Profile: VC Award Winner JC Penet
Vice Chancellor’s Award-Winning JC Penet talks about good practice, employability and why he is happiest when teaching.
Jean-Christophe Penet, a teaching fellow in the School of Modern Languages has a number of strings to his bow.
An accomplished teacher, he’s seen his professional practice grow to become a huge influence on his life and on the institution.
Penet, who started life at the UWE before moving to Newcastle to take up a teaching fellowship in 2010, has won one of this year’s VC Awards, recognising his work in learning and teaching, in SML and across the Institution.
‘These awards represent a really important way of recognising learning and teaching and the crucial role they play in the University.
‘I like especially that these awards are not based simply on module evaluations or peer review but on a more holistic approach to teaching and learning, taking in lots of elements of professional practice.’
Some of Penet’s major contributions have been above and beyond the realm of classroom teaching or delivering information, focussing on a key student concern: employability.
He’s worked on two key projects in this area for SML, each begun as a response to student demand.
‘The first was in response to a focus group report which we received about concerns students had about employability.
‘We started by running a networking event in which alumni and the companies our students have gone to work for in the past, come in to meet the students of the present.
‘Often I think SML courses are seen as vocational, that you will certainly go into translation or teaching but we wanted to show that there was lots more you could do.
‘We started a blog, run by Joss Harrison in the School called Careers Translated which looks at all the options with a degree in Modern Languages.
‘We now also have an alumni evening where alumni come back and meet with students to discuss what the options are after finishing their degrees.
‘The evening raises money for the Modern Languages Society, so that they can pay for trips etc. throughout the year.
‘We also organised an afternoon event to help students to meet with potential employers and to showcase different careers for languages students.
‘All of these events have drawn really positive feedback from both students and the businesses involved.’
As well as this event, JC is involved in recruitment in the school, running events which bring together local sixthformers, UG and PG students such as ‘Meet the Translators/Interpreters’ to look at transition and progression between school, university and postgraduate study.
Alongside these achievements JC was recognised for his contribution to teaching and learning across the University and is a familiar face on committees and in cross-faculty groups.
He is a founding member of Newcastle Educators, a group started by teaching staff across the University to provide support, advice and a forum for discussion of all things teaching and learning.
He still views this as one of his proudest achievements: ‘It’s changed my professional life having that community to draw on. Having peers to offer advice on teaching but also books, applications and career options.’
Do you have a colleague who goes above and beyond in the name of learning and teaching? Or know someone who has a particularly innovative approach to their teaching?
Find out more about the VC’s Awards or persuade them to put in a Case Study.
Vice-Chancellor’s Award – Winners Announced!
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Teachers Award winners are Jean-Christophe Penet (SML) and Clare Guilding (SME).
Both Clare and JC will receive their awards in congregations taking place today.
The awards were launched in 2010 in order to celebrate and recognise outstanding teaching at Newcastle.
Each year three types of award are made; two for academic staff – a general award and an award for staff working within the societal challenge theme; and one for professional support staff.
Candidates for the awards are expected to demonstrate leadership in teaching and learning and to innovate across the areas of pastoral care, supervision and curriculum design.
Clare’s innovative teaching techniques have already been the subject of one of our Case Studies, which looked at her use of Sim-Man to teaching students diagnostic techniques!
Clare said: ‘I’m delighted to receive this award which shows Newcastle University’s continued commitment to supporting good teaching practice and teachers in the institution.’
She has also been nominated for numerous Newcastle University Student Union Teaching Excellence Awards for Innovative Teaching Methods, Contribution to Pastoral Support and last year picked up the Overall Outstanding Teacher Award.
She has also received the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) EDG Educator Innovator Award (January 2016) and British Pharmacological Society Education Prize (December 2015).
Jean-Christophe is a lecturer in French and Translation studies in the School of Modern Languages.
A founding member of the peer-support network EDUBITES and a committed advocate of peer support for teaching –focused staff, he’s the Employability Officer in his School and runs a range of initiatives with local businesses.
He said: ‘I like especially that these awards are not based simply on module evaluations or peer review but on a more holistic approach to teaching and learning, taking in lots of elements of professional practice.
‘It’s so important to recognise the value of great teaching and to support and encourage that across the University.’
Unfortunately there were no nominations in the Professional Support Staff category this year – we hope that this will be rectified next year and would like to encourage staff to nominate support staff who have made an outstanding contribution to learning and teaching.
You can read profiles of each of the VC Award winners and hear more about what they think makes for outstanding teaching on the LTDS blog next week!
Congratulations Clare and JC!
4Bs Workshop: The Future of e-Learning with Gilly Salmon 12 July
You can find more about Gilly’s work here: http://www.gillysalmon.com/
The event will take place in the Doctoral Training Centre, Fifth Floor, Daysh Building 8.30-11am.
NUTELA Peer Recognition Awards 2017
Nominations are now open for the NUTELA Peer Recognition Awards 2017.
Has someone helped you? Has another member of University staff gone out of their way to help you use technology? Would you like her/him to be recognised? If so, let us know!
NUTELA is once again offering two peer recognition awards this year. We are looking for nominations of staff members who have contributed to peer support or the mentoring of others learning about and/or working with technology. It might be someone who has helped you understand the purpose of a specific learning technology, or someone who has been instrumental in progressing TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) initiatives in your unit. You are welcome to nominate any member of staff at Newcastle University.
The nomination process is simple. In 500 words or less, just answer these two questions and send your response to nutelaops@ncl.ac.uk.
- How has this staff member contributed to your learning, working or development with TEL?
2. How has this contributed to the Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy
The deadline is November 30, 2016. NUTELA will review the applications and make a decision. All nominees will be told they have been nominated, and will be invited to present their work at the year-end NUTELA conference.
The award will be presented at the 4Ps event in January 2017 and the winners will be invited to the Vice-Chancellor’s Celebrating Success event.
You can see examples of nominations in the NUTELA Peer Recognition Awards Programme and read about last year’s winners on our blog.
EDUBITES – Flipping the Curriculum
In a neat follow-on from Nutela’s latest event on flipped classrooms, Edubites will be running a flipped curriculum event next week.
Edubites is an educator-led network based at Newcastle, encouraging collaboration and cooperation between peers to share ideas and good practice in teaching. You can find out more by reading founding member Katie Wray’s guest blog about the inaugral EDUBITES.
The event, drawing on the flipped classroom model, will look at how to put students in control of what they study, allowing them to design or influence curriculum design.
The session will question whether this approach is feasible or even desirable in the academy, allowing teaching staff to compare notes and ideas.
The event will take place next Wednesday 8th June 12-1pm in Bedson 1.19 and lunch will be provided.
You can register for the event online.
Lunch will be provided.
NUTELA 3Ps Workshop: Flipped Classroom
NUTELA will be hosting another of their successful 3Ps workshops on 20th May.
As usual the workshop will take place from 12-2pm, with plenty of pizza and pop and lashings of practice.
The theme for this session is flipped classroom and there will be number of sessions exploring what this term really means, how it can be useful and plenty of examples of good practice from across the University.
The event will be held in the Committee Room in the Robinson Library.
To register, just fill out the online form.
NUTELA 3PS : Flipped Classroom
NUTELA hope that you are able to join us for the next Pizza, Pop and Practice. This time we are focusing on flipped classrooms.
The event takes place on the 20th of May from 12pm until 2pm in the Committee Room at the Robinson Library.
In the sessions we will explore:
- What is a “flipped classroom”?
- View flipped classroom examples from Newcastle University
- Find out student feedback from flipped classroom activity
- Learn about any barriers you may face, and the best way to overcome these
- Hear about lessons learned from colleagues using flipped classroom techniques
To book your place fill out a registration form.
NUTELA Conference Funding
Are you going to a conference based on technology and teaching? Are you presenting at that conference?
If you are you are willing to come and share your experiences and learning points with NUTELA, we might be able to help by contributing to the conference fees. If you are registered for a conference, let us know.
To apply: submit a copy of your abstract presentation acceptance, a copy of the invoice and a 500 word explanation as to how your attendance will benefit the University by May 31, 2016 to the NUTELA steering group.
CALLOUT FOR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE: Using Images in Lectures, Loughborough University
Researchers based at Loughborough University have developed a visual learning experience and are looking for collaborators to build a cross-institutional project.
Based on growing evidence to suggest that the prevalence on media – from TV to social media – means that students are increasingly exposed to and interpreting a number of images in daily life.
The method involves decreasing text and increasing the use of images in the learning environment.
It has already worked well in control group tests conducted at Loughborough. The literature suggests this is because it exploits cognitive ‘dual’ processing innate to all sighted people.
The investigators argue that this technique ‘reduces wasteful overload of our short-term memory and simultaneously
engages under-used visual processing capacity.’
The group are now looking for colleagues from a diversity of institutions to see if this method works well beyond Loughborough students.
Organisers will also be showcasing a simple, free, web-based research tool we developed to include and engage distance learners and other students sometimes excluded from pedagogic research.
The intention, as a Community of Practice (CoP), is to discuss, critique and share new practice and develop a bid for funding to develop and test this visual method further, at your own institutions, in academic year 2016-2017.
The data we develop will underpin a range of publishing opportunities and perhaps impact case studies as well. Below are a few ways suggested by organisers who encourage those interested to bring their own ideas:
1) You might create a short image-based presentation on the topic of your choice and give it to students at your own institution (mirroring my own methods), after which they complete an online survey regarding engagement and understanding. You might expand the survey questions as you see fit;
2) You might disseminate a web-based research tool through your own student communities, which students then view and respond to online within a fixed time-frame;
3) You might create a short image-based presentation on the topic of your choice and place it on a home-made website linked to a survey;
4) You might create a different approach able to generate appropriate data.
The group are looking for colleagues from a diversity of institutions to see if this method works well beyond Loughborough students. If you’re interested in attending an informal half-day session at Loughborough university before July, where Dr David Roberts will briefly outline the project been doing and share the test results, please email him: d.roberts@lboro.ac.uk by May 20th 2016.
Callout for Community of Practice