Abstract:

The paper will explore some key principles underpinning pedagogic practice in a UK university with a commitment to widening access and social justice. The paper draws on the work of Stuart Hall (amongst others) and his collaborative projects with postgraduate students at the University of Birmingham's Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies.

The paper will focus on a course on ethics and research in professional contexts, taken by over 200 second year undergraduate students from predominantly non traditional backgrounds, as part of their health and social care, health and social policy and youth work degrees.

We will examine some key features of the course design that enable a large, diverse group (in terms of faith, nationality, ethnicity and social class) of students to draw on their experiences whilst engaging with a set of challenging applied ethical theories, research methodologies and concepts.

The course has a strong student centred curriculum, reinforced through scenario case studies that require students to work through complex ethical and research dilemmas. Applied ethical theories and research traditions and methods thus become tools to support the development of their thinking and decision-making. Overall, the design of the course is thus intended to engage and facilitate plural approaches, creating spaces in which students have opportunities to generate new, situated knowledges relevant to them. This approach, in turn, potentially mitigates against the now prevalent instrumentalist model in higher education with its emphasis on individual competitiveness and the job market.

The assessment strategy on the course enables students to develop and rehearse the skills and understanding on a weekly basis through the case studies and collaboratively in groups. The latter allows students to develop cooperative ways of working and learning supported by their peers.
The pedagogic approach adopted explains the willingness of students to engage with some abstract ideas in the context of degree programmes with strong vocational leanings. The course therefore makes a strong case against the distinction many inside the sector and amongst mainstream political parties in the UK between academic study and vocational training. The curriculum provides a basis for making ethically informed decisions and reflective assessments of information and research evidence both in workplace and beyond.

The course is in its third year and the paper will conclude by examining data on student performance over that period and identify key curriculum developments informed by feedback from students, the course team and external examiner. The testimonies of students are used to reflect on the effectiveness of the learning and teaching methods adopted on the course.