The 20/21 Small Grants Fund is now open for applications.
Apply for up to £500 to explore and embed technology-enhanced practices into your teaching.
Perhaps you have an idea for your teaching that uses technology, but need some funding to support it or maybe you know of interesting technology enhanced learning at another institution and would like to be able to explore it further.
Applications are invited for a wide range of activities which enable you to explore and disseminate ideas and practices, and share these with colleagues at Newcastle through the NUTELA network.
Applications for up to £500 are welcomed, and applications will be on a rolling basis, rather than at set points in the academic year so you can apply whenever you are ready.
Join us at this year’s learning and teaching conference for a fantastic series of online events. Hear from colleagues, students and external speakers, collaborate in workshops and watch some of the lightning talk videos during the conference week, 1-5 March 2021.
Everyone involved in learning and teaching at all Newcastle University campuses – students, academic colleagues, professional services colleagues technicians and external collaborators are all invited to attend.
Keynote speakers
We are delighted to be welcoming two keynote speakers, Prof Sue Rigby, Bath Spa University and Prof Dilly Fung, LSE to this year’s online event. Find out more about the keynote addresses and sign up using the links below.
Education for all? – Professor Sue Rigby, Vice-Chancellor, Bath Spa University, Monday 1 March 2021 12:00-13:15
Powerful Learning for a Challenging World – Professor Dilly Fung, Pro-Director for Education, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Friday 5 March 2021 12:00-13:15
The Committee for the Association of National Teaching Fellows (CANTF) shall be hosting another NTFS Roadshow, on Thursday 25th February from 13:00pm to 14:00pm.
Aspiring NTF Event: “New Year, New Network” – enhance your networking to promote your public profile
Facilitated by Professor Debbie Holley (NTF 2014) on behalf of AdvanceHE and The Association of National Teaching Fellows (ANTF)
This workshop is for those considering applying for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) in 2022 or beyond, and will offer information that will help potential nominees consider future applications. In addition to this, the roadshow will offer insights and thoughts from an interdisciplinary panel about using existing networks. CANTF ran a session about successful networking for impact at the Association of National Teaching Fellows symposium last year and will build upon this work.
The three roadshows toward the end of last year were a great success, and very popular, and we expect this next one to be too. Please share the details of this event widely with colleagues.
Details of how to book can be found here under the “NTFS Roadshow” section.
The Learning and Teaching Conference 2021 will showcase effective, creative and collaborative approaches to learning and teaching from across the University.
Workshops, presentations and lightning talks will be spread across the week, for our first ever fully online conference allowing you to pop along to connect with colleagues and share new ideas. We are pleased to be welcoming keynote speakers Professor Sue Rigby Vice-Chancellor, Bath Spa University and Professor Dilly Fung Pro-Director for Education, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
As the 2020 event couldn’t take place we can’t wait to see you at this year’s event. Keep a note of the date in your diaries. More information to come.
NUTELA is back, with our first online 3Ps sessions of the year (this time the 3P’s stand for Practice Practice Practice – you’ll have to bring your own pizza and pop!). Please sign up for as many sessions as you like:
Canvas Quick Wins: Refreshing your Home and Module Pages – 15 December 2020, 14:00-15:00
See how to give your Canvas home and module pages a quick make-over, and create a fresh and engaging experience for students. The session will focus on building content with ideas and examples from colleagues.
Canvas Quick Wins: Keeping Students Engaged – 16 December, 10:00-11:00
Colleagues will share how they have used course-requirement ‘tick lists’, quizzes and collaboration tools to keep students engaged. The approaches covered are all quick to implement, effective, and popular with students.
Tips and Tools for Cutting out Radio Silence: Engaging Students During Synchronous Sessions – 17 December, 14:00-15:00
In this session we will explore new and existing tools and strategies that colleagues are using to engage their students during synchronous online sessions.
The Advance HE National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) celebrates excellent practice and outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in higher education. The awards support individuals’ professional development in learning and teaching and provide a national focus for institutional teaching and learning excellence schemes.
LTDS support applications to the NTFS, and work with the National Teaching Fellows in the University to promote their work and teaching excellence. Each institution can nominate three colleagues to each round of the scheme. In 2019 and 2020 the University was very successful with all six candidates successful in achieving their NTF status.
Nominations are welcomed from all members of staff who feel their work has a major, positive impact on student teaching and learning. Staff who would like to be considered should provide a reflective submission, with a maximum of 1000 words, which addresses the following criteria:
Your personal practice and why this should be recognised as outstanding,
Your impact on colleagues, both internally and externally,
Your commitment to your ongoing professional development.
All UK higher education providers are eligible to enter up to three members of staff that teach and/or support learning in higher education. Your submission should be sent to LTDS@newcastle.ac.uk by 12 noon on the 16th November 2020.
1. Individual excellence: evidence of enhancing and transforming the student learning experience commensurate with the individual’s context and the opportunities afforded by it.
This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:
stimulating students’ curiosity and interest in ways which inspire a commitment to learning;
organising and presenting high quality resources in accessible, coherent and imaginative ways which in turn clearly enhance students’ learning;
recognising and actively supporting the full diversity of student learning needs;
drawing upon the results of relevant research, scholarship and professional practice in ways which add value to teaching and students’ learning;
engaging with and contributing to the established literature or to the nominee’s own evidence base for teaching and learning.
2. Raising the profile of excellence: evidence of supporting colleagues and influencing support for student learning; demonstrating impact and engagement beyond the nominee’s immediate academic or professional role.
This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:
making outstanding contributions to colleagues’ professional development in relation to promoting and enhancing student learning;
contributing to departmental/faculty/institutional/national initiatives to facilitate student learning;
contributing to and/or supporting meaningful and positive change with respect to pedagogic practice, policy and/or procedure.
3. Developing excellence: evidence of the nominee’s commitment to her/his ongoing professional development with regard to teaching and learning and/or learning support.
This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:
on-going review and enhancement of individual professional practice;
engaging in professional development activities which enhance the nominee’s expertise in teaching and learning support;
engaging in the review and enhancement of one’s own professional and/or academic practice;
specific contributions to significant improvements in the student learning experience.
How LTDS can help:
We can provide support and advice on the NTFS scheme and the application process. For all queries please contact LTDS@newcastle.ac.uk
The Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) celebrates collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning.
LTDS support applications to CATE, and work with the National Teaching Fellows/CATE winners in the University to promote their work and teaching excellence. Each institution can nominate one team to each round of the scheme. In 2020 there was success for the E-Learning Unit in the School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics, who received the Awardfor promoting the use of technology to support the teaching and learning of mathematics in the School, University and wider community.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the University process to determine the institutional nominees to the 2021 Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence.
Application to be an institutional nominee
Nominations are welcomed from teams who feel their work has a major, positive impact on student teaching and learning. Collaborative teams who would like to be considered should provide a maximum of 1000 words, which address the following criteria:
Evidence of excellence in the team’s collaborative approach
Excellence in the impact of collaborative working
All higher education providers are eligible to enter one team. Your team’s submission should be sent to LTDS@newcastle.ac.uk by 12 noon on 16th November 2020.
Advance HE Criteria
1. Excellence in the team’s collaborative approach: Evidence of excellence in the team’s approach to working collaboratively; commensurate with their context and the opportunities afforded by it.
This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:
having a clear set of aims, objectives and rationale for the team’s approach and how the group constitutes a team and developed as a team;
demonstrating direct engagement of students within or with the team;
illustrating how the team has contributed to wider thematic and sector priorities, for example, assessment and feedback; retention, employability, staff development; students as partners; technology and social media;
working collaboratively with a range of stakeholder groups;
embedding practices across different programmes, disciplines, campuses or institutions;
being flexible and creative in working to address unanticipated situations or events;
measuring the impact or outcomes of collaborative work.
2.Excellence in the impact of collaborative working: Evidence of the team having a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning beyond their immediate academic or professional area.
This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of:
the reach of the team’s work;
the benefit or value derived from working as a team;
the impact of supporting colleagues and/or influencing support for student learning;
the impact on student learning or outcomes;
the impact of any outcomes/outputs of collaborative work.
How LTDS can help:
We can provide support and advice on the CATE scheme and the application process. For all queries please contact LTDS@newcastle.ac.uk
The Advance HE Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence
(CATE) celebrate collaborative work that has had a demonstrable impact on
teaching and learning.
LTDS support applications to CATE, and work with the National Teaching Fellows/CATE winners in the University to promote their work and teaching excellence. Each institution can nominate one team to each round of the scheme.
LTDS will be promoting further details of the application process to become an institutional nominee soon. Advance HE are running webinars for those thinking of applying. Details below:
Prof Mark O’Hara, CATE-Net Co-ordinator, Advance HE, will be facilitating four webinars – three (repeated on different dates) focusing on helping those applying for CATE in the 2020/21 academic year, and one focussing on helping those thinking of applying further in the future. Details of these CATE webinars are as follows:
Applying for CATE in 2020/21
If you are planning to submit a claim for CATE in the 2020-21 cycle these briefings will introduce you to the nature of the Award and its associated professional and institutional benefits. It will help you to understand the process and timelines and will offer practical suggestions and advice from previous CATE winners.
For the second year in a row, three Newcastle academics have been elected as National Teaching Fellows.
Awarded by Advance HE, the fellowships recognise excellence in enhancing and transforming student outcomes and teaching. Newcastle University’s Dr Clare Guilding, Professor Simon Tate and Dr Iain Keenan are among this year’s 56 new National Teaching Fellows.
In 2017, Dr Guilding took up the position of Dean of Academic Affairs in Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), leading the development and implementation of Newcastle’s new MBBS curriculum there. She also played a key role in developing the British Pharmacological Society’s (BPS) new undergraduate pharmacology curriculum, now used to develop pharmacology curricula nationally and internationally.
The successful team is made up of Dr Chris Graham, Christian Lawson-Perfect and Dr George Stagg.
Chris, Director of E-Learning, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics said:
“We are absolutely delighted to receive the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence, recognising our E-Learning Unit’s contribution to our School, institution and wider community, in enhancing the teaching and learning of mathematics, with initiatives such as the Numbas e-assessment software.
“The award celebrates our collaborative approach to establishing Numbas as a tool used here at Newcastle by over 3,000 students each year in Schools across all three faculties, and at our Malaysia and London campuses. And recognises our role worldwide, with several key international partnerships, a role in high profile national projects in primary and secondary education, and over 2,000 teachers worldwide using our assessment software.
