This year's UofG Learning and Teaching Conference broke records and new ground in terms of the numbers registering, the technology used and student involvement.

Image of the audience at the 2017 Learning and Teaching ConferenceOpening the day, Professor Frank Coton, Vice Principal (Academic & Educational Innovation), said participation in the annual event had grown enormously and it was now the biggest event run by the University for staff. This was down to the enthusiasm of the staff and there was no doubt the conference would continue to grow from strength to strength in the years ahead. Professor Coton paid tribute to Dr Matthew Williamson, the Director of the Learning Enhancement & Academic Development Service, and his team, who organise the conference.

Professor Coton said the conference was a precious day in the life of the University. It reflected the UofG's mission statement: to bring inspiring people together. "I think this conference is the embodiment of that statement," he said. "I think it tells you everything you need to know about this event."

Announcements

Image of a visitor trying a virtual reality fly-through of the Learning and Teaching HubPilot teaching rooms

Professor Coton told conference that another tranche of pilot teaching rooms will be created this summer with more to follow. He said the new capital plan commits to an annual spend on teaching space redevelopment of £2.4 million.

He said: "That is an increase in annual spend of £1.1 million compared to the last ten years. This will allow the University to reimagine the teaching landscape and build the infrastructure to support teaching in the years ahead. Importantly, in concert with this, we will be upgrading the IT infrastructure that is now so critical to the delivery of teaching."

Learning and Teaching Hub

Work is about to start on the construction of the Learning and Teaching Hub on University Avenue, he said. "In December, Court agreed a funding envelope of £97 million for this project. We also secured planning permission and work is already well underway to finalise the finer details in the design and to begin construction." Conference delegates were able to try out a virtual reality trip around the planned Learning and Teaching Hub.

MOOCS

There was also an announcement about the UofG's future engagement with MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) developed through the FutureLearn platform.

During his opening remarks, Professor Coton announced a change in the way the relationship with FutureLearn will operate. In future, the University will make an upfront payment to FutureLearn and in return will receive an increased share of the revenues generated by the income from course certificates. The investment in FutureLearn will be made centrally by the University, but the Senior Management Group has agreed that revenues received from FutureLearn will be returned directly to the academic areas that create and run the MOOCs. Professor Coton said further details will be announced shortly, but it is hoped the new system will encourage more areas of the University to develop online learning and teaching.

Keynote: "Reimagining the affordances of the lecture theatre"

The keynote morning presentation was from Professor Simon Lancaster from the University of East Anglia.

Abstract: The key to assessment for learning is the nature of the question. Our goal is not to determine what our students know or even what they can do but to present an opportunity for them to learn. We will use technology to engage everyone in active learning. Misconceptions will be revealed and challenged. The lecture theatre will be transformed into a social and vociferous space for colleagues to practice their presentation and debating skills. You will provide and receive feedback on topics you might never have considered before. Our ambition is nothing less than that you are inspired, provoked or simply challenged to reimagine how you might use the university's time and space.

Winning presentations

Delegates were invited to vote for their favourite presentations throughout the day, and the winners were announced at the closing session.

  • Best Lightning Talk: Kezia Falconer, "Enhancing Student Learning through Networks"
  • Best Presentation: Blair Collins, Kelly McComb, Louise McGrath and Jacqueline Reilly
    (fourth year undergraduate students), "Student-Led Development of 32 Chemistry Lab-Techniques Films"

Congratulations to all!

Find out more

First published: 4 April 2017

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