Collaborative Excellence
Name
- Mark McCrory
- Judith McKnight
- Ian Smyth
- Heather Farley
Department
Dept of Management & Leadership
About the Team
The PowerPoint for Active Learning (PPAL) team’s aim is to enhance student engagement and the overall learning experience through a more effective use of PowerPoint to support lectures and to encourage more active student learning.
The team is:
- Mark McCrory (FHEA), a Lecturer in Management and Course Director for the suite of MBA programmes at the University
- Dr Judith McKnight (SFHEA), a lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Course Director for the BSc (Hons) Management and Leadership Development
- Ian Smyth (FHEA), a Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Course Director of the BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management
- Professor Heather Farley (PFHEA), Associate Dean (Education) for Ulster University Business School
Dr Steve McPeake (FHEA), formerly of Ulster University was also a team member.
The benefits of working on a collaborative approach were numerous.
Firstly, it helped in the drive towards the University’s strategic aims around embedding and developing active learning environments, involving students as partners and building upon new / emerging technologies.
The collaborative effort allowed for more consistent delivery and testing of an approach that would work across substantially different forms of module content.
The team found the best way was to work together to redesign delivery materials as a group rather than as individual module coordinators – a coordinated course team approach is always better.
Students were also engaged as collaborative partners and the outcomes of the project led to better attendance, more positive engagement in class and, ultimately, a better overall experience for both staff and students alike.
Case Study
Title
Returning the Point to PowerPoint