Academy Forums 2020/21

5th October 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [sil12] Academy Forum, Online Teaching, Resources and Webinars 1 Comment

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).

Engaging students with asynchronous online tasks: Self-Determination Theory (SDT) Perspective

5th October 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [aeu] Information for Students, Online Teaching 2 Comments

2020 Student’s expectations survey conducted by Wonkhe showed that when presented with a scenario of limited face-to-face teaching, 71 per cent said that in such a scenario they would struggle with motivation to learn and keep up interest.

How can we make sure that our students engage with asynchronous online tasks?

Self-determination theory (SDT) by Deci and Ryan (1985, 2002) is one of the most comprehensive and empirically supported theories of motivation available today. Past research indicated that SDT predicts a variety of learning outcomes, including performance, persistence, and course satisfaction (Deci & Ryan, 1985). The SDT-based strategies may apply to a variety of educational settings including online learning environments (Kuan-Chung & Syh-Jong, 2010). According to SDT, when students’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met, they are more likely to internalize their motivation to learn and be more engaged in their studies.

Source: https://ela-source.com/2019/09/25/self-determination-theory-in-education/

Weekly Resource Roundup – 5/10/2020

5th October 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Resources and Webinars, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE), Weekly Resource Roundup Leave a comment

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.

20/10/2020 Inspera. “The Pedagogical Impact of Online Assessment”
23/10/2020 SEDA. “Decolonising the curriculum: why the concept requires a wider conversation and how do educational developers bring about effective change?”
Agbonifo O. C., Sarumi O. A., & Akinola Y. M. (2020). “A chemistry laboratory platform enhanced with virtual reality for students’ adaptive learning“. Research in Learning Technology, 28.
Buckley, C. (29/9/2020) “Transforming Solent’s Learning Delivery during covid-19 – Adapting our teaching and learning provision was key to Solent continuing to provide an excellent learning experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. This case study highlights the work done by the SLTI team in building the Transformation Academy.”
Clark, A. (2014) “Blogging Student Essays”. University of Edinburgh Case Studies.
Future Teacher Talks, “Social media for teaching and learning – Resources and recording now available”
Khuri, S. & Reed, M. (1/10/2020) “Tips and tools for making your online meetings and workshops more interactive”
Mehta, Neil. “Pedagogy in the Age of Zoom – Application of key education and learning theories and concepts to teaching in a virtual classroom”
Learning technologist at the University of London. myBRAINisOPEN. “The main aim of this website is to synthesise some of the key ideas and research findings from the fields of instructional design, learning design and multimedia learning and to show how they can be applied to the design and development of blended and online learning in higher education.”
Morris, N. (3/4/2018) “Blogging and innovative assessment practice at Edinburgh“. Teaching Matters Blog.
Pearson, J. “Vlogging in student-led seminars“. Assessment for Learning at King’s College London.
Penn, P. “Psychology of Effective Studying YouTube Channel“.
Penn, P. (2020). The psychology of effective studying: How to succeed in your degree. London; New York, NY: Routledge.
Practitioner Research in Higher Education
Sambell, K. & Graham, L. (21/9/2020) ““We need to change what we’re doing.” Using pedagogic action research to improve teacher management of exemplars.” Practitioner Research in Higher Education 13(1)

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.

MS Teams: 10 Common Questions

2nd October 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [sil12] Blackboard, HyFlex, Microsoft Teams, Online Teaching, Panopto, Training and Support Leave a comment

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.

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

1st October 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [sil12] Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, Resources and Webinars Leave a comment

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

1st October 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [sil12] Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, Events and Networks, Resources and Webinars, Training and Support Leave a comment

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.

Changes to Teaching Rooms

30th September 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [jbw] HyFlex, Microsoft Teams, Teaching Rooms 1 Comment

Practice Modules

This blogpost is intended to take you through various scenarios that you may wish to use in Teaching Rooms. If you have any questions, please email is@aber.ac.uk.

The following changes have been made to teaching rooms:

There are now two screens in the teaching room. Screen 1 (the one with the web camera on) is the main screen. Screen 2 is directly linked to the projector. Use Screen 2 to display materials to your class and to share with participants via Teams.
Microsoft Teams has been installed and a shortcut is on all desktops.
New desktop microphones have been installed and lapel mics removed.

If you are in a teaching room and require technical assistance, pick up the phone and wait. It will automatically dial through to Technical Support.

Before the session we advise you to:

Set up a Teams meeting for participants who are unable to join the session face to face (How do I do that?)
Have the teaching materials easily available to you – we recommend you use OneDrive and copy your materials to the desktop before beginning the session. Avoid bringing USBs etc. into the teaching room. (How do I use OneDrive?)
Communicate with any students joining via Teams how they will be participating in the session and how you will handle questions from them.

Useful Information: Online Teaching

29th September 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Microsoft Teams, Online Teaching, Other Tools, Training and Support, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment

Setting up sessions through MS Teams:

Unless otherwise agreed, Microsoft Teams should be used to run all online teaching sessions.
Details of online teaching sessions should be posted in Blackboard (see our FAQ how to set up a Teams meeting in Blackboard?).
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).

Keeping students informed:

Use the announcements feature in Blackboard to communicate with your students. (See our FAQ How do I add an announcement to my Blackboard module?)
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.

Weekly Resource Roundup – 28/9/2020

28th September 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Events and Networks, Online Teaching, Resources and Webinars, Weekly Resource Roundup Leave a comment

6/10/2020 RAISE reading group. “We will be discussing Tai Peseta and Amani Bell, ‘Seeing Institutionally: a rationale for “teach the University” in student and staff partnerships’, Higher Education Research & Development, 39, 1, 2020, pp.99-112.”
14/10/2020 Jisc. “Student experience experts group”
18-19/10/2020 CRADLE online conference “University Assessment, Learning and Teaching: New Research Directions for a Postdigital World”
22/10/2020 Durham University. “Intercultural reflection on teaching – hands-on experience of the innovative reflective methods, step-by-step guidance on implementing them, and access to practical resources, as well as opportunities for networking”
25/11/2020 Centre for Research in Digital Education. “Digital Transformation of Higher Education online research symposium”
Aberystwyth University. “Referencing & Plagiarism Awareness”
Garnham, W. “Active Learning Network – Online Active Learning Resources Padlet”
Bali, M. et al (2020). “Community Building online activities -open resource for teaching”
Lukes, D. “Online Course Development Checklists based on Instructional Design principles”
University of Mary Washington. “ReFocus Online at UMW – This is the hub for the ReFocus Online initiative. Each week will focus on a different topic for course design. Each week offers self-directed and community-engaged learning resources.”
Willingham, D. T. (2020) “Ask the Cognitive Scientist: How Can Educators Teach Critical Thinking?” American Federation of Teachers

Weekly Resource Roundup – 22/9/2020

22nd September 202028th April 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Resources and Webinars, Training and Support, Weekly Resource Roundup Leave a comment

1/10/2020 Centre for Distance Education, Experiences in digital learning: Learning design for flexibility and contingency
1/10/2020 “Educational Access, Inclusion, and Learning in a time of COVID-19, The role of Technology. The speakers will explore the transnational affordances and challenges the pandemic has prompted regarding the application of technologies.”
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“
18-19/11/2020 Media & Learning Online
Jisc, (27/8/2020) Digital Learning Rebooted
van Ameijde, J., Weller, M. & Cross, S. (2015) Designing for Student Retention – the ICEBERG model and key design tips, Open University
Weller, M. (2017) “Designing for retention – the ICEBERG Model“, The Ed Techie
Wheeler, S. Learning with ‘e’s – My thoughts about learning technology and all things digital

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.