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Interactive Web Pages help make MOOC a success by Dr Richard Mitchell
On June 15th, Begin Robotics began – the second massive open online course (MOOC) from Systems Engineering running on the FutureLearn platform. One of its aims is to interest potential students in the...
View ArticleInternationalization: Assessing the Impact on Students By Dr Philippa...
In Autumn 2014, the Department of Chemistry welcomed their first cohort of final year students studying for the [3+1] BSc Applied Chemistry course from NUIST, China. By January, we could already see...
View ArticleHow online reading lists can help academic, information and digital literacy...
Online reading list systems can be seen as an easy win for the lazy student: ‘spoon-feeding’ them with the sources they need rather than encouraging them to develop their independent research skills....
View ArticleThe PLanT Project and ‘Core Issues in English Language Teaching’ by Jess...
PLanT stands for Partners in Learning and Teaching. The project allows students and teachers to work together in order to improve a module using a small pot of money to fund meetings, focus groups and...
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Open Access to Languages (OpAL) presented at The Twenty-second International...
The Twenty-second International Conference on Learning was held in Madrid on 9th-11th July 2015. It attracted over 300 delegates from the academic and professional arena across the world: Australia,...
View ArticleStudent-led Peer-assisted Learning (PAL) starts at Reading by Caroline Crolla
Readers of this blog may recall Dr Patricia (Paddy) Woodman’s “Hot tip: Student-led peer learning: a win-win for everyone” posted on January 2015. She wrote then that “The University of Reading is...
View ArticleDeepening Reflective Inquiry in Higher Education by Dr Geoff Taggart
Consider these classroom examples. In an architecture class, students are invited to spend time examining natural materials they have found and to use their forms as the basis for a structural design....
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Introducing inclusive design to our new typography students by Jeanne-Louise...
Breaking down Barriers has kicked off the academic year with a workshop in inclusive design with our new Part 1 typography students. Today we had our first session for the BA Graphic Communication...
View ArticleUniversity Teaching Fellows – A Growing Community by Helen Hathaway
As the new academic year starts it seems a good time to focus on the Community of Practice of University Teaching Fellows (UTF). It is a growing community of teaching enthusiasts who are not only...
View ArticleA welcome website for the newborn National Network of Teaching-Focussed...
The Teaching-Focussed Academic Staff Network, whose inaugural conference was hosted by the University of Durham on 16th and 17th July, now has a dedicated website. When we read the call for papers of...
View ArticleAre we doing enough for our BTEC entrants? Authored by Dr Michelle Reid...
Transition to university is often geared towards students from an A-level background, so are we doing enough for students with vocational qualifications starting at Reading? Recent research from UCAS...
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Peer Assisted Learning: how did the PAL pilots go in 2015-16 at Reading? by...
I’ve gained more knowledge regarding the module & find it easier to ask for help. (Maths PAL participant) [PAL] is a more interactive way of working, more group work, some sharing about 4th year...
View ArticleThe Power of Collaboration: Reflections on St Andrews EAP conference by Bruce...
In February 2016, we presented at a one-day English for Academic Purposes (EAP) conference at St Andrews University, showcasing Reading’s ‘English Language for Chemists’ module, a collaboration between...
View ArticleGroup work: students’ solutions to the challenges by Sonia Hood
Group work is an integral part of assessment at university but students rarely arrive equipped with the skills, experience and knowledge to deal with the challenges they face when working in groups....
View ArticleExploring value co-creation (CCV) in the Law Feedback Project at ESLTIS 2016...
Introduction As joint staff leaders (together with Dr Nora Honkala) on the current Law Feedback Project, we recently presented a paper exploring aspects of the project to the second annual Enhancing...
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Take Home Exam by Dr Stuart Larkin, School of Law
Overview We have moved away from the conventional exam to a take-home exam. We publish the exam paper on Blackboard at an arranged date and time. We give the students approximately 48 hours to...
View Article“Does size matter” or “how large is large”? by Katja Strohfeldt
Teaching of large cohort sizes is becoming more and more prominent at Universities. Many colleagues will have experienced this and also faced the challenges which come with teaching large class sizes....
View ArticleUniversity Teaching Fellows – Reflecting on the community by Katja Strohfeldt
With the start of the new academic year it is always a good idea to reflect on current practices and plan the year ahead. As the incoming chair for the Community of Practice (CoP) of University...
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Improving student engagement with resources using online Reading Lists
Students engagement with recommended academic resources is key to developing a deeper understanding of their discipline and, ultimately, a more satisfying and stimulating educational environment....
View ArticleIt’s time! Viva Day – By Heike Bruton, Research Assistant and PhD Researcher
There can’t be many more nerve-wracking oral exams than the PhD viva. A several-year build-up –and then… what? To give research students an impression of what’s it actually like on the day, Dr Carol...
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