Subject Benchmark Statement Research Articles

What Defines a Discipline and How We Teach and Study It? The Changing Scope and Role of the Subject Benchmark Statement for Politics and International Relations (IR) and Its Implications For the Teaching and Study of Politics and IR in Higher Education

The paper asks whether there is a typical Politics and IR curriculum before reviewing the content and design of the revised fifth edition of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Politics and IR Subject Benchmark Statement that was launched in March 2023. The paper examines the manner by which the most recent edition differs from earlier subject benchmark statements and reflects on the implications of the strategic direction taken by the QAA to include new content areas that primarily focus on the development of disciplinary statements on Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), Accessibility and sustainability and Enterprise and entrepreneurship education (EED). The paper explores the implications of benchmark statements, given that while they are not a regulatory requirement, they nevertheless seek to define what can be expected of a graduate and are drawn upon by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to inform the development and revision of Politics and IR undergraduate provision.

The first national subject benchmark statement for UK higher education in policing: the importance of effective partnership and collaboration

PurposeThe Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education in the UK focuses on maintaining, enhancing and standardising the quality of higher education. Of significant impact are the development of subject benchmark statements (SBS) by the QAA, which describe the type and content of study along with the academic standards expected of graduates in specific disciplines. Prior to 2022, the QAA did not have a SBS to which higher education policing programmes could be directly aligned.Design/methodology/approachOver 12-months, a SBS advisory group with representatives from higher education across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, The College of Policing, QAA, Police Federation of England and Wales and policing, worked in partnership to harness their collective professional experience and knowledge to create the first UK SBS for policing. Post publication of the SBS, permission was sought and granted from both the College of Policing and QAA for members of the advisory group to reflect in an article on their experiences of collaborating and working in partnership to achieve the SBS.FindingsThere is great importance of creating a shared vision and mutual trust, developed through open facilitated discussions, with representatives championing their cause and developing a collaborative and partnership approach to completing the SBS.Practical implicationsA collaborative and partnership approach is essential in developing and recognising the academic discipline of policing. This necessarily requires the joint development of initiatives, one of which is the coming together of higher education institutions, PSRBs and practitioner groups to collaborate and design QAA benchmark statements.Social implicationsThe SBS advisory group has further driven forward the emergence of policing as a recognised academic discipline to benefit multiple stakeholders.Originality/valueThe SBS for policing is the first across the UK. The authors experiences can be used to assist others in their developments of similar subject specific benchmarking or academic quality standards.

University business students as charity trustees: A win-win for all?

Charities are facing a crisis in recruiting board trustees. Additionally, boards have been criticised for lacking diversity and being unrepresentative of society. The purpose of this paper is to propose a solution to the problem of trustee recruitment, by considering university business students as trustees. Through an analysis of advertised trustee jobs, the proposal is evaluated against degree subject benchmark statements. The findings identify some key person characteristics specified by charities when recruiting trustees. The generic criteria could be met by most students and many of the personal skills are developed by students while at university. However, to address some of the experience criteria, may require additional training and some yielding by charities. The paper offers originality in its proposition of appointing university business students as trustees and in its approach to examining the feasibility of that proposition through an analysis of trustee jobs.

What is The Employability Value of a Degree in Politics and International Relations?

Students entering contemporary higher education have the question of employability at the forefront of their minds, both when deciding which institution to study at and which subject to study. However, the notion of the “employability agenda” is not often welcomed by academics. Focusing on teaching and learning in the UK, this article draws on Daubney’s (2022) concept of “extracted employability” to ask what students of Politics and International Relations can expect in terms of employability outcomes from their degree and how that employability value can best be communicated. Highlighting resistance from academics and students to integrating employability into a demanding curriculum, this article, referencing the 2023 QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Politics and International Relations, offers a subject-specific employability proposal. This suggestion could enhance Politics and International Relations degrees and be incorporated into institution-wide curricula and student recruitment activities. The Subject Benchmark Statement is utilized as a common understanding of the nature and standards of study in a subject area; one that can be applied in the delivery and promotion of degrees to help answer the call for those delivering Politics and International Relations teaching and learning to be more confident in their articulation of the employability value of a degree in the field.

Research skills modules for further education college based top-up degrees

This case study investigated to what degree the research skills needed for college based top-up degrees differ from each other. The four academic areas studied ranged from natural and formal science subjects to social science and visual arts. They were explored by means of a thematic analysis of both their individual module handbooks on research skills and interviews with lecturers on these modules. The results were compared against the relevant subject benchmark statements, Biglan’s framework of classifying academic fields and related research. The interviews suggest that the research skills development needs of students at top up degree level can be met through a dedicated module in an effective way. Both the handbooks and the interviews intimated that there is a certain amount of overlap when it came to secondary research, which may be effectively met by a suitable librarian. Furthermore it was found that only two dimensions of Biglan’s framework are necessary to explain the needs of detailed ethics consideration for student projects and the existence of primary research tools and techniques peculiar to a certain field. Further work could include the definition of more generic primary research tools and techniques for academic fields where a paradigm consensus is relatively weak.

How Can the Literature on Phenomenology Inform the Teaching of Accurate Empathy in Social Work Practice?

The ability to demonstrate empathy is identified as a key social work attribute by the professional regulator and other professional bodies as well as in government guidance and the relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Statement. Empathy is strongly linked to the ability to learn from experience and, as such, has relevance beyond social work to higher education in general. This paper will focus on how a phenomenological approach to theorising empathy might provide a framework for the development of the social work curriculum. I argue that representational accounts of interpersonal understanding offer a conception of empathy that is both limited and hubristic. From a representational perspective, empathy involves making informed guesses about the experiences of other people, often described using the overused metaphor of ‘walking in their shoes’ (Lathrop & Parish 1895). In contrast, an enactivist understanding of interpersonal relations, based on a phenomenological approach, provides a more hopeful and socially just basis for social work practice. It also has clear implications for teaching approaches and curriculum design in social work education including a focus on the student- teacher relationship, embodied practice, and more effective use of simulation.

Bridges and barriers to developing visual literacy

Presentation abstract
 As learning developers, we are generally confident supporting academics and students with developing criticality and academic writing skills. However, communication today is multimodal and increasingly visual so our support is expanding to include developing visual literacy, i.e. approaching visual sources critically and using visuals to communicate effectively.
 
 Both the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (QAA, 2014) and many individual subject benchmark statements require students to be able to communicate ‘in a range of formats’ and to ‘non-specialist audiences’ —and yet not all students seem to have the opportunities learn how to do so effectively, despite these national and disciplinary requirements. This presentation reported on the findings from research undertaken as part of an EdD that explored the extent of visual literacy development across an institution and what further enablers and obstacles exist that influence a student’s ability to develop the skills needed to effectively communicate in a visually rich landscape (see Bartram, 2021). 
 
 The research began with an institution-wide audit of 1,725 module specifications that categorised each module as explicitly, implicitly, potentially or not apparently developing visual literacy. This audit indicated that choice of degree is the first major bridge or barrier to developing visual literacy a student may face. Only three subjects had the opportunity to develop both critical and creative visual literacy skills in a good proportion (>25%) of their modules (Film, Media & Digital Design, Engineering & Geography, Earth & Environmental Science); two more had a similar number of opportunities to develop only critical skills (History and American Studies) and likewise with creative skills (Biology & Environmental Science and English & Creative Writing – but the majority had only modest or low numbers of modules with opportunities to develop any visual literacy skills. Interviews with academic staff teaching on modules representing all the above categories then considered why visual literacy is or is not developed. Barriers were identified such as resistance to change, lack of staff experience/confidence in teaching and assessing visual communication, and student expectations of assessments. The research found many bridges, such as the increase in public communication assignments to improve employability and the need for more inclusive assessments. It concluded that most barriers could be minimised by providing a range of sample assessment rubrics which emphasise assessment of visual elements. The findings have implications for learning developers who may need to support both students and academics who are not confident developing a new set of academic skills that take them out of their logocentric comfort zone.

“Teaching employability is not my job!”: redefining embedded employability from within the higher education curriculum

PurposeThis paper introduces a new approach to embedding employability by extracting from higher education curriculum the knowledge, attributes, skills and experience that employers value. The Extracted Employability concept enables academics to surface the innate employability value of what they already teach across all curriculums, disciplines and programmes, enabling students to prepare better for work and make more effective career decisions.Design/methodology/approachManual textual analysis of all UK Quality Assurance Agency Subject Benchmark Statements surfaced a database of common descriptors for defining and articulating the innate employability value of higher education curriculum, enriching language in attributes and transferable skills.FindingsExtracted Employability enables academics to articulate the employability value of their existing curriculum without sacrificing rigour or integrity, which is particularly of concern in research-led universities. Piloting the concept, a database of attributes and transferable skills enabled academics to surface significantly greater value for students from curriculum in the language employers recognise, addressing the perceived “skills gap”.Practical implicationsStudents, particularly studying subjects not professionally-aligned, will find it easier to connect the extracted employability value of their curriculum with what employers are looking for. Academics can use richer language of skills for creating learning outcomes that also have employability value.Social implicationsSurfacing employability through curriculum makes it structurally unavoidable for all students to engage with, supporting social mobility and enabling students to realise more effectively the value of their higher education in work.Originality/valueResearch and practice on employability has derived from a position outside academic curriculum established by Knight and Yorke (2003), but this approach redefines employability from within academic curriculum.

Students’ understanding of psychological literacy in the UK undergraduate curriculum

Psychological literacy is a concept in psychology learning and teaching in Higher Education (HE) that considers how psychology students can intentionally apply psychological knowledge to personal, professional and societal goals. However, despite its prevalence among psychology Higher Education scholars and developers, it is unclear whether psychology students are aware of psychological literacy. In this mixed methods study, psychology undergraduates studying in the UK (N=117) were asked to rate the core eight competencies of psychological literacy, as outlined by the QAA (2019) subject benchmark statement. Overall, we found that students were mostly unaware of the term ‘psychological literacy’. However, students did value the attributes that it includes. When asked to define the term, students typically referred to the capacity to understand subject–specific knowledge, with some students discussing the application of this knowledge to everyday life too. Implications for the development of psychological literacy as an emergent pedagogic practice are discussed.

Disciplinary literacies in STEM: what do undergraduates read, how do they read it, and can we teach scientific reading more effectively?

ABSTRACT There have been calls for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to become more interdisciplinary, reflecting the reality of contemporary research. However, communicating across disciplines is challenging. In this article, I explore what and how students read in the STEM disciplines`. I provide an overview of key topics in literacy research, and discuss the disciplinary nature of literacy. I compare disciplinary literacy requirements in STEM through thematic analysis of UK quality subject benchmark statements, which identifies considerable variation in the expectations of undergraduates to engage with primary research literature. I explore implications this has for interdisciplinary teaching, and present some published pedagogical strategies for engaging students in research literature. I call on STEM educators to embed inclusive disciplinary literacy teaching within curricula to support students in their reading. I also highlight the need for clear understanding of disciplinary conventions and reading expectations when designing interdisciplinary educational programmes.

Discipline-specific feedback literacies: A framework for curriculum design

Feedback literacy is an important graduate attribute that supports students’ future work capacities. This study aimed to develop a framework through which discipline-specific feedback literacies, as a set of socially situated skills, can be developed within core curricula. The framework is developed through a content analysis of National Qualifications Frameworks from six countries and UK Subject Benchmark Statements for multiple disciplines, analysis of indicative subject content for a range of disciplines and consultation with subject-matter experts. Whilst most of the benchmark statements incorporate the development of feedback literacy skills related to ‘making judgements’, attributes relating to ‘appreciating feedback’ and ‘taking action based on feedback’ are less prevalent. Skills related to ‘managing the affective challenges of feedback’ are most prevalent in documentation for applied disciplines. The resulting empirically guided curriculum design framework showcases how integrating the development of discipline-specific feedback literacies can be enacted through authentic learning activities and assessment tasks. In terms of implications for practice, the framework represents in concrete terms how discipline-specific feedback literacies can be integrated within higher education curricula. The findings also have implications for policy: by positioning discipline-specific feedback literacies as graduate outcomes, we believe they should be integrated within national qualifications frameworks as crucial skills to be developed through higher education courses. Finally, from a theoretical perspective, we advance conceptions of feedback literacy through a sociocultural approach and propose new directions for research that seek to reconceptualise a singular concept of feedback literacy as multiple feedback literacies that unfold in distinctive ways across disciplines.

“Sustainability of Information” as a New Subject in University Degrees in Business Management and Administration: Reporting of Non-financial Information — Spanish Case

The implementation of curricula of degree, within the framework of the European space of higher education (EEES) has been a substantial change in University learning. The student spent acquire knowledge, competencies, being considered as “an identifiable and measurable set of knowledge, attitudes, values and skills related that allow satisfactory performance in real-life situations of work, according to the standards used in the occupational area” (Van-der Hofstadt & Gómez, 2013, p. 30). More specifically, we talk about generic skills, which are the cognitive, social, emotional and ethical (initiative, effort with the quality, liability, etc.) of transferable character that constitute “knowledge be” in vocational training of the University; and specific competencies in the various degrees and disciplines, allowing to specify functions and professional profiles to form. The degree of management and business administration, general objective is to train professionals and experts in the knowledge and use of processes, procedures, and practices employed in organizations. This overall objective implies to consider the interrelationships between the different parts of the Organization and its relationship with the environment. Studies administration and business management are aimed at learning theories, models and tools applicable to the processes of decision and management organizations. According to the book white of the title of the degree in economics and business, published by the national agency of evaluation and quality, distinguish between specific objectives in the field of knowledge and specific objectives in the field of competences and skills. Focusing on the latter, and in accordance with the Subject Benchmark Statements of General Business and Management, published by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom, the specific objectives in the field of skills and abilities that we focus the work would empower the student to it raise the ethical exercise of the profession, assuming social responsibility in decision-making. In this environment, it is necessary to consider the implementation of the 2014/95/EU Directive on disclosure of non-financial information and information on diversity of certain large companies and certain groups resulted in the publication of the Royal Decree 18/2017, of 24 November, whereby amending the commercial code, the consolidated text of the Capital Companies Act approved by Royal Legislative Decree 1/2010 of 2 July and the law 22/2015, 20 July audit of accounts , in the field of non-financial information and diversity. This new disclosure requirement for companies leads us to consider the need to introduce a transversal subject in the curricula of students in economics and management and business administration studies, in order to acquire the skills necessary in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), to produce the new business reports.

Professional Training of Medical Specialists: International Experience

Abstract The article deals with international experience in medical professional education and analyzes the modern trends in professional training of junior medical officers, specificity of their professional training in 1 and 2 accreditation levels institutions of higher medical education in the context of the European integration process. Subject Benchmark Statements of Ukrainian higher education were defined as a list of requirements for knowledge, abilities and skills in solving professional tasks. It is emphasized that targeted development of professional competecy is viewed as the most important practical objective of an educational institutions. It is specified that professional training of future nurses in Ukrainian medical colleges is characterized by certain advantages and disadvantages. Ukrainian and international experience in medical education was comparatively analyzed. The American, Canadian and European systems of professional training for medical specialists were considered. It is found that American colleges provide comprehensive and multilevel training for nursers. It is highlighted that integrated three-hour classes are the leading form of the education process organization in Canada. It combines theoretical and practical training. Considerable attention was paid to determining the current trends in the organization and functioning of nurse education in Europe, the USA and Canada. Based on the analysis of professional training junior medical officers in some European countries, the USA and Canada, it is concluded that it is esseintial to take into account positive aspects of European, American and Canadian experience in nure education while planning reforms in Ukraine.

OVERVIEW OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION OF LINGUISTICS STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN

The article deals with the problem of professional education of linguistics students at universities of Great Britain. The authors analyse the role of linguistics as an academic discipline in Great Britain, outline recent trends in university admission campaigns of 2008-2016 which indicate a gradual but stable increase in the number of applicants wishing to pursue a career in linguistics. They focus on the analysis of degree programmes as defined by Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of the UK Degree-Awarding Bodies in the context of linguistics professional education, as also define features of curricula of professional education of linguistics students at British universities with consideration of the Subject Benchmark Statement for Linguistics and look at career prospects of future linguistics specialists in Great Britain.

Individual Aspects in Professional Training of Tourism Specialists in the UK

AbstractThe article deals with individual aspects in professional training of tourism specialists in the UK. It has been specified that alongside with the global development of tourism education, the UK revealed the potential of its tourism industry with the introduction of the Development of Tourism Act in 1969. Consequently, the tourism education in the UK has undergone three periods, namely, the establishment of the tourism industry and the comprehension of the need to prepare highly qualified tourism specialists, the development of tourism and hospitality courses, the large-scale foundation of higher education institutions offering tourism and hospitality courses. It has been clarified that the Quality Assurance Agency developed the Subject Benchmark Statement for Events, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism, which is rather innovative and multidisciplinary, so that programme developers can take into consideration global challenges and needs of the modern labour market to prepare competitive specialists, who can become their own curriculum producers. It has been stated that future tourism specialists in the UK are fully supplied with innovative communication and information technologies and can pay much attention to developing practical skills while undergoing industrial placements, live casestudies, participating in volunteering activities, gain valuable professional experience due to advanced facilities. The following recommendations have been outlined to improve quality of future tourism specialists’ professional training in Ukraine: 1) to develop relevant regulatory framework for professional tourism education; 2) to analyze the market of tourism supply and demand in order to define which tourism specialists are most required and, consequently, to expand a spectrum of specializations in professional training of tourism specialists; 3) to improve the state of facilities at higher education institutions offering tourism courses and provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience in modern technology-enhanced classrooms; 4) to increase the practical component of future tourism specialists’ professional training through implementing industrial placements, work-based learning, direct collaborations with practitioners and employers, live case-studies, life performance and events, etc.; 5) to involve students into the design of their own curricula, so that they can feel themselves responsible for their learning outcomes.

Is UK economics teaching changing? Evaluating the new subject benchmark statement

This paper evaluates the recent reform to the curricular governance framework for UK Economics teaching: the revised Subject Benchmark Statement document for Economics (SBSE). The crisis of confidence in economics which was amplified by the global financial crisis presented an opportunity for fundamental change in economics teaching. The paper asks whether the new SBSE represents change. We ask whether the new SBSE is pluralist with regard to economic theory and method; how it treats the economy and its wider socio-political dimension; what are its educational goals and approach; and overall, how much change has it brought? The paper concludes that the new SBSE does not constitute change: it still exhibits limited pluralism, ignores ethics, power and politics and ignores key educational goals.

The ‘wicked’ problem of developing critical understanding in Creative Writing students

ABSTRACTThe UK subject benchmark statement states that ‘Creative Writing [C.W.] is a diverse and still developing subject […] underpinned by a growing body of research and pedagogical thinking’ (QAA 2016, http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/SBS-Creative-Writing-16.pdf) and as such writers who teach, and teachers who write, are actively engaging in reflective practice to try to bridge the gap between what has previously been viewed as a solitary and perhaps ‘mysterious’ practice, and what is now demanded in terms of theoretical and critical knowledge of that practice by students. As a writer and teacher of writing, I have become aware of similarities between Problem Based Learning (P.B.L.) and the praxis approach I use. Seeking out literature on this connection, however, has revealed that while many other disciplines (English/History/Sociology) are using C.W. as a P.B.L. tool, it is little discussed within the subject itself. This study is the first tentative stage in a wider consideration of whether openly exploring creative writing acts and actions as a series of problem-solving exercises can help students further understand their own creative practice, and develop not only their creative work but also their ability to reflect and analyse their practice through academic research.

QAA, Subject Benchmark Statement, Art and Design, February 2017 (Japanese Provisional Translation)

<i>QAA, Subject Benchmark Statement, Art and Design, February 2017</i> (Japanese Provisional Translation)

Assessing students’ reflections on work-placed modules

Students of ‘conventional’ academic disciplines can struggle to determine the extent of their employability. Work-based modules offer a potential solution to this issue. That these type of modules give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and realise the scope of possible employment opportunities afforded by their degree is commonly accepted, but real issues arise in tackling the assessment of ‘on the job’ experiential learning, particularly in the area of politics. This article outlines an integrated and iterative approach to assessment, starting with the design of the component parts of the module, moving on consider the role played by simple tools such as the framing of key narratives, the development of placement diaries incorporating SWOT analysis and the use of the Politics and International Relations Subject Benchmark Statement. The importance of integrating the module design with the final assessment processes is described, and some examples are offered of how students have described the ways in which the module has enabled them to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and scholarship and employability.

The Purpose and Scope of Pedagogy in Pharmaceutical Education.

The WHO and International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) introduced the concept of the "seven-star pharmacist" in which a pharmacist is described as a caregiver, communicator, decision-maker, teacher, lifelong learner, leader and manager. In six-year pharmaceutical education programs, which have been provided in schools of pharmacy since 2006, 5th year students participate in on-site practice experiences in hospitals and community pharmacies. Thus, Japanese pharmacists also began to have a role in pharmaceutical education as teachers in clinical settings. Not only pharmacists in clinical settings, but also faculty members of pharmacy schools, had not previously been familiar with evidence-based education, and therefore they often teach in the way they were taught. Since research on teaching and learning has not been well developed in Japanese pharmaceutical education, both the model core curriculum for six-year programs and the subject benchmark statement for four-year programs are based on insufficient scientific evidence. We should promote the scholarship of teaching and learning, which promotes teaching as a scholarly endeavor and a worthy subject for research. In this review, I will summarize the needs and expectations for the establishment of pedagogy in pharmaceutical education.