eSTEeM Seminar Series: Scholarship Showcase - September 2023

Location: Via MS Teams
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eSTEeM continues its seminar series with presentations from project teams. September's seminar will explore the methodology and findings of the following eSTEeM projects.

Understanding the post-graduate research student experience in a culture of collaborative leadership

Ann Grand

How leaders choose to lead inevitably has impacts on those who follow. From the beginning of AstrobiologyOU, its directors aspired to lead the group collaboratively; a relatively uncommon leadership model in academia.

Using semi-structured interviews and scenario workshops, we examined the perceptions, meanings, practices and impacts of collaborative leadership from the perspective of (i) members of the AstrobiologyOU leadership team, (ii) current and former research students (iii) post-graduate tutors and associated professional services and the OU graduate school, with the aim of identifying ways to enhance the learning experience of post-graduate research students working in collaboration and under collaborative leadership.

We found that collaborative leadership practised in AstrobiologyOU has helped to create a well-balanced working environment in which people feel trusted and respected and have access to people with a wide range of expertise and skills. However, it challenges institutional systems that are tuned to individual achievement and leadership and single-discipline working.

Exploring the Efficacy and Dynamics of Remote Pair Programming in Distance Learning

Adeola Adeliyi

Pair programming facilitates effective collaboration in coding, commonly employed in agile development for improved error detection, quality, and solutions. While its educational benefits are well-documented, its application in remote learning, especially in distance education, needs more studies. This project delved into remote pair programming (RPP) in part-time distance education settings. We examined the efficacy of generic communication tools for RPP, the speed at which pairs become jelled (learned to function well together), the impact of interaction methods and prior experience, and students' overall perception of RPP. Despite challenges, our results advocate for RPP in teaching, with most students finding it advantageous.