Navigating difficulties teaching in a new online world. Teaching at a university often feels like a forgotten role. However, teaching has become an unexpected love story that has formed alongside our studies. We are two PhD students who teach while also conducting our research. As this term comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting and … Continue reading “Teaching during Covid – Kathleen Murphy-Hollies and Maggie Hardiman”
Start NOW – Perfect LATER – Moving into Digital Teaching and Learning by Jane Sjoberg
The current Covid-19 crisis is quickly changing the way we perceive, use and rely on technology. Alternative approaches e.g. to assessment, research activity, teaching and learning and face-to-face meetings, are being worked through. Change is a constant feature as we all (staff and students) struggle to keep up with the latest decisions and situations. Professional … Continue reading “Start NOW – Perfect LATER – Moving into Digital Teaching and Learning by Jane Sjoberg”
Creating a community around digital through the Birmingham Digital Exchange – Professor Jean-Baptiste Cazier
Birmingham Digital Exchange (BDx) is an ongoing conversation about digital technologies in our work, our disciplines and our learning and teaching, across the University of Birmingham. It is the product of a successful Educational Enhancement Fund bid, the brainchild of Professor Jean-Baptiste Cazier (Director of the Centre for Computational Biology) and Professor David Parker (Professor of … Continue reading “Creating a community around digital through the Birmingham Digital Exchange – Professor Jean-Baptiste Cazier”
Education 4.0: Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education – Joe Berry
Education 4.0 is the term given to a nexus of new and pervasive technologies that is predicted to impact higher education in many ways. Robotics, mixed reality, and hyper connectivity all have a part to play, but it is artificial intelligence, fed by big data and machine learning, that has gained the most headlines. Bolton … Continue reading “Education 4.0: Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education – Joe Berry”
Personal Academic Tutoring – Dionne Barton
At the University of Birmingham, every undergraduate and taught postgraduate has a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT). The role of the PAT is to support academic progress and personal development throughout a student’s University career (University of Birmingham, Code of Practice for Personal Academic Tutors, 2019). Personal Academic Tutoring is an anchor for students; it puts … Continue reading “Personal Academic Tutoring – Dionne Barton”
MöbiusLab – Thomas Murphy
Various forms of automated assessment including the familiar MCQs are available through systems such as Canvas and are used daily across the STEM subjects. Up to 40% of assessed work in a given year of a STEM degree is laboratory based, and existing automated assessment systems require correct answers to be pre-determined and therefore can’t … Continue reading “MöbiusLab – Thomas Murphy”
What part can data play in design for learning and teaching? – Adam Matthews (Educational Enterprise)
The HEFi19 conference looks to the 4th industrial revolution and how the development of artificial intelligence and automation continues to take advantage of big data to change not only higher education but also graduate employment. What implications does this have for learning and teaching in higher education? The options are endless and how these current … Continue reading “What part can data play in design for learning and teaching? – Adam Matthews (Educational Enterprise)”
Learning and teaching in a digitally connected world: Connectivism – Adam Matthews (External Relations)
In a digital world, information is everywhere, in a mobile phone, a fitness tracker and our brains. Not a science fiction film but the learning theory of connectivism. The HEFi19 conference looks to the 4th Industrial Revolution and how the development of artificial intelligence and automation continues to take advantage of big data to change … Continue reading “Learning and teaching in a digitally connected world: Connectivism – Adam Matthews (External Relations)”
How can you make your digital learning resources more accessible and inclusive? Ian Wells (Educational Enterprise)
Has a student approached you and asked why you were making it difficult for them to read your digital learning resources? It happened to me a few years ago, working as an E-learning Designer and Developer. The contact came by way of a telephone call to my desk after a particularly stressful week completing the … Continue reading “How can you make your digital learning resources more accessible and inclusive? Ian Wells (Educational Enterprise)”
Inclusivity and Quantum Mechanics?
I teach a core third year module on quantum mechanics – not surprisingly the majority of the time is spent developing the formalism, which is ‘beautiful’ mathematically – and conceptually challenging. The extraordinary physics breakthroughs we study were mostly achieved by (now dead) white men: till last summer I had just recognised these truly impressive … Continue reading “Inclusivity and Quantum Mechanics?”