At the recent CELebrate conference, Melanie Gray presented work on embedding industry competitions in student assessment.
Industry competitions are an interesting way to build triadic engagement between academics, students and industry aligning closely with our Bournemouth University blended fusion model of research, professional practice and education. Competition and its use within learning can be seen as an effective way to motivate and increase student satisfaction (Regueras et al 2008). In addition, there is evidence to suggest that the combination of competitive and collaborative learning provides high levels of performance, motivation and a greater student engagement (Tauer & Harackiewicz 2004).
By drawing on case studies in Marketing and Advertising from the Faculty of Media & Communications and the Faculty of Management, she showcased the use of competitions in assessment approaches at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Within her workshop she gave the opportunity for discussion on the value that competitions provide in the assessment approach for both the academic tutor and the student. Melanie provided guidance on how to identify competitions appropriate for degree programmes and units of assessment and, in an interactive way, worked through ways of embedding industry competitions into assessment design. Throughout the workshop she considered variables relating to the use of competitions that can lead to, if not handled correctly, an unconstructive learning experience (Johnson & Johnson 2009)
Ultimately, HE curriculum development and assessment approaches need to continuously innovate in order to meet societal, educational and industry demands. Industry competitions provide unique challenges and opportunities to both enhance the student learning experience and develop key skills.
See the PowerPoint here: CELconf_June2017
Melanie Gray can also be contacted here for more information!
References
Johnson, D.W & Johnson R.T (2009). An Educational Psychology Success Story: Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning. Educational Researcher, Vol. 38, No.5, pp. 365-379
Regueras, L,M; Verdú E; María(2011) Design of a Competitive and Collaborative Learning Strategy in a Communication Networks Course IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol. 54, No. 2
Tauer J.M and Harackiewicz, J.M (2004), The effects of cooperation and competition on intrinsic motivation and performance, J. Pers. Soc.Psychol., vol. 86, no. 6, pp. 849–861
