2020/2021 Modules now available

13th July 202029th April 2021 WordPress User [jbw] Uncategorised Leave a comment

Modules for the academic year 2020/2021 are now available for staff teaching on modules.

You may have noticed that a new tab has appeared on the top menu of your Blackboard screen:

Module menu showing 2020-21 modules highlighted (second tab from the left)

If you’re enrolled as a staff member on the module in Astra then you should be able to view your modules for next academic year. If you’re not able to see a module that you are enrolled on then contact your Departmental Administrator. Students won’t be enrolled on the module until registration is complete.

This year, Blank Course Copy applies to all on-campus Postgraduate modules.

We’ve got the following support available to help with Blank Course Copy:

Read our FAQ

If you have any queries regarding Blank Course Copy, or need further assistance, please email elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Weekly Resource Roundup – 7/7/2020

7th July 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Events and Networks, Online Teaching, 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.

8/7/2020 – Advance HE. ‘Safe(r) for staff? Equality implications for ‘re-opening’ university and college campuses in the age of COVID-19‘
8/7/2020 – Advance HE. ‘Learning spaces and beyond: connected learning while physical distancing‘
15/7/2020 – Jisc. ‘Learning and teaching reimagined: best emerging practice?‘
16/7/2020 – ‘Using MS Teams and OneNote to deliver lecture-style content‘
16/7/2020 – Advance HE. ‘Team-Based Learning: Creating human connections in digital teaching’
26-27/8/2020 Association for Learning Technology (ALT) ‘Online Summer Summit‘
Jisc. Accessibility Community of Practice
Carpenter, Shana K. et al. (June 2020) ‘On Students’ (Mis)judgments of Learning and Teaching Effectiveness‘. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. (9)2.
CDE Recordings. Jumping online Webinars ‘Sustaining Quality Learning’
CDE Recordings. Jumping online Webinars ‘What have we learned?’
Clay, James. Jisc. ‘Facilitating positive change through a crisis – As universities consider reopening campuses for the autumn term,’head of HE and student experience James Clay explores how online learning will fit into the new landscape.’
Clay, James. The Pie. ‘Reimagining contact hours‘
Cooper, Kate. History UK. ‘Should we stop worrying about contact hours?‘
‘Digital Education Practices Podcast series’
Lukes, Dominik. Media and Learning News – ‘The 6-Tasks Framework for thinking about instructional video‘
Robson, Louise. Media and Learning News – ‘Online active learning in an emergency pivot – it’s active learning, but not as we know it’
‘Transforming Assessment webinar series‘
White, Dave. ‘The need for Presence not ‘Contact Hours’’

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.

Weekly Resource Roundup 30/6/2020

30th June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Events and Networks, Online Teaching, Other Tools, Resources and Webinars, Training and Support, Weekly Resource Roundup Leave a comment

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.

7/7/2020 RAISE network. “We will be discussing chapter 4 from Cathy Bovill’s new book, Co-creating learning and teaching: towards relational pedagogy. Cathy will be joining us for the webinar. You can find more details, and a copy of the chapter, at the event link on Advance HE Connect.”
16/7/2020 RAISE network. “RAISE Student Engagement Buddying scheme, introduced as a pilot in 2019 to connect staff and students from across the network and facilitate communication and collaboration among our members. The webinar is hosted by the scheme co-ordinator, Madalene George, and there will be a chance to hear from some of our matched buddies about their experience. You can find out more at the event link on Advance HE Connect.”
7/8/2020 “Addressing Bias in HE“
Active Learning Network. “Online Active Learning: A call for collaboration!”
“EADI (European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes) webinar series”
Enhancement Themes. “Learning from Disruption: Exploring what counts in Higher Education”
Gibbs, Graham. Learning@City Conference 2012. “Improving Student Learning through Assessment and Feedback – Feedback doesn’t work because the teachers give it, it works because something goes on in the students’ head.” Slides on Slideshare
Mazur, Eric. Harvard University. “Peer Instruction“.
University of Liverpool Centre for Innovation in Education. “Microsoft Teams Champion videos”

Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff.

Reminder: Call for Proposals: Learning and Teaching Conference 2020

22nd June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [jbw] Conference, Events and Networks Leave a comment

*Closing Friday*

We are inviting proposals for the 8^th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Monday 7th – Wednesday 9^th September 2020.

Submit and view the call for proposals online.

This year’s conference theme, Enhancing the Curriculum: Inspire Learning and Invigorate Teaching, aims to reflect the commitment that AU staff have to enhance the student learning experience.

Using the Whiteboard Feature in Microsoft Teams

22nd June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [jbw] Online Teaching, Other Tools 7 Comments

In this blogpost we will be taking a look at one of the tools available to make your teaching in a Microsoft Teams session more interactive. The Whiteboard is a space where you and your students can collaborate.

The whiteboard can be used for:

Students sharing ideas or thoughts
Talking your students through a complicated diagram
Mind-mapping ideas or concepts
Sharing or charting a complex process

There’s a great video on using the Whiteboard in Teams by The Virtual Training Team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqtWRu0rTA

Weekly Resource Roundup 22/6/2020

22nd June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Conference, E-submission, Events and Networks, Online Teaching, Resources and Webinars, Training and Support, Uncategorised, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE), Weekly Resource Roundup Leave a comment

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.

23-24/6/2020 St Mary’s Festival of Learning https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/events/2020/06/festival-of-learning
26/6/2020 “AdvanceHE webinar Active Digital Design” https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/programmes-events/calendar/active-digtial-design
26/6/2020 “Future Teacher Webinars – Self Assessment and Mastery Learning” https://xot.futureteacher.eu/play.php?template_id=4#selfassessment
1/7/2020 “Jisc Learning and Teaching Reimagined webinar – How Staff Needs are Changing” https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/learning-and-teaching-reimagined-how-are-staff-needs-changing-01-jul-2020
15/7/2020 “Transforming Assessment Webinars – ‘Feedback is useless if no-one can get what it means’ – The effect of technology-mediated peer feedback on uptake and literacy. James Michael Wood (Seoul National University, South Korea); Inclusive assessment design: what can we learn from assessment adjustments?. Joanna Tai, Mary Dracup, Merrin Mccracken, Yasmin Mobayad (Deakin University, Australia); Assessment and digital competences: building capacity with academic staff. Rob Lowne and Suzanne Stone (Dublin City University, Ireland)” http://taw.fi/15jul2020
“Call for papers for Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching – Compass is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that welcomes research articles, case studies, opinion pieces and reviews relating to learning, teaching, assessment, and the wider student experience within higher education.” https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass
“Jisc Podcasts Responding to COVID-19” https://www.jisc.ac.uk/podcasts
Beard, Mary “The end of the university as we know it? – Mary Beard asks if the iconic university lecture might have had its day, in the aftermath of the pandemic” BBC Radio 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000k2cq
Clay, James “Why online learning doesn’t have to be a poor experience” https://universitybusiness.co.uk/comment/why-online-learning-doesnt-have-to-be-a-poor-experience/
Hosseini, Dustin. “Podcast episode 12: a flipped classroom through digital chalk talks” https://digitaleducationpractices.com/2020/06/16/episode-12-a-flipped-classroom-through-digital-chalk-talks/
Jisc, “Higher education sector comes together to reimagine learning and teaching” https://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/higher-education-sector-comes-together-to-reimagine-learning-and-teaching-05-jun-2020
Jisc, “How COVID-19 has changed student assessment for good” https://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/how-covid-19-has-changed-student-assessment-for-good-15-jun-2020
Tan, E., Small, A., & Lewis, P. (2020). Have a question? Just ask it: using an anonymous mobile discussion platform for student engagement and peer interaction to support large group teaching. Research in Learning Technology, 28. https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/2323

Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff.

Weekly Resource Roundup 15/6/2020

15th June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Events and Networks, Online Teaching, Panopto, Resources and Webinars, Training and Support, Uncategorised, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment

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.

Calling @AberUni staff. Do you use short Panopto lectures or Panopto quizzes in your online teaching? We’re after examples to use in our new good practice module. Email lteu@aber.ac.uk if you’d like to share your materials with us.

18/6/2020 “TILE Network – Back To School: What Did We Do? What Did We Learn?” https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-back-to-school-what-did-we-do-what-did-we-learn-registration-109125816254
23/6/2020 “How to localise ABC Learning Design?” https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-4-abc-ld-localisation-tickets-108845020386 Twitter https://twitter.com/ABC_LD
24/6/2020 “ALT – Preparing for our ‘new normal’: how can effective student feedback help universities to survive and thrive in the next academic year? Student feedback webinar. Topics to be covered include; Is student evaluation still as important, and what does this look like in the ‘new normal’?; How are universities developing their student feedback mechanisms to reflect what the next academic year is really going to be like?; What are the new, and emerging opportunities, for capturing student feedback?; Is it possible to engage the dis-engaged and traditionally harder-to-reach groups?; How are academic and professional teams being supported to deliver this agenda?” https://go.alt.ac.uk/3e1Xvbe
24/6/2020 “Ucisa – Virtual Stratified Medicine Lab – intro to basic lab skills. (Designing a virtual lab tour to promote the learning and teaching of Stratified Medicine)” https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/Events/2020/June/Spotlight-on-Digital-capabilities-webinar-2
“Teaching Innovation & Learning Enhancement (TILE network)“ blog https://tile.psy.gla.ac.uk/blog/ Twitter https://twitter.com/TILEnetwork
Association for Learning Technology (ALT), “Call for chapters: Designing Courses with Digital Technologies: Evidence and Examples by and for Higher Education Instructors” Higher education is currently undergoing a digital transformation. As most higher education institutions are integrating digital technologies, instructors need guidance. In this book, to be published by Routledge, instructors from around the world, representing different subject disciplines, will write short chapters with concrete examples of how they use digital technologies to support teaching and learning informed by evidence. The book will be written by and for instructors. https://go.alt.ac.uk/30MLdQf
Educause Review, “Editor’s Picks”: “Can HyFlex Options Support Students in the Midst of Uncertainty?”, “Teaching during COVID-19: Why We’re Fortunate”, “Orienting Students to Online Learning: A Must for Student Success” https://er.educause.edu/editors-picks
Gierdowski, Dana and Joseph Galanek, “ECAR Study of the Technology Needs of Students with Disabilities, 2020 – building accessible infrastructure for all students with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)”, Educause Review, 1/6/2020 https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2020/6/ecar-study-of-the-technology-needs-of-students-with-disabilities-2020
Okpala, Jude, “COVID-19, Online Learning, and Beijing Jiaotong University, Weihai: Outbreak Narrative or Paradigm Shift?”, Educause Review, 28/5/2020 https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/5/covid-19-online-learning-and-beijing-jiaotong-university-weihai-outbreak-narrative-or-paradigm-shift
O’Toole, Robert, “Peer learning and breakout groups in live online lectures”, 20/5/2020 http://www.inspireslearning.com/journal/peer-learning-and-breakout-groups-in-live-online-lectures/
Rossi, Virna, “Inclusive Learning Design – a rich picture”, https://inclusivelearningdesign.com/inclusive-tree/

Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff.

Weekly Resource Roundup

10th June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [mhj] Events and Networks, Online Teaching, Resources and Webinars, Training and Support, Uncategorised Leave a comment

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.

17-18/6/2020 Media & Learning Online Conference “Scaling up and providing access to video based services in higher education” https://news.media-and-learning.eu/type/featured-articles/agenda-launched-for-media-learning-online-17-18-june-2020/
18/6/2020 Webinar Dr Thomas Lancaster – ‘Contract Cheating in the Context of Covid-19: Five Key Ideas to Consider’. “Dr Lancaster will be providing an overview of the contract cheating landscape in relation to Covid-19, with a focus on five key ideas for the academic community to consider” https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5006411100167100942
23/6/2020 Webinar “Jumping online: Sustaining quality learning. University of London Centre for Distance Education webinar, designed to support the move to online during the pandemic. The webinar will be led by two CDE fellows, J Simon Rofe, Academic Head of Digital Learning at SOAS University of London and Jonathan San Diego, Lecturer in Technology & Health Informatics Education and Director of the iTEL Hub at Kings College, London and by Diana Laurillard, Professor of Learning with Digital Technologies, UCL Knowledge Lab.” https://london.ac.uk/centre-distance-education/cde-activities/cde-events
26/6/2020 FutureTeacher Webinar “Self-assessment and Mastery learning – Reactivated” https://xot.futureteacher.eu/play.php?template_id=4#selfassessment
1/7/2020 UCISA Webinar “Webinar Design to Promote Quality Engagement: Towards a Transactional Model and Toolkit” “Webinars are now commonplace, but as with early eLearning pedagogy, a ‘talking head’ design falls short of meeting the potential of the media. Next-generation learners need to master virtual collaboration skills to construct solutions to higher-level problem solving using interactive webinars.” https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/Events/2020/July/Spotlight-on-Digital-capabilities-webinar-3 https://www.ucisa.ac.uk/Events
Virna Rossi “Inclusive Learning Design Webinar series“: “Inclusive Learning Design (post lockdown)”, “A menu of practical lesson activities (in e-learning mode)” http://inclusivelearningdesign.com/webinars/
Dustin Hosseini “Digital Education Practices Podcast Series” https://digitaleducationpractices.com/podcast/
Sarah Lambert, “A global outlook to the interruption of education due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis”, Asian Journal of Distance Education, (15)1 (2020) http://asianjde.org/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/462/307
Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal “RAISE is a network of staff and students in the higher education across the world who are working in and/or interested in researching and promoting student engagement.” https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise
Abby Sparrow et al, “Student autonomy of feedback format in higher education and perceived functional behaviours for academic development“, Journal of Pedagogical Research, 11 May 2020 https://www.ijopr.com/article/student-autonomy-of-feedback-format-in-higher-education-and-perceived-functional-behaviours-for-8256

Please see the Staff Training booking page for training offered by the LTEU and other Aberystwyth University staff.

More training sessions available

4th June 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, E-submission, Other Tools, Panopto, Training and Support, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment

Distance Learner Banner

The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit have got some more Moving to Online Teaching and Using Microsoft Teams for Learning and Teaching Activities scheduled. You can book your place online and we will send you a Teams Calendar invite to attend the training session.

In the Moving to Online Teaching session, we introduce some general guidance on how to design and prepare for online teaching. We look at the various interactive tools available in Blackboard and offer tips on how best to implement them into your teaching. We also provide some guidance on the e-assessment tools available to you, guidance on how to tailor your Panopto recordings for online delivery, and how to design and prepare for online video conferencing sessions. We finish with some guidance on using Third Party Software to support Learning and Teaching.

In using Microsoft Teams for Learning and Teaching Activities, we expand our advice on running online teaching sessions for students and go through the functionality available to you in Teams meetings. We provide guidance and information on how best to run interactive sessions with your students, looking at the document collaboration functionality available in Teams.

Underpinning these sessions are the principles of Active Learning and Accessibility that will help to create effective online learning environments for your students.

We will be developing our CPD programme over the summer to respond to the needs of staff. If you wish to discuss any aspect of learning and teaching, please email lteu@aber.ac.uk. For any technical guidance, email elearning@aber.ac.uk.

Exemplary Course Award

20th May 202010th May 2021 WordPress User [jbw] Blackboard, Exemplary Course Award, Virtual Learning Environment(VLE) Leave a comment

Exemplary Course Award image

Dr Lara Kipp, from the Department of Theatre Film and Television Studies, has been awarded the Exemplary Course Award for the module TP22320: Principles of Scenography. The panel commended this module for its innovative assessment design and support, clear and logically ordered learning materials, novel use of announcements, and offering multiple ways for students to engage with learning activities.

In addition to the winner, the following module achieved Highly Commended:

Dr Rhianedd Jewell from the Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies for the module CY25620 / CY35620: Y Gymraeg yn y Gweithle

The diverse range of teaching and learning styles evidenced in this year’s applications reflects the innovative work that is taking place across the institution.

The aim of the Exemplary Course Award, now in its seventh year, aims to recognise the very best learning and teaching practices. It gives staff members the opportunity to share their work with colleagues, enhance their current modules in Blackboard, and receive feedback on to improve.

Modules are assessed across 4 areas: course design, interaction and collaboration, assessment, and learner support. The self-assessed nature of the award gives staff the opportunity to reflect on their course and enhance aspects of their module before a panel assesses each application against the rubric.

The panel and the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit would like to thank all of the applicants for the time and effort that they have put into their applications and modules this year.

We’re looking forward to receiving more applications next year and many congratulations to the recipients of this year’s award.