Take5

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a rapid evolution in teaching methodologies, leading to the widespread adoption of hybrid education – an amalgamation of in-person and online instruction, synchronous and asynchronous activities, and compulsory and flexible tasks. This paradigm shift has prompted educators to explore innovative approaches to engage students effectively in hybrid learning environments. In this blog, Sandra Abegglen, Mia Brewster, Fabian Neuhaus and Sarah Wilkins, all from the University of Calgary, share how their Playful Hybrid Higher Education project seeks to address this challenge by investigating the integration of play and creativity into hybrid teaching practices.  The Study […]

This #Take5 provides a summary of the recent LD@3 event “The art of storytelling for Learning Developers: how to transform complex ideas into compelling narratives” that took place on the 27 June 2024 with Dr Katharine Jewitt, Consultant and Associate Lecturer and Researcher at The Open University. Katharine looks at why stories work so well, sharing some of the secrets of great storytellers and explores types of stories you can use in your own work. Katharine delved into the art of storytelling, offering invaluable insights and practical techniques to effectively communicate with students with empathy, clarity, and impact. During the […]

This #Take5 is brought to you from Dr Steve Briggs, Director for Learning and Teaching Excellence at the University of Bedfordshire. Steve is a former ALDinHE Co-Chair and currently a member of the Committee for the Association of National Teaching Fellows. Over the last eight years Steve has championed and led work that serves to promote recognition for Learning Development Practitioners. The potential to be hidden Learning Development Practitioners play a crucial role in supporting student success and student outcomes. However, such contributions are typically part of integrated support structures as such raising the profile of the impact, value and […]

This post is brought to you from Drs Mark Bassett and Lucy Macnaught at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau Auckland University of Technology in Aotearoa New Zealand. As many of us know from experience – and shared frustration – although embedded practices are efficient and effective, they are not well supported. It seems we need to do much more to convince leadership of our value. In this blog, Mark and Lucy discuss their recently published systematic literature review of empirical research into the impacts of embedded academic literacy development: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2024.2354280. An embedded approach It often feels like we […]

We recently had the chance to sit down with the dynamic team behind the development of the  Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) innovative and supportive Mentoring Scheme for learning developers – and the Certified Mentor (CeM) Qualification that emerged from it.  The development of the scheme was essentially collaborative – bringing together many voices from diverse places and institutions across the UK. This group of dedicated LD practitioners seems to have cracked the code for effective teamwork – and we wanted to know how they did it. Here they are, spilling their secrets. Learning Development is one […]

This #Take5 is brought to you from Dr Steve Briggs, Director for Learning and Teaching Excellence at the University of Bedfordshire and Dr Helen Webster, Educational Development Consultant (Academic Skills) at the University of Oxford .  Steve is a former ALDinHE Co-Chair and currently a member of the Committee for the Association of National Teaching Fellows. Over the last eight years Steve has championed and led work that serves to promote recognition for Learning Development Practitioners.  Helen is a former co-chair of ALDinHE’s then Professional Development Working Group, and has led the creation of CPD for Learning Development practitioners as […]

By Joy Igiebor This #Take5 is brought to you from Joy Igiebor. You might remember Joy’s previous #Take5 #84 ‘What the Learning Developer needs to know’ which focused on pragmatic tips for conducting workshops and tutorials for those new to or at an early stage of their role as a learning developer (LD). In this blog post Joy reflects on the nature of identity and relates to wider questions of identity within the field of Learning Development.  Joy suggests that understanding and engaging with some of these wider concerns is critical for those newer to the field of Learning Development […]

This blog is brought to you from Nayiri Keshishi (Senior Lecturer in Learning Development, University of Surrey) and Dustin Hosseini (Learning Innovation Officer at University of Glasgow and doctoral student in Education at University of Strathclyde). Hello readers! Over the past six months, my colleague Dustin Hosseini and I have embarked on a thought-provoking journey, delving into the intricate connections between generative AI and the complex tapestry of gender, race, and ethnicity. Today, we’re thrilled to unveil our latest project: a comprehensive teaching resource aimed at fostering critical thinking and analysis concerning the underlying dynamics of generative AI. Our resource, […]

By Simone Maier In the run up to the wonderful #ALDcon24, we thought we’d share one of our colleague’s reflections on a truly empowering conference experience. Simone went to the Glasgow School of Art Teachers Conference as a learning developer, as an art teacher on an Art Foundation Programme, and as a Masters student exploring Art and the Pedagogy of Art. Here Simone reflects on that Conference and on the power of Practice Based Research as a way of surfacing our deep values and predispositions – those that cannot at first be articulated through language – where even attempting to […]

This #Take5 is brought to you from Nilay Balkan, a lecturer in Marketing at the University of Glasgow. Nilay shares her powerful insights derived from using Charity Case Studies with Business students. This is a powerful and moving piece in itself – and it also reveals the benefit of keeping a reflective diary when we work – to see what emerges from our practice. Compassion front and centre I’ve noticed there are certain attributes and skills that we are particularly interested in within business schools; communication, collaboration, creativity, for example. While undoubtedly important, these are rather project focused in that […]