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Institute of Teaching and Learning Open Workshop Programme 2023-24

The list below is the definitive programme of events announced to date, available to all staff at the University of Manchester who are interested in teaching and learning practices and developing their own skills. This page will continue to be updated as we announce further workshops and other activities - so remember to bookmark or save the page and revisit regularly for all the latest details.

Announcements of additional workshops will also be advertised via the Teaching and Learning Online Network (TALON).

If you would like to suggest topics or themes for sessions which you would find useful, or if you would be interested in delivering or co-delivering a session as part of our Open Workshop Programme, please get in touch with the ITL team by email, at teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk.

Events in January 2024

How to Reflect - Wednesday 17 January, 12-1pm (online)

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb PFHEA NTF, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures and Academic Lead for Academic Development, Institute of Teaching and Learning

Not sure what reflective writing is, or how to do it effectively? Need to reflect for LEAP or your NAP portfolio, but not sure if you're doing it right? Feel like you knew about this in the past, but could do with a refresher?

All UoM staff are welcome to attend this session, which serves as an introduction or refresher on reflection and reflective practice. We will discuss the purpose of reflection and how it's different to 'just thinking' or ruminating, and we'll explore a few models that can help you to structure and deepen your reflection (and might help you if you find you're getting stuck). You can ask any questions you have on reflective thinking or reflective writing, and discuss any difficulties you may be having with these.

Intended learning outcomes

During this session you will have the opportunity to:

  • Identify key aspects of reflection and how these can help your development and practice
  • Explore a few reflective models that may help to support and deepen your reflection
  • Ask questions about reflection if you find it confusing or there are things you're unsure about

This session is a friendly and informal space for you to explore reflection. It is facilitated by colleagues who believe in the developmental potential of reflection, but also understand that not everybody likes reflection or feels confident in it. Please come along with your questions and concerns, and we'll hopefully support you in finding a way forward that helps reflection work for you.

For those who want to carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style you may wish to attend one of our 'Action on Reflection' sessions.

Action on Reflection - Wednesday 17 January, 2-3pm (online)

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb PFHEA NTF, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures and Academic Lead for Academic Development, Institute of Teaching and Learning

Need to reflect for your NAP portfolio or LEAP application, but struggling to get started? Want to see if reflection can help you build confidence and problem-solve? Know all about reflection, but finding it hard to carve out time to do it?

Come along to our monthly Friday sessions – all welcome!

Intended learning outcomes

During this session you will have the opportunity to:

  • Have a quick reminder on what reflection is and why we do it
  • Carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style
  • Share and discuss your ideas with other interested colleagues if you wish to do so

These sessions will take place via Zoom and are not recorded. Colleagues are welcome to join us as many times as they wish to.

For those new to reflection or who want to discuss reflective practice or to explore reflective models, approaches and ideas, you may wish to attend one of our 'How to Reflect' sessions as an introduction or refresher on how and why we reflect, and how to get the most out of this for your own development and practice.

An evidence-based method to improve student engagement - Thursday 24 January, 11am-12pm (online)

Led by Dr Jen McBride SFHEA, University Academic Lead for Teaching Excellence and Quality and Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, School of Biological Sciences

This introductory session is aimed at teaching staff who looking for a new, simple, evidence-based approach to enhance students’ communication, learning, and sense of community and belonging in the classroom using digital chatboxes. The session will provide an overview of the findings from ITL Project ‘Watch with me – Blending the synchronous with the asynchronous’ and subsequent work, along with tips and tricks to embed this in your own teaching.

Intended learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

  • How can we enhance students’ engagement, communication, and harness social environment to optimise learning
  • Understand the empirical evidence supporting the use of chatboxes in teaching – what advantages might it provide, for which students, and what is the evidence?
  • See how this connects to established pedagogical literature and well-known learning theories
  • How to get started creating and presenting a chatbox for use in your own classes
  • Understand the advantages and current restrictions of different platforms

This session will be delivered online via Zoom. 

Find out more about Jen's ITL fellowship project, the outcomes and outputs of Jen's research:

Embedding the Jisc Discovery tool: Sharing effective practice from across the sector - Thursday 25 January, 11am-12pm (online)

Led by Dr Becki Vickerstaff, Jisc Higher Education Senior Consultant and Dr Jane Mooney SFHEA, Academic Lead for Digital skills and literacy, Flexible Learning Programme

This digital capability seminar, led by Jisc Higher Education Senior Consultant Dr Becki Vickerstaff, will focus on embedding the use of the Jisc Discovery tool, sharing practice from across the sector. Planned updates to the tool will also be discussed, including the forthcoming addition of AI-themed question sets and resources for students and staff.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the feedback session you will be able to:

  • Identify opportunities to embed use of the Discovery tool to support student and staff digital development
  • Gain an understanding of planned updates to the tool

This session will take place online. 

Events in February 2024

Action on Reflection - Wednesday 7 February, 12-1pm (online)

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb PFHEA NTF, University Academic Lead for Academic Development and Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures

Need to reflect for your NAP portfolio or LEAP application, but struggling to get started? Want to see if reflection can help you build confidence and problem-solve? Know all about reflection, but finding it hard to carve out time to do it?

Come along to our monthly Friday sessions – all welcome!

Intended learning outcomes

During this session you will have the opportunity to:

  • Have a quick reminder on what reflection is and why we do it
  • Carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style
  • Share and discuss your ideas with other interested colleagues if you wish to do so

These sessions will take place via Zoom and are not recorded. Colleagues are welcome to join us as many times as they wish to.

For those new to reflection or who want to discuss reflective practice or to explore reflective models, approaches and ideas, you may wish to attend one of our 'How to Reflect' sessions as an introduction or refresher on how and why we reflect, and how to get the most out of this for your own development and practice.

How to Reflect - Wednesday 7 February, 10-11am (online)

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb PFHEA NTF, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures and Academic Lead for Academic Development, Institute of Teaching and Learning

Not sure what reflective writing is, or how to do it effectively? Need to reflect for LEAP or your NAP portfolio, but not sure if you're doing it right? Feel like you knew about this in the past, but could do with a refresher?

All UoM staff are welcome to attend this session, which serves as an introduction or refresher on reflection and reflective practice. We will discuss the purpose of reflection and how it's different to 'just thinking' or ruminating, and we'll explore a few models that can help you to structure and deepen your reflection (and might help you if you find you're getting stuck). You can ask any questions you have on reflective thinking or reflective writing, and discuss any difficulties you may be having with these.

Intended learning outcomes

During this session you will have the opportunity to:

  • Identify key aspects of reflection and how these can help your development and practice
  • Explore a few reflective models that may help to support and deepen your reflection
  • Ask questions about reflection if you find it confusing or there are things you're unsure about

This session is a friendly and informal space for you to explore reflection. It is facilitated by colleagues who believe in the developmental potential of reflection, but also understand that not everybody likes reflection or feels confident in it. Please come along with your questions and concerns, and we'll hopefully support you in finding a way forward that helps reflection work for you.

For those who want to carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style you may wish to attend one of our 'Action on Reflection' sessions.

Digital Wellbeing - Wednesday 16 February, 12-1.15pm (online)

Led by Dr Jane Mooney SFHEA, Senior Lecturer, Academic Theme Lead for Digital Skills and Literacy, Flexible Learning Programme, Dr Sarah Shepherd, Senior Lecturer, Division of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Dr Natalie Cunningham, Lecturer in Leadership For Development, School of Environment, Education and Development and Sebbie Mudhai, Assistant Alumni And Development Officer, Division of Development and Alumni Relations

When we think about how to look after ourselves, how much do we consider the impact of the technologies around us?

Intended learning outcomes

During this `Digital Wellbeing` workshop, we will:

  • Explore the impact of digital on your wellbeing
  • Discover what is meant by ‘digital wellbeing’, both professionally and personally
  • Explore how digital (using technology) affects our wellbeing, analysing the personal gains and challenges
  • Guide you in creating priorities to support positive digital wellbeing.

This workshop is a small group session to allow opportunity for discussion. The session is scheduled to last for 75 minutes and will take place on Zoom.

Getting the Blend Right - Wednesday 21 February, 1-2.30pm (on campus)

Led by Dr Alison Fisher (Senior Lecturer, Academic Theme Lead for University College for Interdisciplinary Learning), Prof Caroline Bowsher (Academic Lead for Digital Learning Environment), and Dr Jane Mooney (Senior Lecturer, Academic Theme Lead for Digital Skills and Literacy - Flexible Learning Programme)

With the approval of ‘First Steps To Flexible’ by Senate in May 2021, the University committed to a ‘conscious move to adopt Blended Learning as our default model of delivery at programme level’. Blended Learning in this context is a thoughtful and responsive combination of on-campus, synchronous online and asynchronous online learning experiences designed to maximise and promote active learning and engagement. While 'First Steps' devolves the responsibility of creating 'a balanced portfolio of synchronous, asynchronous, on-campus and on-line activities across a programme' to course unit leaders 'in consultation with those responsible (e.g. programme directors or equivalent)', it does not prescribe the mechanism by which this 'conscious move' will be achieved.

Recognising the need for such a mechanism, a paper ‘Getting the Blend Right’ was co-created by colleagues from across the University to provide guidance to course unit leaders and programme directors. The paper outlines a framework to underpin the University’s approach to the design and delivery of Blended Learning, and highlights overarching principles with the explicit intention that these can subsequently be built upon, refined and operationalised by faculties and other areas involved in the delivery of teaching and learning. 

Intended learning outcomes

  • Discuss and create actions to support operationalising blended learning
  • Identify opportunities to embed and share effective practice

We will briefly outline the ‘Getting the Blend Right’ framework before working together to identify actions that can support its operationalisation. How can broader adoption be incorporated within the Teaching, Learning and Student Experience structures of the University? How can we capture and share effective practice where blended learning has already been implemented or embedded?

Events in March 2024

Discover the power of student self-feedback to enhance student outcomes, 13th March, 10:30 - 12:30, In person.

Led by Jenni Rose, Louise Walker, and Jen McBride

This workshop will enable to you to apply evidence based pedagogical approach to enhance assessment and feedback in your teaching practice. In this workshop, you will learn the theories of inner feedback (Nicol 2021) and, using AI assistance, how to write reusable resources assignments which unlock students’ self-feedback in your practice.

This work in making inner feedback explicit for students has been shown to increase student’s intellectual development and attainment in assessments without direct written teacher comments, enabling it to scale to large numbers of students.

You will also become part of a network of academics seeking to implement this in their teaching who are also looking to increase the autonomy and self-evaluation skills of students across the University of Manchester.

After the initial workshop, you will be invited to become self-feedback champions as part of a Flexible Learning pilot project. Within this Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) network, you will receive expert advice and peer support to implement self-feedback in teaching and take part in an evaluation of self-feedback across the university.

 

Teaching and supporting international students through creative approaches - Wednesday 20 March, 1-3:30pm (on campus)

Dr Zhuomin (‘Min’) Huang, Lecturer in Intercultural Education, Programme Director, MA International Education, Manchester Institute of Education, The University of Manchester

This face-to-face, on campus, practical session provides an opportunity for attendees to experience and explore the use of creative approaches for developing inclusive teaching and support with international students. By creative approaches, it refers to a critical pedagogy that moves beyond the traditional, sometimes stereotypical approaches to international students, but uses new, holistic, reflective, personal, and imaginative ways to engage them and to enable their development in and contributions to the HE environment.

 

The session will introduce various creative approaches in practice, for example:  

  • Searching for belonging and homemaking on an internationalised HE campus: photographic-based educational activities 
  • Making sense of students’ learning identity and personal development: ‘blind’-portrait 
  • Reflecting on the journey of student experience: metaphorical cards 
  • Multilingual intentionalities as part of global citizenship skills for students’ learning and development  
  • Pedagogical seminars with students in a subject of study 
  • Discuss and create actions to support operationalising blended learning
  • Identify opportunities to embed and share effective practice

 

How to Reflect - Wednesday 22nd March, 11am-12pm (online)

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb PFHEA NTF, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures and Academic Lead for Academic Development, Institute of Teaching and Learning

Not sure what reflective writing is, or how to do it effectively? Need to reflect for LEAP or your NAP portfolio, but not sure if you're doing it right? Feel like you knew about this in the past, but could do with a refresher?

All UoM staff are welcome to attend this session, which serves as an introduction or refresher on reflection and reflective practice. We will discuss the purpose of reflection and how it's different to 'just thinking' or ruminating, and we'll explore a few models that can help you to structure and deepen your reflection (and might help you if you find you're getting stuck). You can ask any questions you have on reflective thinking or reflective writing, and discuss any difficulties you may be having with these.

Intended learning outcomes

During this session you will have the opportunity to:

  • Identify key aspects of reflection and how these can help your development and practice
  • Explore a few reflective models that may help to support and deepen your reflection
  • Ask questions about reflection if you find it confusing or there are things you're unsure about

This session is a friendly and informal space for you to explore reflection. It is facilitated by colleagues who believe in the developmental potential of reflection, but also understand that not everybody likes reflection or feels confident in it. Please come along with your questions and concerns, and we'll hopefully support you in finding a way forward that helps reflection work for you.

For those who want to carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style you may wish to attend one of our 'Action on Reflection' sessions.

Action on Reflection - Friday 22nd March, 12-1pm (online)

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb PFHEA NTF, University Academic Lead for Academic Development and Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures

Need to reflect for your NAP portfolio or LEAP application, but struggling to get started? Want to see if reflection can help you build confidence and problem-solve? Know all about reflection, but finding it hard to carve out time to do it?

Come along to our monthly Friday sessions – all welcome!

Intended learning outcomes

During this session you will have the opportunity to:

  • Have a quick reminder on what reflection is and why we do it
  • Carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style
  • Share and discuss your ideas with other interested colleagues if you wish to do so

These sessions will take place via Zoom and are not recorded. Colleagues are welcome to join us as many times as they wish to.

For those new to reflection or who want to discuss reflective practice or to explore reflective models, approaches and ideas, you may wish to attend one of our 'How to Reflect' sessions as an introduction or refresher on how and why we reflect, and how to get the most out of this for your own development and practice.

Events in April 2024

MS Teams as a supportive learning environment (3rd April)

Led by Hamza Badenjiki, Learning Technologist, Humanities

 

Wednesday 3rd April 2024, 14:00-15:30, Online

This introductory session is aimed at teaching staff who are considering exploring new methods to further enhance students’ communication,

collaboration, engagement, and social learning in the Microsoft Teams environment.

.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will gain an overview of:

  • What were the academic staff and students' experiences with MS Teams based on a few sector showcases?
  • How do the outcomes of showcases connect to well-known learning theories?
  • What potential pedagogic advantages may the MS Teams platform provide?
  • What is the current best practice for planning, designing, and constructing an MS Teams environment to facilitate communication, collaboration and social learning, along with examples of existing Teams spaces?
  • How to get started structuring the MS Teams space with simple hands-on activities.
  • Advantages and current restrictions with MS Teams.

 

Sign up for this event and access the link on the Training Catalogue

MS Teams for collaboration using OneNote Class Notebook(10th April)

Led by Hamza Badenjik, Learning Technologist, Humanities

 

Wednesday 10th April 2024, 14:00-15:00, online

This session is intended for teaching staff who are interested in exploring new methods to facilitate students' formative collaborative activities

(such as group project work) as well as experimenting with additional opportunities for formative individual learning activities (such as

individual digital journals, homework, or exercises) with Teams OneNote Class NoteBook. The pedagogic aspects of collaborative learning will

also be covered in this session.

 

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

  • Create a OneNote Class Notebook in a Teams environment.
  • Create and share a collaborative class activity.
  • Form groups in the Class Notebook.
  •  Create and distribute collaborative group activities.
  • Manage the collaboration space for both the class and groups.
  • Create a formative group assignment for students to collaborate on.
  • Review and provide group feedback.
  • Distribute individual homework/exercise.
  • Review and provide individual feedback.

 Sign up to attend this session on the Training Catalogue