Presentation by Colin Graham at University of Edinburgh Open Knowledge Network event, 31st January 2017

1. Building Student Capital Through
Student-Led Outreach, Engagement
and Learning Development
Colin Graham, Andy Cross, Kay
Douglas, Brian Cameron and Isla
Myers-Smith
(GeoScience Outreach team)
School of GeoSciences
Thanks to Martin Tasker, Stephanie Farley and Stuart Nicol

2. The Open Knowledge Network is a new initiative
that aims to bring together colleagues from across
the institution who are working in the area of
open knowledge, open data, open access, open
education, open science, open collections &
archives, etc., in order to support cross-
fertilisation and promote the institution’s
activities in these areas.

3. ‘Communities’
• University aims to be ‘open’ to its communities -
who and what are the University’s communities?
• Communities are complex mix of diverse and
overlapping groups and organisations
• They may not have much in common. Different
values, needs, aims and ambitions.
• They may operate locally, regionally, nationally, or
internationally.
• Many stakeholders
• Outreach and Engagement with schools and
communities may take many forms.

4. Community Engagement Through
Self-Directed Learning in Universities
• Move towards increasing community engagement
across university sector
• Increasing prominence of public engagement within
the research sector (e.g. ‘impact plans’)
• Rethinking how our degree programmes are
constructed; multiple learning styles
• Self-directed points-earning learning beyond
traditional knowledge-based courses
• Learning for life with students empowered as drivers
• Building student capital

5. Outreach and Engagement Courses –
GeoSciences example
• Optional courses (10 point (100 hour) and 20 point (200 hour)
for final year Bachelors and Masters students (~20-30/yr)
• Develop and deliver a project and product for an external
(‘community’) client to an agreed specification
• Use ‘para-professional’ knowledge and understanding to
communicate to - and work with a wider audience
• Learn from client the additional and complementary skills
required (e.g. school teacher – pedagogy)
• Independent project work led by student and
supervised/mentored by course team and client
• Skills seminars: Project and time management,
communication, web, design, school curriculum, IDL.
(Course run since 2006)

6. Benefits for Students (building student capital):
Widening participation/access
Opportunity to work in different and challenging
environments, try new things
Skills development
“Soft” and people skills alongside project
management
Employability
Direct link between course achievements and
career prospects
Wider Benefits
• Staff and postgrad involvement
• Major new provider of educational resources
• Supports curriculum reform in Scotland (CfE)
• Research impact communicated to wide
audiences

7. Further Developments
Roll-out of researched course model across
university, foster internal university links /
partnerships (IDL)
• e.g. Art/Architecture, Archaeology, Medicine,
Psychology, Health,
Impacts the student experience
• NSS & other rankings, TEF

8. ……for communities

9. Projects created and delivered by our
students and team that illustrate the
diversity of our communities and
demonstrate the impact of their work
for schools and ‘communities’
Some now available online as OERs
through TESconnect.
Examples

10. Informal Education
Sector
Scouts/Guides/Brownies
‘Go For It’ badges in science
Encourages girls’ involvement in
science through discovery

11. Resources developed from Geoscience
Outreach – on Open.Ed
28 downloads
http://open.ed.ac.uk/the-
sea-level-story-geoscience/
3 downloads
http://open.ed.ac.uk/nothin
g-goes-to-waste-in-nature-
geoscience/

12. Resources developed
from:
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions and
Feedback Programme
These resources were
developed to enhance the
learning and teaching of data
handling in:
Secondary school Geography,
Biology and Environmental
Science at Higher (Level 6),
Advanced Higher (Level 7),
AS-Level & A2-Level
Undergraduate level courses
in Geosciences.
They are uploaded onto
and downloaded from
31
downloads
65
downloads
40
downloads
63 downloads
5 review
‘Fantastic resource, perfect for
introducing statistics to Advanced
Higher Biology pupils. Wonderful!’
http://open.ed.ac.uk/geoscience-guides/

13. Resources developed from:
Research by Dr Ruth Doherty (to be uploaded
to Open.Ed)
http://open.ed.ac.uk/

14. Challenges
• FTE time/cost and workload don’t fit easily into
conventional teaching workload models
• Staffing
• Perceptions
• REF and TEF (positive impact on both!)
• Teaching quality enhancement
• Changing mind-sets
• Improving co-ordination and collaboration
across University
• Higher order skills and values

15. OKNs and OERs have great potential
enhance collaboration across the
institution, promote the institution
and conquer poor communication
and co-ordination.

16. “The most relevant course I have taken in my
studies”
“It has been good to take my learning out into the
community and give something back”
“I can’t believe what this course has taught me. It
has really increased my skills base.”
“The outreach course has been one of the most
fruitful and enjoyable courses I have done whilst at
university. I now feel inspired and capable to pursue
a career in the field of science communication”.
What our students said
(a small selection of feedback)