The value of the University of Leeds Education, a student perspective
Educational Gain: The value of the University of Leeds Education, a student perspective
Eleanor Dufton and Gergely Kajos supervised by Emma Peasland and Gabriel Cavalli
About the student researcher
My name is Eleanor Dufton and I have just graduated with a BA in French and Spanish. I will be starting a master's by research in French history in September 2024, with the intentions of later completing a PhD. I have previously carried out undergraduate research for the University of Leeds, as well as for various organisations when working abroad and so hope
to build on this knowledge throughout this project and my studies. I am interested in working in the HE sector, so this project, as well as my previous work with LITE, are valuable learning experiences. I hope mine and Geri’s work can make an impact to student experiences at the University of Leeds.
My name is Gergely Kajos and I am currently studying for an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the School of Education, where I am continuing as a PhD student in the area of applied linguistics from October 2024. My main research interests include academic writing and English for Academic Purposes, which are both situated in the Higher Education context. Through the present project, which contributes to the University of Leeds’ strategy towards understanding Educational Gain by exploring current students’ perspectives on it, I was keen to expand my research interests within Higher Education by advocating for student voice in executive-level decision-making through research.
Project overview
Educational Gain is a recently adopted terminology that describes how and what students gain from their experiences in Higher Education. Universities are facing increasing pressure to define and measure Educational Gain in their Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) submissions.
This project aims to explore current University of Leeds students’ understanding of Educational Gain and their views on current and potential ways to measure it.
Our data has been collected via an online survey with current students from all faculties and levels. It has two core foci: how students think about Education Gain, and how they think it should be measured. So far students have not been consulted in regard to Educational Gain and so through this survey, and further discussions in the form of two focus groups, students have been given the opportunity to express their valuable thoughts and feelings. Students’ learning journeys have been explored through these discussions, sparking interest and curiosity amongst students who want to be involved with the development of Educational Gain at the University of Leeds.
The findings are planned to be shared with university staff at various levels ranging from (but not limited to) pastoral/student support officers, through lecturers to the University Executive Group. To speak to such a wide range of audiences, an infographic and a sway will be created to describe the aims and methods of the study, the findings and its potential implications for policy and practice.
Implications
View the Sway presentation of this project (University of Leeds employees only)
Read Eleanor and Geri's reflective blog about their SREP experience
Download the full report from this project (pdf), File Download