New fellowships to encourage innovative teaching
Four members of staff have been awarded a new University of Sussex Teaching Fellowship, which gives them £2,000 each to conduct research into teaching and learning.
Clockwise: Andrew, Fiona, Sarah and David
Dr Andrew Chitty, Lecturer in Philosophy, plans to investigate ways in which student-moderated online discussion forums, such as those in Study Direct, can assist with teaching.
Fiona Courage, Special Collections Manager, will look at ways in which colleagues can use the primary source materials held in the University’s Special Collections to develop models of innovative teaching.
David Green, Director of Business Engagement within the Department of Business and Management aims to help Sussex to launch a best-practice student-placement scheme.
Dr Sarah King, Lecturer in Behavioural Neuroscience, aims to test a time- and cost-efficient model of project supervision in a molecular laboratory, which will help to facilitate teaching an increased number of students while enhancing the independent nature of the project.
It is also hoped that the creation of the new Fellowships will help the four staff to prepare and compete for national teaching fellowship schemes.
Rethinking rush hour
Stefan Arundel with his innovative diving safety meter
Design graduate Dan Headden’s redesigned tube-train interior could help to improve the experience of travelling on the London Underground. Dan’s rethink tackles issues such as user personal space; ease of boarding and alighting; travelling with luggage, children and wheelchairs; cleaning, litter and resistance to vandalism; and minimising the threat of terrorist activity.
The new tube-train interior was revealed alongside 22 other projects at the Product Design students’ degree show, ‘Innovate 2010’, in June 2010. The show was a hit with regional and national media, including a live spot on the BBC Radio London Breakfast Show.
Also showing their work were Stefan Arundel, creator of the DPA/dive personal assistant, a new device for safer diving, and Simon Baillie who has designed electricity-generating road ribs that harness the power of passing traffic to generate electricity for street lights and electric car-charging stations.