Learning and Teaching Conference 2024

Welcome address

Professor Rachel Thomson Pro Vice Chancellor (Education and Student Experience)

James France

CC012

Join session

Keynote 

Tackling Racial Exclusions in HE Assessment: From Conceptualising Barriers to Making Measurable Change 

Dr Paul Ian Campbell Associate Professor in Sociology, University of Leicester 

Dr Paul Ian Campbell is the Inaugural Director of the Leicester Institute for Inclusivity in Higher Education, a University Distinguished Teaching Fellow, Principal Fellow of the HEA and National Teaching Fellow. He developed the Racially Inclusive Curricula Toolkit, the Racially Inclusive Practice in Assessment Guidance and the University of Leicester Race inclusion Action Plan Framework. The RIPIAG is the first intervention in the world to make an empirical reduction in the race award gap across three different universities and the Race Inclusion Action Plan Framework directly contributed to a reported 4% reduction in the race award gap at Leicester in 2024.  
 
Paul is also an award winning academic and Associate Professor in the Sociology of race and inclusion at the University of Leicester and Visiting Professor at the University of South Wales. His first monograph won the British Sociological Association’s Philip Abrams Prize in 2017 and he has published widely in the areas of race, inclusion and Higher Education and on inclusion in sport. 

He is co-convenor of the Evaluating Teaching in Higher Education Collective, which consists of universities such as Cambridge, Oxford and LSE and is an Academic Advisor for the Centre for Transforming Assessment and Student Outcomes (TASO). Paul supports a number of UK research and teaching focused universities in addressing racial inequalities in their curricular and in their assessment processes. These include the University of Manchester, LSE and Birmingham City University. Paul work is a sector leader in developing and evaluating interventions for making HE curricula and assessment racially inclusive and he has published a number of ground-breaking reports on how to empirically move from race inclusion theory to practice. 

James France

CC012

Artificial Intelligence Panel Discussion

Christof Leicht, Oksana Adamyk, Hossein Nevisi

James France

CC012

Lightning Talks

Room 1

Assessment and Feedback

1. Enhancing Learning and Teaching Quality through collaborative observation (ELTQCO) – Victoria Wright, Laura Jenkins, John Warren, Susana Montserrat-Revillo, Yanning Yang, Shana Ryan, Chloe Daniel, Clare Lewis and Cassandra Marillier
2. Stop, Start, Continue: Experience enriched Feedback for PGT 2023 - Darren Southee
3. Enhancing Feedback in Computer Labs with AI Models - Firat Batmaz
4. High-context and low-context cultures' communication and a visual assignment brief - Cagri Talay

Room 2

Student Engagement

1. The use of appropriate humour to enhance student learning - Matt Long
2. Library Research Skills - engaging students throughout their course - Nathan Rush
3. Purposeful Engagement: a brief exploration of collaborative practice- Jackie Cawkwell 
4. Procrastination in design education: a way forward - Simon Downs

Room 3

EDI and Student Success

1. A Super Teams Approach for Boosting Student Success - Soukaina Bahsoun, Gemma Towle, Maria Bliss, Henrietta Pocock and Hilary McDermott
2. Enhancing EDI through the Integration of Large Language Models and Virtual Reality - Sara Saravi
3. ‘What to Know Before You Go: A digital information resource to support the transition to University’’ - Jawad Bokhari, James Cooper, Jiya Neol, Hilary McDermott
4. Applying an anti-racist lens to H.E Teaching/ Learning: Strategies to level up educational outcomes for racialised minority students - Denise Coles

Workshops

Choice of one session from:

Elevating Engagement: Crafting Dynamic Reading Lists for Student Success

Room CC109

Kat Halliday, Nial Halford-Busby, Charlotte Greasley

A new reading list system is coming to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in April 2024. This timely interactive workshop will showcase the features and pedagogical benefits of the new system. Participants will reflect critically on their reading list design and consider how a skilfully curated list can engage and inspire students, and maximise their academic success. The workshop incorporates student perspectives to investigate the impact of well-crafted lists and the role they can play in supporting learning. Additionally, the session will inspire staff to venture beyond the disciplinary canon and think about broader sources of knowledge from underrepresented groups and the global majority. 

By the end of this session, participants will: 

• be able to identify good pedagogic practice for reading list design
• be able to explain the relationship between reading list, student engagement and success 
• reflect critically on the purpose of reading lists and their role in the broader academic experience

Coaching Conversations in Personal Tutoring 

Room D002

Emma Dodd and Sophie Hyde 

By definition coaching places ownership of development onto the coachee and encourages students to be more self-sufficient, resilient and reflective of their own development. Utilising coaching skills as a personal tutor will support students to not become over-reliant on academics and be prepared to take ownership with their studies. This workshop relates to the conference theme of inspire and engage as it will guide personal tutors through theories behind coaching (why it works and how to use it) as well as provide a safe space to practise coaching skills and bring up common student topics discussed within personal tutor conversations and how to navigate these.

By the end of this session participants will: 

• be able to identify the difference between advice and coaching
• be able to explain why coaching skills are useful as a Personal Tutor
• identify how to structure a coaching conversation

Understanding the power of immersive technologies for enhanced student engagement and learning

Room D102

Gary Burnett

Gary Burnett is a new (as of summer 2023) Professor of Digital Creativity in the School of Design and Creative Arts. He has considerable experience in the use of Virtual Reality (VR) and other immersive technologies for engaging with students in novel ways to enhance learning outcomes – of significance to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s strategic values and principles of offering creative, adventurous, and distinctive learning experiences. In this workshop, he will outline the numerous ways in which VR can make a difference to the student experience – and give examples with supporting data where these technologies have already been applied successfully in teaching (both during his employment at the University of Nottingham, but also since starting at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ). Professor Burnett will talk through the complexities and challenges of using VR in teaching, linking to the emerging DigiLab capability of the University - and participants will be able to identify and discuss the pedagogic relevance and potential for practical application within their own disciplinary domains. There will also be opportunities to use a VR headset and be immersed in some of the virtual worlds already experienced by students at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.

In terms of how students learn generally, and within specific disciplinary domains, by the end of this session participants will be able to:

• identify the pedagogic relevance of VR and other immersive technologies
• discuss potential for practical application

How I leveraged AI to gamify learning

Room CC021 or join session online

Mhairi Morris

As educators, we are always looking for ways to innovate in our teaching practices and leveraging the power of AI can accelerate the pace of this, if you know how to use it effectively. This session will show attendees how to utilise Chat GPT, Midjourney and Vevox AI quiz generator effectively, how to adapt the outputs accordingly, and how to develop an innovative gamified learning resource for teaching a core topic in their field. By incorporating gamified learning strategies enhanced by AI, attendees will discover new avenues to inspire curiosity, foster active participation, and enhance student engagement in the classroom. Educators play a pivotal role in shaping the future of learning, and by embracing AI-driven gamification, they can unlock untapped potential to create dynamic and impactful educational experiences. Discover how AI can revolutionise teaching practices and inspire a new wave of student engagement and enthusiasm for learning. [Written with the help of Chat GPT]

By the end of this session participants will: 

• have developed the skeleton of a taught session using gamified learning
• be able to leverage Chat GPT to help them develop a gamified learning tool for your core topic
• identify how to use Midjourney to create beautiful imagery for their game
• have developed a small bank of AI-generated multichoice questions for formative learning using Vevox AI quiz generator

How to be inspired and engage in embedding sustainability into your teaching and learning

Room CC110

Nik Hunt, Elaine Conway, Rachel Curtis

Addressing Sustainability issues is at the heart of the University Strategy Creating Better Futures, Together, with Climate Change and Net Zero as one of the three key themes. As such, embedding environmental sustainability and ensuring all our staff and students have a high degree of carbon literacy and responsibility is a key focus of the Education and Student Experience Core Plan. This workshop will consider the role of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and how these link to all three key themes of the University’s strategy. The workshop will be of interest to the entire teaching and learning community as sustainability touches on every subject we teach, the way we teach, and the future of the learning environments in which we teach. The session will assist colleagues to meet the needs and expectations of students around education for sustainable development (ESD) and aid in preparing students to be ready for the future world of work in which sustainability will be a key part of many roles.
The session will draw upon a range of perspectives including external tools including the CoDesignS ESD Toolkit, incorporate students’ perspectives and engage with staff who are already embedding ESD in their practice. 

By the end of this session participants will:

• have an increased understanding of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their importance
• be able to identify methods to assess programme and module alignment with the sustainable development goals
• explain ideas to develop and embed environmental sustainability in their curriculum design and teaching
• recognise the value of frameworks and tools to support ESD work

Student panel

Closing remarks

Mocktails and networking

James France

CC012