Dr Tom Ritchie is Reader and Director of Student Experience in the Department of Chemistry. In addition to convening the Beyond Science: Collaborative Student-Led Challenges, Innovation 101,and the IATL module, the AI Revolution: Ethics, Technology and Society,Tom leads the We are Chemistry student experience programmeLink opens in a new window, co-leads the Warwick Belonging Framework projectLink opens in a new window, and is Academic Lead for ESD (Education for Sustainable Development).

See Tom’s full bio hereLink opens in a new window.

Tom focused his case study on the first-year undergraduate Chemistry module, Beyond Science: Collaborative Student-Led ChallengesLink opens in a new window. As a historian of science and trained professional coach, Tom brought his own diverse inter-trans-disciplinary background to co-createamodule with students that responds to the challenges Chemistry undergraduates facewhen entering university, such as fears of failure and siloed information about how to access student support and opportunities. Tom drew on elements of the We are Chemistry programme to integrate curricular content, extracurricular opportunities, and pastoral care components into the module, creating unique, transdisciplinary learning experience on the module. Tom reflected on elements of interdisciplinary pedagogy in the module, as well as the impact of its holistic approach. Not only do students on Beyond Science work in teams to deliver aninterdisciplinary research-based project that addresses one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, students are introduced to a range of skills and opportunities each week beyond the chemistry degrees, with contributions from guest speakers ranging from IATL, Careers, Wellbeing services, and the URSS. Students are also offered individual, drop-in coaching sessions each week where they can discuss how to overcome challenges and use simple coaching techniques (GROW model) to build positive mindsets and habits in the degree.

In his final presentation, Tom highlighted the successes of Beyond Science’s distinctive transdisciplinary approach, noting high weekly attendance rates, an increase in students who apply for the URSS and other engagement opportunities, and student creation of withstanding community partnerships. Tom will continue to build on the practices implemented in Beyond Science, through his leading role in the development of the University’s new Belonging Framework, and through taking over the convening of the IATL module ‘Design Thinking for Social Impact’ as well as joining Warwick’s Coaching Network. Tom’s case study shows how an integrated curriculum design can increase student wellbeing and success, agency, and confidence, and that this integration is crucial to fostering effective inter-trans-disciplinary pedagogies.