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Academy Mini-Conference (call for proposals) – ‘Advice for Action: Promoting Good Feedback Practice’

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Mini Conference Logo
On Wednesday 16th December, the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit will be hosting the first of this year’s Academy Mini-Conferences online. The theme will be ‘Advice for Action: Promoting Good Feedback Practice’, where we will explore how to make feedback more useful and engaging for students.

The three main strands for this Mini-Conference are:

  • Marking group assessments
  • Peer assessment and feedback
  • Improving student learning through feedback

We are looking for proposals from staff, postgraduate teaching assistants and students to give presentations, demonstrations, workshops and discussions on their current feedback and assessment practices. Even if your proposal does not particularly fit the strands above, other relevant proposals are very welcome.

If you would like to submit a proposal to this year’s Mini-Conference, please fill in this online form before Wednesday 18th November.

You can register to attend the Mini-Conference by clicking on this link. If you have any queries, please email lteu@aber.ac.uk.

Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol: October Training

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Training for research students
The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol will be running several workshops for research students throughout the year as part of their Research Skills Programme. Here is a copy of the full programme for 2020/21. You will need to register in advance for each workshop and you can do so through the following link.

Here is a look at the workshops that will be running throughout October:

Tuesday (13 October), 11:00-11:30 – ‘Cyfres Iechyd a Lles myfyrwyr ôl-radd (Edrych ar ôl eich hun)’ – Andrew Tamplin

Friday (16 October), 14:00-16:00 – ‘Sgiliau Addysgu ar gyfer Myfyrwyr Ôl-radd’ – Dyddgu Hywel

Tuesday (20 October), 11:00-12:00 – Rheoli amser a phwysau gwaith (gyda ffocws ar weithio o bell)’ – Mari Ellis Roberts

Friday (23 October), 11:00-12:00 – ‘Rheoli’ch goruchwyliwr (gyda ffocws ar weithio o bell)’ – Nia Gwynn Meacher & Seren Evans.

Training for staff
Also, as part of the Staff Development Programme (2020/21), the series ‘Iechyd a Lles: Chi fel Staff a’ch Myfyrwyr’ continues next Tuesday morning (9:30-10:00). All staff members are welcome to register and you can do so through the following link.

Additional MS Teams Drop-in Sessions

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Following the success of our drop-in sessions on using MS Teams for Learning and Teaching Activities, we have decided to run these sessions throughout October.

These sessions are an informal opportunity to speak with our Online Learning Specialists and to address any queries that may have arisen during the first weeks of term. You’re welcome to ask us for advice on any aspects relating to using MS Teams – from technical advice to advice on using MS Teams for students who are unable to join face-to-face sessions.

*Please note that sessions with an asterisk (*) will be bilingual sessions, and all sessions without an asterisk will run as English-medium sessions.

These drop-in sessions will take place on:

09.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

13.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

14.10.2020 (14:00-15:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

16.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

20.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

21.10.2020 (14:00-15:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

23.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

27.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

28.10.2020 (14:00-15:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

30.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting *

MS Teams: Drop-in Sessions

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We would like to offer all staff members at the University the opportunity to join us in our drop-in sessions on using MS Teams for Learning and Teaching Activities. These will be an informal opportunity to speak with our Online Learning Specialists and to address any queries that may have arisen during the first weeks of term.

All drop-in sessions will be held via MS Teams and there is no need to book, just click on the links below.

These drop-in sessions will take place on:

06.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

07.10.2020 (14:00-15:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

09.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

13.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

14.10.2020 (14:00-15:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

16.10.2020 (10:00-11:00): Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

We hope that these sessions will provide you with an opportunity to clarify any questions about your teaching needs.

Academy Forums 2020/21

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The Academy Forum provides a platform for sharing good practice in learning and teaching. The Forum is open to members of the University community: teaching staff, postgraduate tutors, support staff, and students are all welcome. All forums will be held online for the year 2020/21 and you can click here to book your place.

The Academy Forums for the year 2020/21 are:

07.10.2020 (14:00-15:30): Creating a Learning and Teaching Community

19.10.2020 (11:00-12:30): Creating Podcasts in Panopto

19.11.2020 (10:00-11:30): Why and how to help students to reflect on their learning?

30.11.2020 (14:00-15:30): Motivation strategies for Online Learning Engagement

27.01.2021 (15:00-16:30): How can I plan online and in person activities?

19.02.2021 (10:00-11:30): How can I make my teaching more inclusive?

We hope that you will be able to attend these forums. Please contact us with any questions (lteu@aber.ac.uk).

MS Teams: 10 Common Questions

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Following training sessions that we have conducted over the past few weeks on using MS Teams for learning and teaching activities, here are answers to 10 common questions. Further information on using MS Teams can be found in our Microsoft Teams FAQs, and please do not hesitate getting in touch with us if you have any further queries (lteu@aber.ac.uk).

Q1: If I am sharing my screen can I still see the chat function?
A1: Unfortunately, unless you have two screens then this will not be possible. You could either ask a student to monitor the chat for you or you could stop sharing your screen from time to time to check what has been posted in the chat. There are some advanced share screen options that may enable you to see the chat in some instances, and we’re happy to discuss these with you further.

Q2: I would like to add an external individual from outside Aberystwyth University to one of my ‘teams’ within MS Teams, is this possible?
A2: It is possible to add external individuals who have an Office 365 account with an ac.uk domain, but any external individual who has an email account that is not an ac.uk address will need to complete a request form to have their domain added to AU Teams access. Alternatively, you could set up meetings with external individuals through MS Teams without having to request access.

Q3: After recording a meeting, how would I access the recording and how long is it available for?
A3: After ending a meeting the recording will appear in the meeting’s chat and this will be available to download for 22 days. Please familiarise yourself with the University’s Lecture Capture Policy for details on what type of sessions are appropriate to record.

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6 October 2020: ‘Introduction to Research’ with Dr Elin Royles (Welsh-medium session)

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Join Dr Elin Royles on 6 October 2020 between 11:00 and 12:30, where she will give an introduction to postgraduate research. This will be an online live session and you can register through the following link. Please note that this is a Welsh-medium session.

This workshop forms a part of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s Research Skills Programme, and here is a copy of the full programme for 2020/21.

Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Staff Development Programme

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This year’s Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Staff Development programme (2020/21) will be delivered online, with the majority of the workshops being pre-recorded and placed on the Resources Portal (Porth Adnoddau), so that staff can follow them when it is most convenient for them. Some of the workshops are already on the Resources Portal, and more will be added over the coming weeks.

In addition to pre-recorded workshops, some will also be held live. Here is a snapshot of some of the live sessions (please note that all sessions are in the medium of Welsh):

October 2020
• Tuesday (October 6), 09:30-10:00 – Cyfres Iechyd a Lles: chi fel staff a’ch myfyrwyr (1/3)
• Tuesday (October 13), 09:30-10:00 – Cyfres Iechyd a Lles: chi fel staff a’ch myfyrwyr (2/3)
• Tuesday (October 20), 09:30-10:00 – Cyfres Iechyd a Lles: chi fel staff a’ch myfyrwyr (3/3)

January 2021
• Wednesday (27 January), 15:00-16:30 – Gweminar dysgu ac addysgu (rhannu arfer dda o ddysgu cyfunol)

June 2021
• Wednesday (June 23), 15:00-16:30 – Gweminar dysgu ac addysgu (rhannu arfer dda o ddysgu cyfunol)
• Tuesday (June 29) – Welsh-medium Research Conference (form and location TBC)

Take a look at the full programme for 2020/21 and follow this link to register.

Hello from one of your newly appointed Online Learning Specialists

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Hello, I’m Sioned, one of three newly appointed Online Learning Specialists who have recently joined the Learning & Teaching Enhancement Unit (LTEU).
Sioned stood at Aberystwyth seafront
Having been born and raised in Aberystwyth, I am very excited to return to the University, having completed my BSc, MSc and PhD at the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (DGES). Whilst completing my PhD, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to teach at DGES on a variety of Welsh- and English-medium modules and I became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2019. Since July 2019 I have been employed at Menter a Busnes, in the first instance undertaking research into measuring greenhouse gas emissions on Welsh farms and then as Development and Mentoring Manager, providing guidance to facilitators running face-to-face and online discussion groups with Welsh farmers.

I look forward to drawing on my past experiences, learning from other colleagues in LTEU and from staff members more generally across the University, to share best practices on delivering high-quality teaching to Aberystwyth University students through virtual channels. As a first-language Welsh speaker, I am also very excited to be given the opportunity to help develop the provision of Welsh-medium online teaching training courses to university staff.

If you’d like to discuss anything related to online learning, please feel free to contact me in Welsh or English on sil12@aber.ac.uk.