Spotlight on AI in Education: December 2024

Posted on by Daniel Axson — No Comments ↓

Welcome to December’s Spotlight on AI in Education bulletin. With how fast things are moving, this will help you cut through the noise and catch what’s important. The bulletin highlights on-the-ground practice, institutional perspectives and trends in generative AI use across the sector and beyond. We hope you find this useful.

If you have anything you’d like to contribute or see in this bulletin please email EE@sussex.ac.uk

On-the-ground at Sussex

Workshop: Introduction to Generative AI within teaching

Read this if: You’d like learn about how to use AI tools within your teaching at an introductory level.

Educational Enhancement are once again running this popular workshop on January 28th at 2pm. You will have the opportunity to get some hands-on experience using AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot, as well as learning the basic skills of prompt engineering and considering when and how to use AI to assist with your teaching.

Find out more and book on our events page. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Institutional Perspective

AI in Education at Sussex

Read this if: You want to have a say in developing institutional principles on the use of Generative AI in teaching, learning and assessment.

A series of Faculty and Division workshops will be held in the New Year to capture challenges, solutions and thoughts on AI in Education at Sussex. These will culminate in a cross-university summit in April. The output of the summit will be a set of institutional principles on AI in Education, as well as an action plan for the ongoing development of staff and student facing resources.

Save the date: Friday 11th April, 1pm – 5pm In-person (spaces limited) or online. Registration will open in the new year.

Across the Sector

Generative AI strategies for Australian higher education: Emerging practice

Read this if: Your interested in a comprehensive analysis by TEQSA (Australia’s quality assurance agency for HE) of actions plans addressing the risk generative AI poses to academic integrity.

From the introduction ‘This toolkit has been informed by an analysis of the information institutions provided in response to our request. It seeks to support institutions in further developing and implementing effective strategies for meaningful and ethical integration of gen AI tools into teaching and learning practices, while also mitigating the risk gen AI poses to award integrity.’ It’s a meaty document, but thoughtfully laid out and includes suggested actions for institutions.

Read the document.

Further Afield

Some festive fun

Read this if: You want to try and spot the fake in ‘AI or REAL’ on BBC Bitesize.

We know by now that Generative AI can be used to create plausibly human created text, images and video. Until now though, it’s often been quite easy to spot something generated by AI, however it is becoming more difficult. Here’s a light hearted quiz to see if you can spot what’s real. How did you do?

Take the quiz on BBC Bitesize

In case you missed it

Other links on the topic of AI in teaching and learning you may have missed.

  • On the EE blog: Do not worry if you missed the latest Teaching and Learning with Generative Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice. There will be a write up in the new year. So make sure you’re subscribed to our blog to get the latest straight to your inbox.
  • Elsewhere online: We’ve been exploring Google’s NotebookLM*, but for those of you who are Spotify users, you may have experienced another use for the powerful platform. Yes, your Spotify Wrapped has been ‘enhanced’ by AI. Powered by NotebookLM, Spotify provides you with a personalised ‘My Wrapped AI Podcast’ with two ‘hosts’ discussing your listening habits.

*if you explore platforms not supported at Sussex, please do not share Sussex, student, colleague, sensitive or personal data via these platforms. Not being supported means they have not passed stringent Data Protection assessments and could put you at breach of policy and legislation. For a list of supported platforms for teaching and learning please visit the Educational Enhancement website.

This was a Spotlight on AI in Education update from Educational Enhancement

Posted in AI, AI CoP

Academic Developers December round up

Posted on by Simona Connelly — No Comments ↓
a picture of a megaphone, a mobile phone, a lightbulb, a magnifying glass and the YouTube logo on a pink background, to indicate announcing information

Learning Matters Podcast 

Listen to Luis Ponce Cuspinera and Zahid Pranjol discuss scholarship for science teaching in episode four of the Learning Matters Podcast. This episode covers lots of ground, including decolonising the curriculum and real-world learning and much more.

Learning Matters blog posts

In addition to the podcast and the New Proposals for Digital Pedagogies series, the following posts have recently been published on the Learning Matters blog: 

Gen AI Practical tips for teachers 

The University of Kent Digitally Enhanced Education webinars this month focused on Helping Students Develop Critical Thinking Skills When Using Generative AI. There is something for everyone across the 17 fifteen-minute recordings now available in two playlists on their YouTube channel.  

See also this new educational resource from Tadhg Blommerde  – a comprehensive video guide on using AI to improve your teaching. It covers six practical applications of GenAI and includes real demonstrations using tools like Claude and ChatGPT, with specific prompts and examples you can adapt for your own teaching. Go to the Teaching with AI Community of Practice Padlet to find a summary of timings so you can jump directly to sections that interest you.  

NTF/CATE applications 

A reminder that expressions of interest for the 2025 National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) awards are now open until Friday 13 December 2024 (see our webpage for full details) For further information or to register your interested please email S.Connelly@sussex.ac.uk  

Scholarship 

The Sussex Digital Pedagogies Toolkit was launched in October. This toolkit has been created collaboratively by a staff-student research team through the Education and Innovation fund. It uses material from a series of online workshops with members of the Sussex community, including faculty, professional services and students. View all posts in this series. 

The Education and Innovation fund also supported the project Supporting the International Student Experience at Sussex and Beyond. These resources have been co-created with international students and provide guidance and support on inclusive teaching practice that will be beneficial for all students. Here are the resources published so far:  

Posted in Uncategorized

How My Online Learning Experience Has Inspired Me to Enhance Our Online Distance Learning (ODL) Student Experience

Posted on by Alice Taylor — No Comments ↓

by Alice Taylor, Online Distance Learning Officer

I’m involved in supporting Sussex’s Online Distance Learning (ODL) students from their enrolment right through to graduation, but my own recent experience of studying an online course gave me a new perspective. Our students are enrolled on full Master’s courses (twelve modules), PgDips (eight modules) or PgCerts (four modules). The duration of my unaccredited course was seven weeks; the same length as an individual ODL module, so I was able to gain a new appreciation for the pace of online learning and the challenges our students face.

A photo of five university students, sitting using their devices. The photo is from above, framing the devices and the students' legs as they sit side-by-side on the floor. This highlights their diverse clothes, backgrounds and the devices they use to get online.
Students with modern devices studying online indoors (Adobe Stock)

My course consisted of live webinars, pre- and post-session activities, discussion boards, and a bank of additional resources. Because of the short duration of my course, the learning content took precedent and there was little time to seek out extra-curricular material or to engage with peers.

Honestly, I didn’t feel like I came away with a lasting student experience.

Online distance learning is, of course, inherently shaped by its mode of study, but I began to wonder whether more could be done to realise its potential and offer a student experience that fully capitalises on its unique strengths.

Engaging with peers and tutors 

My course was set up so that we had access to the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) a week before it began. We were able to get familiar with the site, read the course outline and watch a video introduction from the tutor. We were also asked to introduce ourselves to the group via an introductions forum. While this was helpful, it didn’t spark much interaction. I found myself wishing for a more dynamic, creative approach—something like videos or ice-breaker activities. These are techniques we’ve used in some of our online offerings at Sussex, as well as in our team meetings, and I think they really help participants feel more connected. 

Given that most of our ODL courses include only one live session per week, opportunities for organic, spontaneous conversation are limited. I have started thinking about ways we could replicate those “before class” or “after class” moments—perhaps through optional group calls or post-session breakout rooms, where students could casually discuss what they learned or share insights. 

Discussion boards: opportunities and challenges 

In my course, we had weekly activities to complete via discussion boards and were encouraged to comment on each other’s posts. I felt anxious about posting answers visible to everyone, worrying they might resemble other responses and seem to have been copied. This made me think about how we can foster more comfortable, productive exchanges on our own discussion boards at Sussex. 

Our students often engage with each other through the VLE, but because some modules can have hundreds of students, this can feel impersonal. A more tailored, supportive space for peer-to-peer interaction could make a real difference. 

Supporting students beyond the classroom 

Another key takeaway from my experience was how disconnected I felt once the course ended. I didn’t have much opportunity to build long-term relationships or to participate in extracurricular activities. At Sussex, our students have the benefit of a much longer journey, and there’s a real opportunity to create spaces for connection beyond the academic modules. 

I’ve been considering ways to keep students engaged during study breaks or after graduation. A newsletter specifically for online learners could keep students connected with the wider University community, during breaks in study or after they’ve completed their course. I’d like to explore creating a Graduate & Alumni section on our Student Support Site, where students can share updates and stay in touch post-graduation. I recently met with the University’s Alumni Relations Manager, who has agreed to mentor me as part of Sussex’s Mentorship scheme. I’m hoping that she will be able to offer me invaluable guidance that will support some of my ideas.  

Inspired to innovate 

Ultimately, my online learning experience has given me a fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities in the student journey. I’m excited to explore new ways to create meaningful connections, foster engagement, and offer more opportunities for social interaction in our ODL programmes.

I’m looking forward to working with our team and University partners to bring these ideas to life—whether it’s through new communications, engaging activities, or more opportunities for peer-to-peer connection. It’s all about making the online learning experience at Sussex even better!

Posted in Educational Enhancement, Online Distance Learning (ODL), Student Experience

Spotlight on AI in Education: November 2024

Posted on by Daniel Axson — No Comments ↓

Welcome to November’s Spotlight on AI in Education bulletin. With how fast things are moving, this will help you cut through the noise and catch what’s important. The bulletin highlights on-the-ground practice, institutional perspectives and trends in generative AI use across the sector and beyond. We hope you find this useful. 

If you have anything you’d like to contribute or see in this bulletin please email EE@sussex.ac.uk

On-the-ground at Sussex

Enhancing assessment and feedback

Read this if: You’re interested in ‘the practical implementation of AI in education and its implications for student learning outcomes, equity and academic integrity.’

Angela Ya Gao, Lecturer in Accounting in the Business School, has contributed the case study Changing the paradigm: rethinking assessment in the AI era to a compendium produced by AdvanceHE. Under the theme of Assessment and Feedback in a Digital Era, Angela’s case study details a project to design a Level 7 PG report assessment, introducing the use of AI in an assistive role with students being required to both use and show how they use the tools.

Access and read the compendium on the AdvanceHE website.

Institutional Perspective

Don’t miss out on your place at the next Teaching and Learning with Generative Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice

Read this if: You’ve yet to book your place.

This has both in person and online options, be sure to book so you can be notified of any changes to the schedule.

View the event and book your place.

Across the Sector

Video guide on using Generative AI to enhance teaching in higher education

Read this if: You’d like to see examples of using generative AI tools to support the cycle of teaching admin from planning to dealing with module feedback.

In a video shared via the Generative AI Network Jiscmail list, Dr Tadhg Blommerde, Assistant Professor at Northumbria University presents ‘six practical applications of generative AI to help streamline our work and improve student experience’. Covering such things as creating engaging lesson plans and supporting students with complex topics.

Watch the video on YouTube.

Further Afield

A student’s guide to writing with ChatGPT, by OpenAI

Read this if: You want to see how the platforms themselves guide students in using their tools.

OpenAI have put together this brief guide for using ChatGPT to assist with writing tasks. From getting feedback to helping with the ‘grunt work’ of formatting references.

Read the guide on the OpenAI website

In case you missed it

Other links on the topic of AI in teaching and learning you may have missed.

This was a Spotlight on AI in Education update from Educational Enhancement

Posted in AI, AI CoP

Integrating ArtificiaI Intelligence into Education at the University of Sussex Business School

Posted on by Kitty Horne — No Comments ↓

by Kitty Horne, Academic Development

The University of Sussex Business School is actively exploring the role of artificial intelligence in higher education, focusing on practical approaches to both enhance learning and address the challenges Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings. Through collaborative workshops, events and exploration of assistive tools the School is helping staff and students navigate this evolving landscape. These initiatives are designed to support faculty in adapting assessments, to streamline student support, and to encourage discussions about AI’s impact on teaching and learning.

Co-creating workshops

Over the summer, the Business School collaborated with students to create a series of workshops designed to help faculty adapt assessments in light of advancements in AI. Led by Max Baylis and Aaron Fowler, recent Sussex graduates, and Dr Lisa Blatch, Senior Lecturer in Strategy, the eight sessions were attended by more than 80 members of staff and aimed to support attendees in understanding how to design assessments that are less vulnerable to AI automation.

Three circles showing Max Baylis, Aaron Fowler, Dr Lisa Blatch, left to right.
Max Baylis, Aaron Fowler, Dr Lisa Blatch (L-R)

One central focus of these workshops was on testing assignments for automatability by examining whether AI could easily complete them. By experimenting with putting their assessments through generative AI tools, educators learned how to identify assessment types that are susceptible to AI and, as a result, were able to structure their assessments so that they were based on evaluative and contextualised thinking, and material that is not significantly available online.

Exploring chatbots

In addition to assessment focused workshops, the Business School launched two projects, funded through the Business School Education and Students Small Grant Awards. The first project is led by Dr René Moolenaar, Senior Lecturer in Strategy, and is investigating whether a custom GPT-based chatbot could streamline the work of the School’s Student Academic Success Advisors (SASA). By handling routine queries this chatbot has the potential to make student support more responsive, freeing up SASA staff for more complex cases.

The second is led by Dr Małgorzata (Gosia) Sulimierska, Senior Lecturer in Banking and FinTech, and aims to integrate an interactive chatbot which provides a knowledge assistant that helps with module information and answers student questions on sustainable finance. Developed in collaboration with colleagues in the School of Engineering and Informatics, this chatbot aims to not only improve academic support but also create an interactive, engaging learning experience for students exploring sustainable finance.

A third tool, Plato, is also being explored by the School. Created by a recent Sussex graduate, Nikita Dumitriuc, Plato is an interactive platform that supports student learning by providing personalised resources and insights and can be integrated into Canvas modules. Through Plato students have access to a chatbot, curated study material like revision flashcards and quizzes, as well as a note taking tool.

The logo of AI tool Plato, which itself is a line drawing of the Greek philosopher, similar in style to a bank note engraving.
Plato

Festival of SustAInable Education

In May the School held the inaugural Festival of SustAInable Education, which provided a forum for discussing AI’s impact on education and explored the intersection of AI and sustainability, AI and education, and education in sustainability. With a dedicated strand on AI, the festival featured discussions on the ethical implications of AI in learning and the skills students will need in an AI-influenced world. Faculty, students, and external experts came together to share insights on balancing AI’s benefits with ethical concerns and the need for inclusive practices. The event was organised by a team led by Gabriella Cagliesi and featured guest speakers including: Sir Mark Lowcock, Jean-Christophe Carteron, Sir Anthony Seldon and Sophia the robot.

Three circles showing Dr René Moolenaar, Dr Małgorzata (Gosia) Sulimierska, Gabriella Cagliesi, left to right.
Dr René Moolenaar, Dr Małgorzata (Gosia) Sulimierska, Gabriella Cagliesi (L-R)

Looking ahead

In the coming months, the chatbot tools will be developed further and evaluated to determine their effectiveness in supporting students and faculty. The co-created workshops are set to continue in the Spring term, with updates to reflect the changing AI landscape. These ongoing efforts reflect the School’s commitment to fostering an adaptive and sustainable approach to AI in teaching, learning and assessment. A small group has also been appointed to start formalising the Faculty’s policy position on AI.

Posted in Academic Development, AI, Educational Enhancement, Learning Technologies

Academic Developers October round up

Posted on by Simona Connelly — No Comments ↓
a picture of a megaphone, a mobile phone, a lightbulb, a magnifying glass and the YouTube logo on a pink background, to indicate announcing information

New EE Guidance webpages: 

The ‘Assessment Modes’ section of the EE Support and Guidance webpages now features pages on: 

Oral Assessment: guidance and advice on best practice when designing and implementing inclusive oral assessments. 

Reflection: guidance on how to embed reflection in your teaching and assessment. 

Recent Learning Matters posts:

Two new blogs summarising the outcomes of an Education Innovation Fund co-creation project led by Sarah Watson exploring  

Making group work inclusive  

Clarifying assessment expectations for inclusivity 

and Charlie Crouch reflects on July’s Education Festival  

Sussex Scholarship Series Autumn 2024: 

We would like to share with you the University of Sussex’s programme for the Sussex Scholarship Series Autumn 2024 

In the field of scholarship, no singular research method is universally preferred. There are many methods we can use to gather and analyse data. This autumn, the Scholarship Series at Sussex provides workshops that cover a number of research methods that can be undertaken for scholarship. We hope to see you there! Sessions are open to academics across the HE sector with an interest in educational scholarship. 

Spotlight on AI in education: 

Review the new and improved AI in education update, now to be published monthly(ish) on the Educational Enhancement blog.  

Join the 3rd Teaching with AI Community of Practice event will be held in the Open Learning Space in the Library on Monday 9th December, 1pm-3pm.   There will be teas and coffee available (bring a cup if you have one) and you are welcome to bring your lunch.  If you have not yet signed up or accepted a meeting invitation, please complete the form to register your interest.  

We want to hear about your inclusive educational practice: 

Educational Enhancement would like to collate good practices around inclusive education. The aim of this is to showcase some of the excellent inclusivity work happening at Sussex and align it with the University’s recently articulated principle that curricula at Sussex will be inclusive and student-centred. We welcome examples from any area of inclusive educational practice. For example: 

  1. Providing a learning experience that reflects a diversity of knowledge, ideas, and backgrounds, helping students to connect with, and see themselves reflected in, their field of study. 
  1. Ensuring material that supports learning and assessment is offered in accessible formats. 
  1. Providing (where practicable) supported flexibility and optionality in assessment modes and formats to enable students to take ownership of their learning. 
  1. Facilitating a smooth and supportive journey for students as they transition into, progress through, and graduate from university. 
  1. Providing clear and accessible feedback mechanisms on curricula, fostering a culture of critical reflection for staff and students regarding the ways in which we teach and learn. 
  1. Aligning our inclusive and student-centred curricula with the University’s Access and Participation Plan (APP). 
  1. Ensuring students are supported to engage with curriculum development and evaluation, e.g., via our Connector Programme. 

Do you have ideas, research, or resources to share with colleagues at Sussex? If so, get in touch with sarah.watson@sussex.ac.uk  

SFHEA event and further information: 

For staff who are interested in completing their SFHEA join the next Senior Fellowship writing day will be Friday 8 November 9:30 until 15:00:  
Senior Fellowship writing day (online).   

The SFHEA Canvas provides resources and information to support your application. site: https://canvas.sussex.ac.uk/courses/15023.   

Perceptions of scholarship within the Education & Scholarship track:

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the questionnaire that aims to investigate perceptions of scholarship within the Education & Scholarship track role at the University of Sussex (Ethical Review no.: ER/ZP64/3). 

We have received 165 responses so far. However, to ensure we gather as much input as possible for this important development, we’d like to extend the response period by one more week. 

If you haven’t had a chance yet, please take a few moments to share your insights by following the link: questionnaire. 

The data collected will be used to formulate academic papers and reports, which will include recommendations on this subject. We estimate that completing the questionnaire will take approximately 10 to 12 minutes of your time. 

Please see our Participant Information Sheet. Your consent is granted upon submission of the questionnaire, and you can withdraw from the study at any point by not clicking submit. 

The survey is open until 7 November 2024. Participants must be on Education & Research, Education & Scholarship and Research track to complete this questionnaire. 

Upcoming Conferences (outside Sussex):

Interdisciplinary learning and teaching UK conference is taking place at LSE on 10th April 2025. See the call for papers for details.  

International Assessment in Higher Education (AHE) Conference 2025 (Thursday 19 & Friday 20 June, Manchester) call for papers.   

Reminder to sign up for the NTF Information session on 1 November:

There’s still time for potential NTF applicants to sign up for the NTF information session tomorrow

Posted in Uncategorized

How To Encourage Student Engagement (Using Digital Badges)

Posted on by Faye Brockwell — No Comments ↓

by Faye Brockwell, Learning Technologist

Listen to the audio version of this blog post
5 digital badges issued by the School of Psychology. All 5 badges are hexagonal. The first has the image of a seagull, with the text “US PYS-GULL-OGY”. The second has an image of two hands with one hand helping the other up, with the text “savioR”. The third simply has the text “R Studio”. The fourth has the image of cool looking girl from a graphic novel, holding a gun, with the text “discovR”. The last has an image of easter eggs on the ground in a woodland.

Colleagues in the School of Psychology are exploring the use of Canvas Credentials Badges to encourage student engagement on their Discovering Statistics module. The team had already introduced a gamification element to the statistical methods modules, by way of awarding highly-prized* physical Hex stickers to students for reaching key milestones, and were keen to try Canvas Badges as a way of managing the distribution of digital versions of the stickers.

Dr Danielle Evans, Lecturer in Psychology, says “The process of setting up and using Canvas Badges has been surprisingly easy and straightforward. From creating and customising the badges to integrating them with our course, it’s all been smooth. It’s been great to see how students respond, with many engaging more actively to earn their badges and the sticker version of them we’ll hand out at the end of term.”

So what exactly are Canvas Credentials Badges?

Formerly known as badgr, Canvas Credentials Badges allows you to create and award Open Badges. Open Badges are digital certificates recognising learning and achievement. They can be awarded privately, within our Canvas Learning Management System, to encourage engagement on modules, as is happening in the School of Psychology. But there’s more to digital badges than just a sticker. Digital badges “contain metadata within that provides exhaustive information about the tasks performed, criteria of their assessment, the time needed to perform and the volume of the task, etc., that serves in increasing transparency of assessment”. (Trepulé et al, 2021, p132). When digital badges are made public, and students share them, for instance via their LinkedIn profile, the metadata can be read by anyone and serves to give the badges credibility. The University of Edinburgh’s badges site shows some good examples of what open badges can be used for, including badges for Digital Skills and Community Engagement.

4 of Edinburgh’s digital skills badges, all showing the University of Edinburgh’s logo. The first badge is “23 Things for Digital Knowledge”. The remaining three badges are for “Developing Your Data Skills” levels 1, 2 and 3.

So, how does Canvas Credentials Badges work in Canvas?

Once Educational Enhancement add the Canvas Credentials app to your Canvas site, you can then create the badges you need. You can either upload your own designs, as Dr Evans and her colleagues have done with the beautiful Hex stickers, or use Canvas’s in-built badge designer.

Canvas Badges Create Badge interface, showing the options to design a badge, including badge icon, colour and badge shape

You then choose how to award the badges. Canvas can automatically award students a badge for completing a certain activity, such as contributing to a discussion, or reaching a certain score in a quiz. Alternatively, you can choose to award badges manually, with options to award badges in bulk via a spreadsheet. Students can see the badges they can aim for on the module, and track their progress via the Canvas Credentials screen.

The “My Badge Progress” screen within student view on the Discovering Statistics Canvas module site. The screen shows all of the badges that the student can earn, with the criteria for each badge. The student can also see which badges they have earned so far.

Dr Evans has gone one step further, and has even written some code to set up a leaderboard, to “add a fun, competitive edge that motivates students.”

The leaderboard showing which students have earned the most badges on the Discovering Statistics module.

According to Dr Evans “the badge system has been incredibly useful for monitoring student engagement with various tasks and course components. Overall, it’s been a simple yet effective way to enhance the learning experience. I’d definitely encourage others to give it a go!”

How to get started with Canvas Credential Badges

There’s a little bit of set up before you can start using Canvas Badges with your students, so if you’d like to use Canvas Badges, contact your Learning Technologist by emailing ee@sussex.ac.uk.

*The Hex badges in School of Psychology are highly prized by me. I’m still hoping to get my hands on a Hex sticker for joining some of their great staff R workshops.

Further reading

Elena TREPULĖ et al. (2021) ‘How to Increase the Value of Digital Badges for Assessment and Recognition in Higher Education. A University Case’, Informatics in education, 20(1), pp. 131–152. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15388/infedu.2021.07.

Law, V. et al. (2024) ‘A meta-analysis of digital badges in learning environments in educational settings’, Educational Technology ＆ Society, 27(3), pp. 29–45. Available at: https://doi.org/10.30191/ETS.202407_27(3).RP02.

Posted in Canvas, Learning Technologies, Student Engagement

Games, Narratives and Emotional Connection in Online Distance Learning: In Conversation with Brena Collyer De Aguiar

Posted on by Brena Collyer de Aguiar — No Comments ↓
Click here to listen to the original interview

Simon Overton:
Today I am joined by Brena Collyer De Aguiar, Online Distance Learning Manager focusing on Course Development and Delivery, and Senior Learning Technologist for ODL. Welcome, Brena.

Brena Collyer De Aguiar:
Thank you, Simon.

Simon:
Why don’t we start by you telling me exactly what you do? What do you get up to every day?

Brena:
Basically, as a Senior Learning Technologist, I support academics involved with the ODL courses we have at Sussex. This includes supporting them in teaching, developing, or refreshing modules. I also deliver training, encouraging academics to innovate and improve their teaching practices.

As ODL Manager, I liaise with our partners for course development, best practice reviews, accessibility, and incorporating technology to enhance learning engagement.

Simon:
ODL is, I think, one of the shining stars of Education Enhancement at Sussex. Why don’t you describe what ODL actually is and what we offer?

Brena:
We offer nine fully online courses, including Master’s courses, PGCEs, PGDIPs, and a CPD course. Our students are around the world—in about 150 countries last time we counted.

Simon:
Do you know how many students have gone through the ODL?

Brena:
Our courses are built to be flexible, so students can join at different points and take breaks when needed for careers or family commitments. I think the last intake was about 900 students, with others on break or graduated already.

Simon:
So, you’ve been involved in a project called Project Dandelion. Dandelions are lovely, but I’m sure it’s not just about dandelions. What is it actually about?

Brena:
The project gamifies a module on sustainable development. One of our academics, Lucila Newell, the module leader, noticed students were feeling depressed studying issues like food waste and climate change. In response, we decided to gamify the module to engage students more positively. Students complete missions, quests, and challenges in a narrative-driven experience where they travel back from a future where climate issues have been resolved to understand the solutions that got us there.

The narrative includes time travel, and we place students in a setting where climate issues are already solved. Their role is to document what was done to achieve this, not to “save the world.” The dandelion symbol represents spreading seeds of change and healing.

Simon:
That’s so lovely. I noticed that instead of modules, you’ve got missions—correct?

Brena:
Yes. We added gamified elements like missions, quests, and challenges. We also encourage students to connect with their emotions and environment. They can choose avatars like animals or plants that inspire change in them, and they work in groups to find and connect with people in their communities promoting change. The game focuses on narrative rather than high-tech elements.

Simon:
What’s been the feedback from students?

Brena:
Most students find it engaging and enjoy the group work and leaderboards we added for scoring. Some felt the gamified module was demanding due to other commitments, so we made adjustments like flexible deadlines and clear expectations. We also explained the pedagogical purpose of gamification, showing it as a tool for deeper learning.

Simon:
This approach addresses so many educational concerns—group engagement, real-world application, participation. Do you think gamification could apply to other topics, or is it particularly suited to sustainability?

Brena:
I think gamification, especially through narrative and role-playing, works well for some topics but isn’t suited for all. It’s about using the right tool for the right purpose. Not every module needs to be gamified; it’s about choosing methodologies that genuinely enhance learning.

Simon:
Yes, it’s a tool rather than the tool.

Brena:
Exactly. Coming from a background with limited resources, I believe tools and technologies should only be applied if there’s a solid pedagogical reason for them. It’s about improving the student experience, not just making things fun.

Simon:
You introduced Project Dandelion at the Playful Learning Conference. Do you want to reflect on that experience?

Brena:
It was fantastic to connect with people using playfulness in education, especially on big topics that impact us all. Playfulness encourages creativity and bravery because there’s no real risk in a game, and it allows us to connect emotionally. Play and joy were recently recognised in Universal Design for Learning guidelines, so it’s encouraging to know we’re heading in the right direction.

Simon:
Incredibly innovative as well.

Brena:
I hope so! I’m grateful for my background. My primary school teacher used role-playing games to teach history and philosophy, sparking my interest. Later, in my degree, I joined a research group on games and narratives in learning. That experience has guided my approach to innovative teaching.

This conversation was recorded on 17 October 2024. AI was used to edit the raw transcript into a more “readable” article but was checked by our team for language and meaning before publishing.

Posted in Educational Enhancement, Interview, Online Distance Learning (ODL), Sustainability

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