Undergraduate Course: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Practice 2: Growing Confidence (EFIE08007)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | PLEASE NOTE this course is only available to EFI students.
In this course you will expand your self-awareness and skill using increasingly varied approaches for reflecting on and growing in your interdisciplinary practice. Topics will include growth mindset and models of resilience; equality, diversity and inclusion; narratives of self, and different approaches knowledge creation in the history of science. |
| Course description |
Reflections on Interdisciplinary Practice 2: Growing Confidence continues to support you in your academic and personal growth by giving you the space and tools to reflect on your learning and development from across the degree and beyond. It encourages you to compare, apply and test theories that allow you to synthesise the discrete components of the programme, and to share your reflections with your peers in order to deepen your insights as an interdisciplinary practitioner.
Consolidating and building on the foundational skills and knowledge practices introduced in first year, you will be introduced to a wider range of theories and frameworks for reflection, goal setting and teamwork, encouraging you to compare them against each other and to select those that are most appropriate for your aims and projects.
An additional aspect of personal growth in second year will be the introduction of training and application of basic peer mentoring techniques, in preparation for a role as mentor of first and second-year students that you may take on in your third year. There will also be an emphasis on building assessment literacy: you will learn tools and methods for self- and peer assessment (how to evaluate your own and other people's work against set criteria, how to give helpful feedback) and you will apply those in small groups of students to offer each other mutual support.
One area of focus for the second semester will be understanding different approaches to standard setting and measurements of success, including assessment. This paves the way for transition into the honours level of study, when your work will be graded, contributing to your final degree classification. Other topics covered this year will include narratives of self; this will help you explore different ways of articulating your own experiences and value to other people (including on CVs and in letters of application). Comparison of different knowledge systems and how they are constructed across cultures as well as in historical perspective will allow you contextualise the different methodologies introduced in Researching Global Challenges and how they relate to the global challenge theme that is the focus of this year.
Student Learning Experience:
All components will be presented in a combination of theory and practice. Content will be introduced in weekly sessions offering a mix of presentations, video content, workshops and group discussions as well as time for individual reflection and writing. You will be asked to apply your learning to the other courses you are taking and to reflect on this experience, sharing your reflections in subsequent sessions to allow you to test the theoretical frameworks and deepening your insight. The sessions will be led by academic staff and/or peer mentors. At the beginning, middle and end of the year you will have individual and/or group meetings with a staff mentor to set your goals for the year and evaluate your progress against those goals.
Assessment will take the form of a series of reflective submissions (e.g. blogs, vlogs, diaries) alongside more specific outputs (e.g. short essays on the theories introduced throughout the course, creative outputs, annotated CV, written feedback on own or another student's work), linked to the evidence portfolio used to provide appropriate evidence from other courses and activities (e.g. log of relevant activity, evaluation of submissions and personal goals).
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 66,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
130 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course will be assessed on a pass/fail basis; no marks will be given.
1) Reflective Submissions
(4 formative outputs equivalent to 500-1000 words each, 2 summative outputs equivalent to ~1500 words each)
Students are required to submit a series of reflective outputs detailing the exploration of Knowledge Creation and accompanying Personal Growth, how their learning integrates across these, and across the programme as a whole, incorporating relevant evidence as appropriate (see below).
Semester 1:
- Introductory reflection (personal goals and growth - formative)
- Mid-semester reflection (focusing on aspect(s) of knowledge creation - e.g. critical engagement with theories of team dynamics, development of team charter - formative)
- End-semester submission (integration of Personal Growth and Knowledge Creation, e.g. develop assessment criteria / structure for 3rd year course - summative)
Semester 2:
- Reflection on progress towards goals and growth (formative)
- Mid-semester draft output (critical engagement with aspects of knowledge creation e.g. narratives of self - formative)
- Final output and accompanying reflective submission (incorporating evidence from across the year, e.g. produce annotated CV and supporting statement - summative)
2) Formative Pieces
(at the start of each semester) will focus on goal setting and progress.
3) Evidence Portfolio
Students are also required to submit a portfolio of work evidencing the activities and application from across this course and other courses, linked to the reflective submissions, with relevant evidence also expected to demonstrate the course Learning Outcomes. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be given on the summative submissions (including one half-way through the course). Students will also receive feedback - both from staff and their peers - on the formative submissions.
In addition to this feedback linked to specific components of assessment, students will also receive feedback on their ideas and their formative work during workshop sessions and discussions.
A key element of the course is individual goal setting: students will learn about different frameworks for this and also learn how to apply such frameworks to the setting and evaluation of their own individual goals. Feedback on these goals (and the reflection on them) will be given at least twice each year. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the scope and dynamic nature of knowledge creation in some specialist areas, and how this is embedded in key theories and principles of interdisciplinary research.
- Apply knowledge, skills and understanding of key methods in varied and unpredictable practical contexts, reflecting on and understanding of the usefulness and limitations of these.
- Present and communicate arguments and ideas using formats appropriate for a range of internal and external audiences across different contexts, while critically evaluating the significance of these.
- Work collaboratively within interdisciplinary groups in ways that show awareness of different roles and responsibilities, while exercising initiative, and independence when carrying out specific research tasks relevant to group and individual work.
- Understand and apply models and theories of personal and professional development, including wellbeing, and develop and reflectively work towards their goals in order to meet personal, academic and professional challenges.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Bloxham, S., Boyd, P., & Orr, S. (2011) Mark my words: the role of assessment criteria in UK higher education grading practices. Studies in Higher Education, 36(6), 655-670.
Freire, P. (1973). Education for critical consciousness. New York: Herder & Herder. Kinsella, E.A. (2009). Professional knowledge and the epistemology of reflective practice. Nursing Philosophy, 11, 3-14
Heilbron, J. et al (2003). The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Henry, J. (2012). A Short History of Scientific Thought. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Piaget, J. (1971). Psychology and epistemology: towards a theory of knowledge. New York: Grossman.
Reynolds, M. & Vince, R. (2004). Organizing reflection. England: Ashgate Publishing.
Ross, J. (2011). Traces of self: online reflective practices and performances in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 16(1), 113-126. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Undertaking this course will enable students to develop, apply and reflect on their research and enquiry skills by using a range of methods of academic enquiry and analysis needed for interdisciplinary practice. Students will exercise autonomy, responsibility and initiative while communicating and collaborating with peers and partners across a range of contexts, working in ways that show awareness of and reflection on collective and individual responsibilities. Students will use a wide range of personal and professional skills to adapt to unfamiliar contexts and environments, and demonstrate the ability to transfer learning and skills across these.
Graduate attributes are closely linked to the learning outcomes, which have a degree of flexibility to provide students with autonomy. With appropriate guidance and feedback, this flexibility will allow students to focus on particular skills and mindsets in the context of different experiences, selecting specific attributes they consider the most important to reflect upon, linked to current and future professional and personal aims, and career aspirations. |
| Keywords | MA,Interdisciplinary,Interdisciplinary Futures,UG,Level 8,EFI,Interdisciplinary Practice,Reflection |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Andrew Cross
Tel: (0131 6)51 4651
Email: Andrew.Cross@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Katarzyna Pietrzak
Tel:
Email: K.Pietrzak@ed.ac.uk |
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