Spotlight on Digital Capabilities 2023: Blended learning – are we getting it right? is an event put on by UCISA. I did a keynote at this event back in 2016.
At Spotlight 23, UWTSD delivered a presentation on Moving forward with Blended Learning.
This is my sketch note of the presentation.
With campuses throughout south-west Wales and others in Cardiff, London and Birmingham the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) is committed to delivering high quality blended learning – and to supporting learners and staff to develop their digital skills and confidence to study and work remotely. For this presentation, the Digital Learning and Digital Skills teams will take you through their approach in promoting digital pedagogy and skills to staff as well as students. This is supported by a rolling programme of training, webinars and drop in sessions as well as the development of online resources; allowing staff and students to access a range of support at a time and a place that suits them.
Spotlight on Digital Capabilities 2023: Blended learning – are we getting it right? is an event put on by UCISA. I did a keynote at this event back in 2016.
At Spotlight 23, Mary Hill, Digital Skills Manager, Sheffield Hallam University did a session called: Using IT effectively to deliver engaging and impactful teaching: a practical view of what teaching can look like using Microsoft Teams.
This is my sketch note of the presentation.
“Online or a blend of in-person and online teaching can be highly effective if the educator has knowledge of and confidence in using online tools and functionality. Knowing, and importantly seeing, what is possible can help us design courses to make full use of these tools and functionality, rather than just delivering in front of a webcam material previously designed purely for in-person delivery. This session will show what online teaching can look and feel like by exploiting the functionality of Microsoft Teams before, during and after the event. Do you know how to make a teaching session using Teams flow well, have an engaged and interacting audience, and convey its messages impactfully? This session will show you the art of the possible.”
Spotlight on Digital Capabilities 2023: Blended learning – are we getting it right? is an event put on by UCISA. I did a keynote at this event back in 2016.
At Spotlight 23, Rebecca Snelgrove, Content Developer (Digital Education), Keele University gave a presentation on podcasting, entitled, Adventures in audio: the interdisciplinary approach shaping engaging real world experiences for students – a podcast and radio production module case study.
This is my sketch note of the presentation.
Post pandemic there’s still considerable debate about what the future of higher education looks like, in particular the student learning journey. Our presentation focuses on our experience of hybrid delivery of a module, to showcase our reflections on what module design and delivery may look like. We put student experience at the heart of the module, using various strategies to build an inclusive, community environment, both online and in person. We engaged with industry experts to create authentic experiences, from interviews for asynchronous learning content to a synchronous pitching and feedback session with a panel of industry experts.
Spotlight on Digital Capabilities 2023: Blended learning – are we getting it right? is an event put on by UCISA. I did a keynote at this event back in 2016.
At Spotlight 23, Melissa Highton, Director of Learning, Teaching and Web Services, University of Edinburgh gave a talk on The Office for Students Review of Blended Learning, 2022.
Dr Highton was part of the panel who met with staff and students in a number of universities of varying size, shape, age and mission. They developed a set of questions to collect the data necessary to get a clear understanding of blended learning approaches being taken. The technology context was different in each provider, and this technology context was essential for understanding how blended learning provision was enabled, quality assured and available equally to course leaders and students across their institution. This presentation will tell the story of how the review was done and highlight practical suggestions for moving forward.
Monday I was in London at the Jisc offices in Fetter Lane. We had our Senior Education and Student Experience Group Meeting with 12 PVCs (including a VC and DVCs). As you might expect ChatGPT and AI was a hot topic of conversation in the meeting.
After the meeting I was heading up to London for the UCISA Leadership Conference in Liverpool.
I did enjoy the conference, not sure if I enjoyed it as much as the previous year, but it was still an excellent conference. Various sessions got me thinking, and I am contemplating writing some of my thoughts up from the conference.
The equality, diversity, and inclusion sessions were interesting and useful. Why don’t universities try and be more flexible in their recruitment practices, for example how many offer term time only contracts (reduced hours) to attract working parents. Family friendly policies can widen the talent pool. Why are so many jobs 37.5 hrs 52 weeks? Also why is it so often that recruitment for an individual, rather than recruiting for the team. A more diverse team is often more effective.
Was a little disappointed that one of the opening sessions talked about digital natives. They don’t exist, never have.
When I was young we had a Commordore Vic-20, I had a Casio electronic calculator, does that make me a digital native? According to Prensky yes it does.
However digital is not a constant, the digital technologies we grew up with, are no longer relevant or useful. #ucisa23pic.twitter.com/xUyD1fshOp
Wondered if any university was looking at implementing a four day week?
This BBC news article reflects on the experiences of those involved in a four day week trial.
The scheme, organised by 4 Day Week Global, took place between June and December 2022, and involved organisations across the UK, including some non-profit organisations, as well as private firms in recruitment, software, and manufacturing. A report assessing its impact has found it had “extensive benefits” particularly for employees’ well-being.
I spent time reviewing the Connect More 2023 themes and topics with others across Jisc.
Started reflecting on possible ideas for ALT-C 2023 now that the call for papers is out. In 2021 I did a blog post about the digital lens, based on earlier work, so looking at possibly revisiting this.
Continued my researching AI in education. Have had early access to Bard, which looks very good.
Saw this on the Twitter – Fake Trump arrest photos trigger a new AI panic. The quality of AI images is getting better and better, and as you might expect, the images they are creating can be problematic.
Spent time writing and reviewing some ideas for next year, including looking at the rumoured Apple Reality Pro.
Final comment, often we know where we are, and where we want to be. The harder job is working out how to get there. What do we need to do to make it happen. How do we get there?
My top tweet this week was this one.
My sketchnote from the excellent Trust, teamwork and technology: building a culture of educational innovation at scale presentation here at #ucisa23pic.twitter.com/oKkCn1xiUZ
This week I was attending the UCISA Leadership Conference in Liverpool.
On day one I drew two sketchnotes from the sessions I attended. On day two I did four sketchnotes. On the final day of the conference I did two more sketchnotes.
Tackling Today’s Student Engagement Challenges
Today’s students expect more from your institution. Apart from their academic careers, students expect to be communicated with in a modern way, they expect to be engaged right from the start, and they expect to be part of your campus community. The question is: how do you live up to those high expectations? Innovative digital solutions have proven effective in improving student communication, increasing student engagement and personalising the overall student experience. This session will share valuable learnings and insights on how an institution has effectively personalised the student journey.
Trust, teamwork and technology: building a culture of educational innovation at scale
This is a session where we, a Pro-Vice-Chancellor Academic and a Chief Information and Digital Officer, will share our journey of building a trusting relationship to serve our academic and learner communities. We will reflect on what qualities we foster among our teams, give them space to innovate and collaborate, and drive motivation to deliver at pace. We will share our story of building a bridge between academic and professional services communities, where the frequent users are our students. Finally, we will showcase some tech transformation and implementation that may not be ground-breaking but delivered at pace and at scale. It’ll be an interactive session and we will have some fun!
I am attending the UCISA Leadership Conference in Liverpool.
On day one I drew two sketchnotes from the sessions I attended. On day two I did four sketchnotes.
A sustainable approach to building a diverse and disability inclusive team
Building a diverse and inclusive team requires both honest reflection and positive action. Hear from AbilityNet on how to create the conditions where the widest talent pool can thrive.
Curriculum management as the foundation of digital transformation and success: What can UK higher education leaders learn from their Australian counterparts?
We passionately believe that true digital transformation starts with an institution’s core asset – its curriculum. In this presentation, we share learnings from universities that have successfully digitally transformed their curriculum management systems, exploring along the way:
Why curriculum management should be the focal point for any digital transformation journey
How digital tools enable staff to manage critical digital data assets accurately, effectively and efficiently
How a curriculum management system with composable architecture supports and builds resilience into the university ecosystem
How to ensure a successful implementation
Tackling the Gender Pay Gap in Tech
The twin challenge of pay gap and lack of role models can mean it feels like an uphill struggle to attract and retain women in tech. In this session Tracey Jessup talks about her role as Chief Digital and Information Officer at Parliament and the work the Parliamentary Digital Service did to ensure they were recruiting across the whole of the market, leading to a 0% gender pay gap.
Durham University’s AI Journey
I did attempt to do a sketchnote on the shared services session, but it didn’t come together.
I am attending the UCISA Leadership Conference in Liverpool.
On day one I drew two sketchnotes from the sessions I attended.
Driving transformational Higher Education through automation and Total Experience technology
In this session Dave Wright from Servicenow talked about driving transformation in an university, thinking holistically about the processes and role of digital.
As the technology landscape grows more complex, the need for platforms that cater for large scale change are essential for educational management. Recent events have shown a need for hybrid and digital learning, plus automation of back-office processes and systems to provide a revolutionary student and employee experience. Delivering a cohesive Enterprise Service Management(ESM) that’s easy to adopt, monitor, and use is now crucial to Educational institutions.
Reasons to be cheerful
In this session, Karen Stanton, Vice-Chancellor, Solent University takes about the challenges, but all the opportunities that mean there are reasons to be cheerful.
Karen Stanton, Vice-Chancellor at Solent University, for this keynote session focusing on the positives IT Leaders can look forward to in the near and distant future. With attitudes in the sector often straying somewhere south of positive, it’s time to consider how the role of IT Leaders will change as the importance of technology grows in shaping strategy will .
I did some planning , working on ideas for the Intelligent Campus community event which is taking place on the 24th May 2023. Bookings are now open.
This community of practice gives people a chance to network, share practice and hear what various institutions are doing. You will have the opportunity to discover more about intelligent campus projects and our work in this space. The focus of this community event will be where do we go next? You can read the new guide to the intelligent campus and reflect on your own journey in this space, and where you feel we can provide help and support. This will be an opportunity to discover more about the history of our past and current work in the intelligent campus space as well as hear from others about their work on this exciting topic.
I did some reflecting and reviewing potential priorities for next year, as well as some budgetary planning to support it. Much of what I am planning to do, builds on the work I have done this year and am doing this year.
There was some excellent sessions and I made some sketchnotes for lots of them.
Belonging in a cost of living crisis
The stats are dire and the initiatives have come thick and fast – but what sort of impact is the cost of living crisis having on the student learning experience? Do efforts to enable students to succeed in these circumstances normalise a thin and stretched student experience?
The real risks to equality of opportunity
Tacking equality gaps in higher education remains a huge concern – particularly when some initiatives and efforts seem to fall foul of government guidance and preference. In this session we’ll bust some myths and seek to understand what really works when it comes to narrowing the gaps.
How to (re)calibrate the needle of trust
Post-Covid, there’s been lots of debate about the extent to which safety-net shifts in trusting students should be rolled back in the name of academic standards, as well as discussion about assessment methods that both appear to narrow awarding gaps and exacerbate allegations of cheating. How viable is it in 2023 to maintain the idea that every student should achieve a standard at the same pace? Where is the line between cheating and collaboration? And what could new AI tools mean for teaching, learning and assessment?
Cracking the code
So your department has a difficult NSS score on assessment fairness, and the Dean wants you to turn things around – fast. Or a flag goes up on your engagement analytic dashboard – what now? In a field teeming with data, finding out what is going on with the people behind the numbers can make the difference. In this session we’ll consider the role of the qualitative in turning data to action – and share new insight from our new student survey platform Belong on what students are really thinking.
Why are students so left wing?
The political leanings of students have been central to the free speech debate that has played out in recent years – but is it nature, or nurture? Some would argue that the past decade has seen a huge expansion in higher education participation, opening up opportunity to more students than ever. Others would argue that politics is increasingly skewed away from students and young people’s economic interests. What’s really going on – and what should universities, SUs or governments do about it?
Secrets of the student experience
Increasingly universities are expected to have a handle on “difficult” aspects of the students’ experience: alcohol and drugs, sexual harassment, and sex work. In this session, we will think through the various frames available for managing behaviours and the implications for students, university policy, and the competencies of university staff.
news and views on e-learning, TEL and learning stuff in general…
