blogging, conference, presentation, weeknotes

What have I been doing? – Weeknote #72 – 17th July 2020

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Last Friday I delivered a presentation at the University of Hertfordshire Teaching & Learning Conference. There was some really nice feedback from delegates at the conference.

Really hard to gauge feedback when delivering via Teams and all I can see is my Powerpoint presentation screen. Twitter at least gives me some insight to how it was received.

https://twitter.com/HelenBarefoot/status/1281569959785766913

https://twitter.com/HelenBarefoot/status/1281568050085601280

It would appear that my blog post on the main Jisc website was picked up by academics at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. 

That Jisc blog post was also used later in the week by the Aberystwyth University Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit as part of their staff development.

Spent the best part of Tuesday going through my end of year review paperwork (as one does) and these weeknoteshave been useful in remembering what I have been doing and where. Blogging not just weeknotes, but also about events I have attended or presented at also helps in preparing for these kinds of things.

solitary
Photo by Philippe Bout on Unsplash

Wrote a blog post on The Intelligent Learning Space based on my experiences on the Intelligent Campus project.

As we design learning spaces, we can add sensors and mechanisms to collect data on the use of those learning spaces. It then how we analyse and use that data that allows those spaces to be initially smart and then intelligent.

student on a laptop
Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

I was reminded of this blog post, which I wrote this back in August 2019 (ie last year) and think it’s still relevant today. I had forgotten about the post, just that others are reading it so it popped up on my radar, through the top posts widget.

When it comes to the delivery of online learning, the assumption is made that it will just happen. Assumptions are made that academics who are experts already in delivering learning will be able to easily transfer their skills to an online environment. Even if they are provided with some training, what they will require will be minimal. The training will usually be about the mechanics of online learning, as these academics are already experts in learning, so why would you even “insult” them with training about learning!

The government published a paper this week, Higher education restructuring regime.

We recognise that there remains a very high level of uncertainty around the extent of those financial challenges higher education providers will face in 2020/21 and beyond. Against this backdrop, providers need to look not just to weather the financial storm, but also to emerge in a stronger position to contribute to our economy and society, as the nation recovers from the pandemic. That is why we have set up the Higher Education Restructuring Regime to support providers in England who are at risk of market exit due to the challenges of COVID-19.

In one section the paper says:

The majority of providers will not need additional support from the Restructuring Regime, but will nevertheless be looking to undergo their own restructuring to ensure they are better suited for the post-COVID world. For some providers, this may mean maximising the potential for digital and online learning that the crisis has revealed to increase accessibility and rejuvenate their international offering. For others, it may mean greater specialisation to focus upon the areas in which they are truly outstanding. And for others it may mean a much greater reorientation towards the needs of the local and regional economy, which considers the provision of higher technical education, apprenticeships and part-time learning. In every case this must involve a much stronger alignment of the courses delivered with the economic and societal needs of the nation, in a way that ensures all graduates benefit from their studies.

I have emphasised a couple of phrases in the document that align with some of the future vignettes I have been working on, see last week’s weeknote for the localised vignette.

My top tweet this week was this one.

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