As a parent, I ask myself this very question…if I could influence change which could impact my own daughter’s future experience of Higher Education, what would I deem to be essential? What experiences could help provide a smoother transition into the labour market and help her become adaptable and resilient in today’s ever changing, global … Continue reading “How can we shape and design a curriculum to help future proof our graduates in the next 10+ years? A rapidly changing job market means we need to help prepare students for jobs which don’t yet exist. (Helen Hook)”
Month: February 2017
Research-led teaching? (Student Discussion in CoSS – Caroline Hetherington)
At one of our Big Conversation events, we picked out some areas which at Birmingham we think are important to the student experience and asked our students whether that rings true for them. One topic that really got people talking was research-led teaching. As a Birmingham alumna who took a keen interest in the research … Continue reading “Research-led teaching? (Student Discussion in CoSS – Caroline Hetherington)”
Part-Time, Full-Time, All-the-Time… (Charlotte Hempel)
I was delighted to overhear another big conversation about serving part-time as a senior member of the judiciary recently. In my role as Director of the Arts and Law Graduate School I spend a lot of my time thinking about how we can support Part-Time Researchers. The Part-Time route to completing a research degree is … Continue reading “Part-Time, Full-Time, All-the-Time… (Charlotte Hempel)”
The partnership between academic and professional services staff – Charlotte Jarvis
While there has always been a strong partnership between academic and professional services staff, over the last 5 years there has been more emphasis on the partnership in areas such as academic engagement and technical enhanced learning. This has seen new types of roles emerging such as student experience roles, professional services welfare tutors, technology … Continue reading “The partnership between academic and professional services staff – Charlotte Jarvis”
Tilting at the Dark Satanic (Essay) Mills
In 2026 will academia be undermined by essay mills? There is increasing worry that the growing opportunities for students to buy plagiarism-proof essays from the web will allow cheats to prosper and undermine confidence in degree classification. Concern has even reached the higher echelons, with Universities Minister Jo Johnson asking the sector to consider ways … Continue reading “Tilting at the Dark Satanic (Essay) Mills”
Supporting research based learning in a ‘born-digital’ world. Christopher Cipkin, Library Services
As technology increasingly drives the way education is delivered, the library of the future will need to rise to the challenge of collecting and archiving a wider range of digital formats – music, news media, gaming software, research data etc. We may need to adapt our library and IT infrastructure to better reflect an educational … Continue reading “Supporting research based learning in a ‘born-digital’ world. Christopher Cipkin, Library Services”
Skills for the Information Revolution. Christopher Cipkin, Library Services
Ability to access information is not the same as the ability to evaluate, synthesise and reference it, especially in this age of post-truth, alternative facts and information obesity. Academic libraries have already shifted their focus from being repositories of paper-based information to becoming services which facilitate access to digital content, whether that access is to … Continue reading “Skills for the Information Revolution. Christopher Cipkin, Library Services”
An Affair… by Dr. Tom Harrison
I have developed and run a MOOC; and have another in development. I run a fully distance learning MA. I did my PhD on a theme related to the Internet. You would think I would be in love with new technology and eLearning. My secret confession is… I have never been in love with it. … Continue reading “An Affair… by Dr. Tom Harrison”
Will the Race Equality Charter make a difference to the white academy? by Prof. Kalwant Bhopal
See this interesting post from Professor Kalwant Bhopal, Bridge Professorial Research Fellow, Centre for Research in Race and Education (CRRE), School of Education, University of Birmingham. So, will it make a difference? Will it help us to build a more diverse leadership by 2026?
Driving Feedback Forward. Nicki Smith (POLSIS) & Sarah King (CLAD)
Picture the scene. You want to learn how to drive, and so you sign up for a course. Except it’s not what you expected – no-one sits in the car with you. Instead, you’re shown photographs of people driving, and given books on clutch use. You start to feel anxious. ‘This is all very helpful,’ … Continue reading “Driving Feedback Forward. Nicki Smith (POLSIS) & Sarah King (CLAD)”