Academic Developers: March round up

Posted on by Simona Connelly
a picture on a pink background, of a megaphone, a mobile phone, a lightbulb, a magnifying glass and the YouTube logo, to indicate announcing information

Education Festival 2024: Call for Participation

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Education Festival, we’re excited to announce a Call for Participation for the Sussex Education Festival 2024. Hosted over two days (10th July in person and 11th July online), the festival will provide a space for colleagues from across the University to share their experiences, insights and innovation in teaching, learning and assessment.  We’re excited to celebrate and reflect on all the amazing work that goes into teaching here. Please submit your ideas by Friday 19th April. 

2nd Teaching and Learning with AI CoP on Monday 18th March, 14:00-15:30 in the Library Open Learning Space.

The theme of the meeting is Talking with students about AI. Our recent EE blog post outlines the plan for the session, recent insights from the sector in relation to the topic and information on how join the session.

Embedding employability:

The 2024 Advance HE case study compendium is now available to members on their website and also here in box (along with those from 2022 and 2023). There are case studies from all disciplines and the themes this year are: Authentic assessment; Enterprise education; Multi/interdisciplinary; Sustainability; Work integrated learning. Also, see the Sussex Embedding Employabily Toolkit (linked to from the EE Support & Guidance page) which provides disciplinary focused case studies and skills guides and more. 

Education and Innovation Fund 

The deadline to apply for the next round of the Education and Innovation Fund is Monday 15 April.   For further information, and a list of previous winners please see the webpage 

Workshops and new web guidance: 

AI and Academic Integrity webpage: Updated with new recommended AI use statements for modules and assessment briefs. We recommend all staff review and action to ensure clear and consistent communication relating to the permissible use of AI for generating materials and content for assessments (including when not permitted). 

AI tools webpage: A new page Find out about the types of generative AI tools available and how to access them 

Teaching & Learning with AI collaborative padlet has been re-designed. It is continually updated with links to recent news and resources.   

New to Learning Matters: 

This month, we have published two new blogs and two news case studies on Learning Matters. In our new blogs, Dr Martin Brown, Lecturer in Education, discusses the benefits of taking an embedded approach to teaching academic writing skills for international postgraduate students and Katerina Psarikidou, Lecturer in Sustainable Development, and Alejandro Luna, Lecturer in Sustainability, Innovation and Energy Policy, explore how engagement is key for inclusive curriculum (re)design. In our new case studies, Dr Joanna Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, explains how the School of Life Sciences developed and implemented its feedback policy and Dr Myrna Hennequin, Lecturer in Economics, shares her strategies for making online quantitative assessments more AI resilient. 

Closing the ‘feedback gap’ for international postgraduate students: An embedded writing approach
Student engagement is key for inclusive curriculum (re)design
Developing a feedback policy for Life Science
Strategies for making quantitative assessments more AI resilient

Featured Journal 

The Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice celebrates its 10 anniversary with a special issue: Academic practice at the edge: risks and rewards of innovation in learning, teaching, and the student experience . Paper topics include, ‘professional conversations’ assessments, VR in teaching immunology, student experiences of EDI in labs, enhancing research on the undergraduate psychology curriculum through student-teacher partnership, creative pedagogies for active learning, and more…

Posted in Academic Development, Educational Enhancement, Monthly Round-ups

A Framework to Change the World? Introducing the Universal Design for Learning

Posted on by Brena Collyer de Aguiar

by Brena Collyer de Aguiar, Senior Learning Technologist, Online Distance Learning, University of Sussex

WARNING: This blog is a provocation and probably contains too much hope, romanticism and motivation for change.

Many years ago I tried to get a job at FUNAI (the National Indian Foundation) which protects the culture and interests of indigenous people in Brazil. To get that job I had to do an exam on Morals and Ethics.

I failed miserably.

My brother (who was a law student at the time) read through my answers and asked me what I had been thinking as none of my answers could possibly apply to the real world. My choices in the exam reflected values which were “impossible in any society,” he said.

I’ve fallen in love…
with a framework for inclusive education

Years later, now working in education, and I’ve fallen in love with a framework for inclusive education called the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I am not sure whether UDL is going to change the world on its own, but it goes a long way toward to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #4, which is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” This is a good start, right?

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that makes curricular design more flexible, aiming to make learning spaces more inclusive by removing barriers and providing learning opportunities for all students. It is based on learning theories, educational practice and research, technologies, and advances in neuroscience.

UDL is structured around three groups of neural networks – affective, recognition and strategic networks – and proposes three principles related to them: multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation and multiple means of action and expression. Each principle is divided into guidelines and checkpoints to aid the implementation of UDL in a given learning environment.

Graph representing the three UDL principles, related neural networks and a brief description of each one.
Source: https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl
© CAST, 2024

Technology has a very important role in this framework. It not only facilitates communication, but its flexibility, versatility and potential to mediate and transform enables manifold possible responses to diversity and accessibility needs.

Three UDL Principles

Multiple means of engagement

This principle is linked to the affective neural networks responsible for the learners’ interests and preferences that influence their motivation and engagement for learning. It is associated with the why of learning. It encourages the implementation of varied learning practices that reflect different interests creating multiple pathways for engagement. The guidelines related to this principle are: Recruiting Interest, Sustaining Effort & Persistence and Self Regulation.

Examples of providing multiple means of engagement include: interactive activities, authentic activities that reflect real world situations, allowing students to choose their own assessment topics, and group discussions or online discussion boards.

Multiple means of representation

This principle is linked to the recognition neural networks that allow us to capture, recognise and integrate information, creating meaning from what is perceived. It is associated with the what of learning. It encourages multiple representations to guarantee learners have access to the information and can learn. Providing information in multiple formats (video, audio, text, etc) not only addresses preferences, but also takes into consideration and provides access to information for those with sensory and learning disabilities and/or language or cultural differences and so on. The guidelines related to this principle are: Perception, Language & Symbols and Comprehension.

Examples of providing multiple means of representation include: Presenting information in multiple formats such as images, video and audio, providing video captions and transcripts, and diversifying pedagogical approaches in the learning environment.

Multiple means of action and expression

The strategic neural networks are related to this principle. Associated to the how of learning, these networks specialise in the generation and control of mental and action patterns as well as executive functioning, where learners apply what they learn strategically. This principle focuses on the different ways learners interact with information, how they learn and their cognitive preferences. The use of different methodologies encourages and enables learners to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in various ways. The guidelines related to this principle are: Physical Action, Expression & Communication, and Executive Functions.

Examples of providing multiple means of action and expression include: using a variety of assessment strategies, different methods for demonstrating skills (e.g.: roleplay), varying question types, using technology to facilitate communication, and peer interaction.

Be curious.
Is there anything you already consider in your
teaching practice? Something you would like to try?

Look at the full framework, including principles, guidelines and checkpoints below. Be curious, is there anything you are already familiar with? Anything you already consider in your teaching practice? Something you would like to try?

Graph/Table showing the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, its principles, guidelines and checkpoints.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/CAST-2018-Universal-Design-for-Learning-Guidelines-version-22-Retrieved-from_fig1_359340186 Creative Commons Licence

We will explore all principles, guidelines and checkpoints in more detail in other blog posts and share real examples of its implementation in our Online Distance Learning courses. See also our EE guidance page on inclusion, accessibility and universal design for learning. You didn’t think we could change the world with information available in one blog post only, did you? For now, if you want to find out more or chat about UDL, please contact us.

And don’t tell my brother I’ve written this!

References:

Posted in Educational Enhancement, Inclusive teaching, Online Distance Learning (ODL)

Engaging Minds: How “Subject Talks” Can Re-energise Higher Education Pedagogy

Posted on by Simon Overton

by Simon Overton, Educational Enhancement Co-ordinator, University of Sussex

Picture a glass jar filled to the brim with dice. My question is simple: how many dice do you think there are in the jar? Take a minute to think and then tell your partner. How did you arrive at your guess? Tell your partner that too. Maybe you counted the number of dice in one layer, and multiplied that by the number of layers. Maybe you just chose your favourite number; if so, tell them why it’s your favourite number. I know what the number is, and it’s an odd number. Does that change your guess? Here’s another clue: it’s between 30 and 60. What could the number be and what could it not be? Final clue: it’s a square number. What is that and how does it guide you to the correct answer?

A glass jar filled with purple dice.
Photo by S Overton

This is an example of a Number Talk, a concept devised by Kathy Richardson and partners, specifically using a resource called an “Esti-mystery”, as developed by Steve Wyborney. Number Talks are used in primary and secondary teaching as a warmer before a Maths lesson and to develop mental maths (notice how I didn’t ask you to write anything down).

In my experience, Number Talks are really engaging and energising for students. Everybody likes a flutter and, on the face of it, that’s all this is – even if the only thing you’re gambling is a gold star or a round of applause from your classmates. It’s low stakes, fluency-based, student-centred and draws on any and all knowledge or skills at an individual’s disposal.

It’s low stakes, fluency-based, student-centred and draws on any and all knowledge or skills at an individual’s disposal.

And it’s this that makes me wonder: Can the same principle work in Higher Education? And for all subjects?

To answer that, let’s first delve a little deeper into what Number Talks are actually doing with reference to a blog from publishers Heinemann. Firstly, a Number Talk helps to create a safe, risk-free learning environment. It establishes, right from the outset, that everybody’s opinions are valued, that all mistakes are useful and that all learning looks different for different people. Secondly, it encourages discussion and – specifically – spoken fluency on the topic. This is especially important in international classrooms or where the language of instruction is a second or additional language. Thirdly, it changes the role of the teacher from being the “sole authority” to being a “facilitator, questioner, listener and learner”. Fourthly, it takes maths off the page (or projector screen) and brings it into real life, where knowledge becomes practical, where genuine connections are made between ideas, and where problem-solving skills are developed.

I wonder what kinds of “Subject Talks” could exist in the different schools at our university?

Art History – The tutor displays an obscure print and the students discuss when it could have been produced and how much it would be worth at auction. Clues can be given to help refine their answers.

Biology – They display an unusual animal and the students use clues (or their own observations) to guess where in the world it’s from.

Economics – Students must try to guess what data is being shown on an unlabelled graph.

Education – Students examine a photograph of a recently emptied classroom and discuss what was just taught there.

Film Studies – The game of “Star Wars”, where you have to guess the film from a five star and a one star review.

History – “Only Connect”, where you have to connect a date, a place and an object.

Law – I have a book from the 1970s of court cases distilled into very short summaries, the point being to guess the judgement. Or how about a single piece of evidence and students need to guess how it influenced the case?

Product Design – Take a little piece of an IKEA flat-pack (out of context) and figure out what it’s for and why it’s designed how it is.

Ultimately, these “Talks” emphasise process rather than product, so in most cases it simply doesn’t matter what the painting or graph or bracket is actually for. And they needn’t take much time or effort on behalf of the tutor. I can imagine a well-trained cohort of students coming into a lecture theatre and seeing an obscure object at the front as the tutor sets up, and instead of checking their socials while they wait for it to start, they initiate a discussion with the person next to them about what this thing could be, why it was chosen, what it cannot be, and how it relates to what they learned last week. Without even lifting a finger, the tutor has given their students the opportunity to warm up, to engage the vocabulary they will need for the lecture, to reflect on previous teaching, to engage with classmates and to develop subject-specific problem solving skills.

Without lifting a finger, the tutor has given their students the opportunity to warm up, to engage the vocabulary they will need, to reflect on previous teaching, to engage with classmates and to develop subject-specific problem solving skills

Oh, and there were 49 dice in the jar.

What would you use for a “Subject Talk”? Leave a comment and let us know. And don’t forget that E.E. has workshops and resources at staff.sussex.ac.uk/teaching/enhancement/

Posted in Academic Development, Educational Enhancement, Learning theory

Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice II: ‘Talking with students about AI’

Posted on by Sam Hemsley

by Dr Sam Hemsley, Academic Developer, University of Sussex

The letters AI in neon tubes attached to a dark concrete wall.
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

The second meeting of the Teaching and Learning with Generative Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice (or “AI CoP”) is taking place next month and will focus on approaches to talking with students about Generative AI (GenAI).

But, why this topic?

The discussion of GenAI in Higher Education (HE) is both necessary and challenging. Many of us don’t feel very knowledgeable or confident about the use and capabilities of such tools or the impact they have on students’ education and future careers. Another reason is the recent update to the Sussex AI and Academic Integrity page with some standardised statements on the use of AI in assessments, which module convenors can add to their assessment information. However, it remains necessary that tutors also make time in class to talk with students about both the rationale for, and implications of, such permissions and how students might use these tools for self-directed learning. Therefore, our second AI CoP meeting seeks to provide a space to explore and share how such conversations might be initiated and managed, and how they can support GenAI and assessment literacy among students.

Our meeting seeks to provide a space to explore and share how such conversations might be initiated and managed.

The outline of the meeting is as follows:

  • Introductions and updates from Educational Enhancement on GenAI in Sussex and the sector.
  • A lightning talk from Dr Andres Guadamuz, Reader In Intellectual Property Law (LPS) on his approach to having mature conversations with students about AI.
  • An interactive segment with discussion will form the bulk of the session and provide space to explore and share your challenges and practices.
  • Finally, a roundup (on the hour) followed by time for informal conversation and networking.

The importance of this focus has been further reinforced in recent weeks, not least by the publication in February of a Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) Policy Note on students’ attitudes to AI. One of the most attention-grabbing statistics from a poll of 1,250 students shows that 53% use GenAI to explain concepts in assessments, 13% use it to generate text they later edit for assessments, and 5% use it to write assessments for them. What I find concerning is that, in addition to the emergence of a digital divide in the use (legitimate or not) of GenAI, over a third of students aren’t aware of how often such tools ‘hallucinate’ facts, citations or statistics (creating, as my colleague put it in her recent blog, “data mirages”). This is a concern shared by our headline speaker, Andres Guadamuz, as quoted in this Guardian report on the HEPI findings. 

Over a third of students aren’t aware of how often such tools ‘hallucinate’ facts, citations or statistics.

Similarly, staff may see the potential in AI marking tools for improving the speed, quality and consistency of marking and feedback, thereby freeing them up for more student engagement and support. But, in conversations with students, we hear concerns that such marking would be outsourced, impersonal and represent poor value for money.

The importance of having open conversations with students about GenAI was further reinforced in multiple sessions of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Quality Insights Conference last week. The comment that resonated most with me came from the consistently insightful Martin Compton, of Kings College London, who emphasised that students are typically reticent about engaging actively or critically with AI unless they are exposed to deliberate, open, meta-cognitive discussions. In other words, students need to be encouraged and supported to think about and reflect critically on GenAI tools, and the use and impact on their own learning. He also emphasised that academics don’t need to be experts in AI to enable such conversations. Rather, they can use such conversations to learn with students in a spirit of shared curiosity and critical engagement. This is the bread and butter of academic enquiry and something we all, as HE educators, have the skills to support.

Finally, last week’s Heducationist blog provided additional nuance and insight into this kind of collaborative critical engagement with students around the use of GenAI. The blog summarised some interim observations from a range of projects at KCL, many in collaboration with students, looking into the possibility of using AI within their discipline and teaching:

“several projects identify how students are sceptical of the usefulness of gAI to them and in some that scepticism grows through the project. In some ways this is quite pleasing, as they begin to see gAI not as a panacea, but as a tool. They’re identifying what it can and can’t do, and where it is and isn’t useful to them. We’re teaching about something (or facilitating), and they’re learning.”

So, please sign up to join us (in person or listening along online) and continue the conversation at the second Teaching and Learning with AI CoP on Monday 18th of March from 14:00 to 15:30 in the University of Sussex Library Open Learning Space.

We hope to see you there!

Can’t attend?

Additional links:

Posted in Academic Development, AI, AI CoP, Educational Enhancement

What Use are QUESTIONS to a Learning Technologist?

Posted on by Daniel Axson

by Dan Axson, Learning Technologies Manager, University of Sussex

A 3D rendered image of a pile, similar to jigsaw puzzle pieces of question marks. On top of the pile sits the word 'what' in capital letters.

In my previous posts I put forward the first two of (what I believe are) three key attributes of any Learning Technologist (LT): kindness to yourself and others and (using the analogy of active noise cancellation) the ability to make sense of trends in technology and their impact on teaching, learning and assessment. 

In what I guess is now a series, I ask what’s next and what comes after attitude and knowledge? For me, the answer is tools, and one tool in particular – The Question.

Is asking questions the most essential tool an LT has available?

The ability to ask the right ones at the right times to the right people is a skill, therefore like (nearly) any skill it can be acquired, practised and used in any scenario facing an LT. To explore the utility of questions, I’ll use three themes of LT work; technology, pedagogy, and strategy.

Technology: What happens when we don’t know the answer?

A common feeling amongst LTs (and likely similar roles) when we first start is one which I’m sure you’ll all recognise: frustration at not knowing all the answers. I’ve been there, I know our team of LTs have been there and I have little doubt future LTs in EE (Educational Enhancement) will have the same feeling. There’s only so much onboarding and official training one can do; sometimes you just need to get stuck in and give it a go. Embrace the chaos, remember? 

…if you think you’ve asked enough, ask another…

The problem is, how do we help someone when we don’t know the answer?

The solution: Ask questions. Lots of them. And if you think you’ve asked enough, ask another. Ask many questions – of your colleagues, of yourself, of the internet, of the people coming to you with the query… In scenarios where we need to support someone on an unfamiliar process, we can still probe the issue and gather intel to help us ask the right questions of our experienced colleagues.

For example:

  • When does the issue happen?
  • Is it happening to everyone?
  • Can you give me an example?
  • Has it happened before?
  • Who reported it?

These questions don’t require any knowledge of the process or the platforms, but they’ll get you closer to understanding where an answer might be.

Pedagogy: How can we clarify what’s needed?

Imagine you’re asked about supporting a module convenor to improve student satisfaction on the module. They want to improve engagement during contact hours and create a better sense of community amongst the students. There is a lot to unpack here, so where do you start?

With questions of course! Are students saying they feel a lack of community or are they not turning up to lectures (which is often – rightly or wrongly – used as an indicator of engagement)? Or is this being assumed through stats on VLE usage, for example? Each one of these has different routes to explore potential resolutions but only by asking clarifying questions can we know which route to take.

Even then, we still need to find out more before we can start to suggest solutions. We need the parameters for any interventions; the level of skills that exist within them or their students. We might need to come back to the LOs. What are the students saying about the module? Is this written somewhere? What has been tried already? Is there anything they’ve seen elsewhere they’d like to try? And so on.

Strategy: When is the right time to question everything?

When it comes to conversations around conventions, processes, updates, initiatives, future developments, or (perhaps especially) when you hear the phrase, “but this is how we’ve always done it”, typically the only answer is to question everything with my two personal favourites: “Why?” and “What if?”

To be clear, I don’t mean super broad, super long-term organisational strategy stuff here (though it does also apply). For this, we’re still focusing on the day-to-day of a Learning Technologist and our direct areas of influence. I mean the times when we get involved in updating processes, best practice, curriculum design, best use of the VLE, that kind of stuff. 

When horizon scanning for opportunities as technologies develop, it is useful constantly to revisit these conversations with a “What if?” or a “Why?” For example, we wanted our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) to be as accessible, easy to navigate and as inclusive as possible for students, but we also wanted it to be easy to update and manage for staff. To achieve this we have module templates but there is still an inconsistent experience across schools and devices and some elements are difficult to update.  So our LTs – ever excellent and ever questioning – noted the ability to auto-apply templates in Canvas and, as a team, asked “Why can’t we force-apply the template to all modules? What if all schools had a consistent, easy to update, accessible template?” This in turn led to a review of the Canvas pages, prompting further questions such as “Why do we need all that stuff on the home page?” Such questions also help us identify the opportunity costs of not doing stuff: What if we don’t make our sites more consistently applied and more accessible?

Is it that simple?

Yes, I think it is. It is likely your LT is asking more questions with you than you are of them. Whilst that might feel counter-intuitive, it tells you that they are doing their job very well.

So, how good are questions? In my view they are very good indeed. After all, questions help us:

  • When we don’t know the answer and give us agency in situations where we might feel helpless.
  • Unpack complex, ambiguous queries, enabling us to provide more sustainable and more appropriate guidance. 
  • Interrogate existing practice as and when new technologies arise. This should be a constant activity in the minds of an LT. 

Kindness, sense-making and the ability to ask the right questions. That right there, in my humble opinion, is the secret sauce of a great LT. 

Are there any you would add, do you disagree with any of these, I’d be very interested in your thoughts, let us know in the comments. Remember – be kind…

Posted in Educational Enhancement, Learning Technologies, Professional Development

The University of Sussex Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice Launch Event

Posted on by Helen Morley

by Helen Morley, Learning Technologist, University of Sussex

Few things have dominated the conversations in Higher Education like the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence has, and the past eighteen months have been ringing with the topic. From the whats, to the whys (and why nots), through the hows and the whens, so many of us want to know more about these exciting tools and if – or rather how – they will impact our work.

An image created with generative artificial intelligence, showing slightly uncanny-looking university students in a futuristic campus. Large drones fly in the sky overhead and a robot is in the foreground, being studied by a student with a clipboard.
George Robinson used Adobe Firefly to create this AI image using the prompts: university, AI, community.

The Educational Enhancement team at Sussex has been a key contributor to these conversations; we have researched and reported on the opportunities and challenges across the university and have delivered sessions to familiarise colleagues with the tools, including how they could be adopted to benefit staff and students.

In December we launched our Community of Practice with an in-person event (live streamed for colleagues who required it) on campus. It was a drizzly day and we were overjoyed to have so many people join us. The launch was so popular we actually ran out of tea, which is a misdemeanour we promise never to repeat!

We started with some time to mingle over the mince pies before George Robinson (Senior Learning Technologist) and Dr Sam Hemsley (Academic Developer) introduced the project. They shared information about what the EE team had been doing, what we were witnessing in other universities, and what Sussex colleagues had told us about their own perceived AI literacy. Professor Michael Luck (Deputy VC and Provost) then set some further context by giving both a whistlestop tour of recent AI history and his own impressions of how Sussex was embracing the technology from his perspective as a new member of our community with particular interest and expertise in the field. I think many of us were surprised to learn just how rooted in AI the University of Sussex has been over the decades, including hosting the third annual conference on Simulation and Adaptive Behaviour back in 1994.

A group of participants in the AI Community of Practice launch event, photographed from behind. At the top-right of the photo, Professor Luck is standing and presenting. A slide projected on the wall shows a newspaper headline that reads "A.I. 'Could Wipe Out Humanity'".
Dozens of Sussex staff attended the launch of the AI Community of Practice held in the Open Learning Space in the Library in December 2024. Here is Professor Michael Luck, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Sussex and founding Director of King’s College London’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence, giving a whistle-stop tour of the recent history of Artificial Intelligence.
Photo: Dr Katie Piatt, Educational Enhancement.

We were really fortunate to have members of teaching staff volunteer to share their experiences and ideas of using AI in their work and we heard from three of them, representing a good range of subject area and focus. These “lightning talks” were: 

  • “Teaching about AI in society” by Chirantan Chatterjee;
  • “Using generative AI in assessment” by Giovanni Contreras Garcia; and
  • “Exploring the role of AI tools and their potential impact on international students” by Hengyi Wang.

Professor Chirantan Chatterjee teaches Artificial Intelligence and Policies for Technological Revolutions in the University of Sussex Business School; his talk gave us a view into how the ethics of AI are taught which gave all attendees food for thought regarding our own use of the technology.

Dr Giovanni Contreras Garcia teaches Product Design in the School of Engineering and Informatics. His talk explained how students use AI to create sketches for their projects which they evaluate and adapt to suit their purpose. This is an interesting point to consider in subject like product design where a lot of time can be spent trying to draft and tweak ideas at a much slower rate than the ideas come. It seems that using AI to support with this process allows the students to think more dynamically.

Hengyi Wang is the EDI Champion in USBS and a Senior Academic Success Advisor.  Her talk was a concise exploration of how International Students in particular are using AI to access course material and improve their work for submission. Hengyi relayed how for many students the use of assistive AI is considered the norm and the tools are not used subversively or dishonestly. This valuable insight was deservedly one of the final words on the subject that day: the students are already making use of AI to supplement their studies and it’s time we learn how to do so also.

The next University of Sussex AI CoP meeting will be on 18th March. Sign up here to let us know you’re coming. The meeting will focus on sharing approaches to talking with students about AI for learning and assessment. Email EE@sussex.ac.uk if you’d like to give a short (5 minute) lighting talk on the topic!

We asked what people wanted from the CoP and what they could bring.  See the Reflective Padlet with responses from attendees. See also our Collaborative Padlet with examples, articles and ideas for AI in Higher Education.

The AI and academic integrity guidance page has been updated new module and assessment levels statements on the permissible use of generative AI outputs in assessment submissions.

Educational Enhancement have AI and education related workshops scheduled over the next few weeks, notably ‘Assessment in an AI World’ and ‘Talking with Students about AI’.

To find out more about Educational Enhancement, please visit: staff.sussex.ac.uk/teaching/enhancement

Posted in AI, AI CoP, Educational Enhancement, Learning Technologies, Technology Enhanced Learning

Digital Superpowers: A Tale of Tech Guardians and Code Suppressors

Posted on by Rachael Thomas

by Rachael Thomas, Learning Technologist, University of Sussex

In the heart of Sussex something extraordinary is happening. A few times each term a unique assembly occurs. Learning technologists and digital team members from various educational establishments across the region gather not just to meet but to embark on a mission. Their quest? To harness technology’s full potential in supporting teaching and learning in higher education. 

At a recent Christmas meetup hosted by Brighton Metropolitan College, I had the privilege of leading a discussion unlike any other. Our topic: how to elevate digital skills among academic staff. In the dynamic landscape of higher education this isn’t merely a nice-to-have. It’s the lifeline of modern academia, ensuring its vibrancy and relevance in the digital age. As online and blended learning become more prevalent, mastering digital skills is akin to wielding a compass in uncharted territories. 

Mastering digital tools is akin
to wielding a compass in uncharted territories

Rather than opting for the usual panel discussion, I decided to add a twist. Imagine a world where digital skills are the beacon of progress and empowerment, now threatened by a sinister plot. Enter our narrative: The Code Suppressors, supervillains whose diabolical plan involves eradicating digital literacy, leaving humanity at their mercy through a device called the Mind Matrix Inhibitor. 

Opposing them are the Tech Guardians: superheroes with unique digital skill superpowers, embarking on a quest to reverse the Inhibitors’ effects. The fate of humanity lies in this epic struggle. 

As the group gathered, each participant chose a superhero mask. Those donning red, yellow, or white masks became Tech Guardians; the rest, adorned in black, green, blue, or pink, transformed into Code Suppressors. Each team had 15 minutes to identify their superpowers – for the Tech Guardians, it meant skills, tools, and knowledge to develop digital skills; for the Code Suppressors, it involved identifying barriers to digital skills enhancement. 

The Tech Guardians boasted powers like the Digital Accessibility Wand and the Cloak of Simplicity, which grants its wearer the ability to craft simple, easy-to-understand instructions. They also wielded the Good Practice Generator, inspiring others with effective use cases. 

Meanwhile, the Code Suppressors had their own arsenal: The Lurgy Laser inducing staff illness, the Time-sucker Black Hole representing the ever-present challenge of insufficient time, and The Habitual Cyclone, symbolising resistance to change. 

What ensued was an epic battle…

What ensued was an epic battle. Each time the Code Suppressors attacked with a barrier, the Tech Guardians countered with a digital skill solution. Of course, this interactive duel wasn’t just about winning; it was a creative way to foster discussion, share experiences and seek solutions collaboratively to enhance digital skills. 

Through this engaging and imaginative approach, we not only identified strategies to overcome common obstacles but also realised that we were all facing similar challenges. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants found it a fun and engaging way to promote discussion, felt more connected to the community, and left with actionable suggestions to enhance digital skills in their respective institutions. 

In the end, our gathering was more than just a meeting; it was a vivid illustration of how creativity and collaboration can make the journey of learning and adapting to new technologies in higher education not just necessary, but exciting and deeply rewarding too. As we continue to navigate the evolving digital landscape of higher education, let’s remember the lessons learned from our superhero journey: with the right mindset, tools, and collaborative spirit, we can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation. 

If you would like support to improve your Digital Skills, please contact EducationalEnhancement@sussex.ac.uk 

We acknowledge the use of ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com/ on 26/01/2024 to generate materials that were included in this post in modified form. The prompts used include expanding and enhancing provided text. The output from these prompts was used to improve the language of the article. 

Posted in AI, Educational Enhancement, Learning Technologies

Academic Developers: February Roundup

Posted on by Simona Connelly
Pink background, with a megaphone, mobile phone, pencil, magnifying glass, lightbulb and the YouTube logo

Curriculum Framework ready for consultation

A Curriculum Framework for Sussex is in development as part of Curriculum Reimagined. The working document has been created from stakeholder engagement, dedicated open meetings and working groups.  There are elements that will need to be added as Curriculum Reimagined continues (particularly in relation to assessments).

We would encourage everyone to take a look, particularly at the draft Curriculum Principles from page 6, which will guide future course design and review. Is there anything missing? Can these principles be contextualised to your disciplines? Please provide feedback to the Curriculum Reimagined team – curriculumreimagined@sussex.ac.uk

The framework can be found on the Teaching pages (just underneath the white boxes) Teaching : Staff Hub : University of Sussex.

Workshops and web guidance

Each month we feature a workshop from our menu of staff development workshops, all of which can be tailored for course teams, departments and schools. If you want us to facilitate a bespoke workshop to support making changes to your programme, or to try a new teaching or assessment approach in your module team, email us to find out more.

This month’s featured workshop is ‘Alternative Assessments’. 

This workshop:

  • Explores the benefits and challenges of designing and implementing alternative assessments. 
  • A range of options for diversifying assessments, 
  • How these changes may improve student experience and make assessments more AI resilient. 

Other Educational Enhancement (EE) workshops scheduled for Semester 2 include Applying for promotion on the scholarship track (Thursday 8 February 11:00 until 12:30).  Book your place via Eventbrite

Go to our  events, workshops and seminars page to find out more and register for upcoming workshops.

We’ve also added new guidance to our website on:

Teaching Methods:

  • Teaching sensitive subjects
  • Building student engagement
  • Inclusive teaching
  • Supporting academic writing

Curriculum Design:

  • Education for Sustainable Development

Sussex Education Festival 2024

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Education Festival here at Sussex, we are now planning this year’s event. We’re scheduling a two-day programme with talks, workshops and interactive sessions from Wednesday 10th to Thursday 11th of July. Watch this space for a Call for Papers, and save the date now!

Sussex Education Awards 2024

Voting is now open for the Education Awards, which are an opportunity for staff and students to recognise members of Professional Services or academic staff who have had a positive impact on our community.   Don’t delay, vote today!

2nd AI CoP: Monday 18th March, 14:00-15:30

The next meeting of the Teaching and Learning with AI Community of Practice (AI CoP) will focus on sharing approaches to talking with students about AI for learning and assessment. Save the date for now and look out for details and joining instructions.

Learning Matters

We published three new case studies this month on Learning Matters that explore student engagement, authentic assessment and optionality in assessment modes. We also featured a short article by Dr Jo Wilson that discusses the pedagogical rationale for flexible assessment.

Introducing optionality in assessment

Using Vevox in the classroom

Developing authentic assessment for learning

“It equals the playing field” student reflections on introducing optionality

Posted in Academic Development, Educational Enhancement, Monthly Round-ups

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We are the Educational Enhancement team at the University of Sussex. We publish posts each fortnight about the use of technology to support teaching and learning. Read more about us.

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