Welcome to the July LDC blog. In the blog this month:
Research Symposium 22nd June 2011
A busy week of events kicked off with the Research Symposium, an institution wide event which provided research students with the chance to give presentations and answer questions about their work. It was a great opportunity for early career researchers to get valuable experience of presenting their research to a diverse audience. The day began with an inspiring opening delivered by Professor Dinos Arcoumanis, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research. He identified some of the common issues that researchers must overcome and offered wise words of advice.
During the day 17 sessions provided important development, not only for those researchers who were able to present, but also for the more than 60 staff members who attended and were able to get a taste for research being undertaken across the Schools, and ask any questions of the researchers themselves. In addition to the structured sessions, there was also a chance to get a more informal, personal feel for a range of research projects as 16 other students were able to produce posters to be displayed during the lunch and refreshment breaks. Attendees were then encouraged to browse around these during the breaks and speak with the researchers behind them.
Rounding off the day, Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Curran addressed the participants and presented awards to those who had given the most engaging sessions and produced the best posters. The event was very well received and many attendees reported that they had found it useful and informative.
Learning at City Conference 23rd June 2011
The 3rd annual Learning at City Conference took place on the 23rd June 2011. The event opened with a very interesting and engaging plenary from Aaron Porter, President of the National Union of Students. Aaron addressed such topics as fee increases in relation to student expectations and choosing courses for career progression rather than personal interest. Aaron also focused on the quality of teaching, which has improved over the last couple of years but could be improved further with more academic contact hours.
The conference sessions were both informative and motivating covering a range of areas including Semantic Web technology, student feedback and podcasting. Throughout the day, more than 120 staff members attended the event, and the sessions received very positive feedback, with participants finding sessions “inspiring” and “illuminating”.
“Listening to students in lectures, returning coursework in a timely manner and personal tutors” were a few of the issues raised at the student discussion panel which took place in the afternoon. Undergraduate students spoke about topics important to them and highlighted ways in which their student experience at City University could be improved.
The day ended on a very positive note with the Learning and Teaching awards ceremony. Professor Paul Curran presented a range of awards and prizes to staff from across the university. These included the Learning Development Projects, the school based Recognition fund for Learning and Teaching, the Moodle Launch Awards and the Student Voice Awards. The Student Voice Awards in particular emphasized the innovative work being carried out by City staff with over 350 nominations by students. You can see the presentation with all the winners of this years awards by using the link below. Congratulations to all awardees and nominees!
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0Aezs4AZOqAUKZGczMnpnZHRfMDRjamdwYmdz&hl=en_US
The Learning Development Centre would like to thank everyone involved in making this an enjoyable and successful day.
Good Morning City Online – The Young Ones; Inducting New Students to the University 27th July 2011, 8.30-9.30am
The next in our Good Morning City seminar series will be held online, taking place on Wednesday morning, 27thJuly. This session takes the form of a webinar using Adobe Connect so you will need your headsets on at your desks. The material will look at the student induction process at City as we come up to the start of a fresh academic year, with a specific focus on supporting students at this time of significant change.
There will be case studies and guest speakers, plus the opportunity to discuss your experiences with colleagues online. As this is an online session, places are limited, so book now at ldc@city.ac.uk to avoid disappointment.
Additionally, if you would like some advice or guidance on how you can make use of Adobe Connect to take your own sessions online, please contact the LDC using the same address.
CitySpace Closure
Don’t forget that CitySpace will be closed on 1st September 2011. Take the opportunity now to download all content that you need. You will not be able to access any material or content on CitySpace after 1st September 2011. Also – if you had plans to use CitySpace for any teaching or assessment during August or September please ensure that you have informed educational technology staff in your school.
As part of the closure, the Learning Development Centre are creating a CitySpace obituary. CitySpace will be switched off after 8 years of service to the university. The E-Learning Unit (ELU) was established with five staff members in 2003 to support the implementation of this VLE. WebCT Vista had a stint under the title City Online Learning before becoming CitySpace. A survey will be used to capture memories of CitySpace for users over the years. This obituary will be published on the LDC website and the LDC Educational Vignettes blog at http://educationalvignettes.wordpress.com/ and will be used in celebrations around the switch off.
Please take a few minutes to record your memories at: https://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/city/cityspaceobit/
We will be holding a switch-off party on the 1st September to pay our respects, and all staff are welcome to join us. For more information, go to the Learning Development Centre website:
Dates for your diary
Good Morning City: The Young Ones; Inducting New Students to the University – Wednesday 27th July 2011
Good Morning City: You decide – Wednesday 24th August 2011
CitySpace Switch-Off Party – Thursday 1st September 2011