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eSTEeM Projects

eSTEeM is providing a mechanism for professional development through practice-based scholarship within a mentored community. Much of our work is organised on a project basis with project management aimed at the delivery of new educational outcomes and scholarship outputs. 

eSTEeM supports a rolling portfolio of approx. 80 active scholarship projects under a number of themes which include:

  • Access, Participation and Success
  • Innovative assessment
  • Online/onscreen STEM practice
  • Supporting students
  • Technologies for STEM learning

To learn more about our projects, please click on the project titles or use the search feature below by entering keywords. To search by the name of a project leader, please use the 'Filter by Project Leader' tab on the right-hand side of this page.

The search found 264 result(s)

Search results

    Supporting the student’s learning journey through the transition of mathematics and statistics from level 2 to level 3

  1. Alison BromleyRachel HilliamGareth WilliamsGaynor ArrowsmithAlex SiddonsSue Pawley

    2. Mathematics and Statistics are linear subjects where success at higher levels depends on firm foundations, it is likened to a carpenter who is only capable of making a beautiful piece of furniture once they understand how a hammer and nail work.

    May 2017 to September 2023

    An investigation into the progression of OU STEM students from taught courses to postgraduate research

  2. Alice Fraser-McDonald

    3. In the conventional HE sector, there is often an established pathway for the progression of undergraduate and taught postgraduate students to postgraduate research within the same institution.

    February 2024 to July 2025

    Making space for female engineering students: an evaluation of the effectiveness of a face-to-face Student Conference

  3. Fiona Gleed

    4. The Engineering profession offers intellectually and financially rewarding careers, with skills in high demand globally. However, women are significantly under-represented, with female students making up 18% of first year Engineering undergraduates in UK HE1.

    November 2023 to March 2024

    The STEM Good Tutor Guide

  4. Chris Douce

    5. It has been 20 years since the university published Supporting Open Learners: Reader, and the accompanying publication, Supporting Open Learners: Theoretical Reader for its tutors. These booklets offer practical guidance about many aspects of the role as a tutor.

    November 2023 to July 2024

    Evaluating the Programming for Physical Sciences website and forums on SM123 Physics and Space

  5. Andy DiamentGemma Warriner

    6. Students on SM123 Physics and space learn programming in Python across the module. Some find it straightforward, others very difficult.

    December 2023 to December 2024

    Gaining a deeper understanding of the experience and equitability of extensions and their impact on retention for Stage 1 Engineering students

  6. Emma Champion

    7. Previous scholarship has shown that students with extensions have poorer outcomes on modules and that extensions are used by a higher proportion of students within Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) groups.

    February 2024 to December 2024

    Evaluating the outcomes of embedding coding activities in an advanced physics and astronomy module

  7. Judith Croston

    8. Two key barriers to student success in advanced physics and astronomy modules are (i) the abstract nature of key concepts that are far removed from everyday life, and (ii) the use of complex maths formalism that can obscure physical interpretation.

    August 2024 to July 2026

    How do students use tutorial recordings and which formats are most effective?

  8. Cath BrownCatherine OnionsCharlotte Hancox

    9. Post-pandemic, students’ live attendance at online tutorials has declined significantly but it is not uncommon to see hundreds of views of recordings.

    June 2024 to June 2027

    Mathematics support in LHCS

  9. Eleanor CrabbNicola McIntyreCath Brown

    10. Science students need to develop a level of competence in mathematics to succeed in their studies.  However, Open University students in chemistry, biology and health sciences may well be unaware of the need for mathematical skills prior to embarking on their studies, and given the open entry pol

    June 2024 to December 2026

    Supporting learning with a collaborative notetaking tool to work within a Jupyter Notebook environment

  10. Oli Howson

    11. At the moment M269 students work entirely within the Jupyter infrastructure. Notetaking is not built in to Jupyter, although a rudimentary plugin has been developed for students to do so.

    July 2024 to December 2025

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