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News and opportunities
Call for Contributions: PGR Supervisor Symposium
Thursday 15th January 2026, 1pm – 5pm. Wills Memorial Building Reception Room (TBC)
We are delighted to invite contributions for the upcoming PGR Supervisor Symposium at the University of Bristol – an exciting, interdisciplinary event celebrating excellence and innovation in postgraduate research supervision.
This symposium offers a unique opportunity to showcase and reflect on outstanding supervisory practices that enhance the PGR experience. We are particularly interested in contributions from supervisors that highlight innovative, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approaches to supervision – including new tools, strategies, structures, or collaborative models that others can learn from.
We welcome submissions in the form of:
- Case Studies – explorations of specific supervisory innovations or challenges and how they were addressed (up to 10 minutes)
- Lightning Presentations – concise, engaging talks (up to 5 minutes) to share impactful ideas or tools.
- Posters – visual presentations of projects, initiatives, or resources that support excellent supervision.
Why take part?
- Share and celebrate your supervisory successes
- Learn from colleagues across disciplines and faculties
- Gain inspiration from a range of practices and perspectives
- Connect with peers and grow your supervisory network
What’s new this year?
- A PGR Student Roundtable will give research students a voice in the conversation, offering valuable insights into the supervision experience from their perspective
- The symposium will conclude with networking drinks and canapes, providing a relaxed setting to continue conversations and make new connections across the University
Who should submit?
All staff involved in PGR supervision at the University of Bristol – from early-career to highly experienced supervisors – are encouraged to contribute. Submissions from interdisciplinary teams and co-supervision partnerships are especially welcome, as are submissions which include PGR student co-presenters.
To express your interest or submit a proposal, please use the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/AqqG4x29LS
- The deadline for submissions is: Friday 5 December 2025
- Decisions on the programme will be made by: Friday 12 December 2025
Community Engaged Learning Forum event
The Community Engaged Learning team would like to invite you to the first Community Engaged Learning Forum event of the academic year on Wednesday 12th November 2025 in Wills Memorial Building, Room 3.32.
This event is being hosted by the Community Engaged Learning team alongside BILT and the Civic Engagement Network.
Community Engaged Learning (CEL) offers opportunities for our students to work in partnership with community organisations as part of their curriculum. CEL is founded on key values which allow for mutually beneficial, empowering projects that contribute to social justice. CEL is also an excellent way of embedding authentic learning and assessment into teaching.
They will be kicking off the event with James Freeman, APVC, exploring CEL in the wider University context and why this pedagogic approach is valuable and strategically important to us as a University. There will then be an opportunity to hear about the latest developments in CEL, see their new suite of resources and find out what support is available from the CEL team. There will also be time for networking with light refreshments available.
To sign up for the event, please fill in this form.
We look forward to hopefully seeing you there!
Principal Fellow of Advance HE workshop and writing retreat Nov and Dec 2025
Principal Fellowship recognises those with substantial strategic leadership and influence in learning and teaching in higher education.
As part of a joint programme with the Universities of Bath Spa, Bath, and UWE Bristol we have a final workshop coming up on Wed 5th Nov 2025 at the University of Bristol and an online writing retreat on Fri 10th Dec.
“It feels incredibly rewarding — and yes, a little cool — to see how research and reflection have shaped my approach to teaching, mentoring and leading others. The Principal Fellowship is both an honour and a motivation to keep exploring how scholarship can make learning more meaningful for others.”
Eleonora Pantano, awarded Principal Fellow of the HEA in 2025.
Further details and booking can be found here.
Blogs and resources
- Accessible design and extraneous load: making learning materials easier to follow for every student
Nicholas Maxwell shares this useful piece about learning design and how to consider cognitive loads when designing learning materials.
- Meet the Student Fellows.. Nadia Tavakoli
BILT Student Fellow Nadia Tavakoli introduces herself in our latest ‘Meet the BILT Community’ post.
- Teaching the history of technology at a time of profound technological change
Dr Keith McLoughlin shares this brilliant piece on his unit on the history of technology, an important, but not often discussed, topic.
- Transitions longitudinal study: summer 2025 focus groups
Fiona Hartley and Amy Palmer share the findings from the first set of focus groups following the initial hackathon that kicked off their longitudinal study, following a group of first year students throughout their degree to understand more about student engagement and success.
Events
Principal Fellowship workshop (see details above)
To support prospective applicants, the Universities of Bristol, Bath Spa, Bath, and UWE Bristol have come together to offer prospective Principal Fellows a programme of workshops, writing retreats and opportunities for peer mentoring and buddying support.
Talk to launch a new cross-disciplinary booklet
Join us for the launch of Decolonial Community-based Research Methods, a new booklet featuring five cross-disciplinary case studies that showcase participatory research grounded in decolonial approaches. The project presents work with migrant communities in the UK and Indigenous populations in Australia and Brazil, offering rich, real-world examples for students and educators interested in ethical, inclusive research practices. The event will feature a presentation from the organiser of the booklet, the PhD student Isabella Macedo de Lucas, and conversation with two contributing authors, Associate Professor Nilu Ahmed and Ms Catherine Jameson, who will share insights from their work and answer questions. All University staff members and PGR students are welcome come along to explore how research can be transformed through community-based, decolonial methods and get practical advice for teaching and learning in this space. Please feel free to distribute widely to any colleagues who may be interested. Please fill in the form so we have an idea of numbers and catering: https://forms.office.com/e/SefLghNgTg
Time: 21st October at 1pm
Location: 2d17 (Psychology Common Room)
Hands-on training for teaching space technology: 22-24 October, various locations.
Do you use teaching spaces for teaching or events? The Audio-Visual Team are running a series of practical workshops for academic and professional services staff to get to grips with the main types of technology found in teaching spaces across the University.
This hands-on session will help to build your skills and confidence in using the technology to support teaching and/or events, as well as knowing how and when to request additional services and support.
After you’ve completed the workshop, you will be self-sufficient in using RePlay recording, projectors, display screens, PA systems, microphones, visualisers, control panels, induction loops and cameras. There are workshops taking place at various locations across the University. For more information and to book your place, please visit Develop.
Show Tell and Talk: Active learning
Our popular Show Tell and Talk series returns for another year kicking off with a sharing innovations workshop on active learning. Embedding effective and inclusive active learning into teaching and curriculum design, which engages, motivates and supports all students in their learning is an important University of Bristol strategic aim.
