The MIE Undergraduate Education Research Conference team (Team Leader: Sara Jackson) (School of Environment, Education & Development) for Assessment and feedback and Student voice

Sara Jackson, Karen Healey, Choenyin Chan    

The team’s Teaching Excellence Award submission detailed how they developed the MIE Undergraduate Education Research Conference into a curriculum-embedded model of authentic assessment, student voice and student–staff partnership. Created in response to challenges around belonging and connection, the conference has grown into a sustained programme-wide initiative that supports students to build confidence, develop their researcher identity and contribute to a shared academic community. Their submission demonstrated how the conference reimagines assessment and feedback by creating opportunities for students to present, discuss and receive feedback on their work in an authentic academic setting. Across the BSc Education programme, students progress from engaging with research as attendees, to presenting their own research ideas, and later contributing as emerging researchers through dissertation discussions. A key feature of the initiative is the role of students as partners. Students work alongside staff to imagine, plan and deliver the conference, developing leadership, collaboration and digital communication skills while shaping the learning community around them. The submission showcased evidence of strengthened student belonging and confidence, highlighting how authentic assessment, co-creation and inclusive opportunities for participation can transform students’ relationships with their learning and create lasting educational and professional impact.