I am very pleased to be able to announce the call for proposals for presentations and workshop sessions at the 12th Annual University of Glasgow Learning and Teaching Conference, which will take place on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd April 2019. The call closes on Monday 5th November, writes Dr Matthew Williamson, Director of the Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Service.

The title of this year’s Conference is ‘Blended and Active Learning: Where Are We Now, and Where Do We Want to Be?’.

We welcome proposals for presentations or interactive workshops (a further call for lightning talks will be sent out later in the year) which address the Conference theme, and which focus on one or more of the Conference sub-themes.

The Conference theme 

Over the last few years, the University has put a significant amount of effort into developing capacity for Blended Learning, as well as providing opportunities to enhance Active Learning. Colleagues from across the University, andmore widely in the sector, are using spaces in different ways, and using technology to blend classroom learning with online activities. These efforts have enormous potential to transform teaching and the ways in which our students engage with learning.  

This year’s conference is an opportunity for us to take stock: what are we doing, what works, what doesn’t work and how do we want to develop over the next few years? The implications for accessibility, inclusiveness, and the outcomes and experiences of our students are significant, and the conference is an opportunity to share experiences from different parts of the University and elsewhere to shape future enhancements.   

Sub-themes and description extracts

  • Accessible and inclusive learning 
    • We are particularly interested in proposals discussing proactive initiatives to make learning, teaching, and assessment accessible to all and inclusive to the wide range of student backgrounds represented at the University.
  • Technology beyond the VLE 
    • We are interested in receiving proposals in the successful deployment of learning technologies to support and enhance students’ and or staff learning, being cognisant of the challenges as well as benefits that this can bring.
  • Assessment and feedback to support active learning 
    • This might include moves towards assessment tasks that are more authentic (either formative or summative), or it might include moves away from ‘traditional’ assessment and feedback methods that might be adopted elsewhere.
  • Place and space
    • We welcome abstracts that showcase innovative and novel ways to engage students in a range of learning spaces - including spaces outside the classroom, which are becoming increasingly common, both virtually and in non-traditional locations - including abstracts that show cross and inter-disciplinary implementation.
  • Creative approaches 
    • Proposals on this theme can cover any aspect of learning, teaching or assessment - they just need to showcase the creativity of our staff in finding new ways to enthuse and engage learners.

Fuller descriptions of the sub-themes are available on the Conference website, so we advise that you familiarise yourself with these before submitting via the same page: https://www.gla.ac.uk/leads/events/annuallearningandteachingconference/

Student engagement 

We wish to have as much engagement with students and student learning as possible through the Conference, so we will be asking all presentation and workshop proposals to identify student engagement again this year.  

Selection criteria 
  • The proposal aligns with the title and themes of the Conference
  • The work is sufficiently accessible and interesting to a wide audience
  • The proposal links to the University's Learning and Teaching Strategy [not applicable to external contributions]
  • The proposal demonstrates how students have been or will be engaged in preparing for or delivering the presentation or workshop, or in the development, running or evaluation of the project being presented
  • The work can be clearly and effectively presented in the allocated time
  • The authors of this work have thought about how they will engage participants
  • The outcomes proposed in the presentation/workshop can be readily achieved

Submission deadline

Please submit your abstracts by Monday 5th November. In a development from previous years, successful abstracts will be published in a digital-only version of the Proceedings booklet. 

Registration 

Registration will open early in the new year, when the full programme will be announced. Full details will also be published on the website: 

https://www.gla.ac.uk/leads/events/annuallearningandteachingconference/ 

Building on the success of previous Conferences, I look forward to your participation in what I am sure will prove to be, once again, a lively and engaging event. 

 

Dr Matthew J. Williamson PFHEA 
Director, Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Service (LEADS) 
 
 

First published: 23 October 2018

<< Staff updates