Learning and Teaching Conference 2012

The 2012 Teaching and Learning Conference used the five Coherent Curriculum themes as its starting point.  These themes are:

"Speaking as a new member of staff, this event has been very timely!  Interested and engaging presenters, key topics and good opportunity to ask questions.  Well organised event.  Many thanks!"

  1. Assessment and feedback
  2. Research-informed teaching
  3. Student skills and employability
  4. Student Engagement
  5. Student Induction

The Conference recognised and shared work across the institution in preparation for the Newcastle Offer commitments as we move towards 2012/13. Scroll down this page for ReCap recordings, slides, contact information and other resources from the event.

Wednesday 4th July 2012Click here to view the synopses for this day
Using Social media in your teaching: what works and what do we need to do to maximise the benefits for student learning?ReCap recording

Coherent Curriculum theme: student engagement

This session was about the specific use of social media in teaching. The University’s general guidelines for the use of social media are available online.

Jonathan Galloway (Law) – slides
Sue Dobson and David Peck (NUBS) – slides
Franck Michel (Modern Languages) and Helen Lowther (QuILT) – slides
Mei-Yen Chan (Food and Human Nutrition) and her students have set up a project using Facebook to help BSc students on the Singapore and Newcastle campuses to interact with each other. Their video interview is now available online – technical delays prevented us showing this at the Conference.
Round table discussion: Research-informed teaching. ReCap recording

A multi-stranded definition of what research-informed teaching at Newcastle University is, and what this looks like in practice, was out for consultation at the time of this session.  This was an opportunity to discuss each strand in its own right, and together as a multi-stranded definition.  Are these principles clear?  Do they allow for the breadth of practice at NU?  Round table discussion: Research-informed teaching.

Coherent Curriculum theme: research-informed teaching

Simon Pallett, Undergraduate Dean of HaSS Faculty – notes
Armelle Tardiveau, Architecture, Planning & Landscape – slides
Lee Fawcett, Mathematics & Statistics
Grace Barker, (Combined Honours)/ Kathryn Dalziel (Combined Honours student)- YouTube clip
Lindsey Ferrie (Biomedical Sciences) and her students have made short videos showing the student experience of research-informed teaching. Their videos about the lab assistant scheme and research-informed teaching are now available online – technical delays prevented us showing this at the Conference.
Ethics: How do we introduce professional ethics into the curriculum and for what purpose?Coherent Curriculum theme: skills and employability
Sue Haile and Kea-Cheng Tan (CEAM) – slides (SH) / slides (KCT)
Sandra Salin (Modern Languages) – slides
Elaine Hall (Education)
Tom Bramald (Civil Engineering and Geosciences) – slides

 

Thursday 5th July 2012Click here to view the synopses for this day
Engaging students in taught sessions.This session highlighted ways in which staff actively involve students in taught sessions.

ReCap recording

Coherent Curriculum theme: student engagement

Georgina Carr (Biomedical Sciences) – slides
Katie Wray (SAgE) – slides
Colin Ashurst (NUBS) – slides
Peter Hoare (Chemistry)
Student representation: what Course Reps and Student-Staff Committees have achieved, and practical ways to work in partnership with them.Coherent Curriculum theme: student engagement

Click here for information on University policies and support for student representation.

The NUSU website includes information for staff involved in Staff Student Committees. Click the “information for staff” link on the right hand side.

Liam Dale (NUSU Education Officer) and George Watkins (NUSU Representation and Democracy Coordinator) –slides
Peer mentoring: different perspectives on establishing, embedding, and researching peer mentoring schemes.ReCap recordings

Coherent Curriculum themes: student induction; student engagement

Colin Bryson (Combined Honours) – slides
Patrick Rosenkranz (Psychology) – slides
David Walker (Politics) – slides
Grace Barker (Combined Honours)

 

Friday 6th July 2012Click here to view the synopses for this day
Interactive assessment and feedback. This session highlighted examples of how students are supported to be active participants in the assessment of and feedback processes around their work, including both course work and exams.ReCap recording

Coherent Curriculum themes: assessment and feedback; student engagement

For more information on different theories of learning and teaching click here.

Jessica Jung and Darrin Beattie(Careers Service) – slides
Kate Reader (City University and the Making Assessment Count Consortium) – slidesMapMyProgramme.com
Vicki Bruce (Psychology) – slides
Steve Herron (INTO NU)
Colin Murray (Law) – text
Debbie Bevitt (Biomedical Sciences) – slides
Keynote session: Updating our Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy.Newcastle University’s mission is ‘to deliver teaching and facilitate learning of the highest quality’ and our existing LTSE Strategy sets out our aspirations to enrich students’ experience of higher education. This keynote session gave an opportunity to reflect on our existing LTSE Strategy and discuss how best to update it as we move towards 2012/13.
Suzanne Cholerton, PVC for Learning and Teaching – slideskeynote plenary
Post-keynote networking, discussion, and information session.An informal opportunity took place to discuss learning and teaching issues, and to find out more about current learning and teaching projects at Newcastle University including:

  • EquATE (Equal Acclaim for Teaching Excellence) posters of past projects
  • Teaching and Learning Spaces Steering Group
  • ePortfolio for UG and PGT students
  • ReCap lecture capture
  • Blackboard
  • Reward and recognition of achievement in teaching – Steve McHanwell
  • MSED (Medical Sciences Education Development) – IT teaching and support offered by Rebecca McCready http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk

Previous ULTSEC Innovation Fund Winners 2011-12

2011 Awards: Linking research and teaching

The priority theme for the 2011 Innovation Fund was linking research and teaching. Relevant resources are:

  • a summary of the funded projects, with contact details for the project leads – congratulations to all the award winners
  • the ReCap recording of the launch event (December 2010). The running order for the event includes timings to help navigate the ReCap recording.  It also has contact names and titles for the 2010 Innovation Projects
  • advice on support for publishing pedagogical research, included as the CfLaT team’s presentation in the same ReCap recording.

Contact for queries: innovfund@ncl.ac.uk

Pizza Pop and Practice Event 2: Mobile Learning (Friday 17th October)

mobile

 

 

   CCBY 2.0 Luke Wrobelwski

Parallel session 1:  and University supported mobile apps and Civil Engineering case study

This strand considered University supported apps as well as a case study from Henny Mills in Civil Engineering. Henny explained how Civil Engineering students are provided with an android tablets and the resulting opportunities and challenges this presents.

NUTELA-Mobile (presentation as pdf)

Parallel session 2: App swap

In this session, we shared apps used by participants in learning and teaching. See separate App Swap blog

We also saw the VEO (Video Enhanced Observation) app created in the School of ECLS aiming to facilitate better peer review of teaching and potentially other collaborative and group activity. Many thanks to Jon Haines and Paul Miller for this demonstration.

Beyond the VLE – Audrey Waters Sept 5th 2014

We were very lucky to receive a presentation form Audrey Waters. On her blog, Audrey describes herself as “… an education writer, a recovering academic, a serial dropout, a rabble-rouser, and ed-tech’s Cassandra”.

The presentation focused on the role of virtual learning environments in shaping pedagogy, and the need to break down and open up the walls that such environments have built up.

Link to slides and audio of the talk (Recap)

Audrey’s web pages

 

Pizza, Pop and Practice event 1: Using video in teaching Thursday 10th July 2014, 12pm – 2pm

katie_film_hero

This practice based workshop was the first of four that is focused on helping you improve your teaching practice with hands on support.

We aimed to help attendees develop skills in the following three areas:

Pre-production: idea generation, storyboarding, resources and time planning

Pre-production and storyboard slides (pdf)

 Storyboard template (PDF)

See also: JISC Digital Media InfoKit on pre-production

Production: camera work and techniques (indoor and location shooting)

Many thanks to  Hugh Kelly of Swingbridge Media for stepping in at the last minute and expertly facilitating this session with really good feedback!

See also: JISC Digital Media InfoKit on production

Post-production: editing techniques, software and titles.

See JISC Digital Media Guide: Free software 

We are very lucky to have an excellent video production team at the University. see Digital Media Team: who we are and what we do (pdf file) and their web pages for more information.

Feedback from the session:

I feel a bit more confident using video. Plus, it will allow me to make more informed decisions about how to use video in teaching. I would NEVER have been brave enough to even open the video editing software- wouldn’t have know where to look. I now plan on giving both the shooting and editing of video a try.

 

…the fact that the Uni is supporting an initiative like this is phenomenal. This is one of the few times I have felt that what I need as an academic is being listened to and addressed. Great session and I look forward to more of them.

‘What are MOOCs?’ Day presentations are now available online

The presentations made by the three speakers during the UNITE ‘What are MOOCs?’ Day are now available to watch online:  Suzanne Hardy’s presentation is open for anyone to view. Sian Bayne and Sheila MacNeill’s presentations are only available to Newcastle Staff and when prompted, staff should choose ‘Campus’ from the drop down list and then use their usual University user ‘id’ and ‘password’ to log in.

Sheila MacNeill – “So what are MOOCs? Histories, Pedagogies, Myths and the Media

Sian Bayne – “Why should we consider MOOCs? A University Perspective

Suzanne Hardy – “What is it actually like to do a MOOC? A Student Perspective

What are MOOCs? – 15th March 2013 10.00am – 2.45pm

Venue: Bamburgh Room, King’s Road Centre: Newcastle University

Massive Open Online Courses are an exciting recent development with great potential to change Higher Education. Staff with an interest in Distance and eLearning are invited to this UNITE event. The keynote speaker will be Sian Bayne, Associate Dean for Digital Scholarship at Edinburgh University.

To reserve your place, please complete our booking form.
Contact for queries:
Mike Cameron
Carol Summerside

Event Outline

10.00 – 10.15 Tea/ Coffee

10.15 – 10.30 Introduction – The Digital Campus, MOOCs and the current ‘state of playProfessor Tony Stevenson and – Pro-Vice Chancellor – Planning and Resources

10.30 – 11.15 So what are MOOCs? Histories, Pedagogies, Myths & the MediaSheila MacNeill, Assistant Director, JISC CETIS, University of Strathclyde

11.15 – 12.00 Why should we consider MOOCs: A University Perspective?
Sian Bayne: Edinburgh University: E-Learning & Digital Cultures

 12.00 – 12.45 –  LUNCH BREAK During which the attendees can post questions for the panel session at 1:45

12.45 – 1.30 What is it actually like to do a MOOC: A Student Perspective?
Suzanne Hardy (student on E-Learning & Digital Cultures at Edinburgh University)

1.30 – 1.45 Refreshments

1.45 – 2.30   The future of MOOCS/ E-Learning Panel Discussion
Where do we go next?’  Participants:  Tony Stevenson, Dave Wolfendale, Sian Bayne, Suzanne Hardy & Shelia MacNeill. Chaired by Iain Wheeldon

2.30-2.45 What Next: Wrap Up

UK Universities ‘face online threat’ says Pearson’s Chief Education Adviser, Sir Michael Barber

Sir Michael Barber, chief education adviser for Pearson, says online courses will be a “threat and opportunity” for the UK’s universities. Barber’s recent report ‘An Avalanche is coming’ is now available on line:

An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead Report (Michael Barber);

http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/10432/an-avalanche-is-coming-higher-education-and-the-revolution-ahead

BBC report on Barber’s Report;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21670959

Links to MOOC related articles

Below are a few links to interesting blogs and relevant current articles for those attending The MOOCs event this Friday.

If you would like me to add any links/ promote interesting articles etc. then email me.

*Audrey Watters: The Year of The MOOC blog post
http://hackeducation.com/2012/12/03/top-ed-tech-trends-of-2012-moocs/

*Shelia MacNeill: Utopia, Dystopia, Technology Education & MOOCs
http://blogs.cetis.ac.uk/sheilamacneill/2013/02/01/utopia-dystopia-technology-education-and-moocs/

*Prime Minister welcomes Futurelearn expansion as British Library and five universities join http://futurelearn.com/news/prime-minister-welcomes-futurelearn-expansion-as-british-library-and-five-universities-join/

*Online University Giant Gets Bigger:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21519876

MOOC Event Panel Members & Call for Questions?

We will be exploring ‘The Future of MOOCs/ E-Learning in Universities’ during our panel session as part of our ‘What are MOOCs?’ event on Friday 15th March. If you would like to raise a question, please email the panel chair, Iain wheeldon at iain.wheeldon@ncl.ac.uk
The panel will be made up:
  • Sian Bayne Senior Lecturer Education, Community and Society (ECS)
  • Suzanne Hardy QuiLT, Newcastle University
  • Shelia Macneill Assistant Director, JISC CETIS, University of Strathclyde
  • Tony Stevenson Pro-Vice Chancellor –Planning & Resources, Newcastle University
  • Iain Wheeldon (Panel Chair), Senior Teaching Fellow, Chair of UNITE, Newcastle University
  • Dave Wolfendale Assistant Director Teaching, Learning & Research, Newcastle University