Warwick University Study Toolbox (WUST)

Project Team

Project Lead: Julia BrettschneiderLink opens in a new window, Project Co-lead: Martyn Parker

From left to right: Helen KnightLink opens in a new window (MaThRad ProjectLink opens in a new window), Denys Melnyk (Data Science, UG), Alisha Rodgers (Engineering, PG), Ellis Moore (MORSE, UG), Martyn ParkerLink opens in a new window (Statistics), Martin LanderLink opens in a new window, Elis Wilson (Statistics, MSc), Nick GolsbyLink opens in a new window (WMG), James ArchboldLink opens in a new window (Computer Science), Elliott Redman (MathStat, UG), Ameerah Abu Bakar (MORSE, UG), Julia BrettschneiderLink opens in a new window (Statistics)

Also in the team: Thomas PophamLink opens in a new window (Engineering), Amy Stickels (WFSLink opens in a new window), Thomas Greenaway (Student OpportunityLink opens in a new window), Joanne ElliotLink opens in a new window (Statistics)

Motivation

"While working with students across all stages of their university journey I observed some commonalities. The exclusive focus on teaching technical aspects of our domain overlooks some major roadblocks getting in the way of fully unfolding their potential.

Students could overcome these by small improvements in some areas of self-management, social coordination, and decision-making.

With routine work being increasingly carried out by AI these skills are bound to become even more central for us humans in the future."

Julia BrettschneiderLink opens in a new window (project lead)

About the Project

Non-traditional learning and assessment portfolios with elements like group projects, digital platforms, and flexible learning offer substantial opportunities but may also introduce additional obstacles. This includes increased demands on self-guidance and project management.

We have been developing a toolbox that facilitates students taking control of their academic success and gaining a higher level of independence, while simultaneously providing learning-by-applying opportunities for a wide skill set. These include managing time and workload, coping with stress, handling risks, carrying out projects, coordinating teams, and more.

Project Aims

We aim to create an individually adaptable resource enabling diverse student cohorts to fully benefit from university opportunities. We operate against a backdrop of innovative education portfolios placing new expectations on students, such as:

Group-based assessment requires social coordination and collaboration.
Supplementation of face-to-face contact hours with online resources necessitates time management and decision-making.
Use of digital platforms for demands flexible responses to technological changes.

Our Warwick University Study Toolbox (WUST) will offer:

Assessment of personal needs/issues (e.g. consistently being late with assignments, group work not taking off, or challenges with long-term projects).
Concepts from project management relevant with relevance to students.
Technological tool recommendations including both apps and traditional tools.

Project Planning

Prototype testing

We ran focus groups on MS Teams at the beginning of July to test our prototype of WUSTLink opens in a new window. This was open to all Warwick students. We received many applications from which we selected a wide range of participants. We are very grateful for the invaluable feedback provided by the focus groups - thank you!

The feedback was very positive with many participants saying they wished such a tool had been available to them when they were new at university or new to Warwick. The participants also tested the toolbox using a range of scenarios and gave many insightful suggestions on how to further improve it.

Any suggestions?

Questions, suggestions, and comments to be considered in the ongoing development of our toolbox are welcome at any time. This could relate to the content, the visual appearance, or the functionalities.

Please email the project lead