The carousel invites half the participants to form a standing circle facing outwards with their backs to each other. The other half form a circle around the first group and face inwards so that you have two circles of pairs facing each other. A question for discussion is offered and each pair discusses the question for 2 minutes before a bell sounds and there is a pause to check in (body and mind). The outer circle rotate to the right so that a new pair is formed. At this point the question can remain the same or change for a new focus of discussion. This rotation can continue until all students in each circle have had the opportunity to speak with each student in the outer circle.

We have made an executive decision as a department to actively select tutor and lab groups in a measured and appropriate manner that can provide an even distribution of international students. This has been a decision made by the Chemistry department committee as an active attempt to improve intercultural and international integration. This will require selecting students work groups prior to the start of each year and making sure that there is the opportunity for student engagement with different cultures and ethnicities within the learning environment. We hope this can negate the propensity for ‘cliques’ of international students to form, which is a natural reaction to studying abroad. However, we feel that the best engagement with the student experience and with the course is by embedding individuals within diverse settings.

Students develop Multiple Choice Questions as part of a formative assessment process, a percentage of which contribute to their summative assessment. This fosters respect, reciprocity and shared responsibility and provides understanding of the development of their assessment as well as investment in a collaborative partnership approach to their assessment.

At the end of the introductory day the new group is consulted to see whether they would like to be included in the formation of a WhatsApp (or other social media type platform) group. The purpose of this group will be for the group to support each other in between taught elements of the programme. It might be a place where the students can informally discuss the teaching content and assignments. We also suggest that it can be used as a platform for setting up a buddy system for assignments where the students pair up to proof read each other’s work prior to submission (eg: checking referencing and typos, critiquing etc) It is also suggested that it is an opportunity to practice the attitudinal qualities of mindfulness in particular compassion for all members of the group.

In the Chemistry department they are recruiting Chinese project officers to help with the attainment gap and with other situations relating to integration.

Policy Briefings and Pitch assessments are “authentic tasks” that offer value beyond instrumental gains, and expand student reward, motivation and welfare. The model offers “assessment for learning” around a specific issue of personal interest, while demonstrating both substantive subject knowledge and relevant process skills: of rigorous research, transparent scholarly, engaging and persuasive presentation. Students receiving appropriate marks can revise work following summative feedback; where quality thresholds are met, Briefings can be published online. This immediately valorises assessment and creates evidence for employability. Briefings can be substituted for other disciplinary relevant artefacts.

Two separate examples for how staff can better engage with students during one-on-one meetings, often in the personal tutor system. For example, student pathway preparation or how best to engage with students when they organise a meeting.

As a whole, our 2nd year cohort have encountered consistent difficulty with a particular assignment in my module. This is largely accounted for by assignment timing (after the Christmas vacation and an early January exam) and poor time management by students- however, this results in less-than-optimal coursework for students (in terms of format and summative/formative objectives) and a potential wellbeing for both staff and students. By reviewing assignment objectives, constraining the time demand of the assignment, but not compromising its ability to differentiate and challenge students, we have created a more resource-efficient/wellbeing-consistent assessment for both staff and students.