Awarded Projects 2023/24

Introduction

The Public and Community Engagement Module Development Fund supports projects which develop new opportunities for students to learn about and practise public or community engagement within taught modules. Students are employed as co-creators to design these opportunities with staff, and some projects involve partners in the design phase too.

On this page you can read about projects funded in 2023-24.

Community Engaging - Evaluating the Social Complexities of Healthcare

Two hands reaching towards each other with a background of colourful circles.

Jackie Shanley and Jan Cooper - WMS
Community partners
WMS Students

This module aims to provide opportunities for 2nd year medical students to engage with people from marginalised groups who are attending community health and social care services. Medical students have many opportunities to work with patients in traditional settings such as hospitals, GP surgeries and short community placements. However, many individuals with healthcare needs do not have access to traditional services because of a range of psychological, social or cultural differences. It is envisaged that the community engagement provided by this module will enhance medical students’ understanding of the challenges such people face and enhance their ability to communicate with people from diverse and vulnerable groups.

This module will provide a structured opportunity for students to engage with service users and providers in a range of specialist areas within the community, including drug and alcohol support, homelessness charities, refugee charities and healthcare provision in custodial settings.

July 2024 update

Who was involved? 1 Warwick employee, 5 external individuals, 5 external organisations, 3 Warwick student co-creators. 187 total hours spent on project. 61 Warwick staff hours. 120 Warwick student hours. 6 partner hours. 12 student spaces on module in the first run.

Outputs:

New SSC1 block option, scheduled for delivery in August 2024: Approaches to addressing health and wellbeing inequalities in underserved communities
Informal partnerships with community organisations: The Makery (Nuneaton), Central Hall (Coventry), Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, Canley Community Centre, Coventry Mind
Volunteering resource for students
Creation of new role within MedSoc: Volunteering Officer

Benefits of the funding:

The new module and volunteering framework is a great development within the Medical School. It will provide excellent opportunities for students to engage with the community and develop communication skills and insights into the needs of people form underserved communities.

The input of the students was invaluable and would not have been possible without the funding.

Communicating Mathematics

Two children stacking paper folded cubes into a larger cube structure with gaps in it.

Helena Verrill, with Siri Chongchitnan, Nicholas Jackson, Richard Lissaman, Jose Rodrigo and David Wood - Mathematics
Local year 9 students and teachers
The Royal Institution
Warwick Students

This module is designed to train students in various public mathematical communication activities, and give them the opportunity to put this into practice. This will include options such as developing activities for the Royal Institution Masterclasses in mathematics, which are aimed at year 9 students; creating videos and other social media mathematics presentations; writing a popular article; creating a poster about a mathematical topic, aimed at the general public; creating outreach material for the maths department web page.

July 2024 update

Who was involved? 1 employee, 3 external individuals, 3 external organisations, 9 Warwick student co-creators. 152 total hours spent on projects. 40 Warwick staff hours, 110 Warwick student hours, 2 partner hours. 30 student spaces on module.

Benefits of the funding:

Raising the profile of the new module and public engagement generally in the department
Access to training from specialist maths communicators
“A fantastic introduction to cocreation for me and the students”

Learning to practise patient and public involvement for a Masters of Research in Health and Care

An acorn on the left and a tree on the right. An arrow points from the acorn to the tree.

Jenny Harlock and Sophie Staniszewska - WMS
Community partners
WMS students

This project will develop changes to the Dissertation module undertaken by students who will be enrolled on our new MRes (Masters of Research) in Health and Care at Warwick Medical School, to support students to learn about and practice patient and public involvement (PPI).

Involving patients and the public in health research design is a compulsory requirement of health research funding in the UK and is a core element of health research training for both professional and academic research careers. Involving patients and the public in health and care research design is essential in order to ensure that any research reflects the needs and priorities of patients, their families and carers, and that research outcomes have desired impact for patients and the public. Students enrolled on WMS’ MRes are required to undertake a substantial research Dissertation on a health/care topic of their choice. This project will implement innovations to the module to introduce students to the theory, values and practice of PPI, to inform their research design for their Dissertation, and provide opportunities for students to practice engaging with patients (e.g. through running a simulated patient reference group).

Many of WMS’ Masters-level students are on a PhD pathway and/or are training to pursue a health-research related career. Understanding the principles and practice of PPI and having opportunity early on in their research training to engage with people with lived experience will ensure that the values of PPI are embedded in students’ research trajectory. This is essential for students’ training to be well-rounded, competent and competitive health researchers in their own right; as well as giving opportunity for patients and the public to influence research conducted within higher education.