Take5

This #Take5 is brought to you by Dr Katharine Jewitt, Associate Lecturer, Researcher and Consultant at The Open University. As the new academic year gets underway, Katharine shares 10 reasons why it is good for you to #Take5 and invites you to read, comment and write for ALDinHE’s Take5 blog.  Katharine is Co-Editor of #Take5 alongside University Teaching Fellow and Associate Teaching Professor, Sandra Sinfield at London Metropolitan University and always in spirit, Tom Burns Co-Founder and Editor of Take 5, who sadly passed away shortly after this blog was published on 23 October 2024. The #Take5 blog is the […]

by Helena Beeson and Anne-Marie Langford from the University of Northampton Introduction How many workers does it take to change a light bulb?  This blog post is about a light bulb moment (pun literally intended). Helena Beeson and Anne-Marie Langford from the University of Northampton share a reflection on their learning development practice and how it can impact on others.  The Challenge On our way back from the fabulous and thought provoking ALDinHE conference on the Tuesday evening with time to spare on the long train journey from Glasgow to Northampton (with a refreshing mini break at Rugby!) two weary, […]

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, […]