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Learning and Teaching Mini Conference Materials Available Now

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Resources are now available from the Aberystwyth University Mini Conference for Learning and Teaching that took place on 20th December 2022. For those who were unable to attend or who would like a refresher, the resources for all sessions can be found here.

The conference focused on Sustainability in Higher Education, with the key-note session delivered by Dr Georgina Gough (UWE Bristol) exploring how to embed sustainability goals within the curriculum.

Other topics included Marian Gray’s session ‘Student Mobility and Cross-Cultural Skills – Global & Sustainable?’, and Dr. Louise Marshall’s ‘Discipline hopping: Interdisciplinary approaches to a sustainable curriculum’.

Blackboard UBN

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Blackboard Ultra icon

It’s been about a week since we moved to Blackboard UBN. Here are some answers to some of the questions that staff and students have asked us. You may find your question answered here (or in our How do I get started with Ultra Base Navigation FAQ). If not, you can email us.

1. Where is my departmental information site / training module? If you are looking for a Blackboard site that isn’t linked to a taught AU module, have a look on the Organisations page. You’ll probably find the course you are looking for here.
2. How are the courses organized on the Course page? They are listed by academic year, and then alphabetically by module title. You may find it easier to find your courses by using one of the following:
a. Search box – you can search by module name or module code.
b. Favourite – use the favourite (star) icon to pin the courses you use regularly at the top of your list.
c. Filter. This is particularly useful for staff who are Instructors on some modules and have other roles in other modules. Choosing Course I teach will show you all your Instructor courses.
d. Change the academic year. You can limit your view to just the current academic year by changing Courses to Cyrsiau 2022-23 Courses.
3. My course menu was a different colour / design – can I change it back? No, this is no longer available. Once we move to Ultra courses there will be no course menu.
4. How do I change the picture displayed? Have a look at the Blackboard guidance (follow from bullet point 3).
5. Why am I getting an error message when I go to Blackboard? Make sure that you go directly to https://blackboard.aber.ac.uk. Don’t use a link or bookmark.
6. The Activity Stream says I have overdue assignments? In some courses there may be submission points for extensions, groups etc that aren’t relevant to you. These will show in the Activity Search. If you aren’t sure if a submission is for you, go back into the course and check you have no assignment submissions outstanding.
7. My course or Organisation says Private on it; what does this mean? It means that the course isn’t available to students. If you no longer need this course, please let us know and we can remove the course.

UKCGE Research Supervision Recognition Programme

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Graduate School/Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

Are you an established research degree supervisor?

Would you like your supervisory practice acknowledged at a national level?

The UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) has developed the Good Supervisory Practice Framework and the Research Supervision Recognition Programme to allow established supervisors to gain recognition for this challenging, but rewarding, role.

In May 2022, Professor Stephen Tooth from the Department of Geography & Earth Sciences became the first member of academic staff across the University to receive recognition for their approach to graduate supervision.

We are keen to support supervisors who wish to achieve this accreditation. For further details about the framework and how to apply please visit our web page https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/grad-school/supervisory-framework/ or contact Annette Edwards via the Supervisory Framework (sfastaff@aber.ac.uk).

LTEU 2022 Summer Update

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Update to Turnitin

For the academic year 2022/23 we will be using a new version of Turnitin.
On Tuesday 5 July 2022 Information Services will be enabling the new version of Turnitin on Blackboard. Whilst most of Turnitin’s current functionality will remain the same, there will be some changes. To help staff with this change, we have arranged the following FAQs.
Further information can be found on our Changes to Turnitin: Information for Staff blogpost.

Updated E-Learning Policies

Updated versions of all e-learning policies are available from the Information Services Regulations and Policies site.
Blackboard RMP and E-submission policies remain unchanged from last years. There have been some updates to the lecture capture policy. These include clarification on the retention period for recordings and guidance on using Panopto for assessment.

10th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference

We will be hosting our 10th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference between 12-14 September 2022.
Conference Registration is now open. Further information, including the conference programme will be available on our Annual Learning and Teaching Conference webpage.

Digital Insight Survey

The student Digital Insights Survey has recently closed, with over 660 responses. Overseen by JISC, the survey asks students about their use of technology in learning and teaching, and provides a benchmark for comparisons with other institutions.
The results of the survey can be used to inform strategic decisions to enhance the digital experience and enable digital transformation.
Last year’s key findings can be found in the Student Digital Insights Survey Results blog post. Key findings of the 2022 survey will be published soon. Subscribe to the LTEU blog for notifications.

ARCHE

The ARCHE programme is a means by which Aberystwyth University (AU) staff can apply for Fellowship in the Higher Education Academy (now part of Advance HE). See the ARCHE scheme handbook for full details.
The next deadline for applications is 07/09/2022. To express an interest in applying, please email felstaff@aber.ac.uk.

PGCTHE

The PGCTHE is open to staff teaching on Aberystwyth University courses. Participants should have at least 40 hours contact teaching time at higher education level over the duration of each module, but there is scope to consider staff with other scenarios on a case-by-case basis. Please email the course team for more information.
The next intake for both module 1 and module 2 will be in January 2023. The deadline for applications is 1 November. Attendance at induction is required for all students.

TPAU 2022-23 Competition Opens in May

We will start recruiting for the next cohort of the Teaching for Postgraduates at Aberystwyth University programme this month. Any interested PGRs who are teaching can apply for a place on the programme up until 24th June. The compulsory Induction for the programme will take place on 20th and 21st September. Further information.

Subscribe to the LTEU Blog

Subscribe to the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Blog so that you receive an email notification whenever a new post is written. Keep up-to-date with software developments, new initiatives, training sessions and events that help support teaching activities and technology-enhanced learning.

Weekly Resource Roundup

The Weekly Resource Roundup includes resources to help staff teach effectively, such as external webinars, podcasts, online toolkits, publications and more.

CPD

Attend sessions in our annual CPD programme.
The programme includes sessions on e-learning, as well as lots of sessions on learning and teaching topics such as assessment and feedback, presentation skills, accessibility, and more.
We deliver some sessions ourselves, while others are delivered by university staff whose teaching features good practice in those areas. Look for (L&T) in the session title.

Hello

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View of Aberystwyth and the sea from the National Library
View of Aberystwyth and the sea from the National Library
View of Aberystwyth from the National Library. KGS Aug 2021

Su’mae! I’m Keziah, I joined the LTEU in 2022 as a Support Assistant, so I will be helping out the team in a variety of ways from dealing with enquiries to supporting CPD sessions and the annual Learning and Teaching conference. I first came to Aber in 2012 as an undergraduate with the History and Welsh History department. Having graduated I stayed on to complete an MA, before having a brief interlude in Leicester. Afterwards I was lucky enough to be able to take up a PhD here researching Ceredigion’s early modern history through the use of criminal records in the National Library of Wales.
During my PhD I was given the opportunity to do some teaching within the department and to take part in the TPAU programme. I quickly became passionate about finding new ways to improve teaching in Higher Education, especially the problem-solving aspects of balancing all of the different elements that go into designing a rewarding and engaging programme.
My current areas of interest outside of my research, are learning Welsh and looking at ways in which ideas about leadership training from business and industry can be used in undergraduate teaching to build confidence and initiative in students.
I’m looking forward to supporting staff and students at Aberystwyth in their ongoing development, and meeting new people from around the university.