Outputs (43)

Investing in degree apprenticeships: Analysing experiences through Conservation of Resources Theory (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Bratton, A. (2023, December). Investing in degree apprenticeships: Analysing experiences through Conservation of Resources Theory. Presented at 2023 SRHE International Research Conference, Birmingham, UK

Degree apprentices have reported finding work-life-study balance challenging. This study uses the Theory of Conservation of Resources (COR) to investigate the resources invested and gained by apprentices in the achievement of their goal of a degree w... Read More about Investing in degree apprenticeships: Analysing experiences through Conservation of Resources Theory.

Students’ gendered experiences of male-dominated Computing and Engineering courses (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Fabian, K. (2023, December). Students’ gendered experiences of male-dominated Computing and Engineering courses. Presented at 2023 SRHE International Research Conference, Birmingham, UK

How does it feel to be in a gender minority on a STEM programme? Does it have an impact on individual students? Via an online survey (n=255), undergraduate students on Computing and Engineering programmes were asked whether they felt that gender had... Read More about Students’ gendered experiences of male-dominated Computing and Engineering courses.

Addressing gender imbalance in STEM graduate apprenticeships (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cecil, M., & Taylor Smith, E. (2023, December). Addressing gender imbalance in STEM graduate apprenticeships. Paper presented at Society for Research in Higher Education Conference 2023, Birmingham

There is currently significant gender imbalance within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduate apprenticeship (GA) programmes in Scotland. This is a considerable, ongoing issue for both higher education institutions and the l... Read More about Addressing gender imbalance in STEM graduate apprenticeships.

Women into Tech: understanding barriers, making connections (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Shankland, C., & Kolberg, M. (2023, June). Women into Tech: understanding barriers, making connections. Paper presented at 2023 Horizons in STEM, Swansea, UK

Computing and technology need a better gender balance. BCS report that, in 2021, only 22% of all IT specialists in the UK were women and their median hourly pay was 13% less than male employees. Further, according to HESA data, only 21% of students i... Read More about Women into Tech: understanding barriers, making connections.

‘I can’t really say as my course is 90% male’: students perceptions of gender impact on computing and engineering degrees (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Fabian, K. (2023, June). ‘I can’t really say as my course is 90% male’: students perceptions of gender impact on computing and engineering degrees. Paper presented at 2023 Horizons in STEM, Swansea, UK

In UK higher education, the majority of computing and engineering students are men. HESA (2023) records the proportion of women studying ‘Computing’ and ‘Engineering and technology’ as 22.78% and 20.47% respectively. Lack of women is a problem for bo... Read More about ‘I can’t really say as my course is 90% male’: students perceptions of gender impact on computing and engineering degrees.

Direct entrants as route guides to the higher education landscape (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Fabian, K. (2022). Direct entrants as route guides to the higher education landscape. In SRHE International Conference 2022

Students who study for an HND at further education college and then join the university directly into the 3 rd year of their honours degree are a valuable segment of our academic community. This route provides opportunities for more people to gain HE... Read More about Direct entrants as route guides to the higher education landscape.

Mobilising more women into computing (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Shankland, C., Smith, S., & Barr, M. (2022, December). Mobilising more women into computing. Paper presented at Mobilities in Higher Education: SRHE International Conference 2022, Online

According to HESA data, UK universities' computing departments continue to suffer from a gender imbalance, where at present only 21% of students are female. This imbalance can deter women and non-binary people from applying and also be challenging fo... Read More about Mobilising more women into computing.

Apprentices' longitudinal perspectives of the tripartite collaboration at the heart of degree apprenticeships (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Fabian, K. (2022, September). Apprentices' longitudinal perspectives of the tripartite collaboration at the heart of degree apprenticeships. Paper presented at Organisational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities, OLKC 2022,

Purpose: In degree apprenticeships, the tripartite collaboration between the apprentice, the employer, and the university is key to success. As the apprentices are at the centre of the degree, their lived experience and reflections are essential to... Read More about Apprentices' longitudinal perspectives of the tripartite collaboration at the heart of degree apprenticeships.

Transactional distance in the context of online and blended learning (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Fabian, K., Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., & Meharg, D. (2022, September). Transactional distance in the context of online and blended learning. Paper presented at Association for Learning Technology Annual Conference, Manchester

Moore’s (1993) transactional distance theory recognises that communications and psychological distance between learner and teacher are affected by course structure, dialogue between lecturers and students, and learner’s autonomy. These factors affect... Read More about Transactional distance in the context of online and blended learning.

Participant-centred planning framework for effective gender balance activities in tech (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Barnett, C., Smith, S., Barr, M., & Shankland, C. (2022). Participant-centred planning framework for effective gender balance activities in tech. In UKICER '22: Proceedings of the 2022 Conference on United Kingdom & Ireland Computing Ed

The gender imbalance in the tech industry [21], mirrored in computing education [13], is problematic in terms of providing appropriate products and services for the whole population. This lack of diversity and inclusion is also self-perpetuating thro... Read More about Participant-centred planning framework for effective gender balance activities in tech.

How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., & Smith, S. (2021). How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts. In SRHE International Conference on Research into Higher Education

Degree apprentices are recruited by employers, rather than universities, reflecting their status as paid employees, first and foremost. This study analysed job adverts for IT degree apprenticeship roles to investigate the: skills, attributes, and qua... Read More about How are we positioning degree apprenticeships? Analysis of adverts.

Degree Apprentices’ Lockdown Survey: Reflections on working and studying from home (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., & Fabian, K. (2021). Degree Apprentices’ Lockdown Survey: Reflections on working and studying from home. In SRHE International Conference on Research into Higher Education

During the first UK lockdown period, degree apprentices in two universities in Scotland were invited to complete a short qualitative survey with their reflections on starting to work and study from home. They were encouraged to complete the survey o... Read More about Degree Apprentices’ Lockdown Survey: Reflections on working and studying from home.

Earn as you learn: Widening participation through apprenticeships as debt-free degrees (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Meharg, D., Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., & Khristin, F. (2021, March). Earn as you learn: Widening participation through apprenticeships as debt-free degrees. Presented at Advance HE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2021, Online

Apprenticeship Degrees provide opportunities to study for a degree without incurring debt. Collaborations between employers and HEIs enable new or established employees to earn while they learn, with their fees paid. This facilitates people to study... Read More about Earn as you learn: Widening participation through apprenticeships as debt-free degrees.

Associate Student Project: Facilitating computing students’ transition to higher education (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., Fabian, K., & Varey, A. (2021, March). Associate Student Project: Facilitating computing students’ transition to higher education. Presented at Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2021, Online

The Associate Student (ASP) project supports Computing students who study two years at a Further Education college (achieving an HND) then transfer directly into third year, studying for two more years to complete an honours degree (BSc or BEng). Stu... Read More about Associate Student Project: Facilitating computing students’ transition to higher education.

Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector? (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Fabian, K., Barr, M., Berg, T., Cutting, D., …Zarb, M. (2020). Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector?. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). https://do

This paper explores the potential for new work-based apprenticeship degrees to encourage more women into computing degrees and the IT sector. In the UK, women are currently under-represented on computing courses. Meanwhile the IT industry requires mo... Read More about Computing degree apprenticeships: An opportunity to address gender imbalance in the IT sector?.

Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2019, September). Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education. Presented at 1st UK & Ireland Computing Education Research Conference (UKICER), Canterbury, United Kingdom

Students who progress to higher education from further education colleges are faced with academic, social, and logistical challenges during their transition. In general, they find university life more challenging compared to students who have been at... Read More about Facilitating computing students' transition to higher education.

Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer? (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., Fabian, K., Berg, T., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2019). Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer?. In ITiCSE '19 Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Com

This paper describes a study investigating whether apprenticeship computing degrees in Scotland are attracting additional entrants who will become IT professionals and fill a skills need. Government policy reports, from around the world, set out plan... Read More about Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Are computing degree apprenticeships the answer?.

Identity and belonging for graduate apprenticeships in computing: the experience of first cohort degree apprentices in Scotland (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Smith, C. (2019). Identity and belonging for graduate apprenticeships in computing: the experience of first cohort degree apprentices in Scotland. In Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference on Innovation & Technology in C

In September 2017, our university’s first graduate apprentices began degrees in Software Development, Cybersecurity, and Information Technology Management for Business. This study explores how apprentices experience their association with the univers... Read More about Identity and belonging for graduate apprenticeships in computing: the experience of first cohort degree apprentices in Scotland.

Graduate apprenticeships are great opportunities for individuals, but are they inclusive? (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Varey, A. (2018, December). Graduate apprenticeships are great opportunities for individuals, but are they inclusive?. Paper presented at Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Conference, Newport, Wales

Higher education-level apprenticeships can provide routes to university degrees for people without the financial resources for traditional degrees. In Scotland, the first cohorts of graduate apprentices began their studies in 2017, including cohorts... Read More about Graduate apprenticeships are great opportunities for individuals, but are they inclusive?.

Enhancing learning confidence for direct entry computing students (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Fabian, K., Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., & Varey, A. (2018, December). Enhancing learning confidence for direct entry computing students. Paper presented at The Changing Shape of Higher Education: Can excellence and inclusion cohabit?, Newport, UK

Previous studies have shown that students who transfer into university from college (direct entrants) face several challenges when they enter university. In response, the Associate Student Project supports students who enter university directly into... Read More about Enhancing learning confidence for direct entry computing students.

Democratic Participation through Crocheted Memes. (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, C. F., & Smyth, M. (2018). Democratic Participation through Crocheted Memes. In SMSociety '18 Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Media and Society (178-186). https://doi.org/10.1145/3217804.3217910

In a UK city, various crocheted protest banners have appeared, containing political statements concerning planned developments in their locations. Photos of these banners are shared across social media, raising awareness and potentially playing a rol... Read More about Democratic Participation through Crocheted Memes..

STEM Apprenticeship Degrees: Motivations and aspirations of apprentices (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Meharg, D., Smith, C., & Varey, A. (2018, June). STEM Apprenticeship Degrees: Motivations and aspirations of apprentices. Paper presented at Horizons in STEM Higher Education, Hull

Using the Apprenticeship Levy, England piloted Degree Apprenticeships in 2014 and Scotland followed with Graduate Apprenticeships in 2017. In Scotland, the apprenticeships are determined by employer demand for skills and delivered by universities. Gr... Read More about STEM Apprenticeship Degrees: Motivations and aspirations of apprentices.

From work-integrated learning to learning-integrated work: motivations and apprehensions of Graduate Apprentices (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, C., & Varey, A. (2018). From work-integrated learning to learning-integrated work: motivations and apprehensions of Graduate Apprentices. In Proceedings of the 3rdInternational Research Symposium on Cooperative and Wor

Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) degrees bring new collaborations between universities and employers and new opportunities for apprentices—to gain a university degree, while also being in formal employment. In 2017, Scotland introduced funding for GAs: s... Read More about From work-integrated learning to learning-integrated work: motivations and apprehensions of Graduate Apprentices.

Placement or practicalities? Barriers and disincentives to work experience, as reported by computing students (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., Smith, S., & Smith, C. (2017, December). Placement or practicalities? Barriers and disincentives to work experience, as reported by computing students. Paper presented at Society for Research Into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Conferen

Having relevant work experience, such as a placement or internship, is valued by employers in the technology sector and can improve employment outcomes for computing graduates (Shadbolt 2016). However, gaining good work experience positions is compet... Read More about Placement or practicalities? Barriers and disincentives to work experience, as reported by computing students.

Taking education for granted: the role of placement in computing science (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, S., Smith, C., Taylor-Smith, E., & Gemma, W. (2017, June). Taking education for granted: the role of placement in computing science. Presented at Horizons in STEM Higher Education Conference

The importance of placements and internships was highlighted in the 2016 Shadbolt Review of Computer Science Degree Accreditation and Graduate Employability – indeed the second recommendation of the review was to extend and promote work experience .... Read More about Taking education for granted: the role of placement in computing science.

Non-public eParticipation in Social Media Spaces (2016)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., & Smith, C. (2016). Non-public eParticipation in Social Media Spaces. In SMSociety '16 Proceedings of the 7th 2016 International Conference on Social Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1145/2930971.2930974

This paper focuses on the importance of non-public social media spaces in contemporary democratic participation at the grassroots level, based on case studies of citizen-led, community and activist groups. The research pilots the concept of participa... Read More about Non-public eParticipation in Social Media Spaces.

Curriculum for Excellence Transitions Project (2016)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Bhardwaj, J., & Taylor-Smith, E. (2016, June). Curriculum for Excellence Transitions Project. Presented at SICSA Education Workshop: "Student Transitions Within Computing", Aberdeen

The Curriculum for Excellence Transitions Project explores the impact of the CfE on the transition from school to university for undergraduate computing students. It will compare the September 2015 intake from Scottish schools to the School of Compu... Read More about Curriculum for Excellence Transitions Project.

Exploring student identity through a university-wide graduate employability initiative (2016)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, S., Smith, C., Taylor-Smith, E., Fotheringham, J., & Dencer-Brown, I. (2016, June). Exploring student identity through a university-wide graduate employability initiative. Paper presented at WACE International Research Symposium

Universities are adopting institution-wide projects designed to enhance opportunities for student work placements and work-related learning across all subject disciplines, as inclusion and graduate employability are increasingly expressed as universi... Read More about Exploring student identity through a university-wide graduate employability initiative.

Participation spaces. (2012)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E. (2012). Participation spaces. In Proceedings of Fourth international conference on eParticipation (ePart 2012) (223-230)

A wide democratic view of participation and eParticipation informs research centred on citizens’ experiences of participation. Case studies of participation are conceived in the vein of work place studies: ethnographic approaches to studying current... Read More about Participation spaces..

Supporting young people's political participation through distributed discussion - lessons obtained from an EU pilot. (2012)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Kimpeler, S., Lindner, R., Taylor-Smith, E., & Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt, P. (2012, July). Supporting young people's political participation through distributed discussion - lessons obtained from an EU pilot. Paper presented at IPSA XXII World Congress of Pol

Several studies recently identified risks and advantages to young people in using the Internet and explicitly recognise the importance of young people’s informed involvement in tackling these issues. This paper presents the approach, implementation a... Read More about Supporting young people's political participation through distributed discussion - lessons obtained from an EU pilot..

Realising the value of RiLIES: the research in librarianship impact evaluation study (2012)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cruickshank, P., Hall, H., & Taylor-Smith, E. (2012, May). Realising the value of RiLIES: the research in librarianship impact evaluation study. Paper presented at 4th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries

In 2011 researchers at Edinburgh Napier University, supported by the UK Library and Information Science Research Coalition, investigated the extent to which funded research projects in the domain of library and information science (LIS) influence pra... Read More about Realising the value of RiLIES: the research in librarianship impact evaluation study.

Youth participation through distributed discussion. (2011)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt, P., Taylor-Smith, E., & Kimpeler, S. (2011, September). Youth participation through distributed discussion. Paper presented at 5th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance

The paper describes an eParticipation project, piloted in four EU countries: Estonia, Germany, Ireland and the UK. HUWY, Hub Websites for Youth Participation, was an initiative where young people were invited to think about current and future problem... Read More about Youth participation through distributed discussion..

Social networking tools supporting constructive involvement throughout the policy-cycle. (2010)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., & Lindner, R. (2010). Social networking tools supporting constructive involvement throughout the policy-cycle. In P. Parycek, & P. Prosser (Eds.), Proceedings of EDEM 2010 - Conference on Electronic Democracy, May 7-8, 2010, Danube-Unive

This paper describes the context and background of the conference workshop “Social networking tools supporting constructive involvement throughout the policy-cycle”. EParticipation initiatives are increasingly applying social networking tools and sit... Read More about Social networking tools supporting constructive involvement throughout the policy-cycle..

Web 2.0 for collaborative production. (2010)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., & Cruickshank, P. (2010). Web 2.0 for collaborative production.

In this paper, we explore the possibilities of using Web 2.0 for collaborative production of government services in the UK. Can co-production be used to deliver eGovernment services in the UK? What kind of services could use Web 2.0-supported co-prod... Read More about Web 2.0 for collaborative production..

eParticipation to support the Information Society. (2010)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E. (2010, December). eParticipation to support the Information Society. Paper presented at ePractice workshop on eParticipation

eParticipation lives in the Internet. The Internet technologies that help us to organise and share information are changing the way we live and work: we live in an Information Society. The EU aims to update our legal frameworks to promote positive, c... Read More about eParticipation to support the Information Society..

Online tools and their Impact on young people. (2010)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Gibson, G., McCusker, P., & Taylor-Smith, E. (2010, June). Online tools and their Impact on young people. Paper presented at ECEG 2010 10th European Conference on eGovernment

The emergence of social media tools and the enthusiasm by which young people have embraced theses tools as one of their primary modes of interaction is well documented in many current studies. One side effect of this growth is recognition that there... Read More about Online tools and their Impact on young people..

Using social networking tools to promote eParticipation initiatives. (2009)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Taylor-Smith, E., & Lindner, R. (2009). Using social networking tools to promote eParticipation initiatives. In A. Prosser, & P. Parycek (Eds.), Proceedings of EDEM 2009 - Conference on Electronic Democracy, September 7-8, 2009, Vienna (115-121)

This paper describes the context and background of the conference workshop “Social networking tools and widgets to promote or expand eParticipation initiatives”. Social networking tools form many people’s main Internet destination and communication m... Read More about Using social networking tools to promote eParticipation initiatives..

Organised use of e-democracy tools for young people. (2006)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, E., Macintosh, A., & Whyte, A. (2006). Organised use of e-democracy tools for young people. In M. Wimmer, H. Scholl, Å. Grönlund, & K. Anderson (Eds.), Electronic Government: Communications of the Fifth International EGOV Conference 2006 (260-267

This paper concerns use of an online policy debating forum: part of a suite of e-democracy tools for a local youth parliament. These e-democracy tools have been used and developed over the last 5 years and are vital to the parliament, as it serves a... Read More about Organised use of e-democracy tools for young people..

Young People and e-Democracy: Creating a Culture of Participation (2004)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Masters, Z., Masters, Z., Macintosh, A., & Smith, E. (2004). Young People and e-Democracy: Creating a Culture of Participation. In R. Traunmuller (Ed.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science; Electronic Government (15-22). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30

Research originally suggested that new technologies, particularly the Internet, provided a useful mechanism for engaging young people - an otherwise largely disenfranchised group. Subsequent to the evaluation of a number of pioneering projects in thi... Read More about Young People and e-Democracy: Creating a Culture of Participation.

Culture and context in an online voting system for young people (2004)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Whyte, A., Macintosh, A., & Smith, E. (2004). Culture and context in an online voting system for young people. In P. Duquennoy, A. Zuccato, J. Holvast, & S. Fischer Hübner (Eds.), Proceedings of the IFIP WG 9.2, 9.6/11.7 Summer School on Risks and Challe

This paper describes the design and evaluation of an e-voting system used to elect representatives to a local youth parliament, in the Highland region of Scotland. The system was designed with a team of young people, based on their input and the eval... Read More about Culture and context in an online voting system for young people.

E-voting: the powerful symbol of e-democracy (2003)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, E., & Macintosh, A. (2003). E-voting: the powerful symbol of e-democracy. In R. Traunmueller (Ed.), Electronic Government: Second International Conference, EGOV 2003, Prague, Czech Republic, September 1-5, 2003, Proceedings (240-245). https://doi.o

This paper focuses on an Internet-enabled remote voting system for a young people's parliament in the Highland region of Scotland. The parliament was established to increase young people's participation in local government. Two elections have been he... Read More about E-voting: the powerful symbol of e-democracy.

Citizen Participation in Public Affairs (2002)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Macintosh, A., & Smith, E. (2002). Citizen Participation in Public Affairs. In R. Traunmüller, & K. Lenk (Eds.), Electronic Government (256-263). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-46138-8_41

Reflecting on the European Commissions stated aim to broaden democracy this paper examines the nature of e-participation and considers concepts of democracy and issues surrounding citizen participation in pubic affairs. The paper describes how citize... Read More about Citizen Participation in Public Affairs.

Invisibility Vs Transparency (2002)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Smith, E., Macintosh, A., & Whyte, A. (2002). Invisibility Vs Transparency. In J. Rosbottom, H. Sharp, P. Chalk, & J. LePeuple (Eds.), Proceedings of HCI 2002, Memorable Yet Invisible (Volume 2)

Invisibility vs transparency.