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.
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.
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)
Please note that for any sessions set up through Blackboard, students will be able to use the link to join the session 15 minutes before the chosen start time. Any time prior to this, students have the option to add the session to their Office365 calendars (see our student FAQ).
Ensure that your Blackboard contacts page has your contact information and clear instructions on how and when students should contact you.
Delivering online sessions from the University:
If required, you may come into the University to deliver your online session from the teaching rooms in the allotted timetabled slots. Please ensure you are using the correct room and time allocated to your activity.
CPD sessions:
The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit will be running a number of CPD sessions for staff members over the coming weeks, focusing specifically on online learning and teaching and associated E-learning tools.
For any technical assistance with using MS Teams or any of the E-learning tools, please email elearning@aber.ac.uk. If you wish to discuss any aspect of learning and teaching, please email lteu@aber.ac.uk.
As lecturer in learning and teaching responsible for the PGCTHE, I keep an eye out for new resources to help our staff teach effectively online. This includes externally-provided webinars, toolkits, publications and other resources. Because active learning is high on our university agenda, I’m particularly keen to share guidance for moving active learning online. Below I’ve listed items that came to my attention in the past week. In the interest of clarity, our policy is to show the titles and descriptions in the language of delivery.
8/10/2020 University of Winchester’s Centre for Student Engagement, “Student Engagement in Social Action – To register your free place and receive an MS Teams link to the event, please email: CfSE@winchester.ac.uk“
Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff.
I hope you find this weekly resource roundup useful. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact our team at lteu@aber.ac.uk. You may also wish to follow my Twitter feed, Mary Jacob L&T.
Information about using teaching rooms this academic year, including how to use MS Teams in an in-person teaching session is available at Teaching Room Guide 2020-21
As lecturer in learning and teaching responsible for the PGCTHE, I keep an eye out for new resources to help our staff teach effectively online. This includes externally-provided webinars, toolkits, publications and other resources. Because active learning is high on our university agenda, I’m particularly keen to share guidance for moving active learning online. Below I’ve listed items that came to my attention in the past week. In the interest of clarity, our policy is to show the titles and descriptions in the language of delivery.
Blackboard Ally File Transformer, free through December 2020. “As schools move to fully online learning, the File Transformer helps you to personalize your learning experience by converting your course files into alternative formats that fit your needs, devices, and learning preferences.”
Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff. I hope you find this weekly resource roundup useful. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact our team at lteu@aber.ac.uk. You may also wish to follow my Twitter feed, Mary Jacob L&T.
As more and more materials are made available online, including pre-recorded lectures, it is easy to become overwhelmed: in addition to adapting teaching materials for this different type of delivery and streamlining information into shorter instalments, the practical aspects of recording videos for teaching can be daunting. But fear not! The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit has created two guides, a Video Recording Checklist and Video Recording Tips.
It is important to remember that no one expects a perfect greenscreen or Minority Report– style, interactive multi-stream extravaganza. If you follow the checklist, you will ensure your videos will be of a consistently solid standard, without much hassle. The tips offer you extra help with improving your video recording skills.
If you have any further questions, want additional guidance, or seek clarifications, remember that the LTEU is only an email away, at lteu@aber.ac.uk and elearning@aber.ac.uk.
Hello, I’m Sioned, one of three newly appointed Online Learning Specialists who have recently joined the Learning & Teaching Enhancement Unit (LTEU).
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.
Sut mae, pawb!
I am Lara, a new member of the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit (LTEU) for the next six months. I’ve been offered this opportunity to introduce myself.
I am originally from Germany, Bavaria to be precise. I grew up in the Alps, and I still miss the mountains from time to time. But the sea, and the hills of Wales are very good substitutes.
I came to Aberystwyth in 2009 to study Joint Honours Scenography & Theatre Design and Drama & Theatre Studies. I fell in love with Aberystwyth, the place, and the people. As my undergraduate studies drew to a close, one of my tutors recommended I apply for the Access to Masters programme, so I did. This brilliant EU initiative sadly no longer exists. As part of this programme, I studied on the MA Practising Theatre & Performance, and was partnered with the Magic of Life Butterfly House in Cwm Rheidol. I applied for a PhD at Aberystwyth University, as my MA supervisor encouraged me, and helped me develop a proposal. I was offered the Doctoral Career Development Scholarship. One week after my viva voce – the final examination for a PhD – I was offered a full-time lecturing post at the University of Derby in the midlands.
Even though they say that if you stay more than five years in Aberystwyth, you’ll never leave, after seven years I packed my bag and moved from the sea to the place furthest from the sea on the UK mainland…but, as you can guess from my writing this, the mysterious gravity of Aber soon pulled me back. I returned to my alma mater for sessional and part-time teaching, while offering freelance workshops, and tutoring privately alongside. I started learning Welsh, which has been great fun and something I recommend to everyone, especially those usually in a teaching position. It’s extremely useful to put ourselves into learners’ shoes from time to time.
I have always enjoyed learning, and was very fortunate that I had exceptional teachers all throughout my education, not least at Aberystwyth University. Now I am on the other side, I continually strive to become that kind of educator: one that learners trust, and feel encouraged by to do their best. Joining the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit is the next step for me, developing ways to support staff with all their teaching and learning needs. Now more than ever, this is essential work, as we all learn to deal with the unprecedented crisis of a global pandemic, and strive to minimise its impact on our students.
If you’re interested in my creative practice, research, or publications, I point you towards my personal website.