College supports research

As a way of providing staff with a chance to take part in research, the Quality Improvement Unit provides four annual bursaries of £500 for short research projects to be carried out for the benefit of the college staff and/or students. All staff are able to submit a proposal, and these are judged against published criteria by the College Research Steering Group.

Successful applicants are required to meet with the college Research Manager throughout the year to

• develop a plan for activities
• learn new research skills and
• write up a report.

All bursary holders present their research at the annual conference and are encouraged to disseminate the findings to their faculties or other college groups.

Bursary Scheme

Participants on the 2009/10 bursary scheme included:

Lynda Mansell (Dyslexia Support)

Lynda looked at the relationship between dyslexia assessment reporting and the role of specialist and tutor support. Semi-structured interviews with tutors were mapped against a framework for understanding different notions of dyslexia.

Square pegs, round holes (.pdf, 112kb)

Julie Tyler (Foundation Education)

Julie produced a framework for understanding and identifying dyscalculia in post-16 Entry level students. Using assessment and existing models used in school age children, she developed a novel paradigm to describe the characteristics and attitudes towards learning of these students.

More than a number? (pdf, 159kb)

Denise Dickens (Disability and Mental Health Support Service)

Denise examined the role of Personal Support Workers in supporting the learning of Entry level students. The project highlights the critical part these staff play, in particular the unrecognised role they have in supporting literacy and numeracy skills. However, it also highlighted the need to ensure that the definitions of this role are accurate and agreed by all stakeholders (learners, PSWs, SPSWs and tutors).

City of Bristol College research in the news…

The college has been featured in a special issue of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service’s (LSIS) journal, Quality Improvement.

Quality Improvement 2009 (.pdf, 388kb)