Call for Papers: ICE3

The third and last of a series of symposia entitled 'ideas, cyberspace, education' will address the question of 'digital difference' from the 21st to 23rd of March, 2007 at Ross Priory, Loch Lomond.

'Held over three days in the delightful setting of Ross Priory on the shores of Loch Lomond, the symposium will give lecturers, developers, researchers and theorists an opportunity to discuss the culture, theory and politics of learning and teaching in the digital domain.'

The keynote speaker is Professor Gunther Kress, Head of the School of Culture, Language and Communication at the Institute of Education, University of London, and author of several books on the subject of language and literacy in the digital age.

A maximum of 40 people will keep the event intimate and allow a high degree of interchance and discussion. Obviously, early registration is recommended.

For more information, visit the symposium website at http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/ice3.

'Getting Engaged' - Enhancing Student Engagement

'Getting Engaged' - Enhancing Student Engagement is the theme for an HEA workshop on the 2nd of November 2006 at the University of Edinburgh (South Hall Complex).

'Effective involvement of students in quality processes is one of the five key strands to the Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF) in Scotland. In addition, student engagement and empowerment have been identified as areas of particular interest through the initial work of the First Year Experience Enhancement Theme. Co-convened with sparqs, this event will explore how student engagement with institutions may be made more effective in enhancing the student learning experience. There will be contributions from a number of institutions from throughout the UK and from three of the First Year Enhancement Theme Projects. It follows a highly successful workshop on this subject held in December 2005 in York in association with Nottingham Trent University.'

For further information and booking details for these events please see the Academy website at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/List_4710.htm or contact Lynda Massey on 01904 717500 (Lynda.Massey@heacademy.ac.uk)

Evidencing Scholarship using Threshold Concepts

Next week's Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Symposium at Glasgow University will include an afternoon presentation by Ray Land and Jan Smith, both of Strathclyde's Centre for Academic Practice & Learning Enhancement on "Using 'threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge' to analyse student learning".

Land and Smith will provide a brief outline of threshold concepts, troublesome knowledge and underlying epistemes; implications for course (re-)design using three examples from Automotive Design, Economics, and Electronic Engineering; and, considerations for appropriate evidence.

For more information visit the Symposium website.

Threshold Concepts Symposium at Strathclyde

TheUniversity of Strathclyde and the Centre for Academic Practice & Learning Enhancement just played host to an international group of academics for a small-scale symposium focusing on emerging perspectives of 'threshold concepts'.

There has been growing interest internationally in recent years in this framework and its applicability to the disciplines. The symposium held from the 30th of August to the 1st of September, 2006, targeted contributions from a variety of disciplines from mathematics to automobile design and modern languages to art therapy.

Having attended the conference myself, I can say that it was a resounding success and a very neatly run affair as well. Presentations were top notch and discussion was both lively and informative. I have little doubt that there will be another, possibly larger, symposium/conference already in the works for next year.

The conference website is available at http://personal.strath.ac.uk/ray.land/thresholds/home.htm
and conference presentations are available through JISCmail at http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/TCS.html (requires subscription).

More information on Threshold Concepts to come.