NUTELA – Learning and Teaching @ Newcastle Blog

19 March, 202119 March, 2021

Student Competition: Design a logo

Prize for winning design: Headphones (up to the value of £100)

Newcastle University Technology Enhanced Learning Advocates (NUTELA) are a group of academic and professional services staff who are passionate about promoting technology in teaching.

We are inviting students to help us design a new logo! Something simple yet eye-catching that we can include on our website and in presentations, social media, and other printed materials.

You can find out more about NUTELA and some of the events we run at go.ncl.ac.uk/nutela

What you need to know?

This competition is open to registered students across all Newcastle University campuses
The logo must be 100% original and clearly feature the name NUTELA
The logo must look good in colour and when printed in black and white
The logo can’t contain licenced or copyright material (other than those owned by Newcastle University)
The logo must be easily reproducible and scalable for large and small formatting
The logo should indicate the group is part of Newcastle University

How to submit

You should submit your design to nutelaops@ncl.ac.uk by 30 April 2021

All submitted designs will be judged by a panel of members from our steering group. Please send any questions to nutelaops@ncl.ac.uk

Good luck!

29 June, 202129 June, 2021

Learning Analytics

Do you know how analytics might help you in your teaching?

There are lots of definitions of learning analytics but the most widely cited definition that aligns with Newcastle University’s approach is what Siemens and Gašević’s describe as “the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about students and their contexts to help institutions understand and optimise educational processes, learning and the environments in which it occurs.”

With this in mind, colleagues came together at the latest NUTELA session to explore analytics and share what worked for them. We’ve included videos and some key ideas from each of our presenters below:

Using analytics to gain insights into students’ access.

Rachelle Maddison, INTO

Rachelle used analytics with a small group of international students during the lockdown to check if they could access resources on Canvas. Rachelle’s transparency about the purpose of using Canvas New Analytics promoted trust and partnership with students.

In this video, Rachelle explains how this helped her to make changes to her course content early in the academic year.

Using Canvas New Analytics for Course Review

Danny Homer, LTDS

Danny employed his analytics expertise using Canvas New Analytics reports with Power BI for in-depth analysis and visualisations of course participants’ online interactions. Danny explains how he was able to overcome the limitations of the available analytics interfaces using New Analytics reports.

ReCap Analytics as an insight into the instructional and content redesign for Executive MBA at NUBS

David Grundy, Newcastle University Business School

David used ReCap analytics with a small group of 15 students and a larger group of 220 students. See how David worked around video parameters to review the content and format and make ReCap videos more digestible to students.

How to use ReCap Analytics

Carol Summerside, LTDS

Carol introduces ReCap analytics which give insights into viewer interactions with recordings. She demonstrates how to access analytics and shares some practical tips for getting started.

To find out more about analytics, visit the Digital Learning website or sign up for a Canvas Analytics webinar.

Get involved in NUTELA

NUTELA is a group of academics, professional service staff, and technicians who care about improving learning and teaching at Newcastle University.

Our termly sessions focus on technology in and for teaching. They’ve been a bit different this year but usually involve some pizza, pop and a chance to practice.

Microsoft Team

Join the NUTELA Team to continue the conversation about using technology in your teaching. The Team includes resources, upcoming events and the chance to connect with colleagues across the University. NUTELA advocates are also on hand to answer any NUTELA related questions you might have.

1 June, 202117 September, 2021

Technology in Teaching: Reflect, Rethink, Repurpose

As the 2021 academic year is coming to an end, Newcastle University Technology Enhanced Learning Advocates (NUTELA) brought together a panel of colleagues to share:

Reflections on moving so swiftly to online teaching
Rethinking delivery with some examples
Re-purposing digital content for a blended approach

From practical tips on encouraging student participation to wider discussions around creating student connections, here are the highlights from the session.

How would you approach a flipped classroom?

Dr Ahmed Kharrufa, School of Computing describes how he successfully incorporated videos, reading materials, live sessions and practical activities into a relaxed weekly timeline.

Director of Digital Education Dr David Grundy gives an overview of the Canvas features he used to help students navigate through their course and shares some of the innovative new digital projects recently funded in the Business School.

As a guest lecturer on over 40 different modules, librarian Emily Dott brought a different perspective to the panel discussion. Sharing how a non-synchronous approach works for the library team, Emily reflects on what worked as well as the elements of synchronous sessions that aren’t as easy to replicate.

Integrating digital skills into courses can be challenging but is now more important than ever. Dr James Stanfield from the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, shares how the new module ‘Adventures in Digital Learning’ successfully addresses aspects of digital literacy. He also details how blogging can be a useful tool for reflective practice and shares ideas for increasing student connections next year.

If students could tell their lecturers one thing what would it be?

Dr Brook Galna shares some insights from Sport and Exercise Science students. From positive feedback about short, interactive lecture content to issues around access to technology, student reflections will have a real impact on next year’s teaching.

Find out more about NUTELA

NUTELA are group of academics, professional service staff and technicians, who care about improving learning and teaching at Newcastle University.

We have termly sessions focussing on technology in teaching. They’ve been a bit different this year but usually involve some pizza, pop and a chance to practice.

Microsoft Team

All are welcome to join us.

28 April, 202128 April, 2021

NUTELA events

Join us for our next NUTELA (Newcastle University Technology Enhanced Learning Advocates) events . Sessions run on May 10 and 11 – please sign up for any you like below.

Learning Analytics

Monday 10 May, 10:00-11:00

Do you know how analytics might help you in your teaching?

In this session you will find how you might use analytics in your course to support your practice. We will cover:

ReCap Analytics
Canvas New Analytics

You will also hear practical examples from colleagues who have already started using analytics.

Technology in Teaching 2021: Reflect, Rethink, Re-purpose

Tuesday 11 May, 11:00-12:00

Hear from our top panel of academic colleagues and NUTELA advocates as they share their plans for teaching next year. They’ll share:

Reflections on moving so swiftly to online
Rethinking delivery with some practical examples
Re-purposing digital content for a blended approach

As always there will be lots of time for your questions and discussion. We look forward to seeing you there.

Microsoft Team

All are welcome to join us.

3 March, 20214 March, 2021

Who are NUTELA?

Newcastle University Technology Enhanced Learning Advocates

NUTELA are a a group of individuals who support good practice using technology in education.

We are a group of academics, professional service staff and technicians, who care about improving learning and teaching at Newcastle University.

We have termly 3Ps sessions which are hands-on sessions learning about and trying technologies that you can use in your teaching.

Microsoft Team

All are welcome to join us.

Mailing list

For information about upcoming events and other related news join the NUTELA mailing list.

Share your ideas

Have you got an idea for a session, or something you’d like to share? Contact us at nutelaops@newcastle.ac.uk

Small grants fund

There is a NUTELA small grants fund to enable colleagues to explore and embed technology-enhanced practices into their learning and 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 visit to explore it further.

Applications are invited for a wide range of activities which enable you to explore, disseminate or import 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.

For more information about the fund, what it can be used for and to apply, please see the NUTELA Small Grant Fund Application and Guidance Notes.

Alternatively submit your application online here

Any queries should be sent to nutelaops@newcastle.ac.uk

19 February, 202119 February, 2021

NUTELA Small Grants Fund

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.

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.

For more information about the fund, what it can be used for and to apply, please see the NUTELA Small Grant Fund Application and Guidance Notes.

Alternatively submit your application online here

Any queries should be sent to nutelaops@newcastle.ac.uk

2 December, 202017 September, 2021

NUTELA 3Ps: Canvas Quick WIns and Engaging Students

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.

2 January, 20201 April, 2020

Guest blog: EXPLORING the islands and marine life of the Hebrides through sound

David De La Haye, Music Technician, School of Arts and Cultures

‘Silurian’ is the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s research vessel and for ten days in September I joined the crew on a voyage around the Inner and Outer Hebrides. A citizen science project that was established in 2002, the trust has collected one of the largest visual and acoustic datasets of cetacean activity in the region.

Awake to the tide crashing on the shores of an uninhabited island, the sound of snapping shrimp beneath the waters in a secluded bay. Listen to the amplified strains and groans of the vessel in swell before drifting asleep to the eerie howls of grey seals. Perhaps register the echolocation of Risso’s dolphins or the distant pulse of minke whales. The seas are awash with sounds, revealed through acoustic technologies. As we begin to explore these rich soundscapes we start to understand the impact of other anthropogenic noise, persistent throughout.

The NUTELA fund afforded me time for real-life creative practice, developing the tools needed to assist students who are beginning to embrace the growing trend towards field-recording. Realising sonic opportunity in the everyday, understanding which technologies are best suited to given tasks and advising on appropriate methods of sound diffusion within the studio environment are topics covered within my demonstrator role; this award provided invaluable experience and insight. The work-in-progress was performed as a multi-channel piece at the ‘LIVE in the Kings Hall’ series alongside other practitioners in ICMuS.

The voyage included incredible audio-finds! Recordings of unusual animal behaviour captured onboard Silurian were confirmed on Twitter and the project has already captured the imagination of the Institute of Creative Arts Practice (NICAP) who recently awarded me a ‘Pioneer Award’. This will be used to conduct an experimental research project that intercepts the acoustic data collected by HWDT and marine acoustic systems developed in SAgE, inviting listeners to imagine an oceanic perspective through the generation of sound installations, crossing boundaries between Marine Science, Bioacoustics, Electronic Engineering and Digital Arts.

Student Feedback

“Given my major project’s use of recorded sound, I thought it would be important to get some advice in order to learn more about technology and production techniques. The project focused around the Hebridean islands set in motion ideas for my project so i thought it would good to speak with David De La Haye for further development of my own work.”

David was awarded a NUTELA Small Grants Fund to explore the use of technology enhanced practices in learning and teaching. Find out more about the NUTELA Small Grants Fund.

13 November, 201913 November, 2019

NUTELA 3PS (Pizza, pop and practice)

Technology for Large Group Teaching

11 December 2019, 12-2pm , G.56, Frederick Douglass Centre

Are you interested in using technology for large group lectures?

The next NUTELA pizza, pop and practice event will look at a variety of technology-based strategies to increase interactivity, offer real time feedback, and reinforce learning.

You will hear more about a range of tools that are being used well across the University. We will also be welcoming lecturers from HaSS, SAgE and FMS who will each deliver a 10 minute interactive session giving you the opportunity to experience the technologies first hand, as a student.

Come along for some pizza, pop and the chance to practice in one of our newest large lecture theatres. Book your place now.

We will be sharing resources and keeping the conversation going in our NUTELA Team after the event. Everyone is welcome to join the team.

Remember to bring your own device to the session so that you can take part in the interactive aspects. Any questions please get in touch with nutelaops@ncl.ac.uk

1 October, 201913 September, 2019

NUTELA Learning and Teaching Conference Award

Newcastle University Technology Enhanced Learning Advocates (NUTELA) are passionate about promoting technology in teaching and supporting colleagues to explore technology enhanced learning. In recognition of some of the fantastic work that is delivered by colleagues across the University the NUTELA Learning and Teaching Conference Award was introduced in 2018.

The award is open to anyone who is selected to be part of the Learning and Teaching Conference programme who is effectively using technology in their teaching. All eligible abstracts are judged by members of the NUTELA Steering Group and should include:

• Elements of technology enhanced learning
• Innovative teaching and learning practice
• Student engagement in teaching and learning
• Practice which can be transferable to other disciplines or areas of study.

The top three abstracts are awarded up to £150 to further the work of their projects or disseminate their findings.

2019 Learning and Teaching Conference NUTELA award winners

1st Prize: Dr Alesssio Ianetti, Teaching Fellow, School of Pharmacy Who wants to be a millionaire: A game for the Pharmacy curriculum
2nd prize: Dr Emma Cockburn, Lecturer, School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences Fusing team-based flipped learning and animations
3rd prize: Dr Chris Graham, Director of E-Learning, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics Building flexible and accessible web-based course material

Dr Alessio Ianetti shares more about his project and how he used his award in this blog post.

If you are interested in finding out more about the learning and teaching conference visit the conference website. Registration and the call for submissions will open on the 1st October 2019.