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Case study by Dr Christopher Wiley features in book publication on teaching in higher education

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Developing Your Teaching

Dr Christopher Wiley has featured as a case study in a new book publication on teaching in higher education.

The second edition of Developing Your Teaching: Towards Excellence by Peter Kahn and Lorraine Anderson, in Routledge’s Key Guides for Effective Teaching in Higher Education series, includes vignettes and case studies on a wide range of topics.

Dr Wiley’s case study, ‘Going the extra mile with a postgraduate teaching qualification’, draws upon his experiences in reading for the degree of MA in Academic Practice at City University London, from which he graduated in 2015, in order to consider the benefits of higher education teaching qualifications.

It is a streamlined and reworked version of an essay that Dr Wiley previously published in Educational Developments, The Magazine of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), in December last year.

Details of the book may be found here: https://www.routledge.com/Developing-Your-Teaching-Towards-Excellence-2nd-Edition/Kahn-Anderson/p/book/9781138591196

Dr Christopher Wiley publishes article on module evaluation surveys in Studies in Educational Evaluation journal

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X0191491XDr Christopher Wiley has published an article on standardized student evaluation of teaching in the peer-reviewed journal Studies in Educational Evaluation (ISSN: 0191-491X).

Dr Wiley’s article, ‘Standardised module evaluation surveys in UK higher education: Establishing students’ perspectives’, explores the views of student representatives at a single university.

Originally developed in partial fulfilment of the degree of MA in Academic Practice, this research indicates that standardizing module evaluation limits its applicability to local contexts, and that caution should be exercised over interpreting its results in isolation.

Bibliographic citation 

Wiley, Christopher. ‘Standardised module evaluation surveys in UK higher education: Establishing students’ perspectives’, Studies in Educational Evaluation, Vol. 61 (June 2019), pp. 55–65. doi: 10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.02.004

Full text

The full text is available for free download under licence from Surrey Research Insight Open Access.

The article may be previewed here: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1YhNB_,RtPex1z

 

Dr Christopher Wiley receives nominations for multiple University awards in 2015

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Dr Christopher Wiley has received awards and nominations for several major teaching prizes at the University of Surrey in 2015, after less than two years in post as Director of Learning and Teaching for the School of Arts.

USSU Awards 2015In April 2015, Dr Wiley was nominated for The Lynne Millward Award for Academic Staff Member of the Year, which is run by the University of Surrey Students’ Union (awards ceremony pictured, right). Nominations for this award are submitted by the students themselves and it is therefore highly competitive.

Then in June, Dr Wiley was announced as the winner of the Faculty Learning and Teaching Award for the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences (prior to its becoming the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), as well as being shortlisted for The Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Finally, at a prestigious awards ceremony on 23 November 2015 (pictured below), Dr Wiley was announced as the runner-up for The Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognises sustained excellence in teaching, innovative curriculum development, and enhancement of the student experience – thereby illustrating the impact that Dr Wiley has made within the University of Surrey in a relatively short space of time.

Vice-Chancellor's Awards 2015

 

The School of Arts at the University of Surrey celebrates successes in the National Student Survey 2015

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National Student SurveyThe School of Arts at the University of Surrey is celebrating excellent results in the 2015 National Student Survey (NSS), including a score of 95% for overall satisfaction, with Dance and Music reaching No. 1 and No. 2 in the national subject rankings, respectively.

The School made gains in every one of the survey’s 22 questions, including a score of 99% satisfaction overall in the ‘Teaching on the course’ category. Three programmes – BMus Music, BMus Creative Music Technology, and BA Dance – all scored the maximum 100% for overall satisfaction.

As Director of Learning and Teaching for the School of Arts, Dr Christopher Wiley has taken a lead in developing the School’s student experience strategy, including the initiatives by which its students were engaged in completion of the NSS.

The National Student Survey is an independently conducted annual survey of final-year undergraduate students across the UK, and has become a high-profile measure of student satisfaction nationally since its introduction ten years ago.

Further information on the achievements of the School of Arts in the 2015 National Student Survey may be found here: http://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/arts/2015/08/12/national-student-survey-2015/

Dr Christopher Wiley delivers presentation at EERA’s European Conference on Educational Research, University of Porto, Portugal

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ECER Porto 2014Dr Christopher Wiley has given a paper at the major international European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), at the University of Porto, Portugal, on 3 September 2014.

Dr Wiley’s presentation, ‘Standardized Module Evaluation for Teaching Excellence and Enhancement: Views of Students at a Single UK Higher Education Institution’, was included in a joint session of the conference’s Network 10 (Teacher education research) and Network 11 (Quality and effectiveness assurance).

Further information on Dr Wiley’s paper is available at the conference website here. Dr Wiley had previously delivered a version of this presentation in the UK at The Hatton, London in June 2014.

One of the key annual activities of the European Educational Research Association (EERA), ECER 2014 Porto was entitled ‘The Past, the Present, and Future of Educational Research in Europe’ and attracted 3,000 delegates from all over the world who presented their research across five days in many concurrent sessions.

Dr Christopher Wiley presents conference paper on standardized module evaluation at The Hatton, London

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Dr Christopher Wiley delivered a paper on standardized module evaluation, teaching enhancement, and the recognition of teaching excellence at the Sixth Annual ‘Learning at City’ Conference on 4 June 2014.

Dr Christopher Wiley at The HattonHosted by City University London and with the theme of ‘Students as Partners in Learning?’, this year the conference was held at The Hatton, Farringdon – its first time at an external venue.

Dr Wiley’s paper, entitled ‘Standardized Module Evaluation for Teaching Excellence and Enhancement: Views of Students at City University London’, followed an earlier presentation on the same topic at the 17th Annual SEDA Conference in 2012.

Based on research conducted last year via paper-based questionnaires completed by Student Representatives, Dr Wiley’s talk was given to an audience of some 30 staff drawn from City University and other HE institutions across England.

At the conference, Dr Wiley also presented an updated version of his poster, ‘The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme: Paths to Success’, originally shown at the inaugural Surrey ExciTeS Symposium in January 2014.

The full programme for the day may be viewed here: http://city-university-london.co.uk/t/EMO-2IBW5-7UH3CZ-13O24O-1/c.aspx

Dr Christopher Wiley is featured on the BETT Show 2014 Blog

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Dr Christopher Wiley has been featured on the BETT Show 2014 Blog in an post entitled ‘How Hand-Held Electronic Voting Systems Add A New Dynamic To Lectures’, which profiles his work using EVS as a University lecturer in the arts and humanities.

One of the major annual international trade shows for educational technology, BETT (formerly the British Educational Training and Technology Show) celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Its 2014 event is being held on 22-25 January at ExCeL London.

The full blog post on Dr Wiley may be read here: http://www.bettshow.com/page.cfm/action=library/libID=12/libEntryID=47

BETT Show 2014 Blog

Undergraduate Music Programme directed by Dr Christopher Wiley is top in the UK for student satisfaction in 2013

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National Student SurveyCity University London’s BMus Music programme has been ranked as top in the UK with 100% student satisfaction in the 2013 National Student Survey (NSS), voted by the students themselves.

Dr Christopher Wiley assumed the position of BMus Programme Director in 2009, following a year when student satisfaction – as determined by the final question of the NSS, ‘Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course‘ – was at just 31%. Under his leadership, student satisfaction has steadily increased to 62% (2009), 68% (2010), and to 81% last year.

Other highlights of the programme’s 2013 survey results included responses to the questions ‘Staff are good at explaining things’ and ‘Staff have made the subject interesting’ (both 100%); ‘Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching’, ‘The course is intellectually stimulating’, and ‘I have been able to contact staff when I needed to’ (all 97%); and six other scores in the 90s.

Launched in 2005, the NSS is an annual national survey of final-year undergraduate students, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and provides the standard measure of student satisfaction used in a number of major league tables. The full results of the 2013 National Student Survey are available from HEFCE’s website.

The University’s statement on its 2013 student satisfaction scores acknowledged Music’s top position in the UK.

Dr Christopher Wiley becomes Learning Development Fellow at City University London

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At the Fifth Annual ‘Learning at City’ Conference hosted by City University London on 6 June 2013, Dr Christopher Wiley was one of seven members of institutional staff invited to become a Learning Development Fellow.

Dr Christopher Wiley becomes Learning Development Fellow at City University London

From the Learning Development Centre website, Learning Development Fellows are ‘staff who have demonstrated a prolonged commitment to educational development at City University London and who continue to play an active role in promoting a culture of enhancing the student experience through raising the profile of learning and teaching’ (see here).

Dr Wiley joins a cohort of some 60 staff who, amongst other things, form an important network within the institution, provide a point of liaison between their department and the Learning Development Centre, influence and give feedback on development and strategy, mentor junior staff, and advocate teaching excellence and innovation.

Dr Christopher Wiley addresses SEDA Annual Conference at Aston University, Birmingham

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Dr Christopher Wiley addressed the 17th Annual Conference of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), ‘Excellence in Teaching: recognising, enhancing, evaluating and achieving impact’, held at Aston Business School Conference Centre, Aston University, Birmingham on 15-16 November 2012.

His presentation, entitled ‘Standardized Module Evaluation for Teaching Excellence and Enhancement: Views of Students and Staff at a Single UK Higher Education Institution’, discussed the principles underpinning the standardization of module evaluation and its advantages and disadvantages.

Drawing on the standardized module evaluation implemented across City University London last year and some of the more localized processes it replaced, as well as the views of students and staff interviewed as part of his research, Dr Wiley also considered other measures by which teaching excellence might instead be recognized such as student-led teaching award schemes.

In the course of the workshop session, Dr Wiley facilitated a lively discussion on the relative merits and drawbacks of standardized module evaluation, exploring the processes currently implemented at different institutions, sharing best practices, and working towards action planning for the future.

Dr Christopher Wiley receives Student Voice Award at City University London

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For the second year in a row, Dr Christopher Wiley has received a prestigious Student Voice Award, presented by City University London. He thus becomes only the second person in the history of the Award to have been a recipient in two consecutive years.

Chris was one of twelve members of academic and professional staff across the University to win the prize. Competition was, as ever, extremely fierce with a total of over 200 nominees.

Dr Christopher Wiley receives the Student Voice Award 2012The scheme is intended to reward ‘exceptional teaching practice and outstanding support services’, and to recognize excellent contribution to the student experience. Nominations are made by the students themselves and winners are decided by the University’s Students’ Union.

See this post for news of Chris’s being awarded a University Student Voice Award in 2011. Further information about the Student Voice Awards 2012 is available here.

Chris was separately awarded a School of Arts Learning & Teaching Recognition Prize for his excellent module evaluation feedback in the 2011-12 academic year.

The prizes were announced and formally presentated at a prize-giving ceremony at the close of the Fourth Annual ‘Learning at City’ Conference on 13 June 2012 (see picture above).

Dr Christopher Wiley wins University Student Voice Award at City University London

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Dr Christopher Wiley has won a prestigious Student Voice Award (so named because all nominations are made by the students themselves) at City University London.

Staving off fierce competition from hundreds of nominees, Chris was one of 12 meChristopher Wiley at the teaching podmbers of academic staff across the University to win the coveted £1,000 prize.

The Student Voice Award scheme is run by the University’s Students’ Union in conjunction with the Learning Development Centre, to acknowledge lecturers who have demonstrated great commitment to top-quality teaching, learning, and assessment over the past year, and who have made a positive impact on the student experience. Students are required to complete a one-page application by way of nominating a staff member.

Chris’s nomination was made primarily on the basis of excellence in dissertation supervision, together with quality and timeliness of feedback on written work.  The students also commended him for the ‘buzz’ they feel after his lectures, for his listening and communication skills, and for the support he has given to student activities both on and off campus.

Chris was formally presented with the award at the prize-giving ceremony with which the annual ‘Learning at City’ conference ended on 23 June 2011. Earlier that day, he had delivered a presentation at the same conference based on his research on institutional handbooks for postgraduate research students.