The East Midlands Centre for History Learning and Teaching

History Assessment Workshop

Monday 17 January 2022 1-3:30pm, Microsoft Teams

Assessment plays a pivotal role in Higher Education and it is generally agreed that diversity in assessment is crucial. In recent years there have been some innovative and diverse assessments in history degrees, although traditional essays and exams tend to be the default. This workshop will explore different approaches to assessment, including insights into innovative and creative assessments within history, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to the subject benchmark statement and demands to demonstrate employability on assessment, and reflections on assessment from colleagues representing EMC institutions.

Using Participation Marks as Assessment in History (UK)

David Gehring and Hannah Nicholson, University of Nottingham

Abstract

This study investigated the use of participation marks (broadly understood) in assessment by HEIs in the UK. By means of two surveys – one for institutions in the East Midlands, one for the rest of the UK – staff members were asked questions about the perceived and real benefits and challenges in using such marks, and whether using these marks in their modules affected student perceptions and choice. Results varied. While some surveys returned relatively negative views, others were fulsome in their praise; others still were somewhere in the middle. A focus group was also conducted to ascertain the views of students at an institution where participation marks have been used for several years. Although views among staff varied to some extent, the students’ perspectives were comparatively uniform in their positivity. Some general conclusions are drawn from the evidence provided in the surveys and subsequent interviews.

History Teaching and Learning in the ‘Age of Covid’

Monday 11 January 2021 (10am to 1pm) via MS Teams

The East Midlands Centre for History Teaching & Learning is a regional organisation bringing together historians from the nine East Midlands HEIs to develop, share, and investigate excellence in history teaching in higher education. Our teaching history workshop is a forum for colleagues from across the region to discuss aspects of their teaching practice under a specific theme. The workshop is open to PGRs, postdoctoral researchers and academic staff from across the region.

Innovations in Teaching Eighteenth-Century History

Online Workshop hosted by the University of Northampton, 25 June 2020

William Hogarth, ‘The Assembly at Wanstead House’ (c. 1728-32): Wikimedia Commons

This online workshop brought together speakers and delegates to explore innovative approaches to teaching eighteenth-century History. Papers, which were pre-circulated, covered a range of different topics, including sensory history, material culture, using archival museum collections, and student engagement (see full list of papers below).

Undergraduate Dissertation Showcases

One of the great strengths of studying a history degree is the opportunity to develop strong research skills. As part of the work of the EMC we have been keen to celebrate the work of students as researchers and to encourage departments to think about a range of different ways that they can help students to develop their own voice as historians. One part of this strategy has been to host regional undergraduate dissertation showcases. These events have given students an opportunity to share with their peers the findings of their independent research.