Hundreds of A-level students from across the East Midlands have been firming up their knowledge ahead of their final exams with a little help from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) world-leading experts.
The sessions which are a DMU first, welcomed students from 16 further education institutions from across the region last week, giving them a unique edge ahead of the most important exams of their lives.
Covering topics from Shakespeare’s Othello, Exploring Language and Gender, Dictatorships and the Cold War, students were given various added insights into the humanities topics to a greater level than they would be used to within their current study programmes.
DMU hopes students’ experiences will not only benefit them during exam season, but also inspire them to pursue and relish university life if that is their next chosen education path.
Visiting colleges included: New College Stamford, Bosworth College, Saint Benedict’s Derby, Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth, Loughborough College and many more.
Joe Corby of New College Stamford said: “The sessions today have definitely offered something which will help me during my exams.
“What I have learned has given me extra confidence, filling in the gaps in my knowledge which I’ve not already learnt in the classroom.”
Arabella Horspool also of New College Stamford, said: “Today has helped me to think outside of the box and it has offered me new perspectives.
“I am thankful that our teachers allowed this to happen and for the DMU lecturers who have provided us with some great insight today which I can take forward into my exams.”
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DMU offered the experience to further education schools and colleges across the region and trips to the university were organised by interested teachers.
Laura Key a teacher at St Benedict’s School Derby, said: “Today has been really helpful and from an exam board perspective it has offered our students a fresh look at what they’ve been learning over the past year.
“I think they’ve enjoyed the lecture experience too and it has helped them look beyond the horizon in their learning.”
Colleague Daniel Thornhill said: “A few of the students have mentioned that they wish they’d picked different subjects to study as a result of today’s sessions.
“I think the students are enjoying it, we can sense it is having a positive effect on their learning and I’m sure this is something we’ll do again.”
DMU lecturers involved in the sessions included: Martin Polley, Keith Scott, Deborah Cartmell, Kenneth Morrison, Liz Tingle, Anna Blackwell, Dilatte De Cristofar, Beatriz Pichel and Siobhan Keenan.
Siobhan Keenan who is a Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature, said: “My main field at DMU is Shakespeare and I wanted to provide something today which would give A-level students an edge going into their exams.
“I wanted to give them new perspectives, open up their eyes to something they may not have thought of during their studies.
“I’ve talked about the historical context and critical debates, offering something harder for the students, to get them thinking and to fill in areas around the board.”
DMU will look at offering more sessions in the coming years as it looks for further develop its strong partnership with further education schools and colleges across the region and beyond.
Posted on Thursday 4 May 2017