Contents
Presenters
Luis Pereira – Senior Lecturer in Educational Development, LEaD
Alexandra Mihai – Assistant Professor of Innovation in Higher Education, Maastricht University
Jessica Hancock – Programme Director for the University of London’s PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of London
Pam Parker – Director of Education, Innovation and Pedagogy, LEaD
Jane Secker – Senior Lecturer in Educational Development, LEaD
Paper
The focus of this presentation is on how to support and motivate staff to improve T&L in the digital sphere to help create more engaging online environments for students.
This project explores how reflective practices can empower academic staff to engage more confidently with the digital elements of teaching – ultimately enhancing the student experience, particularly in online learning environments.
Funded by the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE), the initiative investigates how reflective practices are integrated across different institutional contexts:
- City St George’s – with primarily London-based participants
- Maastricht University – with participants based mainly in the Netherlands,
- University of London (UoL) – involving internationally based participants.
After ethical approval was granted (ETH2425-0620), data collection took place in April 2025 and involved three focus groups at each participating institution, with a total of 16 staff members. The results show consistency across the three contexts: lecturers tend to reflect on their teaching practice regularly. Some value peer discussions, while others prefer personal introspection linked to their teaching identity. Reflection is often prompted by challenging situations such as low student engagement, difficult questions, or classroom anxiety. Reflection also frequently focused on the use of digital tools, though no significant differences were noted in this area compared to other aspects of teaching.
At the conference, we will present detailed findings and recommendations drawn from the focus group discussions. These offer comparative insights into how staff reflect on and develop their digital teaching practices.
We aim to engage attendees in a conversation around the practical application of these findings – for instance, in relation to RISES (or similar staff development initiatives) – and how institutions can support staff in creating more meaningful and engaging digital learning experiences for students.
By attending this session, participants will be able to:
- Gain insight into how reflective practice supports confidence in digital teaching.
- Compare approaches across different institutional contexts.
- Apply insights to enhance staff development initiatives.
References
Lucas, M., & Vicente, P. N. (2023). A double-edged sword: Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of online teaching and learning in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 28(5), 5083-5103.
Namaziandost, E., Heydarnejad, T., & Azizi, Z. (2023). The impacts of reflective teaching and emotion regulation on work engagement: Into prospect of effective teaching in higher education. Teaching English Language, 17(1), 139-170.
