Learning Support Team project hailed as model of Best Practice

A snapshot of the work carried out by the Learning Support team within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is currently being featured as a model of best practice on the LLiDA's (Learning Literacies in a Digital Age) wiki. The LLiDA wiki is a collection of learning literacies being employed in FE and HE sectors in the UK.

The Team’s featured project, entitled ‘i-guides: Byte-sized pockets of information’, features a series of electronic study skills and academic guidance booklets aimed at humanities and social science students. The guides are currently hosted on posterous and are a spin-off from K:LEarn, the Learning Support Team’s main learning space and study skills support network pages on the KLE.

The Learning Support Team provides study skills advice and academic guidance. This covers a variety of topics but common concerns that students have include essay planning, essay writing, exam revision, exam performance, time management, research skills, academic confidence and doing a dissertation. The provision is faculty based and open to any student who studies within humanities and social sciences so is available to all Sociology and Criminology students. As part of this work, they run workshops, hold one-to-one appointments and develop and maintain a range of study skills resources online via the K:LEarn. The team comprises of Verity Aiken and Claire Fox. You can find their details and learn more about their work on the learning support blog at www.humsslearningspace.blogspot.com

You can view the acclaimed entry on the LLiDA wiki pages here:

http://www.caledonianacademy.net/spaces/LLiDA/index.php?n=Main.BestPracticeExamples

If you have any questions about the project, or would like to know more about the Learning Support Team’s work please email v.aiken@keele.ac.uk

Criminology 'Study abroad' students win photography awards

Two Keele Criminology students recently won prizes in the second annual Study Abroad Photo Awards. The awards, for photographs taken while the students were abroad participating in th Study Abroad Scheme, were presented at an awards ceremony held at Keele Hall.

Students returning from their trips attended the event and shared experiences of their time abroad over drinks. Professor Ray Cocks, Chris Pike (Director of Quality Assurance), Keele's Alumni Officer John Easom and Keele Study Abroad Alum, Layla Laurenson-West, had selected twelve images that best captured the study abroad experience from over 80 entries. Guests at the event then voted for their top choices, with third year Criminology and English student Kathryn Vanhinsbergh's picture "Adelaide Heat Wave" winning 1st prize. Kathryn had visited Flinders University, Adelaide for her Study Abroad experience and her picture captured a seaside sunset and students enjoying the moment. Third year Criminology and Philosophy student Rasal-Mutu Sesay's "Sunset Over the Horizon" was a close second.

The study abroad opportunity is available to all Second Year Criminology students who have achieved marks averaging 55 or above and is also available to Sociology students. Keele’s Study Abroad programme lets students swap a semester of their second year for a semester studying at one of our partner universities. For Criminology, these include very popular destinations in the USA, Canada and Australia. In recent years, Keele Criminology students have visited the University of Ottawa, Flinders University, Dalhousie University, University of Southern Maine, University of British Columbia, Griffith University, Colorado State University, Edith Cowan University, University of Guelph, York University, University of Windsor, and Loyola University.

It is not necessary that students speak a foreign language as all partner universities provide teaching in many subjects in English and offer language courses in the summer prior to you starting your studies.

The Centre for International Exchange and Languages holds a Study Abroad Fair for students at Keele each November so that you can find out more details. The fair is always attended by Keele students who have previously taken part in the exchange programme and there is also the opportunity to speak to students who are visiting Keele as part of their exchange. A Study Abroad Adviser also attends to help students to prepare for their semester abroad and she is available throughout the year to answer queries.

If you would like to know more about Study Abroad opportunities in Criminology email j.p.hardie-bick@appsoc.keele.ac.uk .

If you would like to know more about Study Abroad at Keele generally click here.