Dr Cristina Navarro Reguero and Dr Matthew Hopkinson designed CHEMmunicate, a fun team game where students draw chemical structures by asking yes/no questions—boosting communication skills and reinforcing organic chemistry knowledge.
Dr Alessio Iannetti (FMS) explored how best to support international students—while comparing their needs to those of home students. Guided by student and colleagues feedback, his pilot project suggests practical ways to strengthen support and foster inclusive learning communities.
Loiana Leal, Lecturer in Modern Languages, worked with the LTDS Digital Exams Team to introduce digital exams using Inspera in a Portuguese module—co-creating authentic assessments with students to improve marking, feedback, and the overall experience.
Discover how Katie Wray, Senior Lecturer in Engineering, collaborated with colleagues from LTDS and FMS TEL to pioneer an innovative reflective portfolio approach that was used with first-year undergraduate engineering students.
Jo Clark (NUBS) describes working with MBA students to deliver a consultancy project, using the social value model, adding authenticity and contemporary relevance to academic theory, testing students’ skills as business consultants, and delivering value to a client organisation.
Find out how Professor Nick Megoran from the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology designed an unconventional lectures in geopolitical theory that uses creative, playful learning and surprise to engage students.
John Hedley, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering, explains how his module’s NUMBAS exam assesses students’ effort during the module, by giving them the opportunity to see, practise and ask for advice on all exam questions prior to taking the exam, and in the process developing a deep understanding of the module’s learning outcomes.
Dr John Hedley, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering, designed a marking criteria for a team of markers on a large population engineering module, enabling fast and consistent marking, alongside effective descriptive student feedback that is automatically generated.
In this case study Dr Vicky Fawcett, Research Associate in Astrophysics, describes how Newcastle, Durham and Northumbria Universities collaborated to design a hugely successful astronomy exhibition at the Great North Museum, with the aim of getting more children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as their families and the wider local community, interested in STEM subjects.
Does the competitive nature of a game help to improve student knowledge retention, while making a seminar session more fun and engaging? Dr Alessio Iannetti investigated this and shares the results in this case study.