Curriculum Innovation: Integrating Quantitative Methods and Substantive Teaching for HE Level One Sociology Students
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Surrey
Department Name: Sociology
Abstract
It is now evident that increasing the amount of QM teaching skills does not guarantee that social science students develop and retain quantitative skills. Extant research tells us that there is a need to merge and integrate substantive and QM courses. 'Integration' has been identified as a possible way of increasing knowledge and use of QM amongst undergraduates - as well as increasing familiarity with QM amongst staff - for a number of reasons. Research has highlighted how teaching QM in substantive course can help students to learn QM skills and may actually improve students understanding of the substantive content as well. The effectiveness of embedding QM teaching in real-life settings has also been demonstrated. Evidence suggests that sociology is an appropriate discipline for merging substantive and methods courses because sociology engages with social issues which are likely to be meaningful and memorable for students. In addition, student reactions to attempts to integrate substantive and QM course have been generally positive.
Whilst there have been recent attempts to integrate QM into the undergraduate curricula they have suffered from two problems. (1) 'Integration' has been interpreted loosely. In its truest sense, integration involves weaving and combining QM and substantive teaching into an integral whole. (2) There has been only partial engagement with the general literature on pedagogy in Higher Education. Students are not a homogenous group. Students come from different backgrounds and employ different learning styles. This resonates with the conceptual change/student focused (CCSF) model of teaching, which advances a student centred approach that encourages 'deep learning'. In essence, any teaching innovation needs to engage with the 3P model of student learning; a model which illustrates the importance and interconnectedness of 'characteristics of the student', 'course and departmental learning context', 'student's perception of context', 'student's approach to learning' and 'student's learning outcomes'.
The proposed project seeks to develop previous attempts to 'integrate' QM and substantive teaching. The proposed project emphasises the 'full integration' of QM skills into the undergraduate curriculum - joining the threads together in a coherent way - in a manner which ensures that it is achieved early, occurs frequently and which takes into account that student's have different approaches to learning. The proposed project seeks to achieve: full integration across substantive and quantitative modules; full coverage across the whole Level 1 curricula; full support from all Level 1 module convenors and tutors and the departmental management group; and full provision. We propose to develop online resources which will supplement other modes of teaching and be used to support all level 1 modules.
In so doing we believe we will achieve a range of outcomes for students, the University of Surrey and the higher education sector and to the economy and wider society. A clear primary impact will be to raise capacity through the development of student's technical skills. In raising students' technical skills it is hoped that there will be wider benefits for the economy and society. We hope that more students will have the skills, courage and enthusiasm to apply for jobs in the QM sector and to go on to post graduate study in quantitative programmes, using these skills in the job market. More broadly, these graduates will be better equipped to utilise the sorts of complex challenges that society faces in the 21st century.
We would seek to disseminate the results of the proposal. Evaluation of the initiative will be conducted; we would seek to publish the results of the evaluation in anappropriate journal; and we would liaise with the ESRC's Strategic Advisor for QMs discuss the challenges which have been faced, share plans and make resources available to others.
Whilst there have been recent attempts to integrate QM into the undergraduate curricula they have suffered from two problems. (1) 'Integration' has been interpreted loosely. In its truest sense, integration involves weaving and combining QM and substantive teaching into an integral whole. (2) There has been only partial engagement with the general literature on pedagogy in Higher Education. Students are not a homogenous group. Students come from different backgrounds and employ different learning styles. This resonates with the conceptual change/student focused (CCSF) model of teaching, which advances a student centred approach that encourages 'deep learning'. In essence, any teaching innovation needs to engage with the 3P model of student learning; a model which illustrates the importance and interconnectedness of 'characteristics of the student', 'course and departmental learning context', 'student's perception of context', 'student's approach to learning' and 'student's learning outcomes'.
The proposed project seeks to develop previous attempts to 'integrate' QM and substantive teaching. The proposed project emphasises the 'full integration' of QM skills into the undergraduate curriculum - joining the threads together in a coherent way - in a manner which ensures that it is achieved early, occurs frequently and which takes into account that student's have different approaches to learning. The proposed project seeks to achieve: full integration across substantive and quantitative modules; full coverage across the whole Level 1 curricula; full support from all Level 1 module convenors and tutors and the departmental management group; and full provision. We propose to develop online resources which will supplement other modes of teaching and be used to support all level 1 modules.
In so doing we believe we will achieve a range of outcomes for students, the University of Surrey and the higher education sector and to the economy and wider society. A clear primary impact will be to raise capacity through the development of student's technical skills. In raising students' technical skills it is hoped that there will be wider benefits for the economy and society. We hope that more students will have the skills, courage and enthusiasm to apply for jobs in the QM sector and to go on to post graduate study in quantitative programmes, using these skills in the job market. More broadly, these graduates will be better equipped to utilise the sorts of complex challenges that society faces in the 21st century.
We would seek to disseminate the results of the proposal. Evaluation of the initiative will be conducted; we would seek to publish the results of the evaluation in anappropriate journal; and we would liaise with the ESRC's Strategic Advisor for QMs discuss the challenges which have been faced, share plans and make resources available to others.
Planned Impact
The proposed innovation seeks to raise capacity through the development of technical skills amongst students. We anticipate that embedding of teaching of quantitative methods (QM) across the undergraduate timetable will result in a range of impacts: to students, to the University of Surrey and the higher education sector and to the economy and wider society.
A clear primary impact will be to raise capacity through the development of student's technical skills. We hope that the proposed curriculum innovation will help students see the links between QM and the generation of knowledge used in theoretical and other substantive courses. The proposed curriculum should develop students QM skills and improve knowledge of the substantive areas of their degree courses. As well as having an impact on the students themselves - who should get more out of their studies as well as be in a position to get a wider range of jobs post graduation - it is envisaged that there will be benefits for the University of Surrey and the wider higher education sector. We hope that useful lessons will be learnt regarding how best to develop QM skills amongst students. In developing and implementing this proposed innovation, we will generate information about what is effective (and what is less effective) in doing so. We will generate information about the challenges of implementing these kinds of innovations in teaching. These will be disseminated widely through publishing the results in an academic journal and through participating in dissemination events.
In raising students' technical skills it is hoped that there will be wider benefits for the economy and society. We hope that more students will have the skills, courage and enthusiasm to apply for jobs in the QM sector and to go on to post graduate study in quantitative programmes, using these scare skills to fill positions in the job market. In so doing graduates will help foster the economic competitiveness of the UK. Through developing the QM skills of undergraduate students we will contribute to society's understanding policy issues and challenges. As governments seek solutions to the social and economic challenges of the day specialist QM knowledge becomes ever more valuable. More broadly, these graduates will be better equipped to utilise the sorts of complex challenges that society faces in the 21st century.
A clear primary impact will be to raise capacity through the development of student's technical skills. We hope that the proposed curriculum innovation will help students see the links between QM and the generation of knowledge used in theoretical and other substantive courses. The proposed curriculum should develop students QM skills and improve knowledge of the substantive areas of their degree courses. As well as having an impact on the students themselves - who should get more out of their studies as well as be in a position to get a wider range of jobs post graduation - it is envisaged that there will be benefits for the University of Surrey and the wider higher education sector. We hope that useful lessons will be learnt regarding how best to develop QM skills amongst students. In developing and implementing this proposed innovation, we will generate information about what is effective (and what is less effective) in doing so. We will generate information about the challenges of implementing these kinds of innovations in teaching. These will be disseminated widely through publishing the results in an academic journal and through participating in dissemination events.
In raising students' technical skills it is hoped that there will be wider benefits for the economy and society. We hope that more students will have the skills, courage and enthusiasm to apply for jobs in the QM sector and to go on to post graduate study in quantitative programmes, using these scare skills to fill positions in the job market. In so doing graduates will help foster the economic competitiveness of the UK. Through developing the QM skills of undergraduate students we will contribute to society's understanding policy issues and challenges. As governments seek solutions to the social and economic challenges of the day specialist QM knowledge becomes ever more valuable. More broadly, these graduates will be better equipped to utilise the sorts of complex challenges that society faces in the 21st century.
Organisations
Publications
Bullock K
(2015)
'DiscoverQuants': Integrating Quantitative Methods (QM) and Substantive Teaching for First Year Undergraduate Sociology Students
in Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences
| Description | Implementation of the curricula innovation: The curriculum innovation was built around grounding 'exemplars' from substantive modules into QM teaching. An interactive online tool, to reinforce the messages from the 'traditional' lectures and seminars, incorporating revision notes, worked examples, definitions of key terms, revision questions and 'quizzes' (at different levels of difficulty), data sets and a range of other resources including relevant readings and videos was developed. Student views on learning QM and substantive sociology: Whilst it is generally accepted that sociology students have limited skills in mathematics, little interest in QM and are fearful of learning it, we found mixed results. Whilst minorities of students were highly positive and confident or negative and lacking in confidence, most students exhibited what might be best termed as 'ambivalence' towards QM. Students do see the potential value of QM, most clearly for their careers. However, most were not looking forward to studying QM, probably would not have selected it and do not seem to see their future careers in jobs that call for QMs. Students understanding of the interaction between sociology and QM: Students did not on the whole see a strong interaction between substantive sociology and QM. The overriding message was that students saw the substantive and QM modules as quite separate and distinct. However, our students differed in the extent to which links between substantive sociology and QM were made, the strength and nature of these links and the role of our teaching practices within that. Whilst we cannot 'know' whether students were better able to see the links after being exposed to the project do know that the perception persisted that QM and substantive sociology were somewhat distinct. Student views of the online resources: The online tool was well used (generating 1662 hits) and the students reported it to be useful in terms functionality, looks and the nature and depth of the content assembled. We found that the students used the website in 'instrumental' ways. They used it when they were directed to in seminars; as an aid to revision and course work; and as a repository for lecture notes. They differed in respect to how useful the tool was in meeting these objectives. Implications and recommendations: Our findings suggest that (i) Online resources need to account for a range of abilities (ii) The level of feedback given to students on their use of the online tool needs to be considered early on (iii) raising awareness and exposure to the online tools and what they offer in terms of breadth and depth of content might help students move from using the tools in simply instrumental ways (iv) online tool might well be used to support 'learning through doing' (v) Promoting the use of QM - or research methods more generally - in forms of assessment might well help to bridge the gap which remains when fundamentally QM and substantive courses are taught separately. This would be facilitated by making available datasets that students can use and which are linked to the substantive topics, as we did in this project. |
| Exploitation Route | As a project that focused on raising capacity for university students, it is difficult to see that the outputs of this project would be easily extrapolated into non-academic contexts. In this sense our 'users' are those teaching QM in the university sector and students themselves. We hope that we have added to the evidence base about teaching QM in universities, on which others can draw. We also hope that the outputs of the project will be widely used within the university sector. This is especially so of the web resources that we have made available. These are readily transferable into university settings, are available and are easy to use. We believe then that the project has raised capacity for teaching QM by bringing together resources in new and innovative ways. In this sense the project outputs will help the university sector meet the challenge of raising the technical skills of students. As a consequence of development in QM teaching, such as our own project, we hope that more students will have the skills, courage and enthusiasm to apply for jobs in the QM sector, go on to post graduate study in quantitative programmes or otherwise use their skills to fill positions in the job market. As governments seek solutions to the social and economic challenges of the day, specialist QM knowledge becomes ever more valuable. Through adding to the evidence base and providing resources aimed at developing the QM skills of undergraduate students we hope that sociology students will be able to understand and ultimately respond to these challenges. A primary aim was for others to learn from our experiences and we plan for our findings to have impact within the field of teaching QM and sociology and the fields of blended learning and the use of technology in higher education teaching. We hope in short that we will modestly advance pedagogical understanding of innovation in teaching QM. In so doing we will disseminate information of practical interest to teachers in respect to the operation of the initiative. We would also hope to contribute to and inform theoretical debates about teaching in higher education. We have concentrated on two areas to achieve this. First, we have made available our primary project outputs. Our website is available for others working in the field to utilise in their teaching. Second, we have publicized the outputs and outcomes of the project in a number of ways. We held a seminar on 5th September 2013 to disseminate findings and encourage debate and exchange of information between interested parties. We have submitted one paper describing the theoretical background, implementation and outcomes of the project to the scholarly journal 'Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences'. We are further contributing to events which seek to highlight innovation in teaching. For example, we are presented our findings at 'Surrey ExciTeS 2014' an event to highlight innovation in teaching within the University of Surrey community. |
| Sectors | Education |
| Description | Background This grant was for curriculum innovation. Strictly it was not concerned with the extrapolation of research findings and using the research to generate wider impact in the way that typically ESRC grants operate. However, we have sought to generate impact. First, we have improved the student experience of learning quantitative methods at undergraduate level. Second, we sort to disseminate our learning to others who are trying to engender improvements and innovation in the teaching of quantitative methods. Our hope was that others will learn from our experiences and make use of the resources that we have created. Improving the student experience of learning quantitative methods at undergraduate level We sought to improve the way that quantitative methods are taught to undergraduate students studying in the Department of Sociology at the University of Surrey. Our aim was for students to see more readily the links between substantive sociology and quantitative methods. This was achieved through grounding 'exemplars' from substantive modules into QM teaching. An interactive online tool, to reinforce the messages from the 'traditional' lectures and seminars, incorporating revision notes, worked examples, definitions of key terms, revision questions and 'quizzes' (at different levels of difficulty), data sets and a range of other resources including relevant readings and videos was also developed. As part of the grant we conducted research to generate information about 1) student perceptions of studying quantitative methods, 2) the implementation of the project and 3) student views about the innovations. Findings of this research have been published in the journal 'Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences' (Bullock, K, Meadows, R. and Brunton-Smith, I. (2014) 'DiscoverQuants': Integrating Quantitative Methods (QM) and Substantive Teaching for First Year Undergraduate Sociology Students, Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences 6 2, 6-20) and presented at various conferences (see below). The primary findings are also available under the section 'Key Findings' on Research Fish. Impact on our students As noted, a primary aim was to help students see the links between quantitative and substantive sociology. This was to be achieved through integrating aspects of the quantitative and substantive curriculum. The curriculum innovation was implemented in full and to time and was facilitated by a great deal of enthusiasm from colleagues. However, we found that despite the changes to our curriculum students tended to still see quantitative methods and substantive teaching as somewhat distinct. There are a number of possible explanations. It might have reflected 'dosage'. In short, although we amended the curriculum the changes might not have been sufficient to help students see the links between substantive topics and quantitative methods. It might have reflected 'depth'. Whilst we made changes to some aspects of the curriculum other areas remained the same - notably assessment. Others have observed that to truly integrate methods and substantive teaching assessment needs to be integrated as well. It should also be noted that the students were in the first year of their studies. By the final year they might well have been able to better see the links. Indeed, our research with undergraduate students indicated that this might be the case. The online tool was implemented in full and in time and we worked effectively with an educational website designer to deliver it in a short timescale. The internal version contains full teaching datasets which were also created as part of the project. We found that the online tool was well used and students reported it to be useful in terms functionality, looks and the nature and depth of the content assembled. However we also found that the students used it in certain ways that could be characterised as 'instrumental'. They used it when they were directed to in seminars; as an aid to revision and course work; and as a repository for lecture notes. Disseminating our learning to others To inform wider practice in the area of teaching quantitative methods and to raise capacity, we have been very keen for others to be aware of the resources that we have produced and the lessons that we have learnt. Paper in 'Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences' The main written output was our aforementioned paper published in 'Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences'. This paper functioned to disseminate key messages about students' perceptions and experiences of studying quantitative methods, describe our approach and to set out what we had learnt. The journal we selected for publication was appropriate since it is devoted to developments in teaching and learning. It provided an outlet for the findings of the research that examined student perceptions of learning quantitative methods as well as for information about the project, its outputs and outcomes. It was also part of a special edition focusing on the teaching of quantitative methods which will further ensure that it is accessed by those who are interested in the field. As well as the written paper, we have presented presentations and organised workshops to disseminate information about the project and how it worked, the resources that we have made available and the lessons that we have learnt, noted below. Seminars and conferences First, we arranged a day conference at the University of Surrey which was held on 5th September 2013. This event - 'Exploring Developments in Technology, Blended Learning and the Integration of Quantitative Methods and Substantive Teaching' - drew together some 20 academics, researchers and students to discuss matters to do with teaching quantitative methods. Drawing on findings from our and similar projects, the aim of the seminar was for delegates to critically consider the political, economic and policy drivers for improving the quantitative capacity of social scientists in the UK; offer the opportunity for participants to explore new techniques for teaching quantitative methods; and, to facilitate discussion and networking between those who have a commitment to improving the skills of the new generation of experts in quantitative methods. Papers were presented by Professor Jennifer Platt (University of Sussex), Professor Steven Warburton (University of Surrey) Dr Karen Bullock (University of Surrey), Dr Sarah Hayes (Aston University) and Dr Anesa Hosien (University of Surrey). Papers were given on subjects as diverse as ''Expressions of alarm about shortages of quantification: foundations and consequences' (Platt), 'Sociology and Quantitative Methods: an Uneasy Relationship?' (Bullock), 'Disruptive Innovation: Technology Enhanced Learning in the Higher Education Sector' (Warburton), 'Rewarding, challenging and at times even fun! Reflections on weaving quantitative methods into substantive modules for Linguists' (Hayes), 'Negotiating and Navigating the Teaching of Quantitative Methods'(Hosien), 'The Integration of Quantitative Methods and Substantive Teaching Using a Blended Approach' (Bullock). The final session (presented by Ian Brunton-Smith, Rob Meadows and David Peck) consisted of interactive sessions to showcase our project. It provided teaching demonstrations to show how quantitative and substantive teaching was integrated by our lecturers and tutors. It also included an interactive presentation of the blended learning environment and hands-on explanation and exploration of the development and building of the software. Second, Meadows and Bullock presented at Surrey ExciTeS (Excellence in Teaching Symposium) held on Wednesday 8 January 2014. This provided an excellent opportunity to engage with Surrey University teaching staff, to share best practice and showcase innovation in teaching. The symposium aimed to encourage interdisciplinary discussion to facilitate the cross-fertilization of ideas for development, as well as a showcase for the innovative practice that is currently undertaken within the Faculties at Surrey. Third, Bullock presented findings at the British Academy 24th September 2014 at a seminar titled 'Learning from the ESRC Curriculum Innovation and Researcher Development Initiative Programme'. Results from the ESRC/HEFCE/ British Academy quantitative methods CI /RDI projects were presented. The event comprised a mixture of live presentations and poster displays to showcase the resources produced by 20 projects and offered an opportunity to discuss the major lessons learned. Through organising and participating in these events a number of outcomes were engendered. Disseminating information in this way will help others to learn from our experiences. This is especially important in the context of a wider governmental programme aimed at improving the capacity in quantitative methods. Indeed, the final session, held at the British Academy, was well-attended by recipients of large-scale 'Quantitative Methods Initiative' grants funded by the ESRC together with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the British Academy, and the Nuffield Foundation. Many of these projects seek to implement programmes of work which are similar to ours so it was gratifying to see that these programmes could learn from our experience and draw on/develop our resources, as appropriate. These events offered an opportunity for us to raise awareness of the resources that we have made available, demonstrate what our online platform can do and to advertise the availability of the public facing version of the website. It is hoped that the software will be used by others or the ideas adopted. The sessions also generated debate about wide ranging matters including the challenges of teaching quantitative methods to undergraduate students. We believe then that the project has raised capacity for teaching QM by bringing together resources in new and innovative ways. In this sense the project outputs should help the university sector meet the challenge of raising the technical skills of students. Rolling out the online tool This interactive online tool has been used now by a number of generations of students in the department and is now a primary resource for students. Over the past year, 58% of visitors to the internal version have been 'returning visitors'; suggesting that students continue to use the resource into their second year. The website is now also available publically for others who may wish to use it, adopt the format or make use of the materials embedded in it. The url for the external version is http://www.discoverquants4all.surrey.ac.uk/ Finally, in addition to the various dissemination activities described above, we have also provided more directed guidance on the use of online research methods resources. Brunton-Smith recently met with a leading academic publisher (Sage) to discuss the findings of our research, the development of the online learning tool, and useful lessons on the most effective ways to incorporate methods training within online resources. It is anticipated that this will inform the future direction of their online quantitative methods training provision. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Title | 'DiscoverQuants' |
| Description | It is an online tool for teaching quantitative methods for students at the University of Surrey |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | It improves our ability to help students engage with quantitative methods, identify links between quantitative methods and substantive teaching and provides resources |
| URL | http://www.discoverquants.surrey.ac.uk |
| Title | DiscoverQuantsforall |
| Description | It is an online teaching tool |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | This web tool is aimed at providing quantitative methods teachers resources to help students see the links between quantitative methods and substantive methods, increase their engagement in methods and improve their access to resources |
| URL | http://www.discoverquants4all.surrey.ac.uk |
| Title | DiscoverQuantsforall |
| Description | It is an online teaching tool |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | This web tool is aimed at providing quantitative methods teachers resources to help students see the links between quantitative methods and substantive methods, increase their engagement in methods and improve their access to resources |
| URL | http://www.discoverquants4all.surrey.ac.uk |
| Description | Conference at the University of Surrey 5th September 2013 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | On the 5th September 2013 we held a lively and interactive seminar at the University of Surrey to disseminate the findings of our project. It sought to offer participants the opportunity to explore new techniques for teaching quantitative methods and facilitate discussion and networking between those who have a commitment to improving the skills of the new generation of experts in quantitative methods. Speakers included Professor Jennifer Platt, Professor Steven Warburton, Dr Karen Bullock, Dr Sarah Hayes and Dr Anesa Hosien. The event was attended by some 20 delegates. Generated debate, interest, stimulated consideration of how best to teach quantitative methods |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Engagement with Surrey University teaching staff |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | An interactive session to showcase the outputs of the curriculum innovation project - 'DiscoverQuants' - was held on Wednesday 8 January 2014. Participating in the Surrey ExciTeS (Excellence in Teaching Symposium) offered a great opportunity to share best practice and showcase innovation in teaching. The symposium encouraged interdisciplinary discussion to facilitate the cross-fertilization of ideas for development, as well as a showcase for the innovative practice that is currently undertaken within the Faculties at Surrey Discussion about the project, stimulated interest, distributed further information about it |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Presentation at British Academy 24th Sepember 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | On the 24th September 2014 Dr Bullock gave a presentation on the outcomes of the project at a workshop for quantitative methods teachers held at the British Academy 'Learning from the ESRC Curriculum Innovation and Researcher Development Initiative Programme'. At this workshop results from the ESRC/HEFCE/ British Academy quantitative methods CI /RDI projects were presented and a mixture of live presentations and poster displays on the resources produced by 20 projects and the major lessons that can be learnt, as well as some of the other latest developments in quantitative methods teaching Stimulated interest, debate |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |