Staff and students from all Departments are welcome to attend these events, as are external visitors. As a School that specialises in transdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and pedagogy, we're always keen to make connections with colleagues in different parts of the University.

Talks usually last 40 mins to 1 hour and are followed by a Q&A and general discussion. (Attendees are also welcome to come just for the talk if they can't attend the full session).

Light refreshments will be provided. We would encourage sustainable practice by asking guests to bring along reusable mugs/cups if possible.

Term 1: Interdisciplinary Research

16th October: Dr Christian Krekel (LSE)

The Impact of Teaching Deliberate Practice on Student Socio-Emotional
Skills and Achievement: Evidence from an RCT in North Macedonia

Socio-emotional skills are key predictors of educational and labour market outcomes. We study how cultivating a particular skill – grit (perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals) – affects student learning. To do so, we implemented a short deliberate practice intervention which has been shown to foster grit in the curriculum of all sixth and seventh grade primary-school students (about 42,000 students across 350 schools) in North Macedonia. We find that students exposed to this updated curriculum show improved socio-emotional skills relative to students in the control condition. Impacts on students are larger in a condition in which both students and teachers are treated (relative to students only). For disadvantaged groups, we find that the intervention increases grade point averages by up to 10% of a standard deviation. Given that it is low-cost, this yields a very favourable cost-effectiveness ratio compared to other (behavioural) interventions.

13th November: Dr Craig Morton (Loughborough University)

Is an Environmentally Sustainable Transport System Possible? Tech-push vs
Behavioural-switch Approaches

Over the past 30 years, significant strides have been made in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the United Kingdom, with all sectors bar one making a contribution. Emissions originating from the transport system have proven difficult to mitigate given the lack of palatable alternatives and a reluctance to alter mobility patterns. This presentation will discuss two approaches to promoting environmental sustainability in transport. The first is vehicle fleet renewal, where low emission propulsion systems gradually replace internal combustion engines. The second is behavioural change, where citizens are encouraged to shift away from unsustainable modes of transport (e.g. single occupancy short distance car trips) towards greener options. To showcase these approaches, the presentation will display the insights that can be derived from spatial modelling and time series analysis applied to understand the factors that are linked with vehicle fleet renewal and behavioural switching.

27th November: Prof. Loredana Polezzi (Cardiff University) - Event cancelled

Translation, Multilingualism and Development: TML in Namibia

We're sorry to announce this seminar has been cancelled due to current strike action. We apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you again in the new year for the next event in the School for Cross-faculty Studies Research and Pedagogy Seminar Series.

The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is built around the central principle of ‘leaving no one behind’. Yet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that accompany that strategy notably fail to identify languages and linguistic capability as key pillars in a fairer social system, capable of granting equitable access to knowledge and resources to the widest possible range of groups and individuals.

This talk will discuss the experience of Transnationalizing Modern Languages: Global Challenges (TML-GC) and The Phoenix Project, two connected initiatives which support collaboration between UK academics, teachers and creative artists and the University of Namibia in the areas of multilingualism, language education and translation. Using examples from the project I will discuss the tension between mono- and multilingual models of the nation, the increasing dominance of international languages such as English and its impact in developing contexts, and the need for sensitization to language and communication strategies among professionals and researchers across a wide range of disciplines. Attention will also be paid to the ethical implications of co-research and co-production in collaborative research projects such as TML – GC.

Term 2: Interdisciplinary Research

5th February: Dr Giacomo Zanello (University of Reading)

4pm-6pm, R1.03

Use of Accelerometer Devices to Capture Energy Expenditure in Agricultural and Rural Livelihoods: Some Findings and Potential Applications in Development Studies

This talk will showcase recent international research involving the use of accelerometers (technology used e.g. in FitBits) to contribute to improved energy expenditure measurement in rural low- and middle-income areas. The insights gained from the methodological innovation do not only allow new and more detailed insights into how work is performed for which agricultural activities and by whom, but also how external events like droughts might require additional energy expenditure in farm work, and the contribution of nonmonetised labour inputs from members of agricultural households.

12th February: Prof. Chris Preist (University of Bristol)

3pm-5pm: R3.41

Digital Technology: Environmental Saint or Sinner?

Digital technology is responsible for substantial environmental impacts globally. It has roughly the same carbon footprint as aviation, and is one of the most widespread sources of hazardous substances in waste streams. Furthermore, its emissions are growing currently. However, it has also been argued that digital technology can play a key role in the transition to a low carbon society. Progressive IT companies are making significant efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their activities, and searching for new ways of supporting lower impact ways of living. In this talk, I will look at the big picture and arguments from both sides. I will also present more detail on how to understand and mitigate the environmental impacts of a digital service such as a website, Google Search, Facebook, YouTube or BBC iPlayer. Where in the system are the ‘hotspots’ and what can we do to tackle them? What are the longer term trends in such patterns? I will present some results and lead a discussion on this topic.

4th March: Dr Alec Waterworth (Alliance Manchester Business School) - Event cancelled

3pm-5pm, R3.41

The Emerging Role of Universities in Social Innovation in Brazil

We're sorry to announce this seminar has been cancelled due to strike action. We apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you again in Term 3 for the next event in the School for Cross-faculty Studies Research and Pedagogy Seminar Series.

Academic entrepreneurship has been a topic of increasing interest for researchers over the last three decades. New university models are now appearing that extend considerably beyond the traditional notion of the entrepreneurial university, including the delivery of comprehensive entrepreneurship education modules across all faculties, and supporting students in creating new ventures. This paper captures the additional mechanisms, roles, drivers and outputs of this emerging entrepreneurial university model, and discusses the implications this holds for researchers, academic institutions and policymakers, both within the case study country and beyond. A framework is presented to support this investigation, which combines a taxonomy of resources with a stage-gate model of an entrepreneur’s development. The findings are primarily drawn from interviews with start-up founders and incubator and science park managers from three of Brazil’s leading universities. The research reveals a diverse and far- reaching portfolio of mechanisms, the involvement of a greater number of actors and stakeholders, and a broader remit of socioeconomic betterment. The paper concludes by calling for further research into this emerging model, particularly around the role of entrepreneurship education.

Term 3: Pedagogy and Student Experience

*** This seminar has been postponed due to the current public health situation ***

6th May: Dr Rafe Hallet (Keele University)

3pm, R1.04