This presentation by Steve Maw (University of Leeds) was delivered at the Making the Most of Broadcast Media in Your Teaching day conference in Leicester (January 2014). Steve describes an activity he conducts with his foundation-level students. More details regarding a similar task can be found at http://journals.heacademy.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.11120/beej.2013.00017

1. LifeLong Learning Centre
Headline Grabbing: Using BBC news
clips as an essay springboard
Dr Steve Maw

2. Context
• Foundation Year Students
• Studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths
• Hope to progress onto Medicine, Microbiology, Midwifery,
Biochemistry, Biology, Sports Science, Food Science

3. Task
• Write a commentary on the ethical issues surrounding a
biological/biomedical BBC news story of your own choosing
(800 words)
• They have already had a
workshop around ethical thinking.

4. What do the News Clips give?
• Ready-made introduction to a range of current biological
areas
• Accessible introduction to those areas
• Variety/Flexibility
• Every student does a different topic area
• Reduces plagiarism
• Tailor course to preferred degree progression

5. Allocation of Marks
• Selection of clip (5%)
• Framing the issue (summary) (25%)
• Discussion of the issues (60%)
• Selection of appropriate sources
and referencing (10%)

6. Miscellaneous/tips
• I use a wiki for the students to put their name and clip
• Stick to clips from 1 year (or the period of time you use)
• Provide the students with exemplars
Cost
• Time taken to view video clips

7. Observation
I have been pleasantly surprised by the maturity, and at times
sensitivity, that students have displayed in handling difficult
topics in these essays
Thanks
Chris Willmott

8. News Clips 2013
Mothers in South Africa donate breast
milk
Gay blood ban decision
Welsh government votes for
'presumed organ consent'
Germany to allow 'indeterminate'
gender on birth certificates
Australia sport doping 'widespread'
across multiple codes
Princess Anne: Eating horsemeat
'might improve animal welfare'
Should pig swill from waste food be
back on the menu?
Right-to-die ruling: 'It's unfair and it's
cruel' - Paul Lamb
Using E.coli to mop-up toxic algal
blooms
Public health wales seeks e-cigs
public places ban