Subject specific sessions

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.

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.

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.

* These sessions can be held both on and off campus.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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

Curriculum Workshops

Our Curriculum Workshops are hour-long sessions delivered by a member of our academic staff, who aim to aid students in their understanding of a variety of business related topics. Below are the Curriculum Workshop topics that we currently deliver.

Marketing the Product

Consider questions such as:

• What are the customers’ needs?
• Who are the market?
• What is our marketing mix and position?
• How will we advertise and sell?
• Will we use social media and online sales channels?

Managing the Business

Consider concepts such as:

• Raising finance
• Financial planning
• Managing finance
• Resource management
• External influences
• Cost management

Making Decisions and Winning

Learn how to make the most of:

• Business objectives and strategy
• Business growth
• Decision-making techniques
• The psychology of decisions
• Assessing competitiveness
• Disruption of decisions

Subject Outreach Offer Sessions

Marketing – where do new products come from?

This session will use topical examples to explore how new products are launched and how companies decide who is the target market for the product. It will develop your skills around the areas of understanding the market, conducting primary and secondary research and product portfolio analysis.

Before attending, you should identify a ‘new’ product or service that is successful. Then consider: why is this new product or service very good or successful?

Business and Management – Face the future

Ever wondered what the world will look like in 2040 and what would happen if your driverless car ran a pedestrian down at the traffic lights?  This fast paced session will ask you to consider how new products and services will transform our lives in ways that it is hard to predict. If building a driverless car, how do you decide what to do in the case of an accident? How could the global events such as war, Brexit etc. impact this? You will consider how the society you will live and work in will be radically different from today.

A question to consider before attending: If companies advance innovative products that control our lifestyles, what rules should apply?

Accountancy/Finance – Financial decision making

This session will be based around a finance game that asks you to consider how organisations can successfully use financial information for forecasting growth and success. It will develop your skills around the area of financial planning and the use of internal and external sources of finance.

A question to consider before attending: Is it better to sell a lot of something at a low price or a few things at a high price? 

Our chemistry and biochemistry taster sessions and lectures can give students a taste of what it’s like to study a science subject at university. There’s a range of sessions on offer, all led by our inspiring academic staff.

Exploring the fundamentals of Biochemistry

1) Acids and Bases: This session will cover importance of this topic from domestic use to industries and how to categories acids and bases of chemicals.

2) Reaction Mechanisms: This session will cover mainly nucleophilic substitution, nucleophilic addition, electrophilic addition, eliminations, and free radical substitution reactions.

3)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.

Acid base titration

Titration is technique where we can measure concentration of an acid or base by titrating against the known concentration of either acid or base.

Identifying organic functional groups

You will be given different organic compounds and each one has simple molecules with only one functional group per molecule and you will be able to identify functional group in each compound by carrying out reaction with various chemical.

Synthesis of Aspirin

Salicylic-acid-containing compounds derived from willow bark have been in use for many years as antipyretic (fever-reducing), analgesic (Pain killing), and anti-inflammatory agents. In this experiment we will synthesise Aspirin via acetylation (esterification) process of Salicylic acid.

Chromatographic separation

Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of halide Ions: In chromatography, the components of a mixture are separated because they pass at different rates through a stationary phase, under the influence of a mobile phase. TLC is often used to separate mixtures of organic compounds. It is a useful technique for following the course of an organic reaction. It can, as in this practical, also be used to separate inorganic ions.

Demonstration of distillation technique

Distillation is a process of separation in which components from a liquid mixture depend on the differences in boiling points and concentration.

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.

We explore specialist fields like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and web gaming in our computing taster sessions and lectures. Or students can explore the fundamentals of engineering.

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 an online tool used to write computer code (Google Collab). Once you can open the online environment, you 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.

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

CAVE

The four screen CAVE (Computer Augmented Virtual Environment) 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. 

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:

1. Determine resistance, R, using the resistor’s colour code and compare this to the measurement obtained from a digital multimeter
2. Build a simple circuit on a breadboard following the provided instructions
3. Measure the voltage across the resistor, V
4. Calculate the current flowing through the resistor using Ohm’s Law, I.

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:

1. Identify the material of the specimen by visual inspection
2. Measure the cross sectional diameter of a specimen
3. Measure the length of the reduced section of the dumbbell specimen
4. Observe the test run in the Instron tensile testing machine
5. Observe the development of the stress strain graph during the test
6. Compute the Elastic modulus
7. Observe the necking phenomenon before breakage of the specimen.

With sessions covering English literature, English language 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.

English Language

Child Language Development: Learning to mean

Do you remember your first word?  How was it pronounced and what did it mean?  This is a student-centred, practical workshop looking at children’s early lexical production and comprehension. We will investigate the sorts of words children learn first before looking at how the pronunciation and comprehension of early words differ from their adult equivalents.

Forensic Linguistics: Investigative interviews

This interactive session explores how we can use our knowledge of language and linguistics to analyse how the police interview suspects, witnesses and victims of crime. We will consider the use of turn-taking in formal police interviews and the types of questions that are employed and discuss how these are used effectively by investigators to gather the best quality of evidence for any subsequent criminal trial.

Critical Discourse Analysis: Linguistic manipulation

How do print and online media try to influence your views? How can you tell if a news article offers balanced reporting? How does clickbait work? This workshop will provide hands-on practice on the techniques we can use to critically examine the content and presentation of texts in order to uncover implicit attitudes.

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.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Workshops

Getting started

This session will enable students to explore topics for their research; thinking about what interests them, what would be useful to research and which topics are realistic and achievable. We will then look at developing a research question, ensuring it is specific enough to guide the research, allow students to address a topic rather than talking around an area.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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.

Workshops

Floods in the past: what can we learn about them and why should we?

This lecture introduces the subject of palaeofloods, that is, river floods whose occurrence and characteristics are identified using evidence in the landscape. The types of evidence used, such as sediments and landforms, will be presented along with a discussion of how the ages of past flood events can be measured and the severity of floods can be assessed in a variety of environments. The lessons that can be learned from palaeoflood records will also be examined.

Mount Mazama: Monster of the past

Volcanic activity can impact on aquatic and terrestrial environments at various spatial and temporal scales. We know a lot about the proximal impacts but not very much about impacts further away. 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 terrestrial and aquatic environmental impacts of volcanic eruptions.

Super Eruptions and Super Volcanoes

This lecture will introduce basic principles of volcanology and will describe different types of volcanic eruptions in the context of magnitude and associated hazard. The lecture will present key examples of different types of eruptions with images and videos, and will introduce the concept of a super volcano and its implication in mass extinctions.

The British Isles on Fire! Past & present perspectives

The lecture will look at ‘wildfires’ in the British Isles 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.

Activities

*Pollen – not just something to make you sneeze!

Pollen grains are the produced by flowering plants as part plant reproduction. However, these microscopic particles can be incredibly important for scientists who wish to reconstruct past environments and climatic changes. Plant species have specific tolerances to a range of environmental conditions, thus acting as indicators of past conditions. In this session we will use microscopes to look at how we can tell the difference between an Oak tree and a Grass pollen grain, as well as understanding how our reconstructions can be applied.

The characteristics of beach/fluvial sediment

This practical session introduces pupils to sediment particle size analysis, using the sieving technique, and to processing and interpreting the resulting data. It also enables students to take a close look at the characteristics of beach sands. During the practical participants will pass sediment samples through a stack of sieves of different mesh sizes and weigh each fraction to obtain the grain size distribution of the sample. Interpretation of the results will focus on the shape of the distribution and involve consideration of possible sources of error in the analysis.

The petrographic microscope and its uses in Geology

The activity will introduce the petrographic microscope and the fundamentals of optical mineralogy in a 30 minutes 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. (The activity has a maximum capacity of 15 students).

*Producing maps for your project using Digimap for Schools or DEFRA Magic Map

This practical session introduces pupils to the capabilities of Digimap or DEFRA Magic Map for Schools and the functions that will enable them to produce high-quality maps for their independent research project. The session begins with an overview of the different map scales available to them in Digimap for Schools or DEFRA Magic Map. The first map that participants produce is a location map, showing the position of the site(s) at which they have collected or will collect data for their project, as points, in either a national or regional context. The session continues with a focus on detailed maps of individual sites, introducing the skills needed to draw lines, areas and buffers around point or line features. The use of historical maps and aerial photography available in Digimap for Schools are also covered and the session ends with participants producing a legend for a choropleth map. (If off site: this session would require a computer for each pupil with internet access in order to work with Digimap for Schools or DEFRA MagicMap).

*River bank erosion and channel change

In this session, participants will be introduced to ideas relating to rates of river bank erosion and the nature of river channel changes over time. For selected river reaches, a sequence of maps and aerial photographs of different dates will be provided. Participants will trace the river channel from each of these sources, enabling them to compare the position of the channel banks on different occasions and follow how channel planform has altered over the time period between each pair of maps and / or aerial photographs. Participants will measure distances between successive channel bank positions and calculate rates of erosion. They will also learn the technical terms to describe the nature of river channel planform changes over time.

*The wonderful world of Diatoms!

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.

Activities marked with asterisks (*) can be delivered both on & off campus.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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 admissions tests including UCAT and BMAT.

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.

Introduction to UCAT/BMAT

This session looks at the reasons behind Universities incorporating pre-admissions tests into their Medicine courses, both UCAT and BMAT, discussing how the tests are made up, what is included in them, example questions and some top tips on how to approach them.

Gatsby Benchmarks 4 & 7

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

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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

Digital archives can be an amazing resource for students working on research projects and EPQs. In this practical workshop, Dr Bob Nicholson – a historian who is internationally recognized for his expertise on digital archives — will share his top tips for finding and using these online collections. What are the best archives for your topic? What is the most effective way to search them? How can you avoid some of the pitfalls involved in using these collections?

USA: Rise to Globalism

In this session we will look at how the United States emerged from the Second World War as the preeminent military, economic and political power in the world. From 1945 to the present day the superpower USA has been the defining force in international history. This session will outline the first period of the superpower era which became known as the Cold War. Through its rivalry with the Soviet Union, the Cold War lasted until 1991 and invaded every field of human endeavour in the latter half of the twentieth century, dominating not only military decisions but also economic, political and cultural activities. No assessment, however general, of the development of the post-war world can be complete without addressing at a basic level the role of United States foreign policy during the Cold War.

The Special Relationship: Britain and America

In this session we will look at the Anglo-American relationship which was, and still is, perhaps the most important relationship between nation-states of the twentieth century. In the last hundred years, the relationship has evolved in all areas of political, economic and military activity between states, and at differing times has dominated the path of diplomacy between these two first-world powers. The ‘special’ relationship has often been intimately involved in the key moments that have shaped the course of modern history, such as the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War and, more recently, the affairs of the Middle East and the ‘war on terror’. This session will outline the main contours of their cooperation, collusion and at times mutual conflict on the international stage.

African-American Civil Rights

This session traces the rise of the modern black civil rights movement in the US from the end of the Second World War to the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama. The session will recount the significant legal, political, and cultural changes that took place in family origin relations which led to the heroic activism of people like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. It will describe how the surge in protest which peaked with the March on Washington in 1963 became replaced by more radical chants for Black Power into the 1970s. The election of Obama and the re-emergence of a black rights movement will also be discussed.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Our law, criminology 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, Criminology and Policing

This session explores the wide range of Law, Criminology 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. 

Workshops

Curriculum Workshops 
We also offer Curriculum Workshops delivered by our academic staff.  Topics that we currently deliver.

Law

• Celebrities & the Law
• Contract Law
• International Law
• Family Law
• Introduction to Mooting
• Law of Negligence
• Who pays for the wrongs of an employee?

Criminology

• Disasters, Crime & Justice
• What is Criminology?: Expanding the Criminological Imagination
• Why Punish?
• Criminology and mass harms
• Bad ideas: how ignorance kills

Policing

• What are the Police for?
• Stop and Search
• Substance Abuse and Misuse

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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

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 (can be delivered online or in a school/college)

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 – options are available for one and off campus activity, dependent on group sizes

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.

On-campus

Run a music studio, record a song (maximum 8 students due to studio space)

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 (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.

In your school/college

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.

Musical Theatre

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 and Perform it 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.

Gatsby Benchmarks 4 & 7

Psychology is all around us. In our taster sessions and lectures students can discover psychology in all walks of life. From the psychology of emoji to the psychology of sport performance, 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.

Psychology Workshops

Social cognition and communication

The Psychology of social media 

The Psychology of emoji 

Cyberpsychology: The Scientific Study of the Digitally-Connected Human Experience 

Facial mimicry and embodied emotion

Rethinking Body Language: How Hand Movements Reveal Hidden Thoughts

Why some brains stammer

Psychology and Criminology

Psychology and Criminology: Exploring real world issues

Investigative Psychology: Exploring eyewitness testimony

Health Psychology

Coping with Crisis: Why are some people better at it?

Living with and beyond cancer

Education and Learning

Why are you making me learn statistics?

The Psychology of Succeeding in a changing world

Sleep and memory

Psychological factors in student motivation and achievement

Neurodiversity

What’s wrong with faceblindness?

The cognitive underpinnings of anthropmorphism 

The sensing brain

Eye Movements: A window into the mind and how we make sense of real world tasks

Motoric synchrony and attitude formation 

Pervasive ambient light effects on psychophysiology 

(Multi)sensory perception: a journey through human sensory experience 

The ageing brain

Do brain games improve memory?

Substance abuse and appetite

Contextual drivers of substance use and related cognitions

Adolescence and risky behaviour

Psychology and substance misuse

Sport psychology

Psychology of sport performance 

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

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

Interactive Sports Workshop

This workshop is suitable for year 12 or 13 students who would like to gain an insight into what it might be like to study a sports degree. The workshop will consist of several classroom based activities including a personality traits quiz, sponsorship exercise and a critical evaluation of national sports events.

This workshop is offered as either a 1 or 2 hour session. The longer session will provide students with an opportunity to plan a PE lesson inline with the National Curriculum, and deliver a sample of their session to fellow students. This workshop will boost students critical thinking skills, as well as allowing them to undertake work aligned to their current programme of study.

Gatsby Benchmarks 4 & 7

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, professional skills tests 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 or a teaching taster activity.

Teacher Training Workshops

Routes into Teaching & Outstanding Teaching

Covering the information from our Education and Teaching session as described above, the session also includes understanding what makes an outstanding teacher. Focusing on past experiences, students decide what skills and abilities make an excellent teacher and how best to approach a lesson based on the children or young people in attendance. Through interactive activities, students are shown how to deliver a lesson as well as how to become a thorough and effective practitioner.

Lesson Planning & Behaviour Management

This session involves students being able to understand how to and effectively plan a lesson as a future teacher. Looking at meeting individual needs, students will be guided through how to set out and form a lesson plan. The session also allows students the opportunity to understand how to utilise effective behaviour management when working with children and young adults. It aims to give students a real insight into techniques and tips, and through interactive activities will allow students to experience various scenarios and how they would react to them in practice.

Interview Preparation

Focusing on preparing for interview, this workshop provides students with more detailed information around the interview process for any Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) based course. It covers techniques and tips for interviews and how to best prepare for them beforehand.

Wider Children’s Workforce Workshops

Working with two year olds- ‘potentials, possibilities and challenges’

The aim of this session is to deepen students’ understanding of the world of two year olds by examining key theories relating to their development, play and learning and exploring what this means for practice and provision.

The Forest School Approach

An introduction to the Forest School approach, philosophy and practice. The session will consist of a brief classroom-based rationale with some discussion, before undertaking a small number of practical activities designed to promote reflection on the outdoors as a rich and engaging learning environment.

Introduction to Working with Early Years Children on the Autism Spectrum:

This session will provide students within an overview of an Autism Diagnosis and the shared characteristics of this condition. Students will be encouraged to consider potential barriers to learning and accessing education as well as practical suggestions for support strategies.

Learning Through Play- Fun with Technology

Technology is all around us and even the youngest babies play with technological toys. Often, it is not valued and only considered as entertainment to keep children occupied. This session will encourage students to consider what technologies are present in everyday life, as entertainment and how, if used thoughtfully and creatively, they can engage young children, help them to achieve new knowledge, skills and understanding beyond traditional expectations. Students will learn about different approaches to using technology with young children and create first-hand experiences with a variety of digital resources. *Please note this taster session can only be delivered in person.

Supporting Children and Young People’s Mental Health within School

This workshop gives students the opportunity to understand the contextual developments regarding mental health and wellbeing in schools and its potential impact on their role. This will include strategies and activities to support children and young people’s mental health, as well as strategies to support staff mental health and wellbeing, including information on self-care and key referral and support routes for both children and staff.

Making Reading Exciting!

The aim of this session is to give students the confidence and skills to support young, reluctant or struggling readers in primary school. The session begins with a story, read aloud to students to remind them of the joy of being read to and how this can support children to make meaning from text. The book is then used to promote discussion around what makes a good book for children and the importance of choosing appropriate texts for children to read. We continue with practical interactive activities and games to help students understand how we read and the approaches and strategies that support children to become independent readers.

Gatsby Benchmarks 4 & 7