Learning should be fun! Or at least engaging. Undergraduate students seem to have become more and more focussed solely on results. Who hasn’t been asked ‘How do I get a first?’ This isn’t surprising; the financial pressure of attending university means that students are focussed on the metrics of their degree outcome without stopping to think about how their degree can lead to attainment of skills that will support them into their first job and beyond. So how can we enhance the student learning experience, encouraging them to engage in their university journey starting at the very beginning with their transition to university? I will describe the varied activities we have developed for students on our Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience programmes to support them in the transition to university and to improve the student experience by trying to make their skills development engaging.

A series of 'Programme Enhancement Activities’ support students in the transition to university and encourage them to develop the necessary skills needed for learning. The sessions include ‘Survive and Thrive at University’ and ‘Reliability of information & Investigating a scientific myth’.  

I strive to incorporate gaming elements into my teaching to support students’ learning. Activities include self-directed quizzes for numeracy skills development, a ‘Pub quiz’ style revision session and a histology card game. I have also developed an interactive workshop to develop scientific writing skills in first year students, many of whom will not have previously written essays at school. We have recently converted this to a standalone interactive online resource which has had excellent student feedback and is being trialled in another institution. I will also describe an innovative cross faculty final year research project we created with a colleague in Classics.  

I am keenly aware that developing successful teaching comes through teamwork and all the activities I will describe have been created in collaboration with others. Many of my ideas have developed from hearing about things that others have done so hopefully there will be something in my talk that inspires you.