What is a Learning Technologist and how a train to Huddersfield helped me find the answer

Posted on by Daniel Axson
Blue headphones being held over yellow background with cord trailing.

In my last post I said I’d be exploring more on the topic of what is a Learning Technologist (LT). There has been a lot of excellent work on this of course, detailing the varied and complex roles, tasks, job titles and activities of an LT. This is not a repeat of all that work, rather an attempt at summarising the role of a Learning Technologist with an analogy and I think I found it, on a train to Huddersfield.

Blue headphones being held over yellow background with cord trailing.
Photo by Alex Gruber on Unsplash

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).

It was only very recently I experienced ANC for the first time. On a train bound for Huddersfield, trying to focus on work in a noisy carriage, cue ANC. Wow, my first thought was ‘where has this been all my life’, second was how the announcements of the train conductor still came through, letting me know the shop was open or which stop was next. This may have been a ‘feature’ of my budget friendly ANC headphones, but it worked a treat, all the background noise was filtered out and still got the important noise. 

Alright Dan, get on with it, how is that like a Learning Technologist, I hear you ask.

As Learning Technologists we work across 3 very noisy spaces:

  • Educational (and consumer) technology
  • The complex and slow moving higher education regulatory landscape
  • Teaching, learning and assessment trends in higher education

Our role is to take in the ambient noise of these, work with our colleagues to make sense of them and pass through the important or useful information. In short, make sure effective strategies for using technology in teaching, learning and assessment are heard loud and clear.

Yes, I’m going to talk about generative AI

Given that it is a currently a week in 2023, we’ll use generative AI as an example. It provides a great example of the types of noise we deal with. Not a week goes by that dozens of new generative AI ‘solutions’ both good and bad are peddled by edtech companies, major tech companies or some random person on Reddit. Each of these promise to solve specific problems. Collectively however, they create more questions and more noise: what to listen to, who to listen to, what should I know and what should I be worried about. Ultimately, what does this mean for me in my classroom.

I’m sorry to say, this blog post isn’t going to answer any of those questions right now, rather they highlight the types of noise we can assist in cancelling out. Of course the above can be true of any specific technology, but with the AI example we might say (through our web pages), ‘no, don’t trust that tool’, ‘this is what’s coming’ or ‘here are some ideas for using the tools you have available’ and ‘here’s how to talk to your students about it’.

LTs are the experts in education technology noise cancellation, it’s our job to make sense of trends, to understand them, to test them, to be critical of them and to advocate for them as necessary. We champion the stuff we genuinely believe will be valuable for your teaching toolset. So, when it all gets a bit much or you’re not sure where to start, use us – turn your LT ANC on and enjoy the peace for a bit. Whether it’s generative AI, using Panopto, immersive technologies or in class polling, your Learning Technologist can help you cut though the noise.

A word of caution

Leaving ANC on for too long can be risky, you might become too reliant and when it’s not available, struggle to make sense of the noise by yourself! Yes, you guessed it, I’m talking about digital skills here. It’s super important that we each develop the capacity to critically evaluate and make sense of education and consumer technology developments. Just as important is how you signal the importance of this skill to your students. In the same way you would for your discipline specific knowledge, your students will have your subject ANC turned way up to 11 in year one, but come graduation, you’ll have weaned your students off it.

So there you have it, the question I’ve been struggling with for most of my career, explaining what a Learning Technologist does to friends who don’t work in education (and some who do): we’re active noise cancellation for teachers.

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Posted in AI, digital skills, Learning Technologies

Launch of the University of Sussex AI Community of Practice

Posted on by Simona Connelly
a group of toy robots
Photo by Eric Krull on Unsplash 

Educational Enhancement are excited to announce the launch of a Teaching and Learning with Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice (AI CoP). Here I’ll explain why, in addition to the many brilliant groups and networks within Sussex and beyond, we’re launching our own AI CoP, details of the first CoP meeting on 4th December, and how to get involved.

What is a Community of Practice?

Chat GPT tells us that an educational community of practice (CoP), “refers to a group of educators, teachers, students, and administrators who come together around a shared interest in a particular educational domain or area of practice. The goal is to collaboratively improve teaching practices, enhance student learning experiences, and foster professional development within the educational community.” 

Why an AI Community of Practice at Sussex?

Since the launch of the first free-to-use generative AI tools in the winter of 2022, universities, governments, individuals and organisations have been reflecting (with varying degrees of interest, excitement or concern) about AI’s impact on how we live, work and learn.  

Universities and HE quality assurance agencies and regulators in the UK and across the globe have responded in broadly the same way, clarifying academic regulations and providing guidance on how staff and students might use these tools safely, ethically and also creatively. See, for example: 

Also, more than ever, practitioners have been sharing their concerns, along with examples of how they are adapting their teaching, learning and assessment, both to mitigate the worst impacts of AI and to re-think what and why they teach and the purpose of assessment.  See, for example: 

We’ve been collecting all of these resources, and many more, on the University of Sussex Teaching with AI collaborative Padlet.  

Eight examples of AI use in education
Image of resources on UoS Teaching with AI Collaborative Padlet 

However, a collaborative Padlet simply isn’t enough.  

For example, look at the Russel Group of Universities’ five principles, created to help universities ensure students and staff are ‘AI literate’:  

  1. Universities will support students and staff to become AI-literate. 
  2. Staff should be equipped to support students to use generative AI tools effectively and appropriately in their learning experience. 
  3. Universities will adapt teaching and assessment to incorporate the ethical use of generative AI and support equal access. 
  4. Universities will ensure academic rigour and integrity is upheld. 
  5. Universities will work collaboratively to share best practice as the technology and its application in education evolves. 

What ‘AI literacy’ or ‘effective use’ and so on might mean and how these principles will be enacted remains hotly debated, poorly understood and effectively untested. This exemplifies how the impact of generative AI on education can be defined as a wicked problem. Such problems are complex, hard to define, are intractable (they have no stopping point), there are no elegant solutions or right or wrong way of solving them, they are intertwined with many other problems and responses to them may have unforeseen impacts.   

Leadership researcher Keith Grint argues that the more uncertain we are about the solution to a problem, the more wicked it is, the more we need collaborative leadership and many experimental and ‘clumsy’ solutions. We hope that the AI community of practice will create the space needed within Sussex for such solutions and leadership to emerge. A space within which people can ask questions, stay updated with the latest developments, build networks and contribute to the overall advancement of teaching and learning at Sussex and beyond.  

How will the AI CoP work? 

The first meeting of the AI Community of Practice will take place 14:00-15:30 on 4th December 2023 in the University Library Open Access Space (on the ground floor just past the Library help desk). Please come along early to avail yourself of tea/coffee and, maybe, some mince pies. You’re also welcome to listen along online if you need to.   

Our new Provost, Professor Michael Luck, the founding Director of King’s College London’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence, will kick off the first meeting, in which we also plan to share briefly some insights into the journey of the sector and University so far and some quick-fire examples of practice within Sussex. We will also facilitate a discussion of where colleagues are now, what they need most from the community and approaches we can take within the CoP to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.    

Share your great practice: 

If you’re trying something new with AI in your teaching or assessment, and are happy to share your experience in a 5-minute lighting talk at the December CoP, then please get in touch! 

Can’t attend?

We hope to see you there! 

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

Virtual Learning Environments – a parent’s perspective

Posted on by Rachael Thomas
view down a long straight road between autumnal trees
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

My first year at Sussex as a Learning Technologist has been a transformative journey, enriched by the parallel experience of supporting my daughter through her inaugural year at a different university. This dual perspective has underscored the critical importance of an accessible and user-friendly Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), or online study platform, for every student’s academic journey. The VLE used at Sussex is Canvas, but other examples include Moodle, Google Workspace for Education, Blackboard, to name but a few.

As a parent, I naturally want the best possible university experience for my daughter. And let’s be honest, a clunky VLE is like trying to navigate a maze blindfolded – not exactly the smooth start we hope to provide for new students.   A well organised, consistent and accessible VLE with up-to-date content can make a world of difference to the student experience.

My daughter has mild dyslexia and visual stress. Reading on a screen sometimes feels like deciphering ancient hieroglyphs for her. Plus, being part of the pandemic-battling student cohort, like many of her peers, her stress and anxiety levels have been unusually high.

When she started using her university’s VLE, she was overwhelmed by the amount of information presented to her. She found it confusing that some of the content was out of date, and there were contradictory versions of the same information. We also found that some of the required reading had been photocopied from a book, so she could not use a screen reader to help her read the text. 

She sometimes found it challenging to find information about assessments and how to submit work. This caused a lot of additional stress, especially when she was trying to meet deadlines. 

She is studying on a joint honours course, which means she is exposed to two different schools’ VLE pages. Each has its own style and format, and she finds it confusing to switch between the two, as she needs to refamiliarise herself with where to find vital information.

There were positive aspects to my daughter’s experience of using the VLE. Contact details for all her tutors, as well as extremely helpful staff in the school office, were very well signposted. This reduced her stress during holiday periods, when she needed to find support or guidance in the absence of her tutors. She has also been signposted to some amazing support services and study skills via the VLE when she has needed help.

Based on this experience, I offer these tips to enhance the VLE experience for all students:

  • Prioritise accessibility: utilise tools like the Canvas accessibility checker to ensure all content is accessible to every student, regardless of their needs.
  • Implement consistent templates: provide a unified user experience by applying school templates, making the VLE intuitive and easy to navigate.
  • Clear instructions and guidance: offer concise instructions on using the VLE, submitting work and accessing feedback.
  • Facilitate communication: ensure students can easily reach out to those who can offer them guidance and support.
  • Maintain up-to-date content: regularly update information to guarantee accuracy and relevance, sparing students the confusion of outdated materials.
  • Streamline content structure: organise content in a way that enables students to swiftly locate essential information and support resources.
  • Verify content availability: utilise tools such as the Link Validator on Canvas to confirm that all linked content is available to students.

By heeding these recommendations, we can create a VLE environment that empowers every student to thrive academically, whatever their needs or circumstances. Working together, we can build a learning experience that is inclusive, supportive, and enriching for all. If you would like any help or support to update your Canvas module pages, please contact your school’s learning technologist, or email EducationalEnhancement@sussex.ac.uk

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Posted in Accessibility, Canvas

Academic Developers October round up

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

Upcoming events

Globally Networked Learning: Discovery Day

Wednesday 18th October 12:00 until 13:30 

Do you teach modules that involve international topics? Would your students benefit from engaging with international students and peers? Would you like to enrich your curriculum through new intercultural interactions and global perspectives? Then join Global Engagement and Educational Enhancement for a workshop about Globally Networked Learning. View our webpage for more information. 

Getting Started with Scholarship 

Tuesday 24 October 11:00 until 12:30 

In this session Prof. Wendy Garnham will introduce you to: 

  • how scholarship is defined and the widening sphere of influence  
  • SoTL resources at Sussex and in the wider sector  
  • areas of interest in HE Scholarship  
  • output opportunities   

Book your place on Eventbrite. 

Developing Inclusive Learning Communities in Teaching 

Thursday 26 October 13:00 until 15:00 

Katrina Jia and Catherine Rogers lead this workshop, which is an initiative stemming from collaborative work of colleagues in MAH International Student Experience Working Group. It will help participants gain deeper insights into the experiences of our international student body by reflecting on their perspectives and experiences around internationalisation with the aim of fostering a more inclusive community. 

Book your place via Eventbrite 

Scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) updates and opportunities 

Learning Matters 

DARE to Transform, the University’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) blog, has changed its name and its scope to the Learning Matters scholarship forum. Visit the forum to read about the rationale for these changes and to find out how to contribute a scholarship article, blog post or case study.  

Active Learning Network 

Recordings of sessions from the 2023 Active Learning Conference are now available on the Active Learning Network YouTube channel. 

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Professions: a collaborative practice workshop

Thursday 23 November 9:30 until 15:00, venue Checkland Building, University of Brighton, Falmer Campus

Brighton and Sussex Medical School are hosting a collaborative interprofessional workshop intended to bring together academics from professional disciplines* across the Universities of Sussex and Brighton to explore the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). The aims of the workshop include:

  • To explore opportunities to work collaboratively in the SoTL space.
  • To strengthen and optimise the impact of the SoTL through collaboration.
  • To develop a shared understanding of the SoTL landscape and to establish strengths and opportunities for collaborative practice.
  • To develop a network of stakeholders across the local HIE landscape and form a community of practice.

The workshop will include two guest speakers:

  • Prof. Karen Mattick (Professor of Medical Education and Director of the Centre for Research in Professional Learning, University of Exeter) and
  • Dr Catherine McConnell (Head of Student Academic Success, University of Brighton)

There will also be a variety of small-group exercises to ascertain priorities and areas for collaboration.

Faculty with a role in leading, or interest in research into the pedagogy of their professional discipline are strongly encouraged to attend. Book your place

Education and Innovation Fund 

The first Education and Innovation Fund was launched on 21 October 2022. A total of £50,000 is available for the awards this academic year, with a maximum award of up to £5,000 per individual project. The Education and Innovation Fund is designed to provide funds for projects that explore new ideas in teaching and learning at Sussex. Read more about the fund and apply.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Teaching and Assessment at the University 

Posted in Academic Development, Educational Enhancement, Technology Enhanced Learning, Uncategorized

4 Great new features in Padlet

Posted on by George Robinson

Padlet has come a long way since it was first introduced as a teaching tool at the university with a number of updates and new features that have been added to it. In this blog post we’ll explore four recent features and explain how they can help you use Padlet within your teaching

1 – Polls!

You can now create polls directly within Padlet, these are currently restricted to multiple choice polls but can serve as a quick way of assessing your students on a question or getting a group consensus.

For example you may wish to do some brief informal knowledge assessment of your students, having some Padlet polls which give them some MCQ questions they can use to test their understanding of a subject.

In terms of getting group consensus you might want to get students to pick an area they’d like to focus on next.

2 – AI image generation, i.e. I can’t draw

Have you ever spent time trying to find the perfect image for your teaching materials, or indeed found that you couldn’t find an image that matched what you wanted? Well those are now problems of the past as image generation has now appeared within Padlet!

When creating a Padlet post you can select the option “I can’t draw” which will allow you to then write a text based prompt, an image will then be generated based on this prompt.

In the below example images I wrote a prompt for “a seagull eating chips” and then “A squirrel in formal attire” which quickly produced the below images. These are the sorts of images that would either be beyond my ability to create or would have taken huge chunks of time to either create or track down online and that wouldn’t have been worth the investment of time vs the value to learning in most cases, but by getting the AI to create these images it only takes me a minute or two to write the prompt and download the image.

2 of AI generated art, 1st image is a seagull eating chips, the 2nd image is a squirrel in formal attire.

This quick way of creating images can be fantastic if you’d like to literally illustrate a point, provide a visual metaphor or use an image to provoke questions or a debate.  Students can also use this feature to generate images in the same manner, you could incorporate this into activities i.e. asking students to create an image that summarises their thoughts on a question or concept.

3 – Schedule posts

It’s now possible to schedule Padlet posts, this means that rather then a post appearing immediately you can choose a specific date and time for the post to appear, this could be useful if you have a Padlet you use over a semester and wished to have weekly content appear to students at the start of each week. Rather then having to manually go in and post each time you can instead have a post appear automatically at the set time/date.

This could also be useful if you wanted to use Padlet within a session and wanted answers or expanded information to appear part way through the lesson.

This feature can also be used by students, this could be useful in cases where you might want students to individually write out a response to a post but you don’t want everyone else to necessarily see it at the same time i.e. if you didn’t want students to influence each others answers by seeing what people are posting immediately. In a case like this you could get all students to schedule their posts to appear in say 10 minutes time when they’d all appear together.

4 – AI powered moderation

There can be cases where students may abuse the ability to have anonymity when posting to leave inappropriate comments or materials, particularly when you are dealing with large cohorts, previously this would have been a choice between either trusting that no-one would post such a comment or expanding a vast amount of time manually moderating all the comments yourself (which is impractical most of the time). But now there is a third option, using the new Auto detection feature, this will use AI to attempt to automatically moderate posts, any that the AI detects will be flagged up to you for moderation where you can then decide if it can be approved or not. In this way you can attempt moderation with large amounts of students if required in a more sustainable fashion.

Conclusion

Hopefully you’ve found one or more of these new features interesting and can apply them within your teaching, if you’d like any help using Padlet please get in touch with Educational Enhancement at EducationalEnchanment@sussex.ac.uk

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Posted in Learning Technologies

AI in Teaching and Assessment: October 2023 update

Posted on by Katie Piatt
Decorative image. A close up of a toy robot.
Photo by Tincho Franco on Unsplash 

Welcome to the first of, what we anticipate will become, regular (monthly-ish) updates on new developments in AI and Higher Education.  

As this is the first such blog post, and one which comes at the end of a summer which has seen some significant developments in the Higher Education sector and UK government response to generative AI, this is something of a bumper edition.  

But first, let me update you on developments within Sussex.  

What is the Sussex response? 

In summary, the University is taking the approach that: 

“through innovative, authentic, and appropriate assessment design, along with staff and student education, we can continue to measure attainment through a wide range of assessments.  

 “We don’t need to revert to in-person exams: this is a great opportunity for the sector to explore new assessment techniques that measure learners on critical thinking, problem solving and reasoning skills rather than essay-writing abilities” (JISC, 2023) ”  

UoS Statement on Advances in Technology and Academic Integrity, March 2023

What does this mean in practice? 

For more information about the University of Sussex response, see the newly updated guidance on the AI in teaching and assessment section of the Educational Enhancement website. In developing these pages, we liaised with colleagues from AQP, Academic Regulations, Skills Hub, Careers & Entrepreneurship, the Library, and with academic colleagues across the University to ensure our message is consistent with the wider institution and reflects sector best practice. The screen shot below shows the links on the main page, which also provides a full list of the support we offer to Sussex colleagues and links to some of our favourite resources elsewhere on the web. 

A screenshot of to AI in teaching and assessment webpages showing links to pages on: Uses and limitations of generative AI, AI and academic misconduct, Assessment in an AI world, Talking to students about AI
Screenshot of new AI resources page

A new ‘Advances in Technology and Academic Integrity Group’ has emerged from these conversations which will feed into the ongoing institutional response to generative AI and more. Also, Educational Enhancement has contributed an update on AI to briefings for module convenors in MAH on academic misconduct (and are happy to do the same for others).  

We are also poised to launch an AI Community of Practice for the university. Look out for announcements and/or email EducationalEnhancement@sussex.ac.uk and ask to be added to the mailing list. 

We ran, last week, the first of our workshops for staff on ‘Assessment in an AI world’ and have another session planned for Monday 9th October (see ‘What’s on this month’, below for links). 

Updates from the HE sector 

The Sussex response to generative AI is in-keeping with much of the sector. For example, here are a few headlines from the last few months: 

AI detection software dies a quiet death: In June, Open AI, the creators of ChatGPT quietly withdrew their AI detection software due to its low rate of accuracy (poor detection rates and many false positives).  In fact, there are no independently validated tools that can reliably and accurately detect generative AI-produced material.  This isn’t the only reason we ask colleagues not to use such tools. Doing so means uploading student work to unsupported and unregulated sites. We don’t have their permission to do so and we would just be further feeding the beast.  

AI detectors are biased: In July, researchers from Stanford published the results of their research demonstrating that GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers  

Russell Group principles on use of AI in education: Also published in July, the Russell Group’s new set of principles seek to shape institution and course-level work to support the ethical and responsible use of generative AI. The five principles recognise the need for the sector to: support students and staff to become AI-literate; use generative AI tools effectively and appropriately; adapt teaching and assessment to incorporate the ethical and equitable use of generative AI; ensure academic rigour and integrity is upheld; and work collaboratively to share best practice as the technology and its application in education evolves. 

Happily, the principle of collaborative working and sharing best practice has been with us from the start. Like us, many universities have been busy updating their guidance for staff and students over the summer, often under a creative commons license, which seeks to build staff and student AI literacy and provide clarity of academic integrity and ethics related to its’ use. See, for example, new guidance published by University College London, Kings College London, Sydney university (the latter also provides a handy summary of a selection more common AI tools and their pros and cons). Examples of great practice are also being shared via a host of international networks and webinars. See our Teaching with AI collaborative padlet and links to upcoming events below….  

The QAA response to the DfE consultation on generative AI in education: Published on 7th September, the QAA response makes for a challenging read. They explain how, over time, human-Ai writing will be considered the norm and argue the sector will need to reconsider what it means by ‘plagiarism’ and associated academic misconduct and that the sector may need to re-think or re-establish the baseline level of achievements students are capable of in order to maintain the integrity of the grade classification system. Also, while the Russell group Principles manage to side step the issue of a return to in person exams, the QAA: 

“warn against any knee-jerk reactions to the re-design of assessments that see a return to in-person, invigilated exams as the predominant form of assessment, as it has been shown to be a poor reflection of student ability, inaccessible for many with disabilities and additional needs, and not adequately preparing students for the workplace.” 

(see the QAA website for guidance on how to address some of these challenges) 

What’s on this month 

Sign up to join the Educational Enhancement ‘Assessment in an AI world online workshop’, (online) on Monday 9th October, 14:00-15:30.  

Join the ‘Empowering Tomorrow: Unleashing Creativity through Generative AI’ conference, being run by the University of Kent, 18th October, 14:00-19:00. Joining links for sessions can be found on the conference programme. See also Kent’s back catalogue Digitally Enhanced Education Webinars, which provide short talks on practical examples of AI in education.  

And just missed, but available online – see WonkHE’s session, recorded 28th September, which asks How do students want to learn about AI? 

If you are aware of events coming up that aren’t featured here, please contact us or add them to the UoS Teaching with AI Collaborative Padlet. 

Posted in AI, Learning Technologies

It’s Been a Year!

Posted on by Helen Morley

29th September 2023 will mark one whole year since I joined the University of Sussex as a Learning Technologist. I joined the fantastic Educational Enhancement team and was informed on day one that I would be supporting Media, Arts and Humanities (MAH) and Central Foundation Year (CFY), which I think has been a very good fit.

The Learning Technologist’s role is, as per my job description, to ‘help maximise the effective use of digital technologies and transform the learning experience at Sussex’, which is no small challenge! The verb ‘transform’ is a particularly interesting one: at what point can something be said to have been ‘transformed’?

Five weeks after joining the university, I became a Sussexian when we packed up our house in Surrey and moved to a short-term let in Worthing. The hat was knitted by Anne Hole of Educational Enhancement.
© Sam Morley, Husband Extraordinaire.

I had been at Sussex for two weeks when I was given my first project, an investigation into the cheating software available online. I know what you’re thinking but no, this was only October 2022, Generative AI was but a distant whisper and didn’t feature at all in the work I, and the brilliant Tyrone Knight, did on the topic. It was Ty, incidentally, who showed me what a great team I had joined: he sourced some of the heftier articles on online plagiarism and modelled excellent teamwork by setting up a Box folder for us to collaborate. The fact that he named the folder Beatin’ Cheatin’ was a bonus.

We presented our findings to Academic Quality and Partnerships and others and now, almost a year on, I still pinch myself that the work Ty and I did directly influenced university policy.

Digital plagiarism and AI have continued to be a key element of my work. I have the pleasure of supporting the Department of Language Studies who, due to the nature of their subject and the international reach of their students, were able to recognise the potential vulnerability of their assessments and were proactive in learning more. The department really impressed me with how open they were to trying new approaches, including using OneDrive during the online Pre-Sessional course to share live documents with students around the world so they could meet the requirement to have an example of spontaneous writing from all learners.

My second big project was to respond to student feedback regarding the Canvas template used in MAH. Should you wish, you can read all about it here in my blog post from February: Considering the user experience of VLEs: reviewing our Canvas templates.

The result of this project has been very rewarding. There has been positive feedback from the MAH Student Representatives who were given sight of it before rollout. I must say here how kind and generous those student representatives were, they all found something unique to speak positively about and raised queries in a way that showed they recognised the work that had gone into the product. Sussex is lucky to have them. Staff report they have found the set-up process this year intuitive, clear and less tricky than some had anticipated. I am grateful to the colleagues who have taken the time to share their experiences and ask questions and to those who reached out when they needed help. We do not pretend that the process for setting up modules for 23/24 is as straightforward as ‘rolling over’ and we recognise and appreciate the work colleagues are undertaking to ensure the new template is a success.

My third project was to complete the Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning in HE course. To my team and my line manager Dan, who couldn’t escape my discomfort at being back in the position of learner, I can only thank you for not losing your patience with me. It was difficult, as someone with two PGCEs already, to switch my thinking to university teaching: much was familiar but then there would be something completely alien which would throw me and I would become frustrated. I’ll tell myself it was useful experience to change role as uncomfortable as it was, and I 100% believe that getting insight into how we teach at Sussex is priceless. This year I will complete the rest of the Certificate and am looking forward to joining the Graduation ceremony in the Summer. Having seen the videos of previous graduates, I wonder what I’ll do when I got on that stage.

So, that’s my three significant projects from Year One. Of course, though, those projects are not how I spend my day-to-day. My day-to-day comprises answering emails or jumping onto Teams to explain a little niggle that Canvas has thrown up and put a colleague off their path; digging into Turnitin to find out how come a piece of work that shows as submitted is nowhere to be found; taking a lap around the beautiful library when I realise I’ve been sitting for too long; investigating possible solutions to exciting queries and then feeding back with options that would work; messaging other team members at least twice a week because I still don’t know the answer to something; popping into Arts office to say ‘Hi’; some pretty rotten data tasks that I don’t enjoy at all but know that the whole team is working on and we can grumble about together; playing with tools like Padlet and Poll Everywhere; working with the wonderful Learning Technologists on planning and resourcing all the workshops we run and will run; trying to keep up with all the developments in the sector; working with Sarah Watson (Academic Developer) and our MAH colleagues on the faculty’s plans; getting distracted by the course content on a lot of modules and wishing I could enrol (especially the CFY ones which are just brilliant) and much more than I could list.

So, back to that job description: I think I do ‘help maximise the effective use of digital technologies’, although I know I still have a lot to learn. As for ‘transforming the learning experience at Sussex’ I have been honoured by how far my influence has been allowed to reach and am proud of what we’ve achieved. It’s been reciprocal though: Sussex has started to transform me too.

Posted in Uncategorized

Academic Developers September round-up

Posted on by Katie Piatt

Get Ready for the Start of TermA

Decorative image
AI image created in Padlet

If you’re not sure where to start with these updates or have any questions, get in touch with the Educational Enhancement team, who are happy to help.  

For the 23/24 Academic Year, the University of Sussex is continuing to deliver high quality Blended Learning. We will continue to prioritise delivery of teaching sessions primarily in-person, except for Online Distance Learning (ODL) courses.  

Our new Sussex Scholarship Programme 2023-24 supports academic colleagues to develop their Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), with a focus on both teaching practice and career progression. Sessions are open to all staff at the University, but are likely to be of particular interest to colleagues in Education and Scholarship roles. Scholarship case studies and articles are now available on the rebranded DARE blog, with a new name, Learning Matters.

Details on the latest schedule of workshops and other staff development opportunities can be found on the Education Enhancement website. New workshops include:  

We are pleased to announce Buddycheck, a new tool for peer evaluation, is now available for all modules thorugh Canvas. BuddyCheck is a platform for peer evaluation and can help improve outcomes from group work activity. For example, it can adjust group work marks based on contribution, or be used formatively as a prompt for reflection and a source of feedback. Speak to your Learning Technologist or Academic Developer for more information or visit our new BuddyCheck pages. 

Updated information, support and guidance on the use of Generative AI technology for teaching, learning and assessment is coming to help you navigate the complexities and the opportunities whilst maintaining academic integrity. There is also a new group set up to look specifically at how the University responds to such developments, ensuring accessibility, inclusion and academic integrity are front and centre. 

With the start of term just around the corner, now would be a good time to check over our updated module set-up guidance. Depending on the School you are in will depend on which guidance to follow, be sure to choose the correct one.

The Annual Course Review (ACR) process and associated guidance for 2023/24 is under review and will be updated in October and will be communicated via your Director of Teaching and Learning. The Course Leader Training Programme (Wednesday 6th December, 2-3:30) will focus on the new ACR process.

Finally – if you have 5 minutes, please fill in this short Skills Hub survey, to provide feedback on the use of the Skills Hub in your teaching. Thank you.

Posted in Blended learning, Events, Technology Enhanced Learning

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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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Based on a work at https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/tel/.