Presented at Advance HE STEM Conference, January 2020

1. From Newcastle. For the world.
Dr Sara Marsham
sara.marsham@ncl.ac.uk
@sara_marine
Dr Alison Graham
alison.graham@ncl.ac.uk
@alisonigraham
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
@SciencesNCL
Advance HE STEM Conference 2020
Manchester, 29th January 2020
Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals
within first year biosciences skills teaching

2. From Newcastle. For the world. 2
Advance HE STEM Conference
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

3. From Newcastle. For the world. 3
Advance HE STEM Conference
o Stage 1 Academic and Professional Skills for the Biosciences module
o Biology, Cell & Molecular Sciences, Ecology & Conservation, Marine Sciences, & Zoology
o Develops students’ approaches to locating, evaluating & communicating
scientific evidence
o UN SDGs provide opportunity for students to develop these skills around a topic
relevant to their degree subject
3.3; 3.9; 3.B
Embedding SDGs within Biosciences Skills Teaching
14.1; 14.2; 14.3; 14.4 15.1; 15.5; 15.7; 15.8

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Advance HE STEM Conference
Lecture: Introduction to the Module & the SDGs
Expectations of Higher Education; Scientific Literature; Locating Resources;
Scientific Writing; Presentations & Posters
o Class tasks within each workshop based around SDG resource packs on VLE
Scientific Literature; Locating Resources; Scientific Writing; Presentations &
Posters
o Small tutorials (up to 11 students) with Personal Tutor
o Larger tutorials (up to 40 students) with teaching team
o Tutorial task to complete following workshop - bring to tutorial for formative feedback
Delivery Approach
•M1 1FN

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Advance HE STEM Conference
o For individual report, select a SDG target
o May need to focus on a specific part of a single target
o Produce a 1,500 word report: Evaluate whether your chosen
Sustainable Development Goal target can be achieved by 2030
o Look at the indicators - is there any evidence that these are being achieved?
o What are the impacts of achieving this target?
o Ethical considerations
o Individual reports assessed by Personal Tutors
o Assessment specific marking criteria
o Marked electronically using Feedback Studio
Assessment Details - Individual Report (40%)
15.1; 15.5; 15.7; 15.8
14.1; 14.2; 14.3; 14.4
3.3; 3.9; 3.B

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Advance HE STEM Conference
o In groups of 3-4 within tutor group
o Prepare a poster (formative) and a 10 minute oral presentation
(25%) considering how chosen SDG targets link together
o If possible, work with someone focusing on a different target
o Do the actions of achieving one target affect another target in the group?
o Ethical considerations
Assessment Details - Presentations
15.1; 15.5; 15.7; 15.8
14.1; 14.2; 14.3; 14.4
3.3; 3.9; 3.B

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Advance HE STEM Conference
o Poster session within timetabled tutorial with
teaching team
o Provide peer feedback via Microsoft Teams
o Oral presentation delivered within timetabled
tutorial & assessed by Personal Tutor
o Assessment specific marking criteria
Assessment Details - Presentations
15.1; 15.5; 15.7; 15.8
14.1; 14.2; 14.3; 14.4
3.3; 3.9; 3.B

8. From Newcastle. For the world. 8
Advance HE STEM Conference
Assessment Links
•M1 1FN
Individual
Report
Group Poster
Group
Presentation
Summarise SDG targets OR
focus on a specific area
Receive feedback on poster
style, formatting, content and
presentation in poster session
Link individual SDG targets -
how do they impact each
other?
Use information from individual
reports and group poster

9. ncl.ac.ukDr Sara Marsham Dr Alison Graham School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
sara.marsham@ncl.ac.uk alison.graham@ncl.ac.uk @SciencesNCL
@sara_marine @alisonigraham
Advance HE STEM Conference 2020
Manchester, 29th January 2020
It was useful having a
module that taught
university skills that
may have not been
taught to students in
secondary school
What were the
best features of
the module?