Feedback for future learning: delivering enhancements and evidencing impacts on the student learning experience

Enhancing the student learning experience through the provision of improved student feedback is both challenging and complex. ‘Feedback for Future Learning’ was a Glasgow Caledonian University(GCU)-wide project intended to enhance feedback practices from both the student and staff perspectives; to ensure greater awareness of, and reflection upon, feedback by students; and to encourage greater use of feedback to inform future student learning. The design, implementation and evaluation of approaches to ‘Feedback for Future Learning’ are described with an emphasis on STEM disciplines. The conceptualisation, design and implementation of a range of student feedback tools and approaches aimed to develop understanding of learning processes, reinforce learning and improve performance. This was achieved through collaboration with the GCU Students’ Association and the establishment of the University Feedback Enhancement Group. A series of generic and bespoke seminars, workshops, individual programme interventions and competitions were used to enhance comprehension of the perception, experience and use of formative and summative assessment feedback by students.   Providing opportunities for reflection and evaluation together with qualitative and quantitative metrics have demonstrated 93% satisfaction with student feedback enhancement workshops, a trebling of engagement with memorable feedback survey initiatives and a 9% increase in National Student Survey assessment and feedback satisfaction. A 16% rise in student satisfaction with the promptness of feedback, a 14% improvement in satisfaction with the detailed comments received and an 8% increase in satisfaction with the helpfulness of comments received were achieved. The lessons learned inform the continuing and sustainable enhancement of the student learning experience for STEM students and the wider University community. Keywords: Feedback, future learning, dialogue, engagement, reflection, enhancemen

Gender roles and child nutrition in livestock production systems in developing countries: a critical review

The study of gender issues in agricultural production has become an important subject of inquiry, even since questions were raised on whether women and men benefited equally from economic development. The focus of the debate and empirical research has primarily been on the role of women in crop production to the virtual exclusion of the role of gender (women, men and children) in livestock farming. This review is based on the limited amount of available literature which shows that specific participation of women, men and children in animal husbandry is significant and varies from region to region according to the traditional gender division of labour, other variables, the farming systems and the demographic and environmental factors. The objectives of this review are to examine the gender division of labour, access to resources and benefits from smallholder ruminant livestock production systems; to evaluate the effects of ruminant livestock production on the nutritional status of children and to present two case studies that critically examine how gender analysis was included in smallholder ruminant livestock research projects

Simulation of Photonic Band Gaps in Metal Rod Lattices for Microwave Applications

We have derived the global band gaps for general two-dimensional (2D) photonic band gap (PBG) structures formed by square or triangular arrays of metal posts. Such PBG structures have many promising applications in active and passive devices at microwave, millimeter wave and higher frequencies. A coordinate-space, finite-difference code, called the photonic band gap structure simulator (PBGSS), was developed to calculate complete dispersion curves for lattices for a series of values of the ratio of the post radius (a) to the post spacing (b). The fundamental and higher frequency global photonic band gaps were determined numerically. These universal curves should prove useful in PBG cavity design. In addition, for very long wavelengths, where the numerical methods of the PBGSS code are difficult, dispersion curves were derived for the TM mode by an approximate, quasi-static approach. Results of this approach agree well with the PBGSS code for a/b < 0.1. The present results are compared with experimental data for TE and TM mode PBG resonators built at MIT and the agreement is found to be very good