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News and opportunities
Bristol Teaching Awards shortlist announced
Congratulations to everyone who was nominated and shortlisted this year
As you may have seen elsewhere this week, we have announced the shortlist for this year’s Bristol Teaching Awards (BTAs). From over 1400 nominations received, we’ve shortlisted three nominees in each category. Read further details about this year’s shortlist, their work and why they were selected on the BILT blog. Congratulations to all this year’s nominees and those shortlisted.
The winners of this year’s Bristol Teaching Awards will be announced in June and will be featured in the next edition of The BILT Briefing.
Coming soon – The BILT Conference 2025
It’s a busy time for the BILT team, as well as the BTAs, we’re in the final stages of planning the BILT Conference, which takes place on Wednesday 25 June in The Victoria Rooms. This year’s theme is ‘Education for a changing world’.
Despite moving to this larger venue for the 2025 event, we’re on track to ‘sell out’, so if you haven’t registered yet, please sign up soon to ensure you don’t miss our biggest ever conference.
You can find full details of the day-long event and links to register on the conference homepage.
Blue Sky thinking?
Following our departure from X (formerly Twitter), the BILT team have now established a presence on the BlueSky social media platform.
If you have an account on BlueSky, you can follow us here: https://bsky.app/profile/biltonline.bsky.social
Pedagogic Research Culture project is looking for more colleagues to pilot the online resources and first workshop
From the BILT funded Pedagogic Research Culture project team:
We have created online training modules to support colleagues to take their first steps in pedagogic research, and we need more colleagues to pilot them! These modules introduce participants to the types of data and data analysis that are used in pedagogic research, and help participants identify potential funding and dissemination routes. The three online, self-paced modules (each takes approximately 30-60 minutes) are designed to be followed by in-person attendance at a workshop where additional support will be available to help participants draft a research proposal and network with colleagues. The workshop will take place on July 1st, 3-5 pm, in-person at Berkeley Square.
By participating in the pilot, you can also choose to be entered into a draw to win a £20 Source café voucher. If you would like to help us, please complete this form: https://forms.office.com/e/5a9TMVB4wM
Reminders – closing soon
Here are a couple of reminders of deadlines approaching soon
BILT funding application deadline next week:
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.
Student Research Gallery at the BILT Conference:
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
- Active learning
Following our successful, final Show Tell and Talk event of this academic year, we have updated the Active Learning Guide resource page on our website. - Week 6 of the ‘Creating a new unit’ blog series
The series, written by Professor James Norman, continues. - The UoB Check In App – Attendance and Engagement in Higher Education
BILT student fellow, Kat Rooney on why we have the check-in app and why there has been some resistance from students. - Study Skills: Student notetaking
Everyone is so furiously typing: what our research and Legally Blonde showed us about student notetaking choices – Beckie Arden, Study Skills Tutor, continues her series on all things skills!
Events
Programme Director Induction – June 2025
This series starts next week and it’s not too late to register
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.
