Academic Practice Conferences and other information

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

FW: Public Seminars - Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford

Dear all,

The Public Seminars at the Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford, will be commencing again on Thursday 16^th October. The programme for this term can be found at the bottom of this email and on our website: www.learning.ox.ac.uk/public

Seminars take place every other Thursday in the Seminar Room of Littlegate House, 16-17 St Ebbe’s Street, Oxford OX1 1PT. Please ring the intercom for Suite 3 on arrival. Seminars begin at 4pm and last around an hour. Everyone is welcome to join us for wine and juice after the seminar

All seminars are free to everyone and no booking is required. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like any more information.

Best wishes,

Chris

Christopher Parton

Research Administrator | Oxford Learning Institute

Littlegate House, 16/17 St Ebbe's Street, Oxford OX1 1PT

Email: research@learning.ox.ac.uk

Tel: (044) 01865 286 811

Fax: (044) 01865 286 801

Twitter: @learningoxford

Week 1 Thursday 16 October 2014

What is Academic Leadership? Reflections on identity, influence and change in UK higher education

Professor Richard Bolden (University of the West of England)

Recent trends in higher education, such as increasing participation rates, internationalisation, funding, policy and market competition, have challenged traditional assumptions on the nature and purpose of HE and its place in society. Throughout this period, it has been argued, there has been a general shift away from ‘collegial’ towards more ‘corporate’, ‘entrepreneurial’ or ‘managerial’ approaches to leadership and management informed by private sector practices. Whilst a ‘business like’ approach to running universities may be understandable given the size and budgets of these organisations and the competitive environment in which they operate, the utilitarian ethos that underpins such an approach may be experienced as conflicting with the normative values traditionally associated with academic work. To this extent emerging forms of leadership and management practice may be experienced as conflicting with ideals of collegiality, academic freedom, education and scholarship, ultimately distancing and disengaging the very people that universities seek to influence and involve in institutional governance, strategy and change.

In this seminar I will present findings from a recent study of academic leadership in UK universities and explore their implications for how we think about, develop and engage people in the leadership of academic work. I will draw on a range of concepts and perspectives, including social identity and distributed leadership, to consider how power and influence is conceived and enacted in HE institutions. I will conclude by reflecting on the implications for leadership theory, practice and development more broadly and the challenges and opportunities of engaging professionals in the leadership of groups, organisations and professions.

The associated Leadership Foundation for Higher Education report can be downloaded from: http://bit.ly/1f4zH1s

Week 3 Thursday 30 October 2014

Exploring the wellbeing of doctoral researchers

Dr Elaine Walsh (Imperial College London)

Research into non-academic workplaces has shown that the well-being of employees is critical to the performance of both the individual and the organisation, but relatively little research on well-being has been done with postgraduate student populations. Surveys such as the postgraduate research experience survey (PRES) had reported high levels of satisfaction overall amongst our PhD population but a small proportion were unhappy and such surveys provide few clues of how to target improvements effectively. Therefore it was decided in 2009 to conduct a more in-depth assessment of the Imperial PhD experience using the wellbeing approach.

A bespoke on-line assessment was developed, based upon a clinically approved methodology and over 1200 students completed it. Analysis allowed us to rank the issues that have the greatest negative impact on researchers’ well-being. The results were used immediately in development workshops for new supervisors, in induction talks, in workshops for students and in departmental communications.

Five years later the assessment has been repeated, this time with greater emphasis upon supervision. The key questions this seminar will discuss are:

• How have things changed in the last 5 years for PhD researchers and what does this mean?

• What are the most troublesome issues, according to the researchers?

• How can we use such data to achieve real change in policy and in practice?

• How can we encourage established and experienced supervisors to reflect upon and, where necessary, to improve their practice in the light of such findings?

Week 5 Thursday 13 November 2014

Is meritocracy fair? A qualitative case study of admissions at the University of Oxford

Rebekah Nahai (University of Oxford)

In Britain, elite universities are regularly criticised for being unmeritocratic in their admissions processes and by implication unfair, but stakeholders often lack a shared understanding of meritocracy and confound it with outcomes-based measures of fairness. Interview data from admissions tutors at the University of Oxford, viewed through the prism of Joseph Soares’s ideological categories of organic conservatism, democratic elitism and social democratism, indicate that Oxford admissions are highly meritocratic. Thus the question arises: in a deeply unequal society, where academic achievement correlates with family income and social class, does meritocracy provide a satisfactory admissions framework?

Week 7 Thursday 27 November 2014

Coaching in higher education

Professor Bob Thomson (University of Warwick)

This seminar will be participative and built around four questions:

1) What do we mean by coaching? We shall explore a spectrum of behaviours from directive ones such as instructing, giving advice and making suggestions to more non-directive behaviours such as listening to understand and asking open questions. We shall then offer a definition of primarily non-directive coaching:

“Coaching is a relationship of rapport and trust in which the coach uses their ability to listen, to ask questions and to play back what the client has communicated in order to help the client to clarify what matters to them and to work out what to do to achieve their aspirations.”

2) What is learning? We shall look at Peter Senge’s view that real learning means learning to do something you couldn’t do before. This requires experience together with reflection upon that experience, as illustrated in David Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. We shall also look at some of the ideas of Carl Rogers, founder of a person-centred approach to therapy which has shaped a student-centred approach to education.

3) What is the purpose of teaching? If teaching is a means to an end – the end being learning – what are the implications of these ideas for your practice as a teacher? We shall consider deep versus surface learning in students, and the problem that some students are motivated essentially by their desire to tick the boxes that will get them a degree.

4) What are the implications for supervision of doctoral students? We shall look at the idea from Transactional Analysis of Parent, Adult and Child ego states, and use this to explore how a supervisor might move from a Parent – Child set of transactions at the start of a doctorate to an Adult – Adult relationship as the student prepares to take up their first academic job.

Thursday, 9 October 2014

FW: next TLC webinar, join Prof. Ale Armellini and many others on the 28th of October

Teaching and Learning Conversations (TLC)

Dear colleagues,

Prof. Ale Armellini from Northampton University will lead an exciting webinar on Tuesday the 28th of October, 12-1pm GMT* during which we will discuss “Opportunities for shaping the future of HE in a challenging climate”. We hope you will be able to join us.

How to join the webinar

To attend and take part in the webinar access the TLC webinar room here: https://mmu.adobeconnect.com/tlc/
To login: Enter as a guest and add your name, institution and country.

We highly recommend that you access the webinar room about 30 mins in advance to test the technology. For further help with this, please check http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/flex/tlc.php

Webinars enable active participation using audio, video, text and the whiteboard. A headset is required to fully participate. If you are not planning to speak you will just need headphones to listen to the discussion. When you have entered the webinar room, start the Audio Setup Wizard under Meeting at the top left to check your headset.

Please note

A recording of the webinar will be made available at the same URL under a creative commons licence.

About Teaching & Learning Conversations

TLC is an exciting cross-institutional collaboration to provide open CPD opportunities for everybody teaching and/or supporting learning in Higher Education. TLC brings together colleagues from different disciplines, institutions and countries. TLCs are also open to students in HE and we are very interested in including students’ contributions to the programme.

Together, we discuss and debate a variety of current teaching and learning topics in a series of webinars which provide a great opportunity to reflect on and share good practice and to find out what is happening beyond your own institution the more global HE landscape.

All webinars are open to the wider community to join.

Please feel free to share the link to the TLC programme and individual webinars with others who might also be interested. Further information can be found at http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/flex/tlc.php

We hope you will be able to join us for this exciting webinar.

The TLC team

Participating institutions

Manchester Metropolitan University, contact Chrissi Nerantzi

University Campus Suffolk, UK, contact Dr Chris Smith

University of Surrey, UK, contact Dr Simon Lygo-Baker

Sheffield Hallam University , UK, contact Andrew Middleton

University of Northampton, UK, contact Prof. Ale Armellini

*(please access the World Clock to convert to your local time)

"Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University email disclaimer available on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer "

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

FW: Transforming Assessment - recording for 1 Oct + next session 5 Nov + eAssessment Scotland 2014 online sessions published

Transforming Assessment Webinar Update

[via JISC email list - this is not direct mail - apologies for any cross posting]

In this issue:
1. Recording: "e-Assessment for all - from rhetoric to realities" (accessibility), held 1 Oct.
2. Next session 5 November: "Designing effective assessment for participative learning online"
3. eAssessment Scotland 2014 online session recordings now published

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1. Recording available for "e-Assessment for all - from rhetoric to realities" held 1 October.
This session explored accessible e-assessment.
Abi James – Chair British Dyslexia Association, consultant Assistive Learning, UK
Alistair McNaught – Senior advisor, Jisc TechDis, UK
Paul Nisbet - Senior Research Fellow and Joint Coordinator of CALL Scotland.
View it via
http://bit.ly/TA1O2014

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2. Next session 5 November
"Designing effective assessment for participative learning online"
Brant Knutzen, University of Hong Kong.

Have you ever designed a great forum discussion activity, but your students didn't engage and your hopes for group collaboration and knowledge construction were dashed?
This seminar will demonstrate several new tools to help you achieve 100% participation in your online discussions, the foundation for effective collaboration and communicative learning. The Participation Forum is a customized module which sets up "semi-private" group discussion areas and then automatically awards points for participation. The Participation Map is a learning analytic tool which generates a visual display of student interactivity in the forum discussion as well as providing group and forum-level statistics that quantify activity. The Participation Glossary is a customised module which automatically awards points for each new term that a student contributes, and also supports peer ratings.
The first half hour of the seminar will review the pedagogy and instructional design of the tools, and the remaining half hour will offer all attendees the chance to try them out in a hands-on workshop environment. These new teaching tools have been developed and tested on all Moodle 2 versions, and are currently in production use at the University of Hong Kong on Moodle ver 2.6.1+.

Further details and RSVP via:
http://bit.ly/webinar5nov2014

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3. eAssessment Scotland online session recordings now published:
All 8 session recordings from the e-Assessment Scotland online conference are now available.
View them as Youtube screen casts (recommended!) or webinar system archives.
The slides, chat log, links and additional resources are also included on each session page.
View the session list at
http://bit.ly/eAS2014recordings

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Further information:
The Transforming Assessment webinars are part of a series of free events covering a range of e-assessment topics.
Further information on this and future events, recordings of past sessions, project information and participation/technical help on using the virtual seminar system can be found on our website at transformingassessment.com

Acknowledgements:
Support for this activity has been provided by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching, RMIT University and the University of Queensland. The views expressed in this publication/activity do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring institutions.
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regards,

Dr Mathew Hillier
University of Queensland, Australia
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Transforming Assessment

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

On-line courses from the Oxford Centre for Staff Development

First steps into learning
and teaching in He (FSLT )

28 January – 6 March 2015
This five-week introduction to teaching in higher
education runs as a MOOC, free and open to
all for participation (assessment incurs a fee).
The course relies on sharing knowledge with
your peers, and will leave you better informed
about teaching and learning in higher education
and confident that you could try out new things.
Through the course you may also form and
strengthen your professional support network of
teachers in higher education.
Accredited: 10 M-level credits.

Strategies for Success in
Academic Writing

3 June – 3 July 2015
The main topics covered are: planning research
writing, submitting publications, conducting
peer review, revising texts, and enhancing
your productivity as an academic writer. This
course is designed to support your completion
of a publication or other project you are near to
finishing, but it will also be useful to kick-start
your academic writing, or help you overcome
the challenges of juggling writing with a busy
professional life.

Extending your learning
environment

17 June – 17 July 2015
This course focuses on enhancing teaching
and learning by harnessing the potential of
new technology and tools for interactivity and
engagement. You will have a chance to explore
a range of up to date tools and assess their
suitability for use in online courses. You will
discuss with your peers the issues they raise
including privacy, disclosure, and digital and
information literacy and explore the extent to
which new pedagogies are required to teach in
this digital age.

Teaching online open
course (TOOC)

15 March – 8 May 2015
This is an intensive introduction to supporting
student learning in online environments,
designed as a follow-on course to FSLT; it also
runs as a MOOC. Because learning by doing is
the best way to learn the skills required of the
online tutor this course is highly participative
and is designed around frequent opportunities
for participants to practise and receive feedback
on their developing skills as an online tutor.
Accredited: 10 M-level credits.

www.brookes.ac.uk/ocsld | ocsld@brookes.ac.uk | 01865 485910

FW: Conference on community and lifelong learning in England - quality, participation and external investment - with BIS, Ofsted and NIACE: Westminster Employment Forum, Morning, Tuesday, 14th October 2014

Next steps for community and lifelong learning in England - improving quality, widening participation and generating external investment

with

Liz Lawson, Community Learning Team, Pre-Employment and Basic Skills Division, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Gillian Reay HMI, Senior HMI, North-East and the Humber and National Lead, Community Learning and Skills, Ofsted; Tricia Hartley, Chief Executive, Campaign for Learning; Nicholas Fox, Director, Individual Learning Company and Dr Cheryl Turner, Senior Research Fellow, NIACE

and

Mike Attwell, Workers’ Educational Association; Neil Coker, Solihull College; Mike Ellicock, National Numeracy; Paul Essery, Liquid Networks; Jan Hughes, Canterbury College; Judith McManus, Aspire Sussex; Tom Molloy, Luton Adult & Community Learning; Dr Toni Sant, Wikimedia UK; Alison Wheeler, Society of Chief Librarians and Suffolk’s Libraries Industrial and Provident Society and Tom Wilson, Unionlearn

Chaired by:

Baroness Brinton, Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning and Rt Hon the Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top

Timing: Morning, Tuesday, 14^th October 2014

Venue: Sixty One Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET

This event is CPD certified

Our Website | Book Online | Live Agenda | Unsubscribe

Dear Mr Andrew

I hope you won’t mind this final reminder about the above seminar, taking place in Central London on 14^th October 2014, but you don’t currently appear to be represented, and I do believe the issues being discussed will be of interest. Please note there is a charge for most delegates, although concessionary and complimentary places are available (subject to terms and conditions - see below).

The focus:

The future direction of community and lifelong learning policy in England - at a time of considerable change for the way the sector is organised and funded, and as the main parties finalise their policies ahead of the 2015 General Election.

To note:

Includes key addresses from: Liz Lawson, Community Learning Team, Pre-Employment and Basic Skills Division, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Gillian Reay HMI, Senior HMI, North-East and the Humber and National Lead, Community Learning and Skills, Ofsted; Dr Cheryl Turner, Senior Research Fellow, NIACE; Tricia Hartley, Chief Executive, Campaign for Learning; and Nicholas Fox, Director, Individual Learning Company; and
Chaired by Rt Hon the Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top and Baroness Brinton, Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning.

Context:

Informed by lessons from the Community Learning Trust Pilots that are being be taken forward by all community learning providers.

Key discussion points:

Developing local partnerships - further steps that can be taken to help community learning providers form networks and involve the community in the planning process;
Securing external investment - including best practice, utilising grants from Government and other organisations, such as the Big Lottery Fund and developing Pound Plus strategies;
Enhancing quality and accountability for providers - the Ofsted inspection framework for community learning providers and the challenges for raising standards;
Increasing participation in community learning - including engaging adults from disadvantaged communities; and
Career progression and skills - helping more adult learners develop the skills they need to move on to employment, volunteering or further learning - particularly in light of the recent drop in mature learners entering Higher Education.

Further confirmed speakers:

Mike Attwell, Education Director and lead Director for East and West Midlands, Workers’ Educational Association; Neil Coker, Senior Director, Access, Solihull College; Mike Ellicock, Chief Executive, National Numeracy; Paul Essery, Chief Executive, Liquid Networks; Jan Hughes, CTR Business Training Centre Manager, Canterbury College; Judith McManus, Head of Operations, Aspire Sussex; Tom Molloy, Service Manager, Luton Adult & Community Learning; Dr Toni Sant, Education Advisor, Wikimedia UK; Alison Wheeler, Executive Member, Society of Chief Librarians and General Manager, Suffolk’s Libraries Industrial and Provident Society and Tom Wilson, Director, Unionlearn.

Chairs: Baroness Brinton, Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning and Rt Hon the Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top.

Networking:

Due to attend are representatives from Birkbeck, University of London; British Horseracing Authority; Buckinghamshire County Council; Campaign for Learning; Canterbury Christ Church University; Canterbury College; City Lit; City of Bath College; Design Museum; Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council; Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College; Educational Centres Association; Hackney Council; Hampshire County Council; Heritage Lottery Fund; Hertfordshire County Council; Highbury College, Hampshire; Institute of Education, University of London; Islington Council; Ken Chad Consulting; Kirklees College, West Yorkshire; Learning Curve Group; London Borough of Hounslow; London Probation Trust; Marine Society & Sea Cadets; Morley College, London; National Numeracy; Nottinghamshire County Council; Open Awards; Oxford Brookes University; Peninsula Community Learning Trust; Porchlight; Regent’s University London; Solihull College; Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council; South Thames College, London; St. Catherine’s School, London; Staffordshire County Council; Suffolk Libraries; The Learning Centre Bexley; The University of The Third Age; Tinder Foundation; Tower Hamlets Council; Trafford College, Cheshire; Tri-Borough Libraries and Arts Service; University of Kent; University of Sheffield and Wandsworth Council.

A press pass has been reserved by a representative from First News National Newspaper for Young People.

Agenda:

See below my signature, or click here any time to download the latest version.

Organised impartially by the Westminster Employment Forum (find out more).

CPD certified (more details).

Booking arrangements

Online booking form.

Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions below.

Please pay in advance by credit card on 01344 864796. If advance credit card payment is not possible, please let me know and we may be able to make other arrangements.

Options and charges:

Places at Next steps for community and lifelong learning in England - improving quality, widening participation and generating external investment (including refreshments and a complete PDF copy of the transcripts) are £210 plus VAT;
Concessionary rate places (see conditions): £80 plus VAT. Please be sure to apply for this at the time of booking.

Can’t attend?

Full transcript available approximately 10 days after the event for £95 plus VAT;
Concessionary rate: £50 plus VAT.

If you find the charge for places a barrier to attending, please let me know as concessionary and complimentary places are made available in certain circumstances (but do be advised that this typically applies to individual service users or carers or the like who are not supported by or part of an organisation, full-time students, people between jobs or who are fully retired with no paid work, and representatives of small charities - not businesses, individuals funded by an organisation, or larger charities/not-for-profit companies). Please note terms and conditions below (including cancellation charges).

I hope that you will be able to take part in what promises to be a most useful morning.

Kind regards,

Sean Cudmore

Sean Cudmore
Deputy Editor, Westminster Employment Forum

T: 01344 864796

F: 01344 420121

Follow us on Twitter @WEmFEvents

www.westminsteremploymentforum.co.uk

UK Headquarters: 4 Bracknell Beeches, Old Bracknell Lane West, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 7BW

The parliamentary patrons of the Westminster Employment Forum are: David Amess MP, Dame Anne Begg MP, Richard Graham MP, John Hemming MP, Kelvin Hopkins MP, Andy Love MP, Anne McGuire MP, Chi Onwurah MP, Sandra Osborne MP, Baroness Prosser, Angela Smith MP, Baroness Thomas of Winchester, Baroness Thornton, Baroness Wall of New Barnet and Robert Walter MP. Note: parliamentary patrons take no financial interest in the Forum.

Westminster Employment Forum is a division of Westminster Forum Projects Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 3856121.

This email and any attached files are intended solely for the use of the entity or individual to whom they are addressed. Opinions or views are those of the individual sender and, unless specifically stated, do not necessarily represent those of the Westminster Employment Forum. If you have received this email in error please notify info@forumsupport.co.uk.

FINANCIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The delegate fee includes copies of the presentations via PDF and refreshments. Cancellation policy is as follows: (1) cancellations 14 or more days before the event: £70+VAT cancellation fee per delegate; (2) cancellations less than 14 days before the event: no refunds. Cancellations must be notified in writing to the Westminster Employment Forum. No charge will be made for replacement delegates. Transfer of any confirmed booking between events is not possible. The organisers reserve the right to alter the programme and change the speakers without prior notice. The Westminster Employment Forum is unable to grant extended credit and therefore must request that full payment be made within 30 days from the date of invoice. Should payment not be received within 30 days from the date of invoice, the Westminster Employment Forum will apply an administration charge of £40+VAT, likewise for payments made to our account in error.

More About Us

A key output of the seminar will be a transcript of the proceedings, sent out around 10 working days after the event to all attendees and a wider group of Ministers and officials at the DWP and other government departments; other agencies affected by the issues; and Parliamentarians with a special interest in these areas. It will also be made available more widely. This document will include transcripts of all speeches and questions and answers sessions from the day, along with access to PowerPoint presentations, speakers’ biographies, an attendee list, an agenda, sponsor information, as well as any subsequent press coverage of the day and any articles or comment pieces submitted by delegates. It is made available subject to strict restrictions on public use, similar to those for Select Committee Uncorrected Evidence, and is intended to provide timely information for interested parties who are unable to attend on the day.

All delegates will receive complimentary PDF copies and are invited to contribute to the content.

The Westminster Employment Forum is strictly impartial and cross-party, and draws on the considerable support it receives from within Parliament and Government, and amongst the wider stakeholder community. The Forum has no policy agenda of its own. Forum events are frequently the platform for major policy statements from senior Ministers, regulators and other officials, opposition speakers and senior opinion-formers in industry and interest groups. Events regularly receive prominent coverage in the national and trade press.

Westminster Employment Forum Keynote Seminar

Next steps for community and lifelong learning in England - improving quality, widening participation

and generating external investment