Year: 2014

Rethinking the lecture theatre

'Giants Causeway' by Frédéric Lepied (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA)

To enable collaboration and flexibility; the design of a traditional lecture theatre will alter dramatically to enable working together in groups and for the teacher to move between groups. I envisage future lecture space to be more open, with flexible furniture that will allow for reconfiguration and for students and teachers to move around freely….Continue Reading Rethinking the lecture theatre

Partnership in Practice at the University of Lincoln

On the 24th October, I attended the University of Lincoln’s KICKSTART Conference. Focusing on students as partners (or in the case of Lincoln’s nomenclature, co-producers), the conference highlighted some exciting work going on. Further to this, however, it was clear that student engagement is firmly rooted in the academic culture of the institution, from the…Continue Reading Partnership in Practice at the University of Lincoln

Ideas for using Plectrum Tables in the new Learning Spaces in the Drysdale building for collaborative learning

Plectrum Shaped Table ELG12

The University has new Learning Spaces in the Drysdale Building, one room in particular, ELG12 has unusually shaped tables. These plectrum shaped tables are a new addition to the teaching rooms at the university. They allow for active and collaborative learning due to their shape and are on castors so they can be easily moved…Continue Reading Ideas for using Plectrum Tables in the new Learning Spaces in the Drysdale building for collaborative learning

Leadership and Change in the Public Eye

“There should be a prize for people who make the worst mistake and learn from it.”  This is a quote from Tony Hall, Director General of the BBC, being interviewed by Professor Laura Empson, Director of the Cass Centre for Professional Service Firms, discussing organisational culture and risk. Tony Hall explained how allowing people to make mistakes…Continue Reading Leadership and Change in the Public Eye

The new cluster seating lecture theatre: ELG01

Cluster seating lecture theatre

Flexibility and the ability to easily create moments of active learning, both individual and collaborative ones, inform the design of the new learning spaces at City University. ELG01, a new cluster seating lecture theatre, has been designed to support students in using their own mobile devices to participate, and to encourage working together in groups…Continue Reading The new cluster seating lecture theatre: ELG01

Augmented Reality for Student Induction

The Journalism department recently completed their welcome week for undergraduate students.  Part of their induction was delivered using augmented reality, for the second year running.  Students were arranged into groups and each group received an iPad.  They were asked to visit five locations across the university. Using the Aurasma app they found and scanned an…Continue Reading Augmented Reality for Student Induction

Leadership: What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Image from seminar series web page from Working Well

Perhaps love isn’t a word we usually associate with the workplace.  However, Gabriella Braun argues that leadership is about people and working with people demands a capacity for love.  The seminar Leadership: What’s Love Got to Do With It? is part of a series exploring the relationship between leadership and psychoanalysis.  The event I attended…Continue Reading Leadership: What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Developing Leadership and Your Reflective Practice

We are now recruiting participants for the Developing Leadership and Your Reflective Practice module that will run as a double module as part of the MA Academic Practice from January 2015. Increasingly work in the HE sector is characterised by continuous change and uncertainty with high expectations and decreasing resources.  Consequently, it is vital for staff…Continue Reading Developing Leadership and Your Reflective Practice

Augmented and Virtual Reality Conference 17th – 20th Sept. 2014

I am a PhD student at City University and as part of my PhD studies, I presented our work on hand orientation based interaction with augmented objects at the First Conference on Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR). As is the case with most conferences, AVR was held in the culturally rich and historic city of…Continue Reading Augmented and Virtual Reality Conference 17th – 20th Sept. 2014

Submitting assignments to the upgraded Turnitin Assignment

Turnitin My submissions

Audience: City University students and staff Are you preparing to submit an assignment on Moodle for the first time this academic year? Over the summer, the Turnitin assignment in Moodle was upgraded. This means that there is an improved workflow for submitting assignments – meaning less tabs for you to navigate and the ability to…Continue Reading Submitting assignments to the upgraded Turnitin Assignment