Duncan Cross

For students born in the digital age of computers and considered as ‘digital natives’, I feel the current curriculum design on a module I teach provides insufficient scope to explore and challenge students ‘digital bravery’ abilities.
Most students in the current higher education context use technology to access online learning materials. However, relatively few students claim to be digital content creators although many own a web-enabled electronic device with easy access to various useful digital tools that allows for the creation of these online learning materials (Jones, Johnson and Gruszczynska, 2015).
Educators can nurture power-sharing relationship with students over online content creation and help learners ’take control of their learning needs and enhance student engagement by treating students as partners (SaP) as an approach to curriculum design. The concept of SaP emphasizes on engagement as an active process by engaging students as co-creators, co-designers, co-inquirers, coproducers and collaborators in partnership learning communities thus enabling the skills development process of both staff and students alike through learning partnerships (Healey et al., 2016; McPherson and Heggie, 2015; Mercer- Mapstone et al; 2017).

Transnational higher education and collaborative partnerships are a growing trend in UK higher education institutes (Baskerville, 2013). The exponential growth described by Naidoo (2008) can be seen beyond the UK in a global context, though there are limited statistics to quantify this (British Council, 2013).
The University of Bolton is no exception with 32 collaborative partnerships, with 17 of those outside of the UK. Providing a comparable experience for students being taught in collaborative centres is a challenging concept dependent on a variety of factors including delivery mode, the quality of training, resources and support available. Cultural and pedagogical challenges also arise (Smith, 2014) alongside logistical challenges and appropriate infrastructural developments.
This poster addresses both the ‘student’ and ‘success’ elements of the conference in relation to who the students are, their needs and engaging the students in their expectations and realities. Findings from a pilot scheme that used semi-structured interviews to engage students studying at a collaborative partner in Sri Lanka will discuss the student identity, engagement from students, and how to engage more with this group of students to provide a comparable student experience.

Problems with international clinicians’ language and communication skills have been highlighted in the media recently. More attention is now given to preventing errors by staff new to NHS practice.
Salford Communication and Language Assessment Resource (SCoLAR) supports clinical staff and helps them improve their communication skills.
Assessments are performed in full OSCE settings. These are observed by both linguists and clinicians to identify specific needs. This is supplemented with further training. This resource has been used for the assessment and training of clinicians in speciality training in the Midlands and North West.