1. Project co-ordinator (D Marsh) visit to J Parker, 23rd June 2009, Keele University

Jon: sample materials audit

Suggest that module handbooks will be very useful as part of sharing – when looking for new materials, John will look for module guides, textbooks, topics, assessments etc

Would find full module handbooks very useful, also reading lists – good for updating own materials and modules – a kind of informal sharing and validating of one’s own practice.

However module handbooks mostly not available – some of the info in course prospectus etc, and students will have copies (so are they in the public domain?) but often they are protected documents. Can use FOI to get a module handbooks if needed.

Interestingly, the APSA (http://www.apsanet.org/) makes innovative syllabus documents available through their website – not only to members. Essentially these are links to sites / documents with the syllabus information, no particular pedagogic instructions or framework, simply offered ‘as is’. John thinks would be good for the PSA to do this, but suspect some resistance at the moment / inertia - John also currently involved in a C-SAP annual project, mapping the Politics curriculum “What is a politics degree? Mapping the Curriculum and Assessment in the U.K”. Will have synergies with OER, finding wide variety in other departments’ approaches to releasing info about their curricula.

At Keele, Politics taught as single and dual in Politics and IR, considered to be multidisciplinary – normally students effectively do a joint honours.

In theory all modules at Keele are 15 credits, John has been involved in standardising this across the university. i.e. typical First year of 8 x 15 credit modules = 120. Could be 4 core Pol, 4 core IR, 4 electives.

The syllabus can incorporate a lot of electives, gives a lot of scope to students and facilitates an internal market / demand for modules from students. It also means need only half as many new modules to create a new programme, allows us to be flexible and move with changes in the subject / demand.

Generally there are 20 contact hours per module in SPIRE, mixture of weekly lectures followed by tutorial. Core 1st modules must have 8 hours tutorial and 12 hours lectures, however the electives tend to be much more varied.

Some of the courses that John may use for OER materials: 

• Why Politics Matters
• Comparing Politics Today
• Justice, Power and Authority
• British Politics since 1945
• American Debates

Also looking at introducing more mixed and progressive forms of assessment into the courses.