Use of polling software such as Vevox to promote engagement. Being able to utilise software that encourages the whole classroom or lecture hall to engage can be an effective way for staff members to gauge progress and participation. But also, students are able to take part in an enjoyable and creative exercise that diverts from the traditional didactic teaching method. Furthermore, it is an inclusive approach that allows students who are less willing to e.g. putting their hand up, to participate, generally in an anonymous fashion.

Promoting student societies to help build a culture of student collaborative learning.

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.

The Student Devised Assessment (SDA) offers students a personalised chance to display their critical engagement with the themes and theories of modules and to take a considered approach as to how they might practically apply what they have learned in a medium of their choosing.

Guidance, warnings and ground rules are all designed to make learning spaces welcoming and inclusive for all students. By taking into account individual students’ needs and experiences, and setting clear parameters for content, dialogue, and classroom interactions, all students know that the classroom is a space in which they can share their ideas in a collegial and constructive environment.

A negotiated curriculum allows students to choose (within set parameters) the content of a module. By empowering students to choose topics that they find the most urgent, important, or interesting, the practice of a negotiated curriculum enhances student engagement, active learning, and inclusivity.

An e-portfolio is a digital collection of evidence and artefacts that represents the knowledge, skills, and accomplishments of an individual or group. There are different types of e-portfolios but in SMLC we use the ‘assessment portfolio’, where our students can reflect about their learning, achievements and challenges in their own time. Thus, it can be very beneficial in the promotion of metacognition. It can also include more specific tasks or group work projects. Another advantage of using these online platforms is that students can be creative and include audio-visual materials.

This approach is for use in anticipation of a short to medium term project in which students are to work together in a team. It affords the team the opportunity to identify and agree to a set of ground rules in the form of a social contract which they will all respect in order to facilitate optimal teamworking and consideration of one another’s wellbeing.