Gladson Chikwa, Learning and Teaching Officer at the Centre for Academic Development & Quality, is the contact person.
We have become the first UK University to pilot the SCALE-UP approach across several disciplines. In the next academic year
(2013/14), we will be trialling the approach in around 30 modules from the
following Schools in the university: Art & Design; Law; Business;
Education; Science & Technology; Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities.
The pioneer of the SCALE-UP approach, Professor Robert Beichner,
visited us on the 10th of June 2013 and gave a keynote address and conducted
a workshop for colleagues who are running a pilot on their module. The workshop
was designed to mimic some aspects of SCALE-UP to enable colleagues to have a
practical experience of how the approach works. Colleagues were seated at
tables of nine and worked in small groups of three to complete 15 minute long enquiry-based
activities, referred to as âtangiblesâ by Professor Beichner. The hands-on activities
were interspersed by whole group discussions led by Professor Beichner. The
workshop was very informative and inspiring and was well received by colleagues
who were left highly motivated and enthusiastic to start using the approach in
their own disciplines in the next academic year. One colleague commented,
âundertaking the activities gave me a sense of how the dynamics might be
between students of different abilities. It was clear to see that the SCALE-UP
setting provides benefits to stronger students who can act as mentors as well as
weaker students who can learn from their peersâ.
Photo taken during Professor Robert Beichnerâs keynote
address at NTU, 10 June 2013
There are about a dozen SCALE-UP classrooms at City and Clifton campuses. Our rooms are technology-rich and
furnished with bespoke circular tables that seat 9 students each. The tutors
are currently developing teaching materials to be used in their SCALE-UP sessions
in September. We will be posting more news in due course.
At NTU the SCALE-UP pilots are led by Jane McNeil,
Director of Academic Development. For further information, please contact Gladson Chikwa.