Research

 

The challenges facing students entering university have never been greater. The transition (for most home students) from highly structured school or college studies to the freedom of higher education is significant. This impact is only exacerbated by the way the covid pandemic fundamentally shaped their school experience and personal development. Beyond university, they face the prospect of a shrinking graduate job market, where entry level roles are being eliminated by AI, while paying back an average student debt of over £50k. In response to these challenges, we created a new level one core module that embeds skills teaching through engagement with the politics of global challenges. In designing the module assessments, we sought to encourage reflection, teamwork, and the development of key academic skills, utilising an innovative design sprint. Student reaction to the module in its first year of implementation was mixed: while some students recognised the value of the academic skills developed (and assessed), others placed less value on the reflective element of the assessments, signalling that the success of the module may not be fully measurable until the students have completed their studies and moved into the world of work. 

   

 

The Social Media Campaign assessment engages students in developing a live social media campaign addressing a key online harm of their choice (e.g. misinformation, polarization, online abuse). Working in small groups, students apply theoretical and empirical knowledge to design and implement campaigns across multiple platforms, fostering digital literacy, collaboration, and communication skills. The activity is scaffolded through in-class support, formative feedback, and peer evaluation to enhance accountability. By blending theory with real-world application, the task enables authentic, work-related experiential learning that deepens students’ understanding of digital society and strengthens employability skills.

 

In a context of assessment diversification, instructors are weighing up their options about which assessments to adopt and are considering in turn how these can be appropriately and effectively implemented. This presentation makes the case for Critical Reflections as a form of authentic assessment and considers for what reasons instructors might wish to implement Critical Reflections on their courses and offers recommendations on how to do so in appropriate and effective ways. It reflects upon my experience of adopting a Critical Reflection as a supplementary assessment in my year three history of ideas module ‘Constitutional and Territorial Ideologies in Britain and Ireland’. The presentation draws upon a wider critical review of SoTL literature on the advantages and pitfalls of utilising Critical Reflections as an authentic assessment and discusses these in relation to the adoption, implementation and post-module review of the assessment and module. I argue that Critical Reflections are an effective tool to prompt transformative learning, to improve students' work on other more traditional forms of assessment and ultimately to help underscore the point and value of a political education.