This year saw the first graduates from Glasgow Q-Step centre, a centre founded on £1.4million from Nuffield and the ESRC to help create a step-change on how social science graduates understand and use quantitative methods. The initiative links 15 UK universities.

The School of Social and Political Sciences saw nine graduates this year, four with First Class Honours and one, Emmi de Vries, winning the prestigious Adam Smith Prize, graduating with a degree in Sociology with Quantitative Methods.

Added to this achievement, Cameron Herbert was one quarter of the University of Glasgow team who beat Cambridge in a first-round match Cambridge on BBC's University Challenge.

The pedagogic impact of Q-Step is also evident on the MEduc where 58% of the graduating class of primary teachers opted to run a quantitative project. 

Director of Glasgow Q-Step, Dr Jo Ferrie said 'The whole Q-Step team have always focused heavily on the pedagogy of methods. First we have to make them relevant, and then accessible. We have a strong social justice theme underpinning all of our courses to thoroughly demonstrate how learning can be useful.'

Key to the success of Q-Step is their internship programme which pays students at the Scottish Living Wage to work for up to 12 weeks with a partner organisation. This stream of work has been particularly useful in building confidence in using quantitative methods. 

For more information on the programmes, students and colleagues are encouraged to email Jo.Ferrie@glasgow.ac.uk  

First published: 3 August 2018

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