centre for quality support and development t&l reading · maura o’regan, heike schmidt, kerry...

Centre for Quality Support and Development

READINGT&L

FIRST HEA FELLOWSHIPS awarded through new accreditation schemeSixty-one colleagues from across the

university have been involved in the pilot

stage of the University’s new FLAIR CPD

scheme. This scheme enables experienced

colleagues to achieve Fellowship of the

Higher Education Academy (at four levels

from Associate through to Principal Fellow)

in recognition of their work on teaching

and learning within the University.

Previously, University of Reading staff seeking

such professional recognition on the basis of

their experience had to apply to the HEA, but the

University’s new HEA-accredited CPD scheme

now gives such staff the opportunity to gain

professional recognition through an internal

application process, which is more convenient

and better aligned with the University’s needs.

HEA recognition yields various benefits. It

offers a nationally recognised award, dem-

onstrating your commitment to professional

development in teaching and/or supporting

learning. The University is working towards

fuller inclusion of HEA Fellowship and similar

professional recognition for teaching and

learning in HR processes, including pro-

motion. It is also a ‘portable career asset’

with UK-wide relevance and is increasingly

referenced by universities in appointments

processes.

In addition to these extrinsic benefits, there

are intrinsic benefits from engaging with the

FLAIR CPD process. Participants have spoken

warmly of the stimulus to reflect on their prac-

tice, to deepen their understanding of T&L,

and to identify strengths and goals for future

developments.

Nineteen members of staff have so far been

awarded Fellowship through the scheme.

Senior Fellowship has been awarded to Katrina

Bicknell, Helen Bilton, Ellie Highwood, Emma

Mayhew, Richard Mitchell, Michelle Reid, Simon

Sherratt, Katja Strohfeldt and Sam Weston,

while Chris Dalton, Ricardo Grau Crespo,

Andreas Hoepner, Sylvia Jaworska, Tharindu

Liyanagunawardena, Jeanne-Louise Moys,

Maura O’Regan, Heike Schmidt, Kerry Webb

and Clare Wright have been awarded Fellow

status. Many congratulations to them all!

Colleagues wishing to achieve recognition

through the scheme normally submit a profes-

sional activity table outlining the breadth of their

role, case studies, a CPD log and personal refer-

ences. Support is offered to applicants through

‘writing retreats’, and one-to-one advice and

formative feedback from mentors.

The scheme is being rolled out across the

university next term. Lunchtime briefings will

be held throughout the spring term for col-

leagues to find out more about the scheme.

Dates for these briefings and further infor-

mation about the scheme can be found

on the CQSD website http://www.reading.

ac.uk/cqsd/StaffTrainingandDevelopment/

DevelopingTeachingandLearningPractice/

cqsd-FLAIRCPDRoute.aspx. Places on

these briefings can be booked through

Employee Self Service. If you experience

problems booking via Employee Self Service,

you may book by emailing Eileen Hyder

[email protected]

Simon Sherratt and Kerry Webb reflect on

their experience of the pilot FLAIR CPD

Scheme on pp. 4–5.

Issue 7 Spring Term 2015

Professor Gavin Brooks congratulates Maura O’Regan, Kerry Webb, and Ricardo Grau Crespo on their achievement of HEA Fellowship

2

CELEBRATING TEACHING AND LEARNINGOver 50 members of staff were recognised for their outstanding contribution to teaching and learning at an awards ceremony, hosted by Professor Gavin Brooks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, on 12 November.

UNIVERSITY TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS were awarded to:

Dr Alistair Culham, Biological Sciences

Dr Rebecca Green, Chemistry, Food & Pharmacy

Dr Emma Mayhew, Politics & International Relations

Dr Michelle Reid, Library

Catherine Foley from the Institute of Education

UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIVE AWARDS for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning were awarded to:

• The ISLI MOOC team for developing ‘A beginner’s guide to writing in

English for Academic Study’

• The Study Advice and Maths Support team from the Library for

their development of innovative self-help materials for students

• The Alumni Relations and Development team in Henley Business

School for the Pathways to Property Initiative, which seeks to

widen access to property and real estate degrees at the University

DAVID MALVERN PORTFOLIO PRIZE for achievement in the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice was awarded to:

• Mrs Janet Thomson, Institute of Education

• Dr Lotte Meteyard, School of Psychology and Clinical

Language Sciences

• Dr Karsten Lundqvist, School of Systems Engineering

THE PROJECT PRIZE for the best project submitted for the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice was awarded to:

Dr Lotte Meteyard, School of Psychology and Clinical

Language Sciences

The award of a National Teaching Fellowship to Professor Matthew

Almond and the first HEA Fellows and Senior Fellows awarded

through the University’s HEA-accredited FLAIR CPD route were also

recognised.

Information about the University Teaching Fellowships, University

Collaborative Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and

Learning, and other award schemes can be found at:

www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd-AwardsandRecognition.aspx

T&L Reading | Spring 2015


3

MEET THE NEW TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING STAFFFrom January 2015, there will be new staff and new roles within the Centre for Quality Support and Development. The focus of these new roles will be on supporting the enhancement and transformation of teaching, learning and assessment practice through effective integration and appropriate use of learning technologies. With a wide range of expertise and experience to offer, we are looking forward to working collaboratively with Schools and colleagues on both the educational and practical aspects of designing and developing technology enhanced learning curricula.

VICKI HOLMESHead of TEL

Vicki’s career in TEL

started in 1992, working

at the University of Kent

to develop use of hyper-

media materials for

teaching. More recently,

she led the direction and

development of TEL at the University of Surrey,

managing a team of e-learning specialists.

Vicki has worked on a wide variety of initiatives

to support teaching, learning and assessment,

as well as introducing technologies such as

VLEs, virtual classrooms and e-voting. She

has designed a programme of professional

development to support academic practice

in TEL, worked with Faculties in the develop-

ment of blended and distance learning and

e-assessment and taught on several PG Certs

for new lecturers.

ADAM BAILEYSenior TEL Advisor

Adam has a back-

ground in design and

originally worked as

a glass designer-

maker. He moved into

supporting learning

technology 13 years

ago and has worked at Nottingham Trent

University, the University of Derby and most

recently the University of Brighton.

He has worked on projects to implement

e-assessment, blended learning and e-port-

folios, alongside the introduction of digital

literacies for academics and students. Most

recently, he taught an online MA module

focused on digital practice and pedagogy

that incorporated the use of open educa-

tional resources, blogging and webinars as

part of the HEA Digital Literacy in the Disci-

plines project.

LAUREN MCCANNTEL Advisor

A former primary and

secondary teacher,

Lauren’s academic

interests are human-

ities-based (history,

politics, education

and international rela-

tions). The last 14 years have seen Lauren

working in Further Education (most recently

at Basingstoke College) as a lecturer but

increasingly moving into the development

and support of TEL.

With experience in using VLEs, Turnitin,

screencasting, podcasting and e-voting,

Lauren has been designing and delivering a

programme of staff development and train-

ing for the college. Her most recent initiative

has focused on developing skills for using

learning technologies for communication,

collaboration, assessment and feedback.

MARIA PAPAEFTHIMIOUSenior TEL Advisor

Maria has been working

at the University since

2000 in the area of

TEL. As well as advis-

ing and supporting

academic colleagues

and Schools in their

use of various learning

technologies, Maria has delivered training and

workshops on the use of technology, organised

TEL Showcases to promote and share practice

and managed the School eLearning Coordina-

tors network. She also mentors staff with their

National Teaching Fellowship applications and is

a tutor on the Academic Practice Programme.

Maria has managed institutional HEA/JISC

funded projects to promote and embed the

use of technology in teaching practice, most

recently the Digitally Ready project (2011–13)

which helped to inform the University’s

TEL Vision.

ANDY TURNERTEL Applications Manager

Andy’s background

is in library and infor-

mation work, and he

was for a number of

years the Learning

Resources Manager

at Reading College.

Involvement with online resources, and the

creation of the College’s staff and student

intranet, led him into technology enhanced

learning.

For the last ten years he has managed the

Blackboard VLE, and other TEL systems, for

the University of West London. In this role

he has supported staff in the use of systems

including Blackboard, Turnitin, the Pebble-

Pad e-portfolio system and Panopto lecture

capture. He has also been closely involved in

promoting, and supporting staff in the use

of, platforms for electronic submission and

marking of assessment work.

4

In May 2014, along with several Library colleagues, I attended a CQSD briefing session launching the new HEA-accredited FLAIR Framework, which aims to ‘support the professional development and recognition of all staff involved in teaching and supporting learning’. Part of this has seen the development of

a CPD Scheme enabling experienced staff

to gain professional recognition through a

non-taught accredited pathway. Perhaps

it was the free lunch, perhaps the genuine

enthusiasm that CQSD staff had for the

new pilot Scheme, but it all started to sound

like a very good idea.

But what did it have to do with me? Looking

around the room the majority of attendees

appeared to come from academic depart-

ments where their primary role was delivering

subject teaching and developing learning

support for students. As I helped myself to

a chocolate brownie, I began to feel a bit of a

fraud. Still, I duly collected a summary of what

was required to achieve the various levels

of HEA Fellowship, and read it through

several times.

Whilst mapping my activities to the various

descriptors and dimensions did initially seem

rather daunting, what became increasingly

clear from discussions with my colleagues

was that we were all, in some way or another,

contributing to teaching and learning support

across the University - not just for students,

but for staff as well, and that our continued

efforts to improve the educational experi-

ence for both was at the heart of what we did

in the Library.

So, I decided to try for HEA Fellowship. As

with any such commitment, it had to be fitted

in alongside the many other demands on my

time and, at times, the prospect of putting

together what is a fairly substantial portfolio

of evidence could easily have become over-

whelming. However, I found that breaking it

down into individual tasks helped make the

process far more manageable.

I began to realise that there were at least

eight activities that stood out, in my mind, as

good examples of how I had delivered teach-

ing and supported learning at both Reading

and my previous workplace. The CPD Log

provided further opportunities for a detailed

review of my T & L activities over the last four

years and for reflection on why they were

undertaken and what had been achieved.

This exercise proved invaluable for what I

knew would be the most challenging part

of the process, writing two ‘reflective and

scholarly’ case studies.

Having completed the Professional Activity

Table, I already had a couple of ideas in mind,

but having the chance to run these by CQSD

staff at a writing retreat was exceptionally

helpful, partly for reassurance that my exam-

ples were relevant, but also that they met

the HEA’s specific criteria. My initial worries

over engaging with relevant scholarship were

also (relatively) easily resolved by searching

Education Resource Complete , and using

sub-headings helped both me and, hopefully,

the assessors, to visually ensure that my case

studies were an even balance of description

and reflection. Having the opportunity to

share initial drafts with supportive colleagues

was also immensely helpful, and ensured that

my writing remained both clear and concise.

Several edits (and biscuits) later, I submitted

my application in August, receiving news of

its success in mid-September as one of the

first tranche to complete. I can’t pretend that

at times this wasn’t a challenging exercise,

but it was, ultimately, intellectually stimulating

and fulfilling. The FLAIR CPD Scheme has not

only enabled me to gain acknowledgement of

my work in supporting teaching and learning

at Reading, but also afforded the opportunity

to spend time analysing my teaching with col-

leagues both within and outside the Library,

reflect on my current practices and identify

ways to take these forward in the future; an

opportunity not to be missed.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON MY TEACHINGParticipating in the FLAIR CPD Scheme by Kerry Webb Library’s Arts & Humanities Liaison Team Manager & Course Support Co-ordinator


Simon Sherratt and Kerry Webb reflect on their experience of the FLAIR CPD Scheme

5

Back in the summer of 2013, I remember a chance meeting with Nina Brooke where FLAIR was mentioned. To be honest, I did not know what FLAIR meant, but what Nina said immediately resonated with me. I have always been interested in staff development, so a structured approach to collect and recognize CPD was great news. FLAIR was in its infancy and, back then,

had not yet been approved by the HEA,

but I did not hesitate to commit the School

of Systems Engineering (SSE) as one of

the schools to pilot the FLAIR process. In

November, I met with Nina, Clare McCullagh

and Jackie Ward in my crowded office and

saw the FLAIR documentation. It was very

clear to me that I had made the right decision,

for once, to commit to the scheme. I sent out

an invite to SSE and had significant interest.

When FLAIR was launched, I remember that

nearly one third of our school teaching staff

was there. Of course, we knew it was a pilot

and no pilot would be perfect, but for me, as

a mentor and sports coach outside of the

university, the opportunity to trial the scheme

and feedback our experiences was of great

interest. For those who do not know the

FLAIR process, essentially you submit one or

two case studies, a Continuing Professional

Development (CPD) log, some references

and a table of your T&L activities in order to

request that your T&L activities be recog-

nized by the HEA. FLAIR does not provide

the CPD, but allows you to collect the CPD in

order for it to be used in a structured applica-

tion for T&L recognition.

I registered for one of the writing retreat

days. The day was great. Not only did I get

valuable feedback on one of my draft case

studies, but more importantly, I received

confidence that my activity table was being

completed correctly. From my experience

going through the process, I feel there are

a number of skills that need to be acknowl-

edged before successfully completing a

FLAIR application. Firstly, depending on the

level of HEA accreditation you intend to go

for, the activity table is very important as it

cross-references your activities, and there-

fore evidence, against the UK Professional

Standards Framework (UKPSF) in order to

demonstrate meeting a T&L benchmark

in a given area. If you do not understand

each of the UKPSF statements, then it

would be very difficult to provide suitable

evidence you need. My advice is to spend

enough time reading and understanding

the UKPSF benchmarks in the FLAIR docu-

mentation before you start an application.

Also, make sure your CPD log is up to date.

I did not know there was a log on the HR

system Trent of all the university events I had

attended, but it’s there, so make use of it.

You can add your own events, perhaps what

you have done externally. With an

up-to-date CPD log on Trent, it’s easy

to print it out.

For me, providing a fantastic student

experience is very important—it’s part of

being a professional academic. As more

staff gain professional T&L recognition, I feel

the University becomes stronger and more

able to react to the changing needs of the

HE sector.

I wish to publicly thank the FLAIR team

for their vision to create the scheme,

without which I doubt we would manage to

achieve the ambitious targets which have

already been set for teaching recognition

in the future.

A PERSONAL REFLECTION ...... on the FLAIR pilot by R. Simon Sherratt School of Systems Engineering


Simon Sherratt and Kerry Webb reflect on their experience of the FLAIR CPD Scheme


MULTIPLE IDENTITIES – STUDENT OR TEACHER? A report on a University/RUSU Partnership in Learning and Teaching (PLanT) Project Partnerships in Learning and Teaching(PLanT) projects are small-scale, funded initiatives which

address enhancement priorities in teaching and learning, as identified by students and staff

working in partnership. Catherine Foley, Lecturer in Mathematics Education and Hannah Illman, Part 3 student on the BA Primary Education with English, write about their experience

of developing a PLanT project, ‘Multiple Identities—Student or Teacher?’.

Leaving message to Hannah from the children in her class.

TO SUM UP…We learnt a huge amount from the project in terms of understanding

the student perspective, managing expectations, and the power of

students working together across year groups. You can find out more

about the PLanT project scheme at

www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd-PLanTProjectsScheme.aspx

Involvement in the project has undoubtedly been a positive for our pro-

gramme and we are already looking at possibilities for future projects.

HANNAHI first heard about the opportunity to take part

in a PLanT project in an Student-Staff Liaison

Committee meeting. I am passionate about

my course and was excited at the chance to

be more involved in its development. I got in

contact with Catherine and soon our project

team met up for the first time.

We started by discussing our project focus.

Throughout our discussion the same theme

kept arising: our struggle to split ourselves

between the many different aspects of the

course and the demands of switching between

being a student and a professional teacher.

We decided to hold focus groups across the

four years using questions from our discus-

sions as the stimulus. These covered how

the students felt about the course and how

they felt other people perceived it, along with

whether they felt the high demands of the

course had an impact on other aspects of

student life and potential ways of managing

these competing demands. We recorded the

discussions and analysed them, looking for

recurring themes. These were compiled into

reports that were shared with the BAEd man-

agement team at an end of term meeting.

We also compiled photographs that depicted

different aspects of the course and our lives

as students and teachers, and used these in

our presentations about the project. We aim

to add captions and use these at open days,

giving prospective students an insight into the

challenges and rewards of the course.

This is still a work-in-progress.

As a student, I found this project interesting to

be a part of. I enjoyed talking to other students

and staff members and gaining more of an

insight into the course. The opportunities it

provided (holding focus groups, summarising

findings for management and presenting the

project to a large group of people at a RUSU

conference and T&L seminar) helped me to

develop many skills and gain confidence in

different situations.

CATHERINEOne of my roles at the IoE is member of the BA

Primary Education management team. Having

had a colleague involved in the pilot phase of the

PLanT project, when opportunity arose to apply

for funding for a small-scale project I contacted

students to see if they were interested and the

rest, as they say, is history.

As tutors on the programme we are aware of

the challenges for our students of manag-

ing the multiple demands of degree-level

study of their specialist subjects, developing

subject knowledge and expertise across the

curriculum, and dealing with the responsibil-

ity and professionalism required of all trainee

teachers. Our students juggle all this alongside

graduating in three years, despite the additional

demands of additional, lengthy placements in all

years of the programme.

We wanted to gain an insight into how these

multiple identities impacted on our students,

what the programme was really like from their

perspective, and how these demands might be

better managed. Our project was very much

student-led, so the lead student now provides

her perspective.

6


7

HIGHLIGHTS OF ENHANCEMENT WEEK Matthew Almond: Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), Arts, Humanities and Social Science

Reading’s first enhancement week has now

been and gone, and perhaps it is time to

reflect on good practice and success, to

plan for future enhancement weeks, and,

if there are areas where it is felt that some

things haven’t gone so well, to see how

good practice may best be disseminated

across the campus.

In this short article I would like to share

some highlights of the wide range of excel-

lent events that have taken place within

the Schools. Some of these are somewhat

subject-specific, but most are generic, and

it is hoped that, in all cases, these ideas will

lead to sharing of good practice and uptake

of new ideas by Schools. I apologise in

advance to those Schools and Departments

whose activities have not been included and

can only make the usual excuse that space

constraints have allowed me only to include

a certain number of examples.

ISLI carried out a Language Festival under-

pinned by the theme of ‘diversity’. This theme

really came alive as Home, Erasmus and Inter-

national students all participated in a wide range

of activities. One of the highlights was the

World Cook-off competition. The winners were

a dual team Dinara Kozhabekova and Assel

Rakhimshanova (both pre-sessional students),

who had prepared a Kazakh dish, and Baraatu

Muazu (an undergraduate from the School of

Law) who had prepared a Spanish dish. After

the judging, the food was sampled by students

and staff and over £55 was raised in donations

for Children in Need. Erasmus students joined

in the games afternoon, playing board and

card games using a range of languages being

learned by IWLP students. There was dancing

from Tibet and a group sponsored by the

China Scholarship Council formed a choir and

sang a song about the Yellow River. Students

had the opportunity to watch a film in a differ-

ent language each evening from Monday to

Thursday. On Thursday, language learners had

the opportunity to focus on learner strategies

to help them improve their language learning

skills, during the Language Skills Enhancement

Surgery.

Careers’ fairs formed a centrepiece of events

in many Schools. In Law, the ‘Law Fair’ under

the headline ‘If the Wig Fits’ attracted students

from across the campus to discuss legal

careers, what work is available, the recruitment

process, and what it is really like to work as a

lawyer. Law students also had an opportunity

to talk with solicitors from Blandy & Blandy, with

whom the Law School has close connections,

about how best to promote themselves and to

leave a good impression when they attended

the Law Fair. Chemistry held a Careers Day

where employers from a range of institutions

(including GlaxoSmithKline, Medicines and

Healthcare Regulatory Agency, Johnson-

Matthey, CEM Analytical Services and Thames

Water) gave short presentations about their

work and then held a networking session. Over

120 students attended the event.

The School of Construction Management

and Engineering chose ‘Digital Technologies’

as the underlying theme for their activities

using a team-based learning approach. Teams

worked on a ‘Digital Design Competition’ to

research and produce a 3D design model of a

chosen building. Each team was made up of

students from the three academic years. They

chose this approach to foster a community

learning culture across the whole student

body. They have identified two learning out-

comes from this activity: enhanced literacy and

research skills, and enhanced understanding

of the use of digital technologies in construc-

tion. All students had the opportunity to use

state-of-the-art technologies and software in

the ‘CAVE’ and ‘BIM Lounge’. Students also had

training sessions in the use of digital imagery

and digital maps in dedicated sessions run by

the Library. In Maths, students had a day-long

course on teamworking delivered by Alignment

Ltd. – a company specialising in professional

development courses, while some Part 3 stu-

dents took part in an intensive short course on

Python programming.

In Humanities, a wide range of events was

held, aimed at improving students’ experience

and enhancing their understanding of what

help and facilities are available. These included

sessions on feedback, study abroad, essay

guidance (from fellow students), library facilities,

career development and dissertation-writing. In

History, films encouraging students to discuss

representations of the middle ages by modern

writers and film directors were shown, encour-

aging students to become involved more

closely in academic discussion of their subject.

A similar approach was adopted in Film, Theatre

and Television, where short sessions were

delivered on topics such as ‘Delivering Effective

Presentations’, ‘Reading and Note-Taking’ and

‘Careers: Looking to the Future’. The week’s

events were underpinned by a Japanese Noh

Theatre Mini-Festival.

I have only been able to highlight a few exam-

ples but I hope that these illustrate how

dynamic this week has been. We all look forward

to the Spring term enhancement week.

8


T&L POLICY UPDATEA number of changes to teaching and learning policies and practices were approved during the first half of the Autumn Term 2014, which either took effect immediately or are due for implementation during the current academic year. These are summarised below.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND POLICYANNUAL PROGRAMME REPORTS AND FACULTY ANNUAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORTS

A number of amendments have been agreed to the Template and

Guidelines for Annual Programme Reports and Template and Guidelines

for Faculty Annual Quality Assurance Reports in respect of programmes

delivered in the Session 2013-14. The revised templates and guidelines

aim to make the production of reports more manageable for Schools and

ADTLs, and to ensure that reports are concise, evaluative, and focussed

on significant issues, good practice and trends. The revised documents:

• encourage Boards of Studies to be as concise as possible, reporting

principally ‘by exception’;

• encourage ADTLs to report principally ‘by exception’, and to consider

and evaluate the Annual Programme Reports in the context of the

previous year’s reports, the contextual data on which the reports rest

and the most recent SPELT findings; and,

• ask ADTLs to provide individual feedback to Boards of Studies on the

content of their reports and any resulting actions/outcomes.

The templates and guidelines are available here as Sections 3b and

3d: www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd-PoliciesandProcedures.aspx

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENTPENALTIES FOR LATE SUBMISSION

UBTL has approved minor amendments to the policy on Penalties for

Late Submission, together with additional guidance for staff and stu-

dents which clarifies the definition of a ‘working day’, provides further

information on public holidays and closure days in relation to location

of study, and provides examples of the application of the penalties. The

guidance aims to ensure consistent practice across the University.

The University policy on Penalties for late submission is available at

www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd-PoliciesandProcedures.aspx

LIBRARY AND STUDY ADVICEREADING LISTS

UBTL has approved the following wording of categories to be used

by Schools and Departments in their module reading lists:

• Essential reading – students are required to read these titles

(must read);

• Recommended reading – expands on a specific topic; useful

for increasing a student’s knowledge of the subject (should read

selectively);

• Further reading – useful and relevant background to a subject

(could read).

Guidelines on Effective Reading Lists have been produced by the

Library to provide module convenors with further points to consider

when creating reading lists for their students. The guidelines are

available at www.reading.ac.uk/lib-reading-lists.aspx

Module convenors are encouraged to submit their reading lists to

their Liaison Librarian at least six weeks before the reading materials

are required.

MEMBERSHIP OF BOARDS OF STUDIES

UBTL has recently agreed that:

• Liaison Librarians and Study Advisers should be granted right of

attendance for all Boards of Studies with immediate effect; and

• a report from the Liaison Librarian/Study Adviser should be included

as a standard item in the suggested agenda for Boards of Studies.

These changes aim to foster good communication, information

exchange and an effective working relationship between these Ser-

vices and Schools/Departments.

A sample agenda for Boards of Studies is available as Section 2f of

the Guide to Policies and Procedures in Teaching & Learning and a

sample membership list is available within Section 2a, Quality man-

agement and enhancement processes at the University of Reading:

www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd-PoliciesandProcedures.aspx


9

… AND SOME WORK IN PROGRESSQUALITY ASSURANCE AND ENHANCEMENT FOR OPEN ONLINE COURSES

A Working Group on Quality Assurance and Enhancement for Open

Online Courses (OOCs) has been convened by the Sub-Committee

on Delivery and Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (DELT).

The Group will: review and evaluate the approach currently used to

oversee the quality of OOCs; consider the further development of

internal quality assurance and enhancement processes in respect

of the approval, monitoring and review of OOCs; and, consider the

potential future development of OOCs and Small Private Online

Courses (SPOCs) and the implication of such developments for

quality assurance and enhancement processes. The Group will

report to DELT by the end of the Spring Term 2015.

PEER REVIEW OF TEACHING

The Working Group on Improving Teaching Quality via Observation

submitted an Interim Report to DELT in October 2014. DELT has

approved in principle a number of recommendations for changes

to the University’s current approach to peer review of teaching,

for implementation from 2015–16. The Working Group is currently

reviewing the University’s policy on Peer review of teaching and

associated pro formas, and will submit a revised policy for approval

by DELT and UBTL during the Spring Term 2015. The Group has also

proposed an outline for a transformative model of peer review which

could provide a way to manage large scale change in teaching and

learning across the University in the longer term. A pilot study of this

transformative model will take place during the Spring Term 2015

and the Working Group will report the outcomes to DELT during the

Autumn Term 2015.

LEARNING AND TEACHING WITH LARGE CLASS SIZES

The Working Group on Learning and Teaching with Large Class Sizes

submitted an Interim Report to DELT in November 2014. The Group

has noted a number of issues in relation to learning and teaching

with large class sizes and various methods employed by staff to

increase student engagement in large lecture-style classes. It has

also identified a number of alternative pedagogical approaches to

large group teaching employed by staff within the University and at

other institutions. The Group is continuing its work in developing

recommendations regarding best practice in support of learning in

large modules.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

A Working Group has been convened to review the definitions of

the categories within the scale of academic misconduct offences

contained in the Academic Misconduct Policy, which should help

to ensure consistency and transparency in the enforcement and

expectations of the policy. The Group will report to the March 2015

meeting of DELT in order that any proposed amendments would be

implemented for the 2015–16 academic year.

10


ENGAGE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING BLOGAs always we are keen to hear from any staff wishing to submit an article to the Engage in Teaching and Learning blog. It is a great way to promote a project you are working on, share good practice or raise your professional profile to other T&L colleagues across campus. If you would like to contribute an article to the blog please take a

look at our guidance notes. We would also encourage all teaching

and learning staff to subscribe to the blog using the box on the

right hand side of the initial home page as this will ensure that you

are emailed new posts when they are posted; alternatively you can

opt for a weekly email digest of the latest articles.

To send something to us for publishing, or if you have any questions

about the blog just email engageint&[email protected].

MOST RECENT BLOG POSTS INCLUDE:

• Goodbye Word; hello floating islands, dolphins and rainbows

by Dr Emma Mayhew

• Flipped learning in a team-based situation with a dash of TEL

by Dr Cindy Becker

• Are you interested in biological recording & monitoring with your

students? Dr Alice Mauchline

• HOT TIP: What is the number one factor behind student

success? by Dr Patricia (Paddy) Woodman

• Online peer assessment of group work tools: yes, but which one?

Heike Bruton (a TLDF project)

• Croissants and Coffee: Engaging students and building a sense

of community in the Department of Politics by Emma Mayhew

Check out the blog at:

http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/engage-in-teaching-and-learning/


11

T&L EVENTS SPRING TERM 2015Learning outcomes & course design*19 January 20152.00pm – 4.30pm

Learning & teaching for large groups*26 January 20152.00pm – 4.00pm

What does increased diversity of students mean for your teaching*28 January 20152.00pm – 4.00pm

FLAIR CPD Scheme - Briefing event* 30 January 20151.00pm – 2.00pm

Launch of the TLDF Mini/Maxi schemes www.reading.ac.uk/ cqsd-TLDFOverview.aspx 4 February 2015

T&L Essentials: Policy and procedures relating to student performance and progression* 2 February 20159.30am – 11.30am

Effective feedback: Making feedback work for your students and you* 4 February 20152.00pm – 5.00pm

FLAIR CPD Scheme - Briefing event* 6 February 20151.00pm – 2.00pm

Introduction to writing successful research proposals (Sciences & Life Sciences) (Non APP)* 9 February 20159.30am – 12.30pm

Senior tutors lunch and meeting* 11 February 201512.15pm – 1.45pm

Enhancing teaching, engaging learners: Personalising teaching to deepen learning* 11 February 20152.30pm – 4.30pm

T&L Seminar: Engaging students In research* 12 February 201512.30pm – 2.00pm

FLAIR CPD Scheme - Briefing event* 18 February 20151.00pm – 2.00pm

TEL Showcase: Creating an online learning environment to enhance group work, communication and reflective learning24 February 2015, 1.00pm – 1.50pm Palmer 105. No booking required

Periodic review for chairs & panel members* 25 February 20159.30am – 11.30am

Directors of Teaching And Learning termly meeting* 25 February 201512.15pm – 1.45pm

School E-Learning Co-Ordinators (SeLCs) lunch & meeting* 4 March 2015 12.15pm – 1.45pm

FLAIR CPD Scheme - Briefing event* 9 March 2015 1.00pm – 2.00pm

Introduction to writing successful research proposals (Arts, Hums & SS) (Non APP)* 16 March 20159.30am – 12.30pm

UTFS Fellows lunch* 18 March 201512.15pm – 1.45pm

FLAIR CPD Scheme - Briefing event* 23 March 2015, 1.00pm – 2.00pm

UTF T&L Showcase 25 March 2015, 1.00pm – 2.00pm Palmer 103. No booking required

*Please book through Employee Self Service (venue details will be sent after booking).

T&L READING SPRING TERM 2015

For more information, please contact:

Centre for Quality Support and Development

University of Reading Whiteknights Reading, RG6 6AH

[email protected] Tel (0118) 378 7097

www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd

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centre for quality support and development t&l reading · maura o’regan, heike schmidt, kerry...

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