academic Excellence) in the OU STEM Faculty. Her portfolio includes scholarship and innovative practice strategy; academic staff development strategy; and widening access and success, equality & diversity.  She is a Life Scientist from the School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences. Over a period of over 25 years with the OU, Diane’s teaching has largely focussed on interdisciplinary science at levels 1 and 2. She chaired the University’s flagship level 1 science module, amongst others, and was Deputy Programme Director in the Science Faculty. As Director of eSTEeM (the STEM faculty’s Scholarship and Innovation Centre) for 4 years, she supported the further development of the scholarship of teaching and learning in the faculty. Her specific scholarship interests include student collaborative work, the challenges facing online learners and the efficacy of online synchronous tuition.

 

Dr Vic Nicholas

Dr Vic Nicholas, Associate Dean Student Experience 

Vic Nicholas is the Associate Dean Student Experience in the STEM Faculty at the Open University.  In this role she provides strategic leadership to the faculty on tuition, assessment, module design and student support.  She is responsible for Faculty strategy to ensure the delivery of a quality student experience.  Vic works closely with the Faculty SST Leads, Lead Staff Tutors, Heads of Schools, Associate Deans, and other Faculty staff to achieve our retention and progression targets.

Melissa Elborn

Melissa Elborn, MA, MCIPR, Senior Communications Manager, Marcomms, Strategy & Insight

Melissa Elborn works in the Strategy and Insights team in the OU’s Marketing and Communications Unit. She is responsible for developing marketing and communications strategies for supporting student success. Melissa has worked at the OU since 2012 and has twenty years’ experience in marketing and communications disciplines. She is an accredited practitioner with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and is a mentor on the OU’s Elevate Career Mentoring programme. Melissa is currently studying her fourth module with the OU.

Stephanie Stubbins

Stephanie Stubbins, Student Leadership Team, Students Association

My name is Steph, and I am the new STEM Faculty Association Representative (FAR) and part of the OU Students Association Central Executive Committee (CEC). 
I have been studying with the OU since 2015 and previously achieved an OU qualification in Business and Management. I recently started U116 and am studying towards the M05 Integrated Master’s in Environmental Science. 
I have previous experience as a CEC member (VP Community 2016-2018, Deputy President 2018-2020), Central Committee Representative (various committees from 2016-2020), Senate Reference Group Member (2015-2021) and have had various other volunteer roles. 
I put myself forward for this role because I want to represent STEM students, listen to their views, ideas, and concerns, and take back their student voice to the relevant areas within the University to positively impact decision-making. 
I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that I am approachable, and you can contact me through my CEC email: - stephanie.stubbins@open.ac.uk 

Stephanie Lay

Stephanie Lay, Senior Manager, Student Research, CIO Portfolio
Academic Services

I'm a senior manager with 20 years of experience of working in analysis and insight for higher education, and I'm a qualified cognitive psychologist with a PhD in the perception of near-human faces. I've been with the Open University since 2002 in a range of data-related roles. In my current role of senior manager for student research in the Data and Student Analytics team, I lead survey operations and reporting for the large institutional surveys (NSS, Graduate Outcomes, PTES, PRES, SEaM) and oversee the work of the Student Research Project Panel who are responsible for all bespoke educational research with students. I am currently leading a project to replace SEaM with a new internal student survey and have a keen interest in how we can improve the way we analyse and report survey results to give better insights for the university and ultimately improve the quality of the student experience.  

Colin Beesley

Colin Beesley, Senior Manager, Policy & Controls, Academic Services

Colin is the Senior Manager, Policy & Controls in Academic Services. He and his team have operational responsibility for most of the university’s discretionary funding schemes. This includes the oversight and delivery of the Disabled Veterans Scholarship Fund and Carer’s Scholarship together with a growing suite of other scholarships, bursaries, and hardship funding schemes. He started his OU career in the Disabled Students Allowances Office and supporting students with disabilities and additional requirements remains very close to his heart.

Steve Wilson

Steve Wilson, Senior Manager, Operations, Academic Services, Student Support

I am a Senior Manager and have worked at the OU for 16 years with roles ranging from front line student support to the role that I am in now as Senior Manager, Student Support Operations where I lead the ‘Advice’ service tier of the Information, Advice & Guidance for the STEM and Access student support team in England. My team directly support STEM & Access students through both reactive means where students approach us for assistance as well as proactive means where alongside colleagues within the faculty, we look for opportunities to pre-empt issues that may affect a student’s ability to engage with their studies. I am particularly excited by opportunities to improve student experience, engagement, and attainment.

For any enquiries about the conference

Please contact Michelle.Leonard@open.ac.uk or Jayne.Jones@open.ac.uk for assistance.

Meet our Academics

Head and shoulders of male OU academic

In addition to teaching on Open University modules our academics are engaged in ground breaking research that benefits individuals and society.

Request your prospectus

Request a prospectus icon

Explore our qualifications and courses by requesting one of our prospectuses today.

Request prospectus

Are you already an OU student?

Go to StudentHome