Jump to:
News and opportunities
Shaping the Future at Temple Quarter – updated
We’ve had a very busy start to the new year (more on that later), and there’s no let-up as we move into February, with 3 more workshops aimed at colleagues who may teach at TQEC in the future. These events are open to anyone, but priority will be given to TQ colleagues.
Image: A snapshot from our Voice and Presence workshop on 6 January.
On Wednesday 11 February, we’re hosting two workshops:
Engaging Students: introduction to improvisation skills for active learning and inclusive teaching
at 1.30 pm, in The Victoria Rooms , The Bristol Improv Theatre are back to facilitate this 90-minute ” workshop open to all. This innovative session will explore core concepts from improvisation through interactive activities designed to build connection and rapport in an active learning environment. More info and booking link.
Trying out tablets in active learning spaces
At 3.30 pm, over in Howard House we’re hosting a 90-minute workshop for anyone interested in using a tablet as part of their teaching. Tablets can enhance teaching in active learning spaces by enabling mobility, interaction and real-time facilitation. They allow teachers to move freely around the room, stay close to students, and manage presentations, annotations and digital tools without being tied to a fixed position. This supports flexible teaching, responsive instruction and greater learner engagement. For students, this approach can feel more inclusive and encourage participation through shared content, live annotation and the integration of interactive tools. Overall, tablets help create more dynamic, engaging and adaptable learning experiences in active learning environments of any shape. More info and booking link.
We round off the month back in Howard House with a 2-hour workshop for Business School colleagues on 25 February, ‘Designing inclusive and active learning for all, including international students’ at 2 pm. This interactive workshop explores practical strategies for creating active learning environments that support the success of all learners, with a particular focus on international students. More info and booking link.
Coming soon: BILT Conference 2026 call for contributions
In the next edition of The BILT Briefing, we’ll bring you details of how you can get involved in this year’s annual BILT conference, taking place in The Victoria Rooms on 1 July (save the date). This year’s conference will examine how higher education can more meaningfully recognise and empower students as active partners in learning, and we’ll be looking for contributions that focus on a range of relevant themes including active learning, inclusive assessment and generative AI in education. So, why not start to think about how you might contribute to this year’s event. Full details of how to apply will be published on our website on Monday 1 February.
Can you answer 2 very quick questions?
As a regular reader of the BILT Briefing, we’d love to know if anything you’ve read on our blogsite has influenced your approach to teaching, learning or assessment. If so, please take a minute to tell us about your experience(s).
Publish on the BILT Blog
We’re always on the look-out for new blogs or case studies for bilt.online. If you’re interested in submitting a blog post, check out our guidelines here. Or, if you would like to share your practice in a case study please contact bilt-info@bristol.ac.uk. See our case study template (Word file, download) for guidance.
A busy start to the year for BILT
Although we’re only three weeks in, 2026 has been a busy year for us already. We started with our first Bristol Improv Theatre workshop aimed at improving Voice and Presence for colleagues teaching at TQEC. This was a fun and enjoyable session for the 27 participants and we’ll be repeating it in April and June, but hurry as spaces are filling up fast.
We received some amazing feedback following this event:
“It was one of the best training sessions at UoB I’ve attended.“
“I’d love it if this sort of course was offered to all staff as it is helpful for everyone to know how to do ‘public speaking’ regardless of whether they teach or not, it is just as valuable a skill [as] meetings and team work.”
“The facilitators were wonderful, and did a great job helping everyone feel comfortable and confident.”
We followed up with several more events, including our BILT team away day at The Bristol Digital Futures Institute, our annual PGR Supervisors Symposium in The Great Hall, and another TQ workshop examining Assessment and Feedback in a world of AI. Our final January event takes place tomorrow, Show Tell and Talk: Generative AI, in The Helen Wodehouse Building.
Inclusive Research Hub
The Inclusive Research Hub is a practice-focused resource that supports reflection on research culture, taking a holistic view of how inclusive and responsible research is shaped across the research process. It has been developed as part of the Research Culture Strategy here at the University.
There are two main engagement options:
- A short introductory talk (around 10–15 minutes) that introduces the Hub, its aims, and structure
- More interactive, workshop-style sessions that give participants time to engage directly with the Hub’s content and reflect on how its ideas relate to their own research contexts
Read an outline of the the workshop sessions here. The proposed sessions are indicative, and can be adapted or developed further in conversation with groups to reflect their priorities and context. All sessions are flexible and discussion-based, and are intended as learning and reflection spaces rather than compliance training.
Climate Action at University of Bristol – help to shape the future
Tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions is a key priority, and moving towards a sustainable university fit for the future is a challenge that affects us all. We can contribute to this through our research, our teaching and how we operate.
In the last few years we’ve achieved a lot, including almost eliminating our landfill waste, replacing half of our fleet with electric vehicles and being the first university globally to achieve Silver level sustainability for all our labs. And looking to the future, we’ve designed our new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus to be as sustainable as possible, enabling excess heat from computers to be reused, and installing hundreds of solar panels.
Now we need your help to inform the next stage of our journey. Whether you’re already involved or just starting to consider sustainability, we’d love to hear from a diverse range of voices to help shape how we manage climate action and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Climate Action Survey is open to all staff and students until Friday 6 Feb, so please complete the survey today.
Blogs and resources
- A.I. and academic Writing with International Students
Imogen Shaw shares her thoughts from a summer of reading and the developments that can be made to her practice. - Guide: Co-creation with students
Our new guide to working with students as partners.
Events
Visit the BILT events calendar for a full list of all our forthcoming events
Show Tell and Talk: ‘Generative AI’ [in-person]
28 January @ 1.30 – 3 pm, Room 2.26, 35 Berkeley Square
Our next Show Tell and Talk workshop takes place tomorrow and it’s set to be our busiest workshop so far. This sharing innovations workshop will provide an opportunity to hear from a range of colleagues about how Generative AI is being embedded at UoB, why it is important and what Generative AI projects, supported by BILT, are being undertaken at the University. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with colleagues.
For more information and links to register, please visit our event page.
28 January @ 1.30pm – 4.30pm, 35 BSQ HWB 3.18
Also tomorrow, Inspired by The Climate Fresk, The Biodiversity Collage is a playful and cooperative workshop that teaches participants to understand the challenges and pressures around biodiversity. During this workshop, you will discover the functioning of ecosystems, the part that Biodiversity plays for the Humanity well being, its interactions with human activities and the threats causing its erosion. The content is based on the IPBES scientific reports.
Tea, coffee and cakes (including vegan and GF options) will be provided to attendees.
Places are extremely limited, please only book if you can definitely attend. Open to all staff and students.
Becoming Response-able: The Inner approach to ESD
3 February @ 12 – 2pm, Verdon Smith Seminar Room, RFH
Through examples and discussion, this workshop will ask what it means to be ‘Response Able’. We will compare and contrast the conventional, colonial, top-down notion of responsibility with one based on first-hand, inner, lived-experience and explore how developments in Consciousness Education might improve the effectiveness of our ESD.
This 90 minute workshop will be hosted by Dr Keith Beasley, School Safety Officer in Earth Science and Geography and founder of the University of Bristol’s Exploring the Inner Staff Club. It is based on his PhD and ongoing international research into the experience and value of ‘consciousness beyond the rational’ and deep decolonisation. Book here.
Interdisciplinary Research Supervision workshop [in-person]
10 February @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, Room 4.02, 35 Berkeley Square,
The Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching are delighted to host a training workshop for Interdisciplinary Research Supervisors. This 2-hour workshop aims to guide and support research supervisors in negotiating the complexity of interdisciplinary research supervision with tips and tools for best practice.
Full details can be found on this page.
11 February @ 1:30 pm – 3 pm, Room G27, Victoria Rooms
Join experienced performer/facilitators from Bristol Improv Theatre for an interactive Plenary workshop. We’ll introduce core concepts from improvisation through interactive activities designed to build connection and rapport in an active learning environment. This includes the improvisation concept of ‘happy fail’ and ‘leap and discover’ as tools for building bravery and resilience for teachers and learners.
Full details can be found on this page.
Trying out tablets in active learning spaces [in-person]
11 February @ 1:30 pm – 3 pm, Room G27, Victoria Rooms
Effective and inclusive teaching – both in the round and in active learning spaces – involves moving around the classroom to observe, communicate with, and support different groups of students. Using a tablet can enable you to do this while sharing, annotating, or co-creating learning materials. This hands-on session is an opportunity to design, try out, and share approaches to using tablets in your teaching.
Full details can be found on this page.
Developing a pedagogic research proposal [in-person]
31 March @ 10:00 am – 12.00 pm, Room 1.20, 35 Berkeley Square
Bookings for the in-person workshop “Developing a Pedagogic Research Project” on March 31st 2026 are now open! As a continuation of the introductory course, during this workshop you will be able to draft or refine your own Pedagogic Research project proposal. Completion of the introductory course before the workshop is therefore required. Check out the workshop’s booking website for further details and for signing up!
The course “Developing Your Research Skills“, which follows on from and complements the introductory course is also now available on Develop! The purpose of this course is to provide you with further skills that will support you in carrying out your own pedagogical research.
Full details can be found on this page.
Show, Tell and Talk: Inclusive Assessment [in-person]
29 April @ 1:30 pm – 3.00 pm, Room 1.06, Queens Building
This sharing innovations workshop will provide an opportunity to hear from a range of colleagues about how inclusive assessment is being embedded at UoB, why it is important and what Inclusive Assessment projects, supported by BILT, are being undertaken at the University. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with colleagues.
Full details can be found on this page.
The BILT Briefing is published and distributed fortnightly by The Bristol Institute of Learning and Teaching (BILT). If you no longer wish to receive a copy of The Briefing, please send an email to bilt-info@bristol.ac.uk from the address you are registered with, containing the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the title line.
Leave a Reply