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News and opportunities
Deadline approaching for Education Development Project applications
The deadline to apply for one of our Education Development Projects is the 2nd June. Please visit out website for more details on the funding available and how you can apply for project funding (up to £1,500 and a critical friend).
Visit the website for full details.
Generative AI in higher education: exploring the perceptions of students and educators
Are you a student or educator in higher education? We’d love to hear from you.
We are exploring perceptions of generative AI across a wide range of disciplines, and we are keen to gather insights from both students and educators.
Please consider taking part in our survey, which investigates views on the use of generative AI in higher education. Your input will help inform and improve teaching and learning practices. The survey should take no more than 30 minutes to complete.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dr Bruna Nascimento (bruna.dasilvanascimento@bristol.ac.uk), Dr Aisling Tierney (aisling.tierney@bristol.ac.uk), Dr Katia Vione (k.correavione@bham.ac.uk), Dr Polly Barr (polly.barr@bristol.ac.uk), or Dr Craig Gunn (craig.gunn@bristol.ac.uk).
Active Learning – new guide
We’ve added a new ‘Active Learning‘ resource to our ‘Guides’ page on our website, with blogs and videos from colleagues in the University, as well as focus on the literature and theory behind active learning.
There’s also guides on there about different types of group, authentic and inclusive assessment, generative AI and teaching, small group teaching and fostering a sense of belonging with your students.
Are your students undertaking their own research?
As part of our BILT conference this year, we’re running a ‘Student Research Gallery’, highlighting the work students across the University have undertaken. Within this gallery will include work from the BILT Student Fellows, Sustainability Champions, SU Research Team and Digital Champions.
We’d love to include as much student contributions as possible – please get in touch with Amy Palmer if your students have research you think would be useful to share at the BILT Conference this year.
Blogs and resources
- Week 4 and Week 5 of the ‘Creating a new unit’ blog series
The series, written by Professor James Norman, continues with the second and third week’s instalments, taking a look at ‘In the classroom‘ and ‘‘All the gogy’s’‘.
- Turning an idea into a research project: reflections from the Study Skills team
Beckie Arden from the Study Skills team has shared her experience of the team’s journey to publishing in a journal with little personal academic experience beforehand, and celebrates the resources they utilised as part of the Research Services Hub.
Events
BILT Show, Tell and Talk: Active and inclusive learning (2 workshops)
“Active learning engages students in the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert. It emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work” (Freeman et al., 2014).
Research also demonstrates that active learning can allow students to take agency in their own learning (Harris et al, 2020); can involve working in diverse groups on community and global issues (Pasquerella 2022) and can narrow achievement gaps benefiting all students (Inside Higher Ed, 2022).
Our final Show, Tell and Talk event of the academic year takes place on Wednesday 21 May in Room 1.20, 35 Berkeley Square, and consists of:
1 pm: A curriculum design workshop (90 minutes) – Providing an opportunity to hear about University priorities related to the theme, give space to reflect and develop your learning and teaching practices whilst also providing tips and advice for implementation best practice in your work.
3 pm: A sharing innovations workshop (90 minutes) – Providing an opportunity to hear about a range of staff led projects taking place across the University related to the theme. We have 7 presentations in total and there will be an opportunity for informal discussions with colleagues.
Register for either, or both workshops here.
Sustainability Champion Showcase, Wednesday 21 May, 12:00-14:30
Location: Bristol SU Living Rooms in Senate House (4th floor)
Join us to celebrate the 2025 cohort of Sustainability Champions and their efforts and impacts across the University! Enjoy a light lunch, and presentations and posters from the students following an introduction.
Note that attendance for the full 2.5 hours is not necessary, people can come for a part. However, there will be introductions and a series of live student presentations, with some mingling before and after.
Please register to attend, answering a few basic questions to help us plan capacity. Diary invitations will be sent.
Contact Shandin Rickard-Hughes, Education for Sustainability Lead at Bristol SU if you have any questions or accessibility requirements (shandin.rickard-hughes@bristol.ac.uk).
Blackboard Ultra Practice-Sharing Event
As we move to Blackboard Ultra, all staff are invited to get to know the platform and start building their course units with hands on support – at a practice sharing event on Wednesday 28 May.
This event is a great opportunity for staff who are designing and building course units to learn about good practices in Ultra, hear from colleagues who were a part of the early adoption phase and from students working with the move project.
Together, we’ll talk about potential challenges of the move, ways of addressing them as well as the opportunities Ultra offers to improve and enhance the student experience.
After the morning discussions and presentations, staff from the Digital Education Office will run a ‘build your unit’ workshop – to help you make a good start on your course units for the upcoming year.
By the end of the day, you’ll know more about Blackboard Ultra and see your 2025/26 course units take shape.
Whether you have used Ultra before, or are just getting ready to use it, we hope to see you at the event.
Morning tea/coffee and lunch will be provided. Sign up and view the event programme on Develop.
Programme Director Induction – June 2025
Taking place on various dates throughout June
The Programme Director Induction is a series of short workshops suitable for new Programme Directors or existing Programme Directors seeking a refresher.
The overall aims of the induction workshops are to:
- Introduce the key responsibilities of the role
- Explore how to fulfil the role sustainably and effectively
- Outline key resources and sources of support
Registration is now open for all workshops. We strongly recommend attending all three workshops, particularly if you are a new Programme Director. You can mix and match between online or in-person to suit your own schedule.
More details and registration links here.
Summer School on Experimental Methods for Scholarship Research
Dates: Monday 9 – Wednesday 11 June 2025, University of Southampton
Registration Details: Registration form available here.
This SWEETS workshop, in collaboration with C-BEAR and NCRM, is for anyone who wants to enhance their scholarship research portfolio by improving their understanding of experimental research methods. Participants will learn about how they can test and evidence impact of interventions in the classroom and translate this into scholarship publications. Experts sharing their knowledge include Fabio Aricio (UEA), Caroline Elliot (Warwick), Doug McKee (Cornell), Paolo Spada (Southampton) and Jadrian Wooten (Virginia Tech).
Improving academic support for disabled students
Date: Wednesday 11 June 2025, University of York
This is an in-person seminar and will include a panel of experts who will share insights, best practices, and resources to enhance the educational experience for these students. Whether you’re a faculty member, Professional Services staff, or simply interested in the topic, this event is for you.
Organised and facilitated by Mike Wray and Pete Quinn Consulting with sessions from Prof Nicola Martin, Dr Amanda Hickey, Dr Jonathan Vincent (Lancaster University), Prof Pam Birtill MA DPhil SFHEA NTF, and Prof Lorna Hamilton PFHEA
Tickets and more info via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/improving-academic-support-for-disabled-students-tickets-1337361146189 “
The BILT annual conference: Education for a Changing World
Date: Wednesday 25 June 2025, 9 am until 5 pm, Victoria Rooms
Higher Education (HE) is at a crossroads, navigating rapid technological advancements, evolving societal expectations, and increasingly diverse student needs. The conference, “Education for a changing world” invites staff and students to come together and explore innovative approaches to pedagogy that prepare students and institutions for the challenges and opportunities that face us both today and in the future.
The conference will address key questions, including:
- How can education embrace change and foster innovation?
- What strategies and practices can ensure teaching remains inclusive, sustainable, and impactful in an ever-evolving global landscape?
- How do we balance current good practice with innovation to meet the needs of tomorrow’s learners?
Chris Adams Symposium – all welcome
Some of you will have personally known Chris Adams, who worked in the School of Chemistry and sadly passed away in 2022.
Colleagues in Chemistry are organising a symposium in his name, to celebrate his contributions to inorganic chemistry and chemistry education, on Friday 27th June 2025. In the morning there will be talks from his PhD supervisor, Paul Raithby, and those of us who worked with Chris over the years. Speakers will include Karen Parrish and Michael Seery. In the afternoon the focus will be on chemistry education, a subject close to Chris’s heart as one of the teaching lab leads at Bristol.
Everyone is welcome. Registration is free, and the event will start at 10:00. There is also the opportunity to present posters (there will be prizes!) with a focus on educational projects, to honour what Chris spent his last few years contributing to.
If you would like to see more details and/or register, please see:
https://cjasymposium.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/
I hope you will be able to join us in remembering Chris.
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