Practical skills of new undergraduates: Gatsby research workshops

The Gatsby Charitable Foundation is currently investigating the standard of practical skills possessed by students with science A-levels (or equivalent) embarking on undergraduate science and engineering courses.

A previous small-scale study into the views of undergraduate teachers revealed widely-held perceptions about a deficit in practical skills of new undergraduates, and a decline in these skills perceived by many. Now, as part of a wider review, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation has commissioned further research aimed at understanding how science A-Levels (or equivalent) can better prepare young people for undergraduate courses in the sciences and engineering in terms of practical work. As part of this wider research, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation is inviting participants to discuss the issue further and to identify the needs of the different scientific disciplines , as well as engineering. As such they are hosting a number of regional workshops to explore the following questions:

It is hoped that the outputs from this research will be of significant interest to policymakers and awarding bodies (who have already made clear their intention to better respond to the needs of Higher Education) as they look to redevelop post-16 science qualifications.

The workshops are primarily aimed at Undergraduate Admissions Tutors in science and engineering subject areas and First Year Laboratory / Practical Teachers, but other interested individuals are more than welcome too.

The workshops are taking place in the following four venues, on the dates shown, and are expected to run from 12.30pm - 4.30pm:

Contact Rachel Mason (Tel: 07760 395585, Email: parryandmason@gmail.com) to reserve a place.