News
Our theme for the month: Wellbeing
January is arguably the toughest month of the year – all the festive cheer has disappeared and left us with cold weather, dark mornings and evenings and a long stretch until summer! We thought it would be a good time to share some of our favourite wellbeing-related resources to give a little light in this difficult month.
- The Happiness Half Hour podcast
Created from the infamous Science of Happiness course created by Bristol’s Prof. Bruce Hood, this four-episode series teaches us simple strategies for happiness, proven by science.
- Student Hackathon 2022: What did we learn?
In December 2022 we ran a one-day hackathon with students looking at what teaching and learning activities best supported student wellbeing – the results of which you can see in this blog. Last month we ran a hackathon with international students and although it was on a different topic, the outcomes and student desires were amazingly similar (more on that in a couple of weeks!).
- 5 Helpful Reminders for Mental Health Awareness Week 2020
Although this is now a few years old, it is still hugely relevant, and this blog post provide five reminders as well as a lovely poem at the end that will guarantee to make you smile.
Next ‘Show, Tell and Talk’: Designed for All: Inclusive Assessment
Our next Show, Tell and Talk event takes place on Wednesday 14 February, 1 – 2.30 pm in Room 1.20, 35 Berkeley Square. This interactive workshop will explore and discuss ways we can support international students to thrive in their learning.
New blogs and resources
- Nifty footwork, a spectacular firework and a delicious flapjack: a blog series on feedback
This is the first in a new series on feedback we will be releasing which will be a collaboration between different members of the BILT team. This first submission is by Research Associate Joe Gould.
- Freedom of Speech changes for the HE sector
Dr Aisling Tierney investigates new legislation concerning freedom of speech and how that might be brought into the classroom. Lots of resources and guidance in this well-researched post.
- Building Relationships in Large Cohorts
Short and sweet, this post by BILT’s Fiona Hartley highlights some simple ways to develop relationships with your students when teaching large groups.
- Intentional Inclusion in assessment: What’s in a name?
BILT Student Fellow and PhD student Robynne Grant-Jepps has shared this informative piece about intentional inclusion and considerations to make when designing assessments.
Upcoming events
Understanding the role of Equality, diversity and inclusion in teaching and learning
Thursday 8th February 2 pm – 3.30 pm, online via zoom
This workshop, open to all staff, is an opportunity to explore the importance of diversity in learning and teaching, and increase your understanding of the groups of students you teach. The session will equip you with practical knowledge and experience in using the data tools available to help you understand the identities of students in your cohorts.
Key outcomes:
- Know how to access data about the characteristics of the student body, and about your cohorts in particular
- Begin to consider the complexity of identities and intersectionality
- Work collaboratively to develop ideas for your own teaching practice
Click on this link to book a place or search ‘Equality diversity and inclusion’ in the Develop catalogue
Show Tell and Talk series
You can now browse and book onto all of our Show, Tell and Talk series for 2023/24.
We’ll be running three more workshops covering the key BILT themes for this academic year between now and May 2024, and they are all available to register now.
Visit our blog post to read more about this series and book your place on upcoming events.
Case studies
Are you doing something innovative or exciting with your large group teaching this year? Or even something relatively ‘normal’ but is receiving a good reception? We are looking to share good practice of large group teaching – get in touch with us if there’s something you can share with us!
We’re also always looking for case studies on:
- Decolonising the curriculum
- Assessment, particularly group assessment, inclusive assessment and engaging with the AI revolution
- International students’ experience
Contact us at bilt-info@bristol.ac.uk.
