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News and opportunities
The Bristol Teaching Awards are changing
The Bristol Teaching Awards (BTAs) are being re-branded as The Student Teaching Awards when they launch next week.
Previously the BTAs were open to all students and staff to vote; but, as the name suggests the new Student Teaching Awards will be open to students only.
Image: STA logo.
We invite staff to share this opportunity with students:
Students are invited to celebrate the staff who’ve supported, inspired, or encouraged them this year.
From personal tutors and dissertation supervisors to teams who always go the extra mile, tell us who made a difference.
Nominations are open from 16 – 29 March. Find out more and how to nominate via the BILT website – https://www.bristol.ac.uk/bilt/awards/sta/
Assessment redesign: Global Majority students – Get a £40 voucher!
We invite staff to share this opportunity with their students:
Have you ever felt that assessments could be better shaped to fit your experience as a Global Majority student? Participate in this assessment redesign workshop, share your authentic experiences, and receive a £40 voucher for your contributions!
Link to share: https://forms.office.com/e/p8xuVC9aFC
Temple Quarter takeaways
Recently, BILT Student Fellow, Elliot Green, had the exclusive opportunity join a tour of the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. It is still an active construction site; however, Elliot was able to see many of the new teaching spaces first-hand. Here are Elliot’s three key thoughts he took away:
Image: Elliot at The Temple Quarter site
- This place is HUGE!
It’s very hard to gauge how massive this place is from pictures and floor plans. Every space I went into kept me in awe at the sheer scale of their size. In particular, the main foyer with the infamous yellow staircase seemed to stretch up forever, and it was especially cool looking down from the top (and a little scary!). It was also eye-opening to get to see the new ‘Lecture theatre in-the-round’ up close. I knew it could hold up to 300 students, but this is hard to visualise until you’re there in person. Still, it’s very impressive how they managed to fit so many seats in without making the seating hierarchical or the space feel cramped.
2. So many unique spaces
The new lecture theatre is far from the only interesting teaching space in this new campus. I looked around many different types of spaces, each designed to suit a different need. There were active learning studios with movable screens and seating, large computer labs, open spaces for science and engineering practicals with adjustable plug sockets hanging from the ceiling, and many different individual and group study places dotted across the entire campus. As well as all of those, there were spaces for brand-new Student Union Living Rooms, including a kitchen, and an outdoor seating area. I’ve never seen so many unique rooms in one building before.
3. Integration with the professional world
Much of the campus will be used by real professionals alongside students, such as: the Story Exchange and collaboration spaces downstairs in the main foyer area which acts as a public bypass to Temple Meads station, and; the upstairs conference rooms which are able to be booked out by companies. This will make the campus feel very integrated with the wider professional world, creating space for collaboration and career prospect opportunities. Furthermore, the campus having its own, newly-built entrance to Temple Quarter right outside the building will be great for travelling to and from the campus, whether that be from the other side of Bristol or from across the country.
Overall, the campus is really starting to take shape, and I couldn’t be more excited for its opening in a few months. After visiting the location myself, as well as talking with several students about their thoughts on the new campus, I am keen to support students’ transition to Temple Quarter, so keep an eye out for any future TQ-related information!
BILT Conference 2026: call for contributions now closed
Thanks to everyone who submitted an Expression of Interest to contribute to this year’s BILT annual conference on 1 July.
Once again, we received a record number of applications and we’ll respond to all applicants by the end of March.
Image: this year’s conference logo.
Blogs and resources
- How do we start talking with students about AI?
A joint blog from Dr Alison Oldfield, Senior Lecturer in Education and Digital Technologies, Rosey Crow, Subject Librarian for Education, Policy Studies and Exercise, and Dr Robert Sharples, Senior Lecturer in Language and Education. - Inclusive Assessment in Action: Practical Strategies
Katie Burrows tells us about a workshop she recently led, delving into how we can not only make assessment more inclusive but also avoid some practices that unintentionally exclude. - Teaching tomorrow’s doctors: Medical students’ reflections on learning to teach
A case study from Sarah McLaughlin, Ciaran Conway, Alex Hawtin, Sharon Johal and Zara Karim. Bristol Medical School. - The Pedagogy of the Stars: space students and what sci-fi thinks about teaching
Dr Aisling Tierney with an interesting, humorous take on a fictional ‘future university’, Starfleet Academy.
Events
Visit the BILT events calendar for a full list of all our forthcoming events
Teaching and learning in the international classroom [in-person]
17 March @ 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm, in-person
This workshop has been developed in collaboration between BILT and the Centre for Academic Language Development. We will explore the challenges and opportunities in our learning, teaching and assessment encounters in with international students; consider lecturer and student experiences in international classrooms and how they are affected by its diversity of language and culture; and share some practical strategies & resources and reflect on why certain activities are of value.
Full details can be found on this page.
18 March @ 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Life Sciences Room G13
This collaboration between BILT and DEO will illustrate more of the opportunities to enhance feedback experiences for all.
There are two separate events following on from each other in the same venue:
1 pm – 2 pm Presentation: FeedbackFruits: integrating digital activities into feedback practices
2.15 – 3.30 pm Workshop: FeedbackFruits
Please note: You will need to book on to each event separately. 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.
TQ Lecture theatre in-the-round: mock-up and try it out [in-person]
20 April @ 10:00 am – 4.30 pm, Reception Room, Wills Memorial Building
Temple Quarter’s Lecture theatre in-the-round, seating over 300 and only 6 rows deep, aims to breaks down hierarchical barriers between lecturers and students, enabling interaction, maintaining students’ focus, and encouraging richer engagement than conventional tiered lecture halls.
Come along to hear more about what this space can offer, and/or join a session to try out presenting and moving in the space (this session will be a mocked up space without technology).
Following an hour-long morning introduction from Tansy Jessop, and a drop-in session, there will be three ‘try-it-out’ sessions to choose from throughout the afternoon (limited to 8 people per session).
Full details can be found on this page.
Voice and Presence: skills for active and inclusive teaching [in-person]
Choose from two dates: 22 April and 9 June
Following some hugely popular workshops in January and February, The Bristol Improv Theatre are back to repeat their Voice and Presence workshop, in April and June. They will explore tools from acting and public speaking to help practice engaging listeners. This includes practical techniques to train and strengthen your speaking voice, projection, warming-up, body language and using authenticity to tap into your inner charisma. Please note, these workshops are open to all but in the unlikely event they reach capacity, priority will be given to anyone teaching at TQEC.
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.
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