During this internship I was able to work with staff across the university, conduct focus groups and thematic analysis for the first time, and write up a report on our findings. I was able to learn what QMUL is actually doing to enact change for Black students, and that my own experiences as a Black student were not unique. I was able to learn how to conduct thematic analysis and became more confident in leading. I hope that this preliminary study can have an impact across the university, and inspire other studies into students, as I believe there is a lot of missing input from students. Conducting this study seems to be a step in the right direction from the University as the Race Equality Group was keen to learn from student perspectives. — Exploring awarding and continuation gaps among undergraduate Black students - Fadumo Abdi, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
During the internship at Queen Mary Academy, I worked with a team to improve student’s learning experiences while exploring the concerns and interaction methods. We conducted over 20 literature reviews to gather relevant information and designed focus groups. We used NVivo to carry out the data analysis based on the feedback that we collected from participants within the focus groups. I have developed my communication skills through taking part in interviews and group work. I have also learned how to balance study and work to meet deadlines. I believe this internship has improved my resilience and time management capabilities. I am eager to develop those skills and experiences in the future. — Learner Engagement Analytics (LEA) - Learner facing co-created LEA resources focusing on learner retention and progression communicated to students by students - Lusi Pan , School of Economic and Finance
As someone who is Bangladeshi, I contributed my own lived-in experiences as a Bangladeshi student, which allowed the Careers team to come up with ideas for things to implement. I also conducted focus groups for this project, where I spoke to Bangladeshi students. Because we all shared similar experiences, the participants were more willing to share their opinions and views, so I was able to facilitate student voice. During this project, I was responsible for recruiting students for the survey and the focus groups. Because of this, I improved my written communication and marketing skills to persuade as many students as possible to respond to the survey and attend the focus groups. We had more than 150 students sign up to the survey, and a total of 6 students in the focus groups. — Bangladeshi students: Designing careers interventions that enable Bangladeshi students to achieve graduate level employment - Naoshin Haque, BSc Biomedical Sciences
During the internship, I studied about various approaches taken by different universities to understand students’ expectations of LEA and bridge the gap between stakeholders’ and students’ needs. Based on this, I formulated questions to assess students’ expectations, evaluate the impact of forums like QMPlus and identify changes that could enhance students’ education experience and overall growth at the university. Being a part of this project also provided me a platform to develop my skills in time-management, project planning, data analysis, develop and apply my expertise. — Learner Engagement Analytics (LEA) - Learner facing co-created LEA resources focusing on learner retention and progression communicated to students by students - Heenal Panchal, Barts Cancer Institute; MSc in Cancer Cellular and Molecular Biology
I effectively facilitated student voice and representation on this project by gathering valuable feedback from over 40 peer leaders and students through a systematic literature review. This involved actively engaging with them to understand their perspectives and concerns, which were then incorporated into the evaluation of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) program. This approach ensured that the insights and experiences of the students were well-represented and considered in the project outcomes. — Peer-Led Team Learning and its impact on team leaders’ employability development - Muhammad Uzair, Business and Management
For our project, I organized and conducted three focus groups each with 8-10 students representing either the MBBS or chemistry courses. This allowed me to facilitate student representation for our project as we were able to gain valuable student opinions both positive and negative about including VR in the curriculum. These focus groups gave us insights which allowed us to configure the best possible means to include VR in the modules so it can be helpful to as many students as possible. Acknowledging student voice was definitely an asset to our project as now we are more confident about using VR to create positive reinforcements in the curriculum and enhance education.— VR: Empowering skill-based Education through VR - Annika Joshi , Maths with Finance and Accounting
Working on this project has helped me to develop a deeper understanding of curriculum design and the practical application of AI in education, from its planning to proposal. This experience has refined my competencies in conducting literature reviews, performing survey research, and developing ideas based on such research. Additionally, collaborating with a diverse team, including professors and experts from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, fellow students, and colleagues, has provided valuable lessons in accommodating various needs and balancing differing opinions, thereby enhancing my communication and teamwork skills. — Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Student Learning and Research - Khanh Tran, MSc Computing and Information Systems
During my internship my responsibilities included organising and leading 2 focus group discussions, analysing data, and contributing to the research direction. This experience helped me develop skills aligned with the Queen Mary Graduate Attributes, such as effective communication, critical engagement with ethical issues in AI, and digital fluency. I also demonstrated flexibility in overcoming the challenges of online interactions and took responsibility in managing parts of the project, which enriched my understanding of AI's educational applications and boosted my confidence in handling research-focused tasks. — Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Student Learning and Research - Girija Negi , MSc International Human Resource Management
My participation increased student voice as I was able to contribute my own ideas as a student, making the project more representative of students’ insights. Additionally, I conducted focus groups where I was able to bridge the gap between students and academics during the discussions, allowing participants to feel more comfortable and share their honest opinions with someone they could relate to.— Learner facing co-created Learner Engagement Analytics (LEA) resources focusing on retention and progression communicated to students by students - Naoshin Haque, BSc Biomedical Sciences