IOE Insights

Dr Humera Iqbal hears from Professor Chris McManus about his research into students who pursue careers in medicine and how the COVID-19 pandemic may affect their futures.

In the Season 2 finale, Chris takes us on a journey through his work on medical education, following medical students, junior doctors and specialists throughout their medical careers, ultimately trying to find the characteristics that make good doctors.

We find out why medical education research can differ from other areas of education research, and the differences between individual medical schools - despite qualifications in the UK being regulated by the General Medical Council - the performance of graduates can vary depending on which school they attended.

Humera and Chris also discuss the potential consequences the COVID-19 pandemic will have on recent graduates, the medical profession, and student selection during a time of cancelled exams and predicted grades. 

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jun/medical-students-their-career-aspirations-and-pandemic-rftrw-s02e04

In the Centre for Longitudinal Studies' first episode of “50 Years of Life in Britain”, they explore the first decade of the 1970 British Cohort Study (1970) and the impact of its early years research on policy many years later.

Guests include:

Full show notes: https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/bcs7050stories/podcast-series-50-years-of-life-in-britain/

Dr Humera Iqbal talks to Dr Guy Roberts-Holmes about research exploring the experiences of teachers implementing Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) to measure the progress of children aged 4 to 5.

To help set the scene, the RBA is designed to provide a ‘baseline’ of children’s progress through primary school, with results then compared to their attainment levels at age 11, to produce a ‘progress measure’ of school effectiveness. A key focus of government assessment and accountability strategy for primary schools, following a trial and pilot period ending in 2019, the RBA is expected to be rolled out in England from September 2020.

Guided by concerns raised by early years professionals and existing literature, research led by Guy and Dr Alice Bradbury sought accounts and data from administering the assessment during the pilot to determine the impact it had on children, teachers and their schools.

We hear from Guy about the key findings from the study and calls for the implementation of the RBA to be scrapped, citing concerns over unintended consequences on children’s development and wellbeing, additional strain on workloads, and the undermining teacher professional identity, especially during a period of unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jun/childrens-baseline-assessment-or-accountability-rftrw-s02e03

Join us on Thursday 25 June as we celebrate 50 years of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), which has been following the lives of 17,000 people born in Great Britain during a single week in 1970. Our new six-part podcast series will take listeners on a journey through British social and political history, and explore BCS70’s numerous contributions to British science and society.

Find out more: https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/bcs7050stories/

As a society we want our children and young people to thrive and fulfil their potential. How then, can we best identify and respond to their needs in order to achieve this?

In this lecture, Professor Claire Cameron takes the case of children in state care and the longer term impacts on those young people of having been in care. In particular, she examines the practice of social pedagogy, which describes a holistic and relationship-centred way of working in care and educational settings, and what this can bring to young people's development - physical, emotional, intellectual and social.

More information: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2018/feb/responding-children-21st-century-education-social-pedagogy-and-belonging

This is a reupload.

Dr Humera Iqbal hears from three UCL students about how the Black Lives Matter movement has contributed to their feelings and personal experiences of being young, Black and British.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020, described as “a 21st Century lynching” by historian David Olusoga, sparked a wave of protests across the United States, and very shortly after right across the world, including here in the United Kingdom.

The Black Lives Matter movement, originating in the African-American community as a campaign against violence and systemic racism has seen it take on a number of broader causes, including those that concern the environment, healthcare, education, immigration, intersectionality, and recent calls for the removal of statues of figures with questionable historical ties. British society is not exempt from these calls for change; indeed much of the wealth and prosperity of this nation has been built on the back of colonialism and that of slavery.

We hear from three UCL students and touch upon areas including what Blackness means to them, what’s caused the movement to hit critical mass, the implications it has for the United Kingdom and what this might mean for education spaces. This is a very frank and honest conversation, but one that needs to be had.

*Recorded on Thursday 11 June 2020

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jun/black-lives-matter-student-view-reflection-action

Dr Katherine Twamley talks to Dr Rob Webster about a multi-country research project to examine the impact of the coronavirus on everyday family life. What does the project aim to achieve?

A specialist in gender, love and intimacy, feminism and families, Katherine is well-placed alongside her colleagues from the IOE’s Thomas Coram Research Unit to lead an international consortium to investigate the challenges COVID-19 is placing upon us and how we are attempting to overcome them.

FACT-Covid (Family and Community Transitions Under Covid) features research partners in the USA, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Pakistan and Singapore, all using a variety of data collection methods - diaries, interviews and mobile apps.

As it becomes increasingly clear that men and women are facing unequal burdens and experiences of the pandemic worldwide, Katherine explains how the findings will allow for better understanding of how local policies and cultural practices have shaped individual responses and inform improvements for planning for future pandemics.

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jun/covid-challenges-families-fact-finding-mission-rftrw-s02e02

Professor Allison Littlejohn talks to Dr Rob Webster about how UCL has managed to move research and teaching online, and the impact it’s had on staff and students.

The second season of Research for the Real World takes a look at how the IOE is responding to global challenges - and global challenges don’t come any greater than the Covid-19 pandemic.

With her broad experience spanning across the health, energy and finance sectors, Allison explains how she became interested in the world of education and exploring the importance of learning in our everyday lives through the use of technology. This brings us nicely to her work investigating how universities are responding to the imposed shift of their core functions online.

The UCL Moving to Online Teaching and Homeworking (MOTH) study examines how UCL staff are adapting to the challenges posed by COVID-19 upon their professional and personal lives. Allison shares some interesting insights and observations, ranging from newfound interdisciplinary collaboration, and unsurprisingly, demands on time and resource, and problems with technology.

As the findings of the study are realised, what is this going to mean for the higher education sector? Allison also shares her thoughts about the opportunity for innovation and improved engagement, and how universities like UCL might respond moving forward.

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jun/how-working-home-working-or-not-rftrw-s02e01

With exams disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, this online discussion sizes up the task of securing robust and fair assessment for the class of 2020, and possibly future years.

For some years, education policy has moved away from teacher assessment in judging pupils’ attainment, especially in relation to the main ‘school-leaving’ exams: GCSEs and A-levels.

On the face of it, the Covid-19 outbreak has prompted a sharp reversal in that trend, at least for the ‘class of 2020’. Meanwhile, practical assessment for vocational and technical qualifications has been equally disrupted by the current public health measures.

The task of securing robust and fair assessment is a considerable one under any circumstances. We wanted to take stock of the different approach and procedures for awarding qualifications this time around – the issues they raise and what we might learn for future years.

Issues for discussion include:

Speakers include:

You can also watch a video version and find out more info here: www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2020/ma…lass-2020-and-2021

Recorded on 18 May 2020, 3:30 pm–4:10 pm

We're back for more Research for the Real World with Dr Rob Webster and Dr Humera Iqbal!

Premiering Monday 8 June, this upcoming season of the podcast has a focus on Covid-19 and its impacts across society. Academics play a fundamental role in ensuring students, key-workers, families, communities, schools, colleges, universities, policymakers and others can benefit from our research.

Catch up on previous episodes and find out more about Research for the Real World: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/about-ioe/ioe-life/digital-and-social-media/podcasts/research-real-world