Tel Tales

Adventures in Technology Enhanced Learning @ UoP

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Another 6 months of working from home - don't panic!

Another 6 months of working from home – don’t panic!

October 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. With the latest announcements and guidance from the government, plus the extension of working remotely for many of us, it’s inevitably starting to take it’s toll. For some working from home is challenging and can often feel daunting and very isolating. Not everyone is tech-savvy and with the use of more and more new technologies, particularly in higher education to teach, learn and to simply communicate with our colleagues, it can feel quite overwhelming. With the added bonus of the pressures of family life thrown in, it’s important to look out for each other and most importantly take time out for you!

Finding the balance

Working days seem longer since lockdown and our workloads have increased, with ongoing pressures and deadlines, it can feel like we are drowning in constant emails and online meetings. So what can be done? What little things can we do, to take some control back in our lives? How do we find the balance between work and life?

Back at the beginning of lockdown, we put together some Top Tips from TEL to help our followers on social media (and us), adjust to this new way of working. For many of us we will be continuing working from home for the foreseeable future, with this in mind we thought it might be useful to revisit them, before the panic takes over!

Take regular breaksTake regular breaks

It’s important to make sure we take time away from our screens during our busy days (something I’m especially guilty of not doing!). It’s not only good for our mental and physical health but also good for our productivity. It’s better to have shorter breaks more often from your workstation than longer breaks less often. Try to schedule in a short walk, an exercise or a short meditation session.

DEDICATED WORK SPACECreate a dedicated workspace

We’ve become remote workers overnight and it’s often difficult to find ‘space’ in our homes to work. Some of us are fortunate to have a spare room which we can transform into a quiet office space. Others have created a workspace at their dining room tables. It’s important to create a dedicated workspace where you are able to work from home – this way you can feel like you are at work even if you aren’t physically in the office.

Write a to-do listwrite a list

Write a to-do list at the start of every week, this is a must for me. It not only helps you to plan out your week but also to prioritise your tasks. Try and achieve one thing on your list, don’t be surprised if it all goes at the window. At the end of the day reflect on what happened, what went right, think positively. Don’t beat yourself up – tomorrow is another day!

Don't panic if you get disconnectedDon’t panic if you get disconnected

I think we’ve all experienced this when working remotely. Things aren’t working quite like you thought they would and it’s easy to panic – but don’t! All technologies can be glitchy at times. Remember, if you lose connections, maybe a video conference, don’t worry – everyone is in the same boat and we’ll muddle through together.

Don’t lose contact with
your work colleaguesDon't lose contact with work colleagues

As I’ve mentioned above, working from home can often feel isolating. It’s important to keep in contact with our colleagues for our own well-being. Although we are all experiencing this crazy year together, we are all in very different circumstances with very different pressures. Some may be thriving under this new way of working and living, others may be struggling – it’s important to reach out, be kind and support one another.

 

20-20-20 RuleRemember the 20-20-20 rule

Suffering from headaches and sore eyes since working from home is common, which is often the result of too much screen time. Remember to practice the 20-20-20 rule: 20 minutes on-screen needs a 20-second break during which you should blink 20 times. Give it a go!

Make sure to clock off
and switch offclock off - switch off

Our working days have increased. We are starting work earlier and turning off our computers well into the night. We seem to be working more hours than ever before. It’s important for our mental health and wellbeing that we don’t burn out! Make sure that you try and have regular breaks from your screen throughout the day and log off when your working day is over. Turn off notifications on your phones to make sure that when you do clock off, you also switch off. Work/Life balance is hard to juggle when we are stuck indoors but being mindful to separate both mentally is essential.

learn to deal with distractionsLearn to deal with distractions

There are often distractions with working remotely. However, when the whole family are also thrown into the mix, learning not to be distracted can feel like an impossible task. Try to tackle things in small chunks and if you can’t achieve everything that you set out to in the day, then there’s always the next day. Don’t feel ashamed to call on your colleagues, friends or family to help out if they are able to. Be understanding of one another and take everything one step at a time.

Make time for exercisemake time for exercise

Whatever your go-to exercise, it’s important to factor some into your day. It’s not only good for your body, but it also keeps your mind healthy. Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always had! If you can’t get to a gym, then there are lots of online videos that can help you carry out home workouts, such as Joe Wicks, the nation’s favourite PE teacher and our own UoP Sport and Recreations Facebook page.

work when you're at your most productiveWork when you’re at your most productive

Nobody rushes through their work from morning to night – your motivation will naturally dip and rise throughout the day. When we are working from home, however, it’s more important to know when those dips and rises will take place and plan your schedule around them. To make the most of productive periods, save your harder tasks for when you know you’ll be in the right headspace for them. Slower points of the day for easier tasks.

Take time out – reflect ontake time out to reflect
how far you’ve come and
how much you’ve achieved!

Take some time out, even if it’s ten minutes in the day, be grateful for the small things in life and reflect on how far you’ve come and how much you’ve achieved this year. You’ll be surprised at how productive you have been!

 

 

don't be afraid to ask for help

Don’t be afraid to ask

Lots of new tools and technologies to learn, new terminology, head full of pedagogy, best practice and resources and zero time to do anything – can often feel overwhelming. As a team, TEL, offer lots of useful training sessions to help you get to grips with online teaching, we also offer 1-2-1 sessions and we can be contacted via email, or video call if you have a question – so please don’t be afraid to ask – just contact us!

And most importantly  . . .
Be kind to yourselfbe kind to yourself

One of the most difficult things to practice and that’s putting ourselves first and being kind to ourselves. It’s often hard to schedule some time in the day especially if you have a busy work and family life. However, a bath at the end of the day, meditation, a short exercise session, reading a book, listening to music are all ways we can take time out for ourselves.

It’s been a challenging time for us all and we may find some days are more productive than others. We’ve all had to adapt to a new routine since March, a new way of working and living. Make sure to take time out for yourself and always remember tomorrow is another day. Yes we may have to do this for a little bit longer, but we have shown that we are able to.

You may not think it but you’re doing great!

Top 4 Moodle Questions - Part 2 - Students

Top 4 Moodle Questions – Part 2 Students

October 19, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Are you a new student at the University or a returning student? How has the start of Teaching Block 1 (TB1) gone so far for you? There’s just so much to think about and everything’s so different, this year more than ever. Don’t worry in a few short weeks time, things will start to fall into place and it’ll be like you’ve been here for ages. Welcome to the University of Portsmouth.

Last week’s blog post looked at the Four Top Moodle Questions for Staff, so this week we’re looking at the most frequently asked questions from students. As you’re aware many educational institutions use one form or another for their virtual learning environment (VLE) and here at Portsmouth, we use Moodle. So here are the top four students questions:

Q1) I’ve logged into Moodle and I can’t see any information, where are my modules?

This question normally starts being asked as soon as the students finish registering at the university, which can be even before Induction week!  Hopefully, by now all the students that have Teaching Block 1 (2020/21-SMSEP) and Year-long (2020/21-SMYEAR) modules can now see their sites on their dashboard. Modules are hidden from student view so that the sites can be updated and are usually released by the lecturer in their first taught session with students. This isn’t written in stone and the lecturer can unhide the site any time once the module is ready.

Q2) I’ve got some modules, but some are still missing, can you add them to my Moodle dashboard?  

Teaching Block 2 (TB2) modules are normally kept hidden until the beginning of Teaching Block 2, which this year starts on Monday 8th February 2021. Some lecturers release these modules before January but others prefer for students to view their material in chronological order.  If you’re still missing modules in February 2021, please contact us at the servicedesk@port.ac.uk so we can investigate the issue further.  

Q3) Where can I find my timetable in Moodle? 

The answer to this question is, you won’t be able to find your timetable in Moodle.  Your timetable can be found on MyPort. Once on MyPort scroll down the page until you come to the three main sections ‘Application’, ‘Manage my course’ and ‘Services and Support’. In the middle section ‘Manager my course’ you’ll see the title ‘My Timetable’, click on here. Once you’ve logged in using your student ID  you’ll see your calendar with your timetable on, you can look at it daily, weekly or monthly. The information shown is the length of the lecture, the building where your lecture is taking place, plus the room number, along with the title of the lecture.

Three sections taken from My Port they are ‘Application’, ‘Manage my course’ and ‘Services and Support’.

Q4) I’ve been given the wrong year modules. Why do my modules end with the date of the last year?  

This question normally appears in January and may not happen this year as the codes now include both years that the academic reflects. Most academic Undergraduate courses begin in September/October and end in July, so regardless of which Teaching Block it is, the module will include 2020/21. It is the year that August/September starts in, which indicates what year appears on the code and not the calendar year. So in January 2021, you’ll see that your modules will end with 2020/21-SMJAN.

We hope you find this blog post useful and that maybe it’s preempted some questions, but either way, don’t forget to contact us for further assistance should you need it by emailing us at servicedesk@port.ac.uk.  

Good Luck with your studies!

Top 4 Moodle Questions

Top Four Moodle Questions – Part 1 Staff

October 12, 2020 / / 0 Comments

After the most unusual academic year ever, with everyone adapting their teaching style and working online. It was the TEL Team’s mission, along with help from the Online Course Developers to get this academic year 2020/21 modules redesigned and ready to go.  All their hard work has paid off, but would you believe it, the same top four questions appear again this year!

Q1) I cannot see my module(s) on my Moodle dashboard, why not?

Are you a new member of staff or have you recently taken over the module? Has the module changed name/code and has it had a Moodle presence previously? These are some of the reasons you may not be able to see a module on your dashboard, to help us resolve the issue we will require some details about the module(s) – the module title and/or the module code, the level of access that you require for the module(s), and your username. With this information, we can add you to the module or create a blank module (or clone an existing one) for you to build.

Q2) My students are not attached to my modules, why not?

Students are added to modules in Moodle by mapping course codes and registration instances, or modules codes and attendance groups against Student Records. We do not manually add students as this access will not update should they change their modules of study.  Let us know if you are missing students and we will try to see if we can resolve this problem for you or bring it to the attention of your Admin Hub if a change needs to be made in Student Records.

Q3) I can see my students are attached to my module, but they are saying that they can’t see the module on their homepage, why not?

It could be that your module is still hidden from the student view.  

To unhide your module, go to the module, click on the ‘Actions Menu’ (top right-hand-side), click on ‘Edit settings’, click on the drop-down arrow in the box alongside the ‘Course visibility’ title, click on ‘Show’ scroll down and click on ‘Save and display’.  Once your students have refreshed their Moodle page, students should be able to see the module.  If students still cannot see the module, please supply the module’s details and we will investigate to see if we can resolve this issue. 

screenshot of the words Course Visibility next to a box with a drop down arrow showing the word Show

Here is a screenshot of the drop-down box, if it says Hide click on Show.

It is also important to remember that modules ending in JAN stay hidden from student view until Teaching Block 2 starts (or until the module is unhidden).  So you’ll see the students, but the students won’t see the module.

Q4) My colleague needs access to my module, can I add them myself?

Yes you can – on the module page click on the ‘Actions Menu’ (top right-hand-side), click on ‘More’ at the bottom of the list. Click on the tab ‘Users’, then in the ‘Users’ section click on ‘Enrolled users’ (first title).  This will take you to the participants’ page, click on the box that says ‘Enrol users’ a box will appear, first assign the role you wish your colleague to have from the drop-down menu, then type their name in the top search box, where it says ‘Select users’. When the name you require appears click on it, so it appears above the box, then click on the ‘Enrol selected users and cohorts’ button.  

screenshot of the enrol users box showing details of where to click

Here is a sample of the Enrol users box.

When your colleague refreshes their page or logs into Moodle the module will appear on their dashboard.  With Lecturer access you can give a colleague a ‘Lecturer’, ‘non-editing Teacher’ or ‘Guest’ role, you cannot assign the ‘Student’ role.

Alternatively, complete the Moodle Request form on My Services and we’ll add new users for you. 

Don’t forget the TEL Team are here to help with your queries and questions so please do get in touch with us at servicedesk@port.ac.uk

Credit Image: Photo by Raychel Espiritu on Unsplash

Hands holding an electronic device, on the screen are social media icons

Zoom Vs Meet Vs WebEx

September 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

With the new term fast approaching it can feel pretty daunting with all this new terminology and jargon to learn. Within the TEL team, we have received quite a few queries from staff about what’s the ‘best’ technology to use when it comes to online video conferencing and meetings, particularly when it comes to Zoom, Meet and WebEX. It’s a good question! The short answer is all of them, which doesn’t help I know. So firstly we advise to think about what you want to ‘achieve’, what’s the purpose of using the technology, is it to create an online classroom within Moodle? Is it to create an event, with conference-style presentations? Or is it just for a one-to-one chat? All have pros and cons which we have tried to outline in this post below. We hope you find it useful!

Let’s get started!

There are many articles that cover what each system does and the benefits of each one, some of which are featured below: 

From the University’s perspective, we have licences for all 3. So where articles talk about the limitations of a free licence, they do not apply to us for Zoom, WebEx or Meet. 

My quick summary of each tool from a “Virtual Classroom” and learning and teaching perspective is this:

Zoom
  • Can add a classroom directly in Moodle
  • Has video-enabled breakout rooms
  • There is no link between Moodle and the creation of the breakout sessions. 
  • 300 users with no time limit
  • Can be password protected
  • Has a waiting room
  • Can be set to allow access before the host
WebEx
  • The biggest issue with WebEx is it is actually four products with each version offering something different. 
    • WebEx Meeting – For Meetings, has no breakouts
    • WebEx Training Centre – For teaching, has breakouts but poor video share (most geared towards a virtual classroom with permissions etc)
    • WebEx Events – For conference-style presentations
    • WebEx Support – For providing a supportive environment.
  • Can add a classroom directly in Moodle
  • Has audio-only breakout rooms using WebEx Training centre.
  • 1000 users with no time limit
  • No waiting room
Google Meet
  • Not designed as a classroom
  • No admin features
  • No breakout sessions
  • No Moodle integration
  • Loads of plugin features such as Tactiq for a live transcription which saves to your Google Drive.

What I would like to offer, however, is the ability for you to share your experiences of each system, both positive and negative, so that a more realistic and natural picture can be shared between academic staff.

Made with Padlet

Remember we, the TEL team, are here to support you to get to grips with these new technologies, so please feel free to contact us at elearn@port.ac.uk if you do have a query. We also offer TEL Me How Surgeries twice quickly where we can go over any questions or queries you may have. The 2-hour sessions focus on supporting staff with the transition to online delivery and offering guidance around alternative forms of online assessment, please book your place here.

Credit Image: Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

Icons around a speech bubble. The speech bubble says 'Let's Recap'

Recap of available support for teaching in a blended learning context

September 7, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Over the past few weeks TEL and the Academic Development Team have been super busy developing and collating lots of resources to support our colleagues across the University in preparation to teach in a blended learning context.

It is crazy to reflect on the amount of work that has gone on in the last few months – so I just wanted to highlight some key resources and communication channels that we have developed – new and old –  that can support and inform you in the coming weeks ahead as we plan for TB1.

Preparing for teaching in a blended learning context website

Banner for the homepage a lady at a desk looking at her laptop

Information on this site includes:

Learning Well resources to support student wellbeing and inclusion.

elearning tools website

The elearning tool banner which is a photo of part of a laptop, part of a pen and notebook and part of a cup and saucer

This website was set up in the immediate week after Covid-19 lockdown began but is pretty much updated daily with new resources. 

The site covers:

  • teaching remotely guidance on lectures, seminars, assessments etc.
  • elearning tools and how to use them in the correct context.
  • a huge resource bank of relevant articles and other media. 
  • links to upcoming internal and external events to support you in teaching in a blended learning context.

TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival

The TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival banner, which is a big wheel, some festival tents and shapes of people along the bottom

The TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival may well have finished but you can still visit this website and engage with the recorded sessions from this super successful week-long event. 

Training events calendar

We have a wide-range of virtual training sessions covering teaching in a blending learning context and the functionality of tools within Moodle and beyond.

A screen shot of the TEL Training programme with training information, dates, times etc.

Digital Learning Portsmouth

Visit our YouTube channel – dedicated to providing support for Moodle, Turnitin and other interesting technologies that can be used in teaching.

Screen Shot of the banner which is different coloured icons

The TEL Team

Of course, if any of the above doesn’t have the support that you require – please do not hesitate to contact us (elearn@port.ac.uk). We are a lovely bunch who will do our best to help at all times!

Cartoon images of the TEL Team standing in a row

Our Social Media

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep up-to-date with our posts, sharing information about upcoming events and resources.

TEL's Instagram header including numbers of followers and us following

 

TEL's Twitter Image including number details of Followers and Following

Credit: https://fontawesome.com/icons

Learning in lockdown – 5 months on

August 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

It’s been around 5 months since I started my degree, and what a time it has been! (Laughs maniacally, cries a little bit).

Seriously, what did I tell you in my last blog? Go read it if you haven’t, but didn’t I tell you my life is nothing but hectic, didn’t I?! I knew things would be tough, but I didn’t foresee a pandemic to be thrown in the mix. As usual, things always go a little bit mental when I start something. But never mind! If we don’t go through upset and discord then how do we grow and learn? I know, like most do, that this too shall pass so what’s more to say and do except for roll up our sleeves and move forward.

And roll up my sleeves up, I have. I’ve just submitted my second assignment and completed 10 different projects. Past Becky was a bit naive and thought this would be a piece of cake. Ah my sweet summer past Becky, how wrong you were. I have learned an incredible amount since I’ve started my online degree. I thought that in my line of work, I would somehow have the magic key that would give me a head start. It didn’t. Like everyone else that studies entirely online I’ve learned the hard way that it is my responsibility to set myself time aside to do things, to get feedback from my peers, friends and family, and to go outside of my comfort zone and experiment and try again. The learning journey is indeed that, a journey, and for this degree, in particular, it’s not about creating the best art, but to show the process. Asking questions like how did I get here? Who is my audience? Will they understand this symbolism? Could I try a different texture here?

Just like the pandemic is teaching us different things about ourselves, and the importance of community, this degree has taught me a lot. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Setting aside study time – I’m currently lucky enough to work from home at my desk, and as soon as the clock ticks over 17:15 pm I can get started on studying. I’m really good at it now, but the discipline I’m now practising has been learned…the hard way..as usual. It is so, so important to do this. I like to use Trello and my Google calendar to organise myself.

Finding a quiet place to study – At the beginning of lockdown I was working at my dining table. This got really distracting in the evening (three words, Midsomer Murders repeats). So eventually I commandeered my husband’s desk and got into a far better routine, with no distractions. I’ve also started taking myself out with my iPad on a free, sunny day, studying outside in the sun with a coffee. I’ve found it very freeing and I get so much more done!

Reflect, reflect, REFLECT! – It’s so easy to get wrapped up in something you can get lost in the initial brief and go off tangent. Getting constant feedback from your peers, and stepping back from your project is so important and refocuses what you are doing. To get constructive criticism for your peers and tutors is never a negative thing, it’s all part of the process. It’s also important to be able to show your tutors how you got to your final piece. Showing them a final product is almost useless if they have no clue as to how you got there in the first place!

Communication – Online learning can be a lonely place since you have no bricks and mortar campus to connect with others. I’ve been making the most of the forums, Zoom sessions and Discord channels to communicate. I’ve already made lots of friends and we regularly meet up online to play Drawful! I would have certainly struggled if I hadn’t had these places to chat or share ideas.

So what about the OCA itself? Has it given me food for thought on how we as a university can deliver our online learning better….well, it has and it hasn’t. To be blunt, I had expected an institution associated with a TEF Gold university to be leaps and bounds ahead of us when it comes to online delivery. Well, they are not, in fact, they are only really starting to blossom, in my opinion, along with so many other institutions. What has really stood out is how the student body has found many innovative ways itself to up the ante with communications, but I can see so many things that the OCA can do better with their VLE and that’s why you are now looking at the newly elected student representative in TEL and IT for the OCA Student Association. Because, you know, I don’t have enough to do. But seriously, I really think I can help make a difference working with their TEL team and the student body. I’ll update you all on what has happened with that in my next blog.

I definitely do not regret my decision to study online. My little brain may be working overtime, but I’m enjoying it immensely. I keep seeing lately that there is no wrong path, and it’s so true, so if you’re putting off taking something on like this then do it! 

Until next time, stay safe!

Credit Image: Becky Holman – Southsea Seafront

 

Three different coloured text boxes with the titles of each step

Situational judgement assessment

August 17, 2020 / / 1 Comment

So I think it is fair to say, Covid-19 has thrown us all into having to think outside of the box when it comes to developing the usual, more ‘normal’, course assessment delivery types. This couldn’t be more true for our academics within the Paramedic Cert HE course. 

A few weeks ago, I was asked to support a colleague within this team to help deliver an online assessment that would replicate what would have been a practical examination on adult and paediatric resuscitation. 

With COVID not going away anytime soon, and practical assessment dates looming, we had a very short space of time to develop an online assessment that would best simulate ‘hands-on’ resuscitation scenarios.

As a response to the need to deliver an alternative assessment, Jane Reid – the Course Leader for the Paramedic Cert HE course – wrote four situational judgement assessments; each scenario had sequential situations and each situation had a series of serious judgement questions to test a student’s knowledge of actions to take within the ever-changing scenario.

Situational judgement assessment has been used in healthcare for years. It allows participants to experience as close to real-life scenarios as possible, without risk (in our case COVID), enabling them to identify, in order, their responses to given situations.

Three different coloured text boxes displaying the steps

Storyboarding a situational judgement test:

  1. Scenario – Includes detailed descriptive text, containing key information that sets the scene. This can also include images, audio or video to further illustrate the scenario.
  2. Situation 1 – Content that builds on the initial scenario, it contains the next layer of information relating to the scenario at hand and includes the first set of serious judgement questions.
  3. Situation 2 – Content builds on the previous situation and includes the next set of serious judgement questions… and so on until the end of the scenario.

There were many considerations that had to be made whilst developing this assessment type – mainly to keep the assessment as authentic as possible. For example:

  • providing media to set the scene; 
  • keeping the narrative on track – ‘time’ is of the essence in any resuscitation scenario, so it was important to include timely details within the situations; and 
  • replicating the quick thinking process that would be required in a real-life situation by using the sequential format in the quiz, so that students had to take notes or work from memory as they couldn’t return to previous situations to guide them.

The student experience was another really important factor in delivering this assessment – most of whom may never have experienced this type of examination. It was essential to provide clear and consistent instructions to guide them through this process. Before the main assessment, we also created a formative version of the quiz so that students could familiarise themselves with what was expected from the assessment.

We used a Google Document, with tables, to structure the content in the development stage and a Moodle Quiz Activity (Multiple Choice) to build and deliver the assessment which worked very well. The feedback from both students and examiners has been really positive, with more scope for using this assessment as a CPD exercise for practitioners. 

Interest has also been shown by academics at other universities who wish to explore this particular method of assessment along with Ambulance Trust managers. The methods for assessing the learning of resuscitation has seen little evolution from the traditional OSCE format therefore, this format that was created for a small group of students may well develop over time.

Developing this was by no means easy given the time constraints. However, it is a great example of an alternative assessment that has been developed from creative thinking during the lockdown.  

Cartoon people holding sign up for equality

Guest Blogger: Catherine Murgatroyd – Introduction to Tel Tales

August 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello, my name is Catherine Murgatroyd (SFHEA) and I am delighted to occupy the post of Principle Lecturer for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within Academic Development. I would describe myself as a socially progressive, not quite perfect vegan who enjoys fitness, sunshine and my 2 pet cats.

I have arrived at UoP after 4 years at the University of Winchester where I was a Programme Lead for the BSc Social Work and equally undertook a range of activities with diverse programme teams to ensure that social justice and sustainability were prominent themes within socially responsible education.

Prior to this I enjoyed a career in Social Work which very much centred around social justice, tackling inequality, and championing human rights whether that was in the criminal justice system, safeguarding children or statutory quality assurance.

Behind my friendly exterior I spend a large part of my waking life somewhat outraged by widening global inequalities which motivates me to take any action I can, personally and professionally, to tackle this. I believe that equality of opportunity and a more equal society benefits everyone and that by confronting structural barriers head on we can effect change. Universities are well placed to tackle social inequality and to take action to mitigate structural disadvantage that impacts upon students’ participation and progression. It is a real privilege to be able to target my passion for social justice towards accessible, inclusive and supportive education that is co-created, diverse and decolonised, and affords all students the opportunity to succeed. One strand of my role will be focusing on reducing awarding gaps across the student body so that all students embody ambition and meet their full potential.

Starting a new job in the midst of a pandemic has felt quite surreal at times, but I am grateful for the fantastic welcome and support given by everyone I have encountered so far.

Please do contact me to find out more or to introduce yourself and say Hi.

Credit Image: Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

An iPad laying on a table so you're looking at it flat on. On the screen is the titles of the new training sessions

TEL Training Workshops and Bespoke Sessions

August 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

For the next few weeks, the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Training Team have put together a schedule of workshops, incorporating some of your old favourites, sprinkled with some online interaction, a dollop of digital technology and stirred in with a jugful of pedagogy resulting in some great revamped, updated and brand new workshops. During the last few months of virtual workshops, we’ve taken on board your comments and suggestions, which we’ve received through the feedback you’ve given us. The topics you really want sessions on and recommendations on breaking some workshops down further into bite-sized chunks. In addition, we’ve collaborated with the Academic Development (AcDev) section of the Department of Curriculum and Quality Enhancement (DCQE) to develop a new familiarisation programme to help colleagues find out more about using digital technologies to complement and enhance their teaching and interactions with students.

How do I book on a session and find more information on TEL Training Workshops?

You’ll find our calendar with all our new times and description on the sessions by going to the Department of Curriculum and Quality Enhancement (DCQE) website and clicking on the TEL Training Calendar.  For alerts on up and coming training sessions from ourselves and the Academic Development (AcDev) workshops, follow us on our social media platforms:

Who are your training sessions for?

Primarily, the workshops are for lecturers and PHD Students, but they can be adapted for professional service members of staff too. 

Bespoke sessions

If you’re not available at the times of our training events, or if the programme does not cover a specific area you’re interested in, we can offer a 1-2-1 session tailored to your needs or a group session for you and your colleagues. Topics for bespoke sessions can be based around our programme, or we can tailor the session to answer any specific questions or needs that you have. Please complete a Bespoke Training Request form and simply tick the box next to the session you would like training on. If you tick ‘Other’ please give a brief explanation of the topic you wished to be covered in the session. Complete with the date on which you would like your virtual training session to take place, along with your preferred time then click ‘SUBMIT’.

Please click on the link below for the Bespoke Training Request form:

Bespoke Training Request Form

We look forward to welcoming you at a TEL Training Session in the near future.

 

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Reflecting on the TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival

Reflecting on the TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival

July 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

As you are probably aware by now, the TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival was a week long festival looking at developments in educational technology with learning and teaching. How the sudden shift to online and blended learning has put a strain on many academics workloads and more often skill perceptions. I say this as what the current situation has shown is people are far more capable than they ever gave themselves credit for. 

Across the week the range of subjects was impressive and comprehensive. All the sessions were recorded and can be found on both the TEL Tales Blended Learning Festival website and YouTube on this playlist.

This post though, is just a brief look at how the week felt to me. The first point to note of every conference is that if you are presenting, you don’t really get to attend. Except with a fully digital conference, I am able to go back and revisit the sessions. This is a real pleasure as there were a few sessions that conflicted with mine that are of benefit to my training and personal interest (now just to find the time to watch them all back)!

The second area for me is the adrenaline rush, even just being sat at my desk. The first day saw a few technical issues that made it all the more exciting to diagnose and solve as part of a team. It got rectified very quickly, and by the 4th session of the day the hangover from the problem was gone. The team came together, set goals, allocated tasks and we did it. The reason I bring this up is not to talk in depth about the issue but to say how great it was to work with the whole team, we were able to overcome obstacles together and  provide a smooth experience to those that attended. 

My third point is that it was great to have another person to present with and to a large crowd (for most sessions) to bounce ideas around and get people involved with the process. It was a shame that my session with Andy Clegg wasn’t a little longer to be able to run the activity in full, which would have essentially been ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’. Throw some ingredients at us and let us help solve a problem on the fly. This did take place with Mike Wilson when we ran beginner and advanced Moodle demos and were able to just show people answers to questions they had. It was live, specific and not fitting a normal conference where you may not get what you actually hoped to see. It is something that I hope to be able to do more of going forward, working with colleagues on sessions that can be fun, engaging and promote creative discussions for those that may not normally see the benefit of what we do in the department.

My final reflection is that I am so proud of what the team and colleagues have done. Watching Stephen Webb and Shaun Searle demonstrate principles of content capture and talk about how quickly they have had to deal with the implementation of Panopto, it makes you proud to be part of something so proactive (maybe a little reactive in this case) and so professional. The whole conference was put together quickly with people quickly developing sessions and actually we all learned of ways to develop our specialisms into the wider field of what the department does. 

bunting

From the feedback I and others have received, it was a great success and I hope to do something similar in the future. It has opened my eyes to ideas that can run across the year and not just in one day. How my training online could be the way to go (don’t get me wrong I love face to face experiences) but actually online, I know people have a device and I can be more creative with what was once a demonstration type session. 

This festival was a pleasure to be a part of, and I was sad it finished. I was also glad at the end as it was intense, mildly hectic and not really a sustainable solution to training especially with trying to help manage a family in lockdown (I was lucky not to be attacked by children!). However, my feeling going forward, even after the worst of this current isolation is over, is that the conferences that we run and organise could and should have more online elements to really engage everyone that wants to attend. It opens up other possibilities that physical locations can’t. The best part of this whole experience though was this tweet from @Drstuartsims. Even in lockdown, conference food is questionable …

Credit Image: Photo by Stefan Spassov on Unsplash

Credit Image: Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

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