Psychology course receives top award

An innovative course run by the University of Bolton has been presented with a top award by The British Psychological Society. Dr Gill Brown accepted the Innovation in Psychology Programmes award at The British Psychological Society annual conference. Dr Brown, Associate Teaching Professor in Psychology and Programme Lead BSc (Hons) Criminological and Forensic Psychology, said: “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the BSc (Hons) Criminological and Forensic Psychology programme at the University of Bolton. We are all very proud that everyone’s hard work and dedication has been recognised.” Judges said the programme demonstrated excellence in innovative standards of teaching after a rejuvenation of the course in 2015. This led to changes including improvements to modules to enhance learning outcomes, advanced teaching methods and assessment strategies. Essential award criteria includes being a distinctive programme that enhances student education as well as having a creative approach to teaching. The judges said this had been illustrated through several projects and activities on the course, work with the Restorative Justice Panel and student participation on Project Chameleon, which is designed to raise the understanding of crime for year five pupils in local schools. The award panel were also impressed with the university’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and connections with Greater Manchester Police. As a result of the changes, the course saw a rise in National Student Survey (NSS) scores, with students’ overall satisfaction with their course peaking at 95% in 2017 compared to 79% in 2015. Dr Brown added: “Our aim is to bring criminological and forensic psychology to life out of the classroom and this is a hugely valuable addition to our students’ theoretical learning.”