Subject specific sessions
We have a range of subject specific sessions that we can offer for sixth form and college students, inspiring your students to understand where and what they might like to study at university.
These sessions are delivered by our Education Liasion team or our subject academics who are able to share their passions and knowledge on subject areas.
Sessions are all subject to availability and can be delivered within your school or college, virtually or as part of a bespoke on campus visit (unless otherwise stated).
All sessions are also aligned with the Gatsby Benchmarks. Please inquire about this when getting in touch to book a session.
Sessions by subject area
Biology and Biosciences
From epidemiology to plant exchange and transport, we’ve an exciting range of Biology and Biosciences taster sessions and lectures. Our academics are active researchers making discoveries in biomedical science, ecology, genetics and microbiology. They’ll share their knowledge and passion for the subject area, inspiring your students to succeed.
Presentations
- Introduction to Biosciences
This session covers post-16 options, the variety of Biosciences courses at Edge Hill and possible career paths these degrees could lead to. It will also include some information about the department and research at Edge Hill University, including possible research areas that students could get involved in.
Masterclasses
- Epidemiology and vectors of disease
Gives insight into disease outbreaks ranging from Cholera in London 1854, Haiti 2010 and Coronavirus 2020. Understand this important aspect of biological science to protecting human health and wellbeing.
- Effect of substrate concentration on an enzyme catalysed reaction
In this experiment, the substrate and enzyme will be mixed in a cuvette and the progress of the reaction will be monitored continuously using a spectrophotometer.
- Structure of Proteins
This session will explore protein’s structure and some properties by explaining how amino acids join and construct primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures.
- The wonderful world of invertebrates
Explores the diversity of the most species rich group of animals on the planet, the important role they play in how our ecosystems function and the services they provide (such as pollination or decomposition). It also explores how to measure their diversity, and the importance of understanding changes in their diversity from the conservation of our habitats to sustainable farming and forestry.
- Innovations in Biomedical Science
Find out the latest innovations for combating disease from the common to the rare, including 3-D modelling, genetic approaches and nanotechnology.
- Discovering plants
Understand the vital role that plants play in sustaining life on earth and discover how the myriad of ways they live across a diversity of habitats.
- Evolution
Find out how the continuing study of evolution in plants and animals provides us with a vital understanding of life on the planet, and how our recent research provides understanding of the Ecology and physiology of a range of organisms.
Workshops
- Biological Molecules*
Basic concepts, conceptual understanding, and modelling of selected biomolecules (for example: aminoacids, proteins, and enzymes).
- Methods of studying cells
In this practical session we will learn to calibrate an optical microscope in order to measure the size of different cells. We will also look at the cells within whole organisms under the scanning electron microscope and understand the theory of how it works.
- Plant exchange and transport*
No heartbeat, no blood, yet plants have evolved a gas exchange and transport system that enables them to become the longest-lived organisms on the planet. Learn how they do this in a practical manner.
- Evolution and population change*
Darwin didn’t know it all. A practical and/or theoretical session on how organisms respond to natural selection and how this leads to speciation and diversification.
- The human body*
The human body is the most heavily studied system on the planet. Learn about it’s complexity, from fundamentals to up-to-date research in the field of biomedical science.
- Ecological Field Methods
Exploring a variety of practical techniques to answer questions in community and population ecology, including a short trip to a local woodland or around campus.
- Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Microorganisms
A general introduction to microbial biodiversity, characterization and classification with lab-based insights into microbial morphology, physiology, and metabolism.
- Recombinant DNA technology and Gene Expression*
Through a taught session you will learn how recombinant DNA technology and gene expression can lead to increased production of clinically relevant compounds such as antibiotics.
- PCR and Gel Electrophoresis
This practical session will teach students how to perform PCR and gel electrophoresis using university equipment. They will learn about the history and applications of PCR and gel electrophoresis before interpreting their results.
Business and Management
In our business and management taster sessions and lectures your students will learn from experts and develop real-life skills. We can show them how to market a product and help them with decision making.
Presentations
- Introduction to Business, Marketing and Accountancy
This session explores the wide range of Business, Marketing and Accountancy related courses available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements, study abroad opportunities and career prospects.
Workshops
- Finance Unplugged: Mastering Business Finance
An engaging and interactive session designed to explain the complexities and importance of understanding business finance. This dynamic class will cover essential topics such as financial statement analysis, budgeting, and growth strategies. Participants will delve into real-world case studies, collaborate on hands-on projects, and engage in lively discussions that bring financial concepts to life.
This session promises to be both educational and entertaining, equipping students with the skills to excel in the world of business finance.
- Understanding the Importance of Team Working in Organisations
This session explores the role of teams in modern organisations. Key issues explored in the session include managing teams, the roles of individuals in teams, virtual teams and the importance of creating diverse teams. A range of useful and practical theories are brought to life in this engaging session. Multiple real-life examples of teamwork and roles are explored through a range of contemporary organisations and from the world of sport.
Practical elements of the session invite students to complete a fun individual task and then compare the results with their output when working as a team.
- Shaping the Future: Developing Responsible Business Strategies
Join us for an enlightening session on responsible business strategy, where you will explore the fundamental principles of integrating sustainability and ethics into strategic management. Discover how responsible businesses transcend mere profitability to benefit society and foster sustainable growth. Learn to develop strategies that generate shared value for all stakeholders and seamlessly incorporate responsibility into core business practices. You will learn how to set ambitious goals, actively engage employees at every level, and assess the effectiveness of these strategies.
The session features interactive activities, group discussions, real-world case studies, and a practical strategy development exercise tailored to a real-world company.
- Branding remastered. Rebranding the failed media celebrity.
An engaging and interactive session designed to explain the complexities, nuances and challenges faced by celebrity agents when their clients face difficulties or are ‘cancelled’. This interactive and dynamic session will introduce the notion of branding to the students with particular reference to celebrity branding. Students are tasked with providing a rebranding strategy (under direction from the tutor) for a failed media celebrity who has had a supposed indiscretion.
This session promises to be both educational and entertaining, equipping students with the skills to excel in the world of Marketing.
- ‘Boardroom Blitz: Can You Outsmart the Competition?’
Step into the virtual boardroom and run your own business in this fun, fast-paced challenge. In just 50 minutes, you’ll build a brand, launch a product, respond to a public crisis, and pitch your company to the room , all without needing any prior business knowledge. Boardroom Blitz blends creativity, teamwork, and real-world decision-making to give you a taste of university-style learning and workplace skills. This is not your average classroom – Are you ready to become the boss?
- Building a Sustainable Future: Understanding and Applying the UN SDGs
This session introduces students to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a roadmap for tackling global challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change. Students will learn about the 17 SDGs through an engaging discussion and explore how they can contribute to a sustainable future. Activities include an interactive task where participants brainstorm ideas for projects aligned with SDGs like Quality Education, Climate Action, and Decent Work & Economic Growth. The session concludes with a gallery walk, encouraging students to share and reflect on each other’s ideas for creating local impact.
Criminology and Politics
From knife crime to devolution, climate change to how politicians communicate, these sessions will provide your students with an insight into what it’s like to study a Criminology or Politics based degree.
Criminology: Workshops
- Knife crime
‘Knife crime’ is any crime involving a knife or sharp object, which can include carrying a knife, trying to buy a knife if you are under 18, and/or threatening, injuring or fatally wounding someone with a knife. ‘Knife crime’ among children and young people has been increasing in recent years (81% increase between 2013 and 2023). The general public, the media and politicians often think that longer and harsher prison sentences are the answer to ‘knife crime’. There also seems to be the belief that people who carry out such crimes do not deserve understanding. In this session we will look at some of the reasons for the increase in ‘knife crime’, which young people are most likely to be involved, the reasons for this, how the media portray this and what might be done to reduce deaths and injuries caused by ‘knife crime’.
- Climate change
Climate change is a challenge that threatens not only humanity’s various civilisations, but the existence of the entire species. As critical criminologists we focus on harm rather than crime, meaning all harmful actions regardless of whether or not they are legal or illegal in a particular country at a particular time. The social scientific problem of climate change is the question of why nations, societies, and individuals have almost all failed to implement effective responses in spite of the overwhelming evidence provided by the natural sciences. One of the causes of the problem is the complexity of climate change, which makes it difficult to comprehend, easy to ignore, and available for exploitation. This session explores how critical criminologists understand the causes of climate change in terms of the true nature of the broader harms which are occurring.
Politics: Workshops
- How politicians communicate
In this session we discuss the role of spin, political advertising and other communication events that politicians use to promote themselves and their parties and engage with voters. This is a chance to try your hand at crafting political messages, while gaining a better understanding of how political persuasion works and why politics matters.
- What is activism?
In this session we talk about how activist movements arise and what techniques they use in campaigning. You will learn about a range of both informal and more formalized activist and protest movements, such as the Anti-Apartheid movement, green activism, the Yellow Vests and the Electoral Reform Society who campaigns to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote.
- General Election of 1979
Whilst every General Election is important, some are more important than others: they mark a seismic shift in the UK’s overall political direction. 1979 is one such election. You will learn about the UK’s political environment as the election approached, the election itself, and what the long-term consequences of it were. You will understand what the rise of Thatcherism meant for the country, how it forced the Labour Party to move away from socialism, and how even today’s governments follow the 1979 playbook.
- Recall of MPs
Like us, MPs are imperfect humans living in an imperfect world. We all make mistakes. However, most of us are not lawmakers. If we as voters are unhappy with our elected representatives, what can we do about it? You will learn about the immense job security MPs enjoy, and how difficult it can be to remove a sitting MP. You will understand the various tools and tricks parties and voters can employ to try and force an errant MP to behave. Numerous case studies will be discussed, showing just how badly some MPs behave, and whether they got away with it.
- Being the Opposition
Majority focus tends to be on the government, or those in power. But a champion is only as good as their next best challenger. Being the opposition means holding those in power to account, and challenging them at every turn. You will learn about life as the opposition, and the tools you have at your disposal to try and force those in power to listen to you. You will understand that governments can be influenced not just from within (e.g., Parliament), but also from the outside (e.g., fringe issues and pressure groups). You will have a greater appreciation for the greasy pole that is politics.
- Devolution in the UK
Devolution is the process of deferring, or delegating power to others. However, devolution as we understand it today began in 1999, with the creation of separate parliaments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. You will learn about what brought about these bodies, and what they were intended to do. You will discover what devolution has meant for the overall governance of the UK, and how it has both acted as a testing ground for successful policies (e.g., the smoking ban); but also highlighted broader policy tensions (e.g., tuition fees). You will also learn that in the UK, devolution is ultimately only as successful as Parliament wants it to be.
Computer Science
We explore specialist fields like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and web gaming in our computing taster sessions and lectures.
Presentations
- Introduction to Computer Science
This session explores the wide range of computing courses available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements and career prospects.
Workshops
- Robotics
Have you ever wondered how Artificial Intelligence can now enable robots to perform simple (such as walking) or complex (such as driving) human activities? Would you like to learn how to use a software platform to interact with state-of-the-art humanoid robots?
Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence have powered robotic systems, such as self-driving cars, unmanned aircrafts, smart home devices and smart personal assistants, to efficiently perform a wide range of complex human tasks. This session will introduce you to fundamental Artificial Intelligence technologies in which Machine Learning (ML) is a vital component. ML aims to leverage large scale data sources to extract knowledge required for the automation of different tasks. During a hands on practical session, you will use the Choregraphe software platform to interact with humanoid robots and will then use this software to write various behaviour and activity programmes for the humanoid to carry out.
- User Experience (UX) Design and Users
Understanding the audience/users of the software is an essential part of modern software/web development. This session is designed to both inform and allow you to get hands on experience. The session will be run in the form of a series of short UX workshops to try and discover what user experience is as a career and also the tasks that are involved. The workshop will undertake several exercises that are designed to get you to think about the users and their experiences.
- Web Gaming
Have you ever wondered how games are developed for the web and why these games are so popular? This all starts with good web design. Ever wanted to be able to build your own game? This session will introduce you to web design by creating a web based game using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The session will also cover assets and file management for optimal user experience.
- Ethical Hacking
Would you like to become a Security Professional or a White Hat Hacker? Skilled criminal hackers can cause serious problems for businesses, organisations, and individuals that use the internet. As a result, large organisations such as Google and Apple are building their own hacking programs that employ ethical hackers to find vulnerabilities in their software applications. This gives them the chance to fix the problem before a real hack occurs. In this session, you will be introduced to the fundamental principles of ethical hacking with practical experience on interesting hacking methods and approaches.
- CyberCiege
We will play a cyber security training game called CyberCiege. This is a computer game widely used by professionals/companies to train employees on cybersecurity problems.
- Hiding and Uncovering Data Hidden within Images
Data hiding is a common method of stopping people from seeing sensitive data, and one of the easiest techniques is using Steganography. This hiding files within images, tricks viewers into thinking the document is benign. This technique has been used in terrorism, and counterintelligence, all the way to localised crime. In this session, you will cover the techniques of hiding and uncovering data hidden within images.
- Programming
This interactive session will firstly introduce you to a popular tool used to create interactive notebook documents that can contain code, equations, visualizations, media and other computational outputs (Jupyter Notebook). Once we open Jupyter Notebook, we will load a notebook containing instructions that will guide you through a series of fundamental coding exercises. You will be expected to solve the exercises with tutor guidance, giving you first hand experience of problem solving with code – most likely for the first time.
- Games Programming
Games engines are used to develop all types of games. Some engines are bespoke and are used exclusively by a company or studio, whilst others are public and are much more widespread. Two of the most well known public engines are Unity and unreal engine. When using these engines, you can create environments for your game very quickly, and in this session, you will build a basic environment and then navigate it in the third person.
- Computer Augmented Virtual Environment (CAVE)
The four screen CAVE demonstration offers you a chance to fully immerse yourself in a virtual room.
Using real data to replicate reality, you will be able to experience real life scenarios in 4k resolution, anything from emergency situations to complex surgery and lab reactions.
- Connect Space
Have you ever interacted with robots? Now it’s time to see them in action!
Our Connect Space demonstration will let you ask robots a question, ask them to dance and will give you the chance to engage with them through conversation and their touch screen. There are also robots that are used on industrial scale in factories to automate the production processes.
Engineering
From electrical and electronic to mechanical, our engineering taster sessions give students the opportunity to delve deeper in studying an engineering degree through practical experiences.
Presentations
- Introduction to Engineering
This session explores the wide range of engineering courses available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements and career prospects.
Workshops
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Fundamentals
Electronic circuits at the most basic level comprise a voltage source (V), current (I) and resistance (R). These three interrelated elements are brought together through the application of Ohm’s Law. Ohm’s Law states that current flowing through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it and inversely proportional to its resistance.
In this session, you will work in the electrical and electronic engineering teaching laboratory, which is furnished with state-of-the-art test and measurement equipment. You will be given opportunities to realise and measure fundamental electronic quantities, i.e., the measurement of voltage and resistance using a very simple electronic circuit. You will then use these obtained values to determine the current flowing through the circuit using well known, elementary circuit theory.
The step-by-step guide, which will take you through the measurement process, is as follows:
- Determine resistance, R, using the resistor’s colour code and compare this to the measurement obtained from a digital multimeter
- Build a simple circuit on a breadboard following the provided instructions
- Measure the voltage across the resistor, V
- Calculate the current flowing through the resistor using Ohm’s Law, I.
- Electronic Engineering in a Laboratory
In this session, you will be given opportunities to realise and measure fundamental electronic quantities i.e., measurement of voltage and current in a very simple circuit. The circuit topology and requirements are given below:
- Read resistance and compare to the measurement from multimeter
- Build simple circuit on breadboard
- Measure voltage of resistor
- Calculate the current
- Mechanical Engineering Fundamentals
In this session, you will work in the materials engineering teaching laboratory, which is furnished with state-of-the-art test and measurement equipment.
Mechanical properties of materials play a vital role in the selection of a particular material for some specific application. If the engineering materials are chosen without careful consideration of their mechanical properties in an application, this can lead to catastrophic failures and loss of not only money but lives. For example, a merchant navy ship suffered a fatal failure during WW-II and broke into two parts in the sea. The reason was not an enemy attack but the welded joints, whose fracture strength was too low to bear the loads.
Young’s modulus or Elastic modulus is an important property of engineering materials. It is characteristic property of material. This is defined as the resistance of materials to deform elastically. For example, if one stretches the rubber band with just a little force, it stretches significantly, however if a steel rod of the same cross-sectional area is pulled with the same force there will be no visible stretching in the rod. Therefore, we say that steel has a higher elastic modulus than the rubber.
In this session, you will monitor a tensile testing on a dumbbell shape steel specimen and learn how the Elastic modulus is computed for a material. Stress and Strain are two main terms used to define the elastic modulus. You will learn how the Stress and Strain are defined and how they are related to define the Elastic modulus of a material. You will be given opportunities to realise and measure fundamental properties of materials, using our state-of-the-art Tensile Tester equipment. You will also learn the use of Vernier’s callipers to measure the size of a test specimen.
The step-by-step guide, which will take you through the measurement process, is as follows:
- Identify the material of the specimen by visual inspection
- Measure the cross sectional diameter of a specimen
- Measure the length of the reduced section of the dumbbell specimen
- Observe the test run in the Instron tensile testing machine
- Observe the development of the stress strain graph during the test
- Compute the Elastic modulus
- Observe the necking phenomenon before breakage of the specimen.
English and Creative Writing
With sessions covering English literature and creative writing there’s plenty of sessions on offer to inspire your students. They could discover the ‘Victorian Vampire’, explore child language development or delve into the world of script writing.
Presentations
- Introduction to English and Creative Writing
This session covers the variety of career opportunities available to students studying English or Creative Writing and how best to prepare for the career of their choice. This session includes practical advice for making the most of your degree and preparing for graduation, the session also looks at alumni profiles showing how they transitioned from their undergraduate studies into work or further study.
Workshops
English Literature
- ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity – or Death’: Protest Writing in the Romantic Period
This session will introduce you to the historical and political background of some major Romantic period texts, exploring how authors such as Austen, Blake, and Coleridge responded to revolutionary unrest at home and abroad in their writing. The session will engage you in close reading, critical and historical analysis, and support the development of the written and oral presentation of your work.
- The Victorian Vampire
This session focuses on a sub-genre of American fiction called ‘Dirty Realism’ whereby writers like Annie Proulx adopt a style of writing that uses concise, unadorned language. The session will develop close reading skills to consider how the gaps and silences of the text indicate a darker side of reality in contemporary America.
Creative Writing
- Becoming a Writer: What does it mean to be a writer and how do you get there?
- Script Writing: Writing for stage, radio or screen
- Writing Poetry: From Haikus to innovative poetry
- Writing Fiction and Short Stories: Edge Hill specialises in the short story form, and this workshop explores the process of the short form.
Geography and Geology
If your students are curious about today’s big issues, our geography and geology taster sessions are a great way to inspire them. Students can explore physical geography topics such as river bank erosion and channel change or find out more and have a go with geological equipment such as the petrographic microscope.
Presentations
- Introduction to Geography and Geology
This session covers post-16 options, the variety of Geography and Geology courses at Edge Hill and possible career paths these degrees could lead to. It will also include some information about the department and research at Edge Hill University, including possible research areas that students could get involved in.
Lectures/Workshops
- Catching criminals with Geoforensics*
No matter where a crime takes place, environments can leave traces of physical evidence on a criminal. This principle has been well known to crime scene investigators since the late 1800s, and geographers play a vital role in this. Did you know that things like soil, pollen and diatoms can all be used as forensic evidence in criminal investigations? In this lecture, we will explore this fascinating science of Geoforensics.
- Mount Mazama: eruption, impacts and amazement*
Volcanic activity can cause devastating impacts on the natural and human environment that is near to it. However, did you know that volcanoes can also have much far-reaching consequences too? Volcanic ash (tephra) can be dispersed hundreds of km’s away from the volcano, but the impacts of distal tephra deposition are poorly understood. Through the case study of Mount Mazama (Oregon) that erupted 7,600 years ago we will gain a deeper understanding of the distal environmental and climatic impacts of volcanic eruptions.
- The British Isles on Fire! Past & present perspectives*
Did you know that wildfires are not a new thing for the British Isles? In fact, we have fossil evidence that the landscape has been ‘burning’ over the past 11,000 years. We will explore the role of fire in shaping the landscapes we see today and how causes of these ‘wildfires’ are difficult to unravel. The recent ‘wildfires’ in the British Isles have been concerning and we will use our knowledge of past fires to inform our understanding of those recently experienced and predictions for the future.
- Super Eruptions and Super Volcanoes and their implications to mass extinctions*
The activity will introduce basic principles of volcanology and will describe different types of volcanic eruptions in the context of magnitude and their associated hazard. The lecture will introduce the concept of a super eruption, its effects on climate change at planetary scale, and its implication in mass extinctions, presenting key examples with images and videos.
- Pollen – not just something to make you sneeze!*
Do you or someone you know suffer from hay fever? Would you like to take a closer look at the pollen that is making your nose tickle (without the danger of sneezing!)? During this lecture, we will explore how these microscopic particles can be incredibly important for scientists who wish to reconstruct past environments and climatic changes, and answer questions like: ‘when did the first tree species arrive in the British Isles after the last Ice Age?’, or ‘when did humans start to farm?’.
Activities/Practical sessions
- Changing rivers and floodplains
Rivers and their floodplains change over time – from day-to-day small-scale events to the larger-scale impacts of extreme floods. It can be difficult to visualise these changes, however, using a miniature river model (a stream table), we can demonstrate them in just a few minutes, although in nature they would take from hours to millions of years. The stream table has flowing water and plastic sediment, which mimics the river environment. We will be able to explore the reasons for river changes (e.g., flow rate / channel gradient) as well as the impact of management on river channels, by altering the settings on the stream table. The activity can be tailored to particular topics that students are studying, if preferred.
- The wonderful Geological microscope and how it unveils the rocks’ secrets.
The activity will introduce the special microscope used in Geology, and the fundamentals of how it works generating amazing colours and images in a 30-minute theoretical presentation. Then, we will have an hour’s hands on activity looking at different thin sections from different types of rocks and geological environments.
- Solving crimes with Geoforensics
No matter where a crime takes place, environments can leave traces of physical evidence on a criminal. Did you know that things like soil, pollen and diatoms can all be used as forensic evidence in criminal investigations? In this session, we will use Geoforensics to solve a crime.
- Producing maps for your project using Digimap*
This practical session will introduce you to the capabilities of map servers (see below) and the functions that will enable you to produce high-quality maps for your independent research project or similar. You will learn how to produce two types of map in the session: a) location map, showing the location of your field site(s); b) detailed maps of individual field sites to display date.
- The wonderful world of Diatoms*
Have you ever heard of a diatom? Probably not, but you really need to know about these tiny organisms. Diatoms are microscopic, photosynthetic, siliceous algae that very few people have heard of. However, diatoms are essential to life as they produce 25% of the oxygen we breathe and are important food source for plankton. Diatoms are also useful for environmental reconstruction as different species have particular preferences in where they live, and so are excellent environmental indicators both in the past and present day. In this activity, you will learn more about these wonderful (and beautiful) organisms and get hands-on by using the microscopes to identify them.
- Bringing the beach to the lab
Have you ever enjoyed playing with sand? Did you ever take a closer look at it? This practical session will introduce you to sediment particle size analysis, using the sieving technique, and what to do with the results. You will take a closer look at the grains of sand, including what they are made of and their shape.
- Pollen – is it all the same?*
Do you or someone you know suffer from hay fever? Would you like to take a closer look at the pollen that is making your nose tickle (all behind glass, so no sneezing!)? During this practical session, we will use microscopes to get ‘up close and personal’ with these microscopic particles. Did you know that pollen is all around us and we can find it in materials like soil, that have been present for thousands of years?
History
In our history taster sessions and lectures students can become digital detectives, exploring online archives or discover important topics such as African-American Civil Rights.
Presentations
- Introduction to History
This session has been designed to support History students to select the right degree for them, this will cover module choice, assessment methods and careers information; to support students in their decision-making. This workshop covers the variety of career opportunities available to students studying History and how to best prepare for the career of their choice.
Workshops
- Digital Detectives: Using Online Archives to Level Up Your Research Projects
History is changing. In recent years, enormous numbers of historical documents have been digitised and made available in online archives. These digital tools allow historians to explore the past in exciting new ways, and they also make archival research accessible to everyone, including A-Level students. In this practical workshop, your will learn some advanced tips on how to use digital archives effectively. We’ll use the history of crime in 18th and 19th century Britain as a case study, with a particular focus on public executions, but the skills you develop can be applied to any historical topic or period. This session will be especially useful for students who are undertaking an EPQ or extended research project.
- Hands On History
In this session your students will have the opportunity to handle historical artefacts and consider what they tell us about the past. It is important for budding young historians to look beyond the paper documents that often form the focus of history teaching. This practical session on material culture will introduce students to the history all around them. We all own something that could be termed tangible or material culture, and some of us might even own something old that has been handed down to us. But how do we analyse these sources? How can we use them to discover new information about the people and societies who created, used, and preserved them? In this session, you’ll have the opportunity to analyse some unusual historical objects with the help of one of our expert lecturers.
- Witch Trials in Tudor England
The Tudor period saw hundreds of victims condemned to death for witchcraft, with many more brought to trial. How can we explain the craze for witch-hunting during this time? In this taster session, we will explore questions of class, gender, and social conformity via a mini-lecture on the history of witch-hunts in England and Europe and a hands-on seminar in which you will examine primary source material from local witch trials.
- ‘As good as a marriage’: same-sex relationships throughout history
On Easter Sunday 1834, at the Holy Trinity Church in Goodramgate, York, Anne Lister and Ann Walker took the sacrament together and exchanged rings as a symbol of their commitment to each other. This ceremony, recorded in Anne Lister’s extensive diaries and made world famous by the BBC series ‘Gentleman Jack’, has been described as the first same-sex marriage. This session will look at same-sex relationships throughout history using sources such as court cases, newspaper reports, and personal accounts like Anne’s diaries. We will explore changing attitudes to sexuality through history and ask what attitudes towards same-sex relationships tell us about society and culture both in the past, and the present.
- Understanding histories of medicine: what does it mean to be human?
The way in which we treat, medicate, and care for our bodies is fundamentally shaped by what we consider the human body to be. This session looks at the many different ways that the human body was understood in the past. Starting with the humoral body and its treatment using Galenic theories of medicine including the six non-naturals, we will explore how and why this type of medicine changed in the 19thC. We will consider the possibility that the 19thC ‘revolution in medicine’ was only possible because understandings about what the body was and how it worked also changed beyond recognition. We will then apply some of our findings to the modern era, challenging our conceptions of what it means to be human, and how our bodies should be cared for in both sickness and health.
- Gender and Class in the Viking World
It is difficult to find nuance in popular perception of the Vikings, which either maligns them as bloodthirsty savages or glorifies them as free-spirited warriors. Who were the real Vikings, and what was their society like? In this taster session, you will get to explore Viking culture through a mini-lecture on the history of the Viking Age plus a seminar in which we will examine primary source material about the Viking world (in modern English translation, of course!), focusing on how Viking society defined social classes and gender roles.
- East meets West: The World of the Crusades
The Crusades brought thousands of people from medieval Western Europe to the Middle East, where Latin Christian culture encountered the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire as well as the Arabic-speaking Islamic world. What did all these different peoples think of one another, and what were the cultural legacies of the Crusades? In this taster session, you will explore the world of the Crusades through a mini-lecture plus a hands-on seminar that looks at textual narratives of the Crusades from a variety of perspectives, as well as some medieval objects born of cultural fusion in the Middle East during this time.
Healthcare and Medicine
Our practical healthcare and medicines will help students to put themselves in the shoes of health care practitioners and see if they can make life changing decisions such as in our ‘who gets the kidney’ session. We can also support your students with Medical School applications and understanding the UCAT process.
Presentations
- Introduction to Health
This session covers the variety of opportunities available to students interested in professional health accredited courses such as Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work, Operating Department Practice and Paramedic Practice and how to best prepare for these types of degrees. It also includes how these degrees are taught, work experience ideas, entry requirements, interview process as well as future career opportunities. This session can also include an additional interactive activity such as health based personal statements.
- Introduction to Medicine
This session gives an insight into applying for Medicine courses along with showing the range of alternative courses on offer linked to Healthcare and Medical practice. Information on how these degrees are taught, work experience ideas, entry requirements, the application process, admissions tests and future career opportunities are all included.
Workshops
Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
- Who Gets the Kidney?
This practical session will introduce students to some of the ways in which health care leaders make life saving decisions. The overall aim is to develop students’ awareness of ethical leadership and informed decision-making across health and social care services.
- Rule Breaker, Change Maker
The overall aim of this session is to engage students in debate and practical activities about young leaders; exploring how rule breaking attitudes can lead to ground-breaking revolutions.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing
- The ‘S’ Factor
Getting young people to debate the value of social media and its influence on mental health and wellbeing.
- Understanding your chimp
Using the Chimp Paradox to explain emotional intelligence and help with understanding your mental health, including how to deal with exam stress.
- Help me to help myself
A guided self-help session.
Counselling and Psychotherapy
A session to understand and develop listening skills
Law, Criminal Justice & Policing
Our law, criminal justice and policing curriculum workshops can support you to deliver an aspect of the Level 3 curriculum. All delivered by academics who are experts in their field.
Presentations
- Introduction to Law, Criminal Justice and Policing
This session explores the wide range of Law, Criminal Justice and Policing related courses available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements, study abroad opportunities and career prospects.
We can deliver a session which encompasses all 3 of the subject areas or individual subjects:
- Introduction to Law
Exploring, for example, the foundations of legal knowledge, practice-focused modules, and the routes into qualifying as a solicitor or barrister.
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
Ideal for students interested in exploring the criminal justice system, rehabilitating and managing offenders, psychological explanations of crime or cybercrime and the criminal justice system.
- Introduction to Policing
A session not just for those who wish to pursue a career in policing. This session explores our Professional Policing programme that includes applied criminology, social psychology, law, criminal investigation, suspect and witness interviewing, digital policing and cybercrime, information and intelligence, counter terrorism, and a host of transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving, leadership, team-work, and resilience.
Workshops
We offer Curriculum Workshops delivered by our academic staff. For workshops delivered on campus, this can include the use of our Moot Court Room and Police Simulation and Training Facility or ‘Crime House’.
- Challenge the Court
Test your advocacy skills in our ‘mooting’ (mock trial) activity. Practice developing a coherent legal argument and presenting a client’s case to a ‘moot judge’. If on campus, you can make use of our former real-life court room, complete with wigs and gowns!
- Crime and Punishment
In this interactive session on sentencing scenarios, you will explore some examples of sentences and the balance between punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Suitable for students interested in law, criminal justice and/or policing, you will examine the importance of examining evidence and the facts of a case from the perspective of both the defence and the prosecution.
- Criminological Theories of Crime Prevention
In this interactive workshop, you will learn about the main criminological theories about how to prevent crime and criminal behaviour. In groups, you will then use this knowledge to design an intervention to prevent particular types of crime such as young offending, car theft, driving while using a mobile phone, etc.
- Design a Crime
Working in groups, you will design a crime and stage a tableau or snapshot of that crime in action. Other teams must then investigate this tableau and come up with what they think is happening – the clues are in the detail; it is all about how well can the designing team convey the crime and how observant the investigators are.
Mathematics
Mathematics is all around us, quietly shaping the world in ways we often overlook. In our taster sessions and lectures, you can uncover the beauty, power and creativity of mathematics, and see how it influences every part of life. From the mathematics behind scientific discoveries and technological innovation, to its role in finance, architecture and engineering, mathematics provides the language we use to understand and solve real-world problems. Our taster sessions aim to ignite a sense of wonder—showing you that mathematics is not just a subject to study, but a dynamic, creative and essential part of how we explore, understand and improve our world.
Presentations
- Introduction to Mathematics
This session explores the mathematics degree course available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements and career prospects.
Workshops
- Polar curves
In the mathematics session, you will delve deep into the enchanting realm of polar curves, uncovering their boundless potential for crafting exquisite artwork. Throughout your exploration, you will unravel the secrets of polar curves, discovering their ability to render not only intricate flowers and charming love hearts but also to infuse your creations with dynamic movement. With the introduction of programming, you will employ coding techniques to animate your floral masterpieces and bring them to life.
- Mathematical explorations
Experience the thrill of mathematical exploration, as you tackle a series of captivating challenges designed to ignite your curiosity and deepen your understanding of the dynamic world of mathematics. In the Homeomorphism Challenge, you will stretch and transform shapes to uncover surprising and profound connections in topology. The legendary Brachistochrone Problem invites you to unravel the path where a particle races between two points in the shortest possible time, blending the excitement of calculus and physics. Venture further with the Polyhedral Net Folding Challenge, where you will bring flat designs to life as three-dimensional polyhedra, and dive into the Knot Theory Challenge, where you will discover the hidden secrets of knots and links through powerful mathematical reasoning. Each activity promises discovery and insight, making mathematics a true adventure
Media and Performing Arts
Our media and performing arts workshops cover a range of subject areas. Do you have budding actors, dancers, or musicians? We can show them what university study will be like. Or we can show students what it would be like to study courses such as film, media, broadcast production or animation.
Presentations
- Introduction to Creative Arts
This session covers the variety of courses and career opportunities available to Media and Performing Arts students and how to best prepare for the degree and career of their choice. This session includes practical advice for making the most of a degree and preparing for graduation as well as alumni examples showing how they transitioned from their undergraduate studies into work or further study.
Workshops
- Graphic Design Principles
This session starts by explaining what graphic design is, and exploring its importance in our visual culture and society, as a tool for effective communication and problem solving. Principles of graphic design will then be explored in a practical session where students can then apply this knowledge to produce a paste-up poster design using text and image. This session can be delivered on or off site and all materials will be provided. If delivered on site at EHU, students can have the choice to use our state of the art mac computers with Adobe Creative suite software to produce the posters.
- Graphic Design Ideas
This session uses idea generation techniques to explore how designers solve creative problems and have great ideas. Set up like a game with team players and a specially designed card set, students will use an approach based on the oblique strategies method to generate, frame and solve problems in this fun and interactive session. All materials will be provided and this session can be delivered on or off site.
- Art and Design Portfolio Surgery
This session is intended to be delivered off site and is an opportunity for art and design students, who are considering applying to university, to receive guidance on how to put a physical and/or digital portfolio together. Advice on the types of questions you might be asked at a portfolio interview will also be provided. Students attending should have access to their art and design work so that we can review and explore the work in the practical element of the session.
- Film
In this workshop students will be introduced to some of the considerations involved in thinking about film. They will work in teams to plan a film idea then present a pitch (a brief, persuasive talk) to spark interest for their movie idea.
- Film and broadcast production/TV
Story and narrative are the basis of any successful fiction-based production. Using a collection of short clips and images the session will cover conventions of narrative and character development for fiction-based production. Learners will develop an idea for a short TV Drama using the supplied visual material.
- Media
This taster session examines the development of transmedia storytelling within new digital environments. From Netflix box sets, to cinematic universes and fan communities, the convergence of media, technologies and culture has heralded in a new age of audience engagement. In this session students analyse the extent to which social media, podcasting, vlogging and digital platforms have become essential spaces for cinema, film and television producers and consumers. They then work together to create a transmedia business plan for a TV show, video game or film of their choosing.
- Animation Masterclass
Invite one of our animation academics into your school or college to give you an hour’s workshop using Dragonframe. Dragonframe is a stop motion animation software which has been used to make several full-length motion picture films, including Coraline, Scream Street, and ParaNorman, as well as the stop motion television shows Shaun the Sheep and The Clangers.
This workshop will give students an insight into how easy and accessible it is to get into making animations. Our tutors will bring everything with them on the day; all your students need to bring with them is their imagination. Alternatively, if you would like to try 2D animation with Toonboom or CGI animation with Maya, you could book an onsite bespoke visit and take the opportunity to tour our facilities as well as spending time with our academics in the animation studio. This opportunity is available for schools and colleges in the North West, subject to availability.
- Music production
This interactive music workshop will provide a taster of what it’s like to study music production at degree level. Students will get to produce their own content in our industry standard studios, and converse with current students and tutors about studying music at Edge Hill.
- Run a music studio, record a song
Ever wondered how hit singles are made? Ever thought about being a professional singer or music producer? In this workshop, students will work with Edge Hill University studio professionals to set up and record some music live before mixing it to sound just like their favourite songs.
- Sound Design for Films, TV, and Videogames: Making Heroes Sound Super (on campus only, maximum 25 students)
Sound design is one of the most important aspects of any tv show, video game, or film. Whether an indie project or big budget franchise, heroes do not just need to be super onscreen but they need to sound super too. In this workshop, students will work with Edge Hill University staff to explore and create their own sound design for some of their favourites shows.
- What’s in a song? And, how do I release it?
How do you write a song? How do you get that song recorded and release it on Spotify? This workshop will showcase key ideas behind writing music in any genre, then explore how to record that and release it on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon, just as we do on the BA in Music Production at Edge Hill University. Where possible we’ll bring some current students and equipment along too to include a performance element in the session.
- Dance
In this live session you will be led through elements of a contemporary dance class that will offer you a taste of how you would work with your lecturers while studying dance at Edge Hill University. We will move technically, creatively and share what we love about dance.
- Drama
This workshop will explore how we make performance from existing materials. We will focus on the idea of the adaptation, and consider how we take pre-existing ideas, and make them work for a live performance setting.
- Creating a Musical Theatre song
Have you ever wondered how the songs you love to sing come about? A practical introduction to musical theatre song and how to write one.
In this session you will:
- Create new lyrics to a well-known tune
- Consider a subject for your song – for example going to university / Covid / dreams and ambitions
- Who might sing it? Who might they be singing it to?
- What type of song is it – ballad, up tempo, comedy?
- Where might the song sit within a musical?
By the end of the session, you will have created a simple musical theatre song! No previous experience necessary.
- Learn a musical theatre song in under 50 minutes
In this session the students will learn the song “Will I” from the Musical Rent
The theoretical part of the session will place the musical and song into context, what will follow is a Masterclass on Singing and Harmony, allowing the students to learn the song then perform it in under 50 minutes.
Psychology
Psychology is all around us. In our taster sessions and lectures students can discover psychology in all walks of life. From the psychology of health, education and sport, we have sessions available in a range of topics.
Presentations
- Introduction to Psychology
This session explores the wide range of psychology courses available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at BPS accreditation, entry criteria, facilities available, placements, sandwich years and career prospects.
Workshops
- Careers in Psychology
- Psychology: The study of human thought and behaviour
- Applying psychology to health and well-being
- Applying psychology to forensic issues
- Applying psychology to educational issues
Social Sciences
From youth cultures to the exploration of equalities and inequalities in society students can explore a range of topics within the social sciences. Our academics have a range of expertise so we’d be happy to create a bespoke activity for your students.
Presentations
- Introduction to Social Sciences
This session explores the wide range of social science related courses available to study at Edge Hill, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements, study abroad opportunities and career prospects.
Workshops
- Youth Cultures
What does it mean to be a young person in the twenty first century society? What do young people say about the issues that affect them and their families, such as homelessness, employment, participation, and education? This interactive session focuses on these questions among others, looking at topics such as young people’s roles in campaigns, advocacy and political activism. It also explores what ‘youth cultures’ mean and some of the differences and similarities in the life experiences of diverse young people in the UK and Europe.
- Sexual Identities, Diversity and Difference
Sexuality and the expression and suppression of diverse aspects of sexual identities are important topics in contemporary society. In twenty first century Britain, sexual diversity and the freedom to express whatever identity one aspires to, and/or chooses, is celebrated, through different types of social movements and campaigns (such as Pride marches). Sexual desires and how people express them can be deeply rooted to political, cultural and social contexts. This session focuses on what identity is, how social scientists study sexuality, and differences and similarities on what is considered desirable across different nations and cultures.
- Equalities and Inequalities in Society
If there is a specific topic you would like a workshop based on that is not listed above, please let us know as our academics have a range of expertise and would be happy to create a bespoke activity for your students.
What is `equality’ and `inequality’ in the UK today? How has this changed over recent years? How does the UK compare with other countries? This session explores the nature and extent of inequality in the UK, breaking it down according to social class, gender, disability and age. The session focuses on the implications of inequalities for generational relations and how this shapes Britain today and our likely future.
- Children’s Food Practices
The session on Children’s Food Practices begins by outlining the social and sociological importance of examining what children eat. After covering several issues in brief, the talk then goes into more detail about two pressing policy topics. These are the low rates of breastfeeding in England which includes a focus on socio-economic factors and gendered constructions of the body. The second topic is the carbon footprint of food and agriculture. This is explored via an examination of calls to improve the sustainability (and health) of children’s food practices, and how this raises questions of children’s agency and their relations with the rest of nature.
Sport and Physical Activity
Our sports lecture series and interactive sports workshop will provide an insight for students into what it’s like to study a sports degree. Topics can include sports injury management, sports coaching and performance analysis and more.
Presentations
- Introduction to Sport
This session explores the wide range of Sport and Physical Activity courses on offer, looking more closely at entry criteria, facilities available, placements, career prospects, sports scholarships and travelling/studying abroad opportunities.
Workshops
- Sports Lecture Series
Our sports department can deliver several taster sessions which include a lecture on a range of sports topics. Please see below a list of lecture topics on offer:
- Physiology of Sports Performance
- Physical Activity in Children and Young People
- Sports Injury Management and Rehabilitation
- Sports Coaching and Performance Analysis
- Sport and Mental Health
Teaching and Education
From Teacher Training workshops to forest schools, young peoples mental health and learning through play, our Faculty of Education can over a broad range of sessions for students interested in becoming a qualified teacher or working in the wider childrens workforce.
Presentations
- Introduction to Education and Teaching
For students considering a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) course at Early Years, Primary, Secondary or Further Education level, this session gives an insight into preparing for these types of degrees. Information on how these courses are taught, work experience ideas, entry requirements, interviews as well as other children and young people based degree options (Non QTS), in order to work in Education or the wider children’s workforce, are all included. This session can also contain additional interactive activities such as personal statements.
Workshops
From Teacher Training workshops to forest schools, young people’s mental health and learning through play, our Faculty of Education can offer a broad range of sessions for students interested in becoming a qualified teacher or working in the wider children’s workforce.
Previous presentations and workshops we have delivered to partners have included:
- Lesson Planning & Behavior Management
- Interview Preparation
- Supporting Children and Young People’s Mental Health within School
- The Forest School Approach
With an Outstanding reputation delivered from Ofsted, The Faculty of Education has colleagues with expertise in Teacher Training, SENCo & Dyslexia, Mental Health and can offer bespoke presentations and workshops to your students.