Educational Development in Scotland

Exploring the Hinterlands: Mapping an Agenda for Institutional Research

2008-04-15T10:40:00.001+01:00

Exploring the Hinterlands: Mapping an Agenda for Institutional Research Conference will be held at Southampton Solent University, UK, on the 25-26 of June 2008.

Southampton Solent University invites you to the first major UK conference focusing on Institutional Research. The event presents an exciting opportunity for dialogue and networking with UK and international higher education managers and academics who are interested in institutional research. We’ve got a full conference programme with speakers from America, Ireland, Portugal South Africa and the UK. The draft programme is now available to download on www.solent.ac.uk/irconference.

Keynote speakers/presenters:

Dr Randy Swing, Executive Director of the Association for Institutional Research, USA
Professor David Watson, Institute of Education, UK
Dr Nick Hammond, Higher Education Academy, UK
Emeritus Professor Roger Brown, Southampton Solent University, UK
Professor Bernard Longden, Liverpool Hope University, UK
Professor Mantz Yorke, Lancaster University, UK

What is the focus of the conference?

Institutional research is growing fast in the UK, although it has been established practice in the USA for the past 30 years. Universities in the UK are beginning to realise that they need information and research to underpin strategic decision making, particularly in areas such as the student learning experience, student profiling, market intelligence, environmental scanning, predictive modelling and reputation management. The conference seeks to explore these themes.

Why should you attend this conference?

Come and discover how other institutions are growing their institutional research to improve decision making, market position and the student experience.

Who should attend this conference?

The conference would be of interest to a wide audience ranging from higher education managers and academics, to professionals working in planning and information, marketing, as well as academic and educational development/research.

How can I find out more?

Please check the conference website www.solent.ac.uk/irconference or contact Lilian.Winkvist-Noble@solent.ac.uk.

Developing learning-centred curricula

2008-04-08T10:50:00.000+01:00

Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh is pleased to welcome Dr Harry Hubball (University of British Columbia - UBC) on 12 June 2008 from 10.00-12.00. Harry's research and practice focus on issues of curriculum and pedagogy in higher education and active living/sports contexts. In 2007 Harry was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship, one of Canada's most prestigious university teaching awards, for his pioneering work on UBC's Certificate Programme on Learning and Teaching.

Harry will be talking about developing learning-centred curricula, and will draw on case study material from Ontario and British Columbia. His data suggest that context-specific, integrated and stage-specific frameworks for implementing programme-level learning outcomes are critical to enhancing student learning.

For more information on the session and to register for the event visit http://www.hw.ac.uk/edu/ltd/events.htm

Research Teaching Linkages: Enhancing Graduate Attributes

2008-02-28T11:50:00.000Z

The Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum presents "Research Teaching Linkages: Enhancing Graduate Attributes" from 2.30 - 3.30pm on Tuesday 18th March 2008 at the Insight Area, H113, Caledonian Academy.

What skills do we aim to develop in our learners as we prepare them for employment? How can the research skills of teaching staff be utilised in developing the key skills which define a modern graduate. The development of linkages between research and teaching to enhance graduate attributes is one of the current Quality Assurance Agency Enhancement Themes[1]. This seminar will discuss some of the background to the theme and consider key issues which have emerged from it. We will consider current practice at Glasgow Caledonian University and how a commitment to developing these graduate attributes can be embedded in key institutional strategies and initiatives. This presentation will also provide you with an opportunity to put forward your own views on the linkage between teaching and research.

The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 18th March 2008. This event led by Dr. Colin Milligan is open to all staff with an interest in the Research Teaching Linkages theme. We hope you will come along and join the discussion.

If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, Tel. 273 1319

Learning For All Conference 2008

2008-02-25T12:49:00.001Z

Learning for All conference - Update 2008

The National Union of Students Scotland (NUS Scotland) and the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) would like to invite you to our Learning for All conference - Update 2008 to be held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Wednesday 26 March 2008.

This year's event will be our second annual conference to build on our implementation of this action plan and the update report on measures of success.
The event

The programme will include reflection on achievements to date and work to agree future priorities for the next year of the action plan's lifespan.
Speakers will include:

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning
James Alexander, President of National Union of Students Scotland
John McClelland, Chair of SFC

The event will run from 10am to 3pm and will include voting and discussion sessions on key themes in widening participation policy.

To book a place, please complete the registration form (Word document) and return it to Joan Fairlie (email: jfairlie@sfc.ac.uk; fax: 0131 313 6507) before Friday
14 March 2008. For further information please contact Nick Stansfeld (tel: 0131 313 6574; email: nstansfeld@sfc.ac.uk).

CFP: "Crossing borders - Transforming boundaries” - Scottish Educational Research Association Conference 2008

2008-02-25T12:44:00.001Z

A Call for Papers has been put out for the Scottish Educational Research Association Conference 2008 whose theme is “Crossing borders - Transforming boundaries”. The conference will be held in the Royal George Hotel, Perth, from Thursday 27th November – Saturday 29th November 2008.

The annual conference of the Scottish Educational Research Association this year emphasizes the need to look beyond established borders or boundaries whether sectoral, national or international. Papers which address this theme are particularly welcome but other topics will also be considered. These may include but are not limited to:

Curriculum theory and practice
Inclusive practices
Research Methods and knowledge transfer
Learning Teaching and assessment
Social Justice
School improvement and transitions

For more information, visit the SERA Website at http://www.sera.ac.uk/

Enquiry Based Learning Symposium at Glasgow

2008-02-25T09:39:00.000Z

The University of Glasgow will host a one-day symposium on Enquiry Based Learning on March 27th 2008 from 10.00 - 16.00 in the Sir Charles Wilson Bulding.

This one day symposium will focus on enquiry based learning and academic enquiry. The keynote address is entitled: 'Integration and Integrity in Academic Enquiry' and will be given by Stephen Rowland, Professor of Higher Education at University College London and the Institute of Education. This will draw upon Stephen's recent book 'The Enquiring University'. The event will include an opportunity to hear about a series of Enquiry Based Learning projects that have been taking place at the University of Glasgow. These projects will be introduced by Dr Jane Pritchard, Learning & Teaching Advisor, HE Academy Engineering Subject Centre. There will also be workshops providing an opportunity to discuss enquiry based learning and academic integrity in more depth.

The charge for attending this event is £50 (free of charge to University of Glasgow staff). For further information contact Lucinda Dempsie (l.dempsie@admin.gla.ac.uk).

To book for this event, please complete the online booking form

Making Connections in the First Year: Challenges and opportunities for research universities

2008-02-21T09:34:00.000Z

Professor Kerri-Lee Krause, Griffith Institute for Higher Education (Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia) will be giving a talk entitled "Making Connections in the First Year: Challenges and opportunities for research universities" on Tuesday the 26th of February 2008 at 4.00-5.00 pm at the University of Edinburgh in room 1.21, Paterson's Land, Holyrood Road.

The challenge of making a successful transition to first year university study is not to be under-estimated. For the majority of students, the first year is about learning the language of academe, and much may be lost in translation. This interactive workshop will explore some of the common challenges facing first year students, with particular emphasis on some of the potential issues facing students in transition to research-intensive universities. Drawing on recent research, the presentation will examine internationally applicable strategies for helping students to engage effectively with learning, teaching and the learning community in their first year. Participants will be invited to identify local challenges and to discuss strategies that they have used to support first year learning and teaching.

There is no need to register. Just turn up at the event.

Scottish Information Literacy Project funded by Learning and Teaching Scotland

2008-02-20T17:32:00.000Z

In a recent e-mail, John Crawford announced:

"the Scottish Information Literacy Project has been funding by Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) to undertake a project entitled: Adding value to LTS Information Literacy Online Service: Exemplars of good practice.

The proposal aims to identify exemplars of good practice within the cross curricular area of information literacy for dissemination through the LTS Online Service which offers an important mechanism to keep education authority and school staff informed and supported.

The Scottish Information Literacy Project will work with three partners, North Lanarkshire Council, Education Resource Service; Information and Learning Resources, City of Edinburgh Council and North Ayrshire Education Resources Service to identify exemplars of good practice in information searching in schools which will be matched against the National Information Literacy Framework standards being developed; a copy of which will be made available to LTS for publication as part of the information literacy section of the LTS Online Service."

For more information, visit the project website at http://www.caledonian.ac.uk/ils/

Creative Graduates Symposium

2008-02-07T11:37:00.000Z

The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow will play host to a one-day symposium on the 18th of March, 2008, entitled Creative Graduates: learning and research in the creative arts.

The symposium poses the interesting questions: what makes higher education 'higher' and is some form of linkage between teaching and research a defining characteristic of 'higher education'?

For more information, download the symposium flyer (PDF) or visit the Enhancement Themes website.

Enhancement Themes Conference 2008

2008-02-07T10:58:00.000Z

The Enhancement Themes Conference 2008 will be held in the Edinburgh Conference Centre hosted by Heriot Watt University on Wednesday 5th of March to Thursday 6th of March, 2008.

As befits one of the major events in the Scottish higher education calendar, this year’s Enhancement Themes conference will provide a stimulating and interactive platform to discuss and debate the enhancement of learning and teaching. The particular focus of the conference this year will be on the current Themes of, Research-teaching linkages: enhancing graduate attributes and the First Year Experience: engagement and empowerment. We are delighted to have a number of speakers who are international leaders in their fields to provide plenary sessions. However, we have also responded to your feedback on last year's conference and have allocated more time to interactive workshop sessions. This will allow the opportunity for practitioners to come together and share interesting and emerging practice.

The conference is being held over two days. While many participants will wish to attend on both days, we have structured the programme to facilitate attendance on either one or both days. In this context you should note that, in general, day one of the conference will focus on the First Year Experience: engagement and empowerment and day two on Research-Teaching Linkages: enhancing graduate attributes

For more information, visit the Enhancement Themes website at https://enhancement.qaa.ac.uk/events/detail.asp?ctrID=42.

PDP Sharing Practice Event at St. Andrews

2008-02-06T11:45:00.000Z

St. Andrews will host a PDP Sharing Practice Event on the 19th of March, 2008 at Venue 2 (Students' Union, University of St Andrews)

Jointly run by the Academy, the Centre for Recording Achievement, and QAA, this practioner-led event is a genuine opportunity to share practice relating to Personal Development Planning (PDP). It will consist of at least one Marketplace session, and two in-depth "show and tell" sessions, all with a focus on sharing practice.

To reserve a place, please complete the booking form and return it to Rashid Irving (rashid@universities-scotland.ac.uk) by Friday 7 March.

If you would like to contribute to the Marketplace session with anything that you think will be of general interest - whether a poster, set of resources, handout, or even just an idea - the please complete the proforma and return it to Laura Hodsdon (laura.hodsdon@heacademy.ac.uk) by Friday 7 March. If you wish to lead a "show and tell" session (approx. 1 hr), please email Laura Hodsdon with a proposal as soon as possible.

SEDA Spring Conference 2008

2008-02-06T11:37:00.000Z

The SEDA Spring Conference will be held from 8-9 May 2008 in London this year and it's theme is Engaging with Student Expectations.

The conference aims to explore and debate the issues around engaging with student expectations. Conference themes include:

student centred learning
involving students in academic professional development
collecting and responding to student views
seeing teaching through the learners' eyes
consumerism and learning.

More information from the SEDA conference website available at www.seda.ac.uk.

Fifth Annual Enhancement Themes conference

2008-02-06T11:30:00.000Z

The Fifth Annual Enhancement Themes conference will be held on 5-6 March 2008 at the Edinburgh Conference Centre, hosted by Heriot-Watt University.

Day one of this conference will concentrate on the first-year experience and day two on research-teaching linkages. Amongst the guest speakers are Prof Terry Mayes (Glasgow Caledonian University); Randy L Swing (Association for Institutional Research, Florida); Prof Andrea Nolan (University of Glasgow); Prof Ray Land (University of Strathclyde).

Full programme, more information and booking is available from the conference website at http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/

Writing Development in Higher Education Conference 2008

2008-02-06T11:13:00.000Z

The 12th Writing Development in Higher Education Conference 2008 will be held from 25-27 June 2008 at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Keynote speakers will be Dr. Rowena Murray, Prof. Dai Hounsell and Prof. Peter Elbow.

The overarching theme of the conference is Times and Spaces for Writing to reflect our growing understanding of how, when and where writing happens in relation to higher education. To this end, we welcome proposals that address the conference theme from a broad range of theoretically informed perspectives. These may include, but not be limited to, digital writing, issues in addressivity, evolving discourses and genres, pedagogic and curriculum design issues, and emergent theory in relation to academic or creative writing.

Time and space for writing will be made available in the conference programme.

Please click here to download conference flyer (PDF, 79 KB) or visit the conference website.

ESCalate Conference 2008 - Call for papers

2008-02-06T10:58:00.000Z

The call for papers for the ESCalate Conference 2008 has been announced. The theme of the conference is: The Teaching-Research Interface: Implications for Practice in HE and FE and the conference itself will take place in April in University of Stirling.

2008 Conference themes include:

Widening Participation (progression and retention) including the role of HE in FE
Technology Enhanced Learning
Contexts of Learning
Research-Teaching Linkages

Keynote speakers include:

Professor Gert Biesta: Professor of Education, University of Stirling
Professor Terry Mayes: Emeritus Professor, Glasgow Caledonian University
Professor Dai Hounsell: Professor of Higher Education, University of Edinburgh
Professor Gill Crozier: Professor of Education, University of Sunderland

Deadline for abstract submissions is Friday 29th February 2008 - Please contact ESCalate@stir.ac.uk with any queries or visit the conference website.

Blog Down Time

2008-01-30T13:05:00.000Z

Apologies for the lack of recent posts, but things are now back on track and I'll be resuming regular updates from now on.

Stuart

i3 - Information: Interactions & Impacts

2007-04-30T10:48:00.000+01:00

The i3 conference "Information: Interactions & Impacts" will take place in Aberdeen at Robert Gordon University from 25th to 28th June 2007.

i3 is concerned with the quality and effectiveness of the interaction between people and information and how this interaction can bring about change in individuals, organisations, communities and society. The conference will look beyond the issues of use and accessibility of technology to questions about the way interaction with the information and knowledge content of today’s systems and services can make a difference to people’s lives. The aim is to bring together academic and practitioner researchers with an interest in:

the quality and effectiveness of user/information interactions (e.g. information literacy);
patterns of information behaviour in different contexts;
impact of information or information services on people, organisations, communities and society (e.g. social, learning, cultural and economic outcomes of engagement with information).

Keynote speakers include Karen Kuhlthau, Amanda Spinks, Martin Westwell and Bonnie Cheuk.

For registration and further information visit the i3 conference website at: http://www.i3conference.org.uk/

Upcoming seminar: Hearing the student voice

2007-04-13T10:27:00.000+01:00

Hearing the student voice: using students to enhance academic practice in learning, teaching and assessment in higher education

Employing student voices can have a powerful impact within academic professional development and can inform and enhance learning, teaching and assessment practice in higher education. By providing qualitative insights about the nature of their learning experiences, students can bring both valid and valuable viewpoints which motivate staff who are engaged by the students' perspective and by the depth and clarity of their opinions.

This seminar will provide an opportunity for participants to learn of current work being undertaken through the Hearing the student voice project involving the development of case studies which will be showcased and to explore the relevance of this strategy to their own situation. The day will include:

a keynote presentation from Norman Sharp, Director, QAA Scotland
discussion of the value and effectiveness of using the
student voice to enhance academic practice
workshops featuring case studies of innovative practice developed by the project team and others and involving students
opportunities for participants to explore what works best through interaction and through discussion of relevant issues
opportunities for participants to share their experiences of using student voices
student involvement.

The seminar will be of interest to educational and staff developers, teaching and learning coordinators and academic staff. Further information about the day including the programme can be found on the project website at www.napier.ac.uk/studentvoices/events.htm

The seminar is being held in the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow - the same venue as the SEDA conference taking place 10-11 May. Book your place for the seminar and/or conference via the SEDA registration form.

SFEU Research Conference: ‘Enhancing Quality Through Research’

2007-04-12T10:33:00.000+01:00

The SFEU Research Conference: ‘Enhancing Quality Through Research’ will be held on the 9th of May, 2007 at SFEU, Argyll Court, Castle Business Park, Stirling.

The theme this year explores the role of research in Scotland’s colleges and asks how it can inform research policies and practices in Scotland’s colleges. The morning workshops will develop three themes: the value of research, how research can improve quality and how colleges can influence the research agenda. The afternoon keynotes will report on how FE lecturers involved in both FE and HE delivery have developed their research skills through participation in practitioner led action research (ESCalate) and how a lecturer in the TESEP project has adopted the TESEP principles and introduced them to her teaching practice. Delegates will also be able to participate in one of the practical workshops on turning research into practice, using the web for research or undertaking action research.

The Research Conference will be of interest to College researchers and practitioners, staff who are interested in undertaking research in their college and anyone who is interested in the role that research plays in enhancing quality in Scotland’s colleges.

For further information visit the conference website at http://www.sfeu.ac.uk/events/show/1929.

Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising Conference at Edinburgh

2007-04-03T11:56:00.000+01:00

The third annual Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising Conference: An International Perspective will be held on Thursday, 3 May 2007, in the John McIntyre Centre at the University of Edinburgh.

There are just a few places left on this international one day event. Please book now before the registration closing date on 18 April. There is a minimal booking fee of £50 per person.

UK delegates register through the Higher Education Academy:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/media/Registration_form_3_May_2007.doc

Non-UK Delegates register through NACADA:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/IntrntlConf/PersTutAvsg/2007UK/index.htm

The conference themes will range from evidence informed practice to providing resources for personal tutoring and participants will present posters and workshops as well as papers. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Susan Campbell, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, The University of Southern Maine & President of NACADA.

Prosperity Scotland: How higher education creates Scottish wealth

2007-04-02T15:47:00.000+01:00

Universities Scotland has just published "the most comprehensive assessment of how higher education contributes to the Scottish economy". Both an executive summary and quite a novel Flash movie of the results can be accessed by visiting the Universities Scotland website (http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/). The movie version is surprisingly informative, covering the main conclusions in a five minute span of time. For the more conventionally minded, the PDF summary provides some very useful comparisons and additional information that the movie does not cover.

International online assessment conference sponsored by REAP

2007-03-30T09:10:00.000+01:00

Running from the 29th - 31st May 2007, the Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project run here at Strathclyde is sponsoring an international online conference on assessment design for learner responsibility

You are invited to contribute to an innovative online international conference exploring the relationship between the theory and practice of assessment and feedback in higher and further education.

The conference is part of the Re-engineering Assessment Practices project (www.reap.ac.uk), a £1m initiative funded by the Scottish Funding Council under its e-Learning Transformation initiative. REAP is a collaboration across University of Strathclyde, University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University. REAP is evaluating the impact of new assessment practices supported by technology at course, faculty and institutional level.

CONFERENCE THEMES:
Focusing on assessment FOR learning in tertiary education the conference has three themes to be addressed through keynotes, case studies and structured discussions.

Theme 1: Assessment and the first year experience
Theme 2: Great designs for assessment
Theme 3: Institutional strategies (designs) for assessment

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Mantz Yorke, Visiting Professor in the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, UK
David Boud, Professor of Adult Education and Dean of the University Graduate School at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Trudy Banta, Professor of Higher Education and Vice Chancellor of Planning and Institutional Improvement at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, USA

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Registration is free but all participants must register between 10-18th May 2007.

More information is available from the conference site at: www.reap.ac.uk or contact Dr Rachel Harris, Inspire Research Ltd, reapconference@inspire-research.co.uk

5th Annual Conference on Teaching & Learning

2007-03-16T12:04:00.000Z

The 5th Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning will take place at NUI Galway in Ireland on the 7th and 8th of June 2007. The theme for this year is "Learning Technologies: From Pilot to Mainstream".

Keynote speakers for this conference include:

Prof. Stephen Heppell, government consultant on eLearning and the internet;
Prof. Ray Land, director of the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement at the University of Strathclyde;
Prof. Michael Kerres, chair in Educational Media & Knowledge Management at the University of Duisburg-Essen;
Prof. Wim van Petegem, director of the AVNet (learning technology service) at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven.

Aimed at academic and learning support staff in HE, this conference will focus on practical issues in the implementation and use of a range of technologies, providing insight into emerging "good practice", real world challenges and future potential. Our emphasis will be on teaching and learning, rather than technical issues and through a series of presentations, discussions and practical sessions we hope to be able to share experience and nurture networks of practitioners."

For more information, visit the conference website: http://www.conference.ie

Re-introduction

2007-03-16T11:59:00.000Z

Due to problems with the move from Blogger to Blogger2, the Educational Development in Scotland blog was lost in the ether for some time. Apologies for all who visited during this 'downtime'.

The blog is once again accessible and I will again be posting regularly. Thanks for your patience!

Stuart

Call for Papers: ICE3

2006-09-29T09:08:00.000+01:00

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.