ALT-C 2006: The next generation

From the 5th to the 7th of September 2006, Edinburgh, Scotland, will be host to the 2006 ALT-C Annual Conference.

This is the first call for papers and abstracts and the online paper submission system for ALT-C 2006 is now open at http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2006/papers.html.

The last date for Research Papers is 14 February 2006 and the last date for Abstracts for short papers, symposia, workshops, demonstrations and posters is 28 February 2006.

For more information, visit the conference website.

First Year Experience In Continuing Education Conference

A two day international conference is being held in Stirling on the 24th and 25th of April, 2006 addressing the subject of student retention in Continuing Education.

The conference is being hosted by Stirling University in partnership with the HEA Education Subject Centre. The deadline for submissions is 6th of February 2006 and all inquiries should be sent to Dr Derek Young at escalate@stir.ac.uk

Improving Student Learning 14th Annual Conference

The 14th Improving Student Learning (ISL) conference will be held on 4-6 September 2006 at the University of Bath, UK.

The major aim of the Improving Student Learning symposia is to provide a forum which brings together those who are primarily researchers into learning in higher education and those who are primarily practitioners concerned more pragmatically with improving their practice, but from whichever starting point, papers are only accepted if they take a sufficiently scholarly, research-based approach.

More details about the conference can be found at: www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/1_ocsld/isl2006/

This year's theme:
It is interesting that it has taken us 14 years before choosing this year's theme – Improving Student Learning Through Teaching. At first sight, not a particularly radical idea, but we must not forget that "teaching without learning is just talking" (Angelo and Cross, 1993, p3).

Paper submission (closing date for submissions is 31 January 2006) online at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/1_ocsld/isl2006/callforpapers.html.

New SERA Website

The Scottish Educational Research Association has developed a new website to promote their activities and aims.

SERA aims to promote educational research and debate about the contribution research can make to enhanced practice. SERA membership brings the opportunity to join an active community of teachers, policy makers, teacher-researchers, professional researchers, research funders and other educational professionals.

The Events and Publications pages of the website are still awaiting content, but this information can be solicited from the Contacts page, where Jan Bissett (jan.bissett@strath.ac.uk) is listed as the prime contact.

For more information, visit the SERA website.

Alastair Robertson visits Strathclyde

Dr Alastair Robertson, the HEA Senior Advisor for Scotland, dropped by our offices today to make a presentation to Strathclyde's Learning Enhancement Network and to discuss how academics, learning development units and other centres in the university can work together with the HEA. His talk covered generally:

• the HEA's role and aims
• current UK-wide activities
• the HEA's role in Scotland

"Everything we do is aimed at improving the student learning experience," said Robertson. "In part, this means building and sustaining enhancement in Scotland."

The HEA's plans for Scotland, outlined by Robertson, include:

• working with and supporting institutions
• providing delivery appropriate to needs
• increasing quality enhancements for HE in Scotland
• supporting subject centres to increase awareness and use
• collaboration with Enhancement Themes
• a bi-monthly newsletter on what's happening in Scotland
• hosting events on "Quality Management, Innovation, and Assessment Themes"
• and, creating and supporting staff-student networks.

Dr Robertson also mentioned that the HEA would be holding a conference on the student experience in Edinburgh in the early summer of 2006 and a Scotland-based, subject-centre staff conference some time in the new year.

For more information on the HEA and its activities, visit the Higher Education Academy website.

HEA 2006 Conference announced

The Higher Education Academy 2006 Annual Conference, whose theme will be Enhancing the Student Learning Experience will take place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, from the 3rd to 5th of July 2006.

This is the second Annual Conference of the Higher Education Academy and focuses on all aspects relating to enhancing the student learning experience.

The 2006 Conference will focus on three major themes:

• higher education policy
  
• scholarship of teaching in the disciplines
  
• innovations to support the student learning experience.

The deadline for the receipt of submissions is Monday 30 January 2006. For more information visit the conference website.