…ulum for over 35 undergraduate and postgraduate creative courses across to online provision within five days of national lockdown.” Mark Jackson, Director of Design & Digital, University of South Wales. The move to online learning presented challenges in ensuring access to IT equipment and the need to overcome digital disadvantage for learners, and in response Alliance universities delivered huge investments in digital infrastructure and support f…
…scale digital reform and innovation, as teaching and student support moved online. Six months later, universities are welcoming back students with a blended learning approach (a mix of online and face-to-face teaching). For Alliance universities this approach is nothing new, with digital learning opportunities existing long before the pandemic. But our recent experience has taken this one step further. Alliance universities have now amassed a weal…
…nts. The Exhibition of Research flash presentation sessions were held both online and in-person on 6th and 7th, and the participants who were not presenting had a chance to interact with a few DTA alumni as a part of the online sessions. The afternoon sessions included ‘Creative Techniques for Academic Writing’ by Katharine D’Souza for in-person participants, and ‘Project Management for PGRs’ with DTA alumnus Dr Eleftherios Nomikos for online part…
…institutional response to the pandemic. These networks have been a useful forum for the sharing of ideas, practice and resources, and a vital source of support as Alliance universities navigated the challenges of the last 12 months. 4. We wrote an open letter to the Government calling for greater transparency and clarity on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which was signed by 70 universities and businesses and covered in-depth on BBC Newsnight. 5. T…
…verse academics to engage with the media. To mark the launch, we hosted an online event, where a panel of speakers addressed the importance of media diversity, and how the higher education sector can take collective action to allow for greater representation in the academic voices within the media. The event also marked the launch of our ‘Expert Bank’, which has launched on our website and is hosted by one of our campaign partners ExpertFile. From…
…well as key colleagues, and our initial priority has been to establish an online resource addressing the complexities of sexual consent. To achieve this we have partnered with leading UK sexual health charity Brook Young People. From September 2021 students will have access to 5 interactive online modules which consider the meaning of consent; myths and the law; ambiguities of consent including active and passive consent, and verbal and non-verba…
…g but extremely rewarding. We were definitely up to the challenge. We are still putting on a lot of events and volunteering opportunities but these are now online via MS Teams or Zoom. I have lost count of the number of virtual coffees I have had with students over the past few months! I am now working very closely with our Marketing and External Affairs team who have gone above and beyond to create a more informative student portal with news, eve…
…tudents’ unions are raising spirits and maintaining social contact through online events. Over the coming weeks, the Students’ Union at Anglia Ruskin University is holding an online bake-off, mindfulness workshop and an arts and crafts workshop. We’ve been hosting similar activities at UWE Bristol and in February ran a series of feel good events, including a free, stand-up comedy event for students and staff featuring A-list comedians. With the go…
…g ‘festivals’ and working across multiple campuses. At TU, our Digital and Online Learning teams worked with staff to help them consider how to extend the learning environment beyond the conventional spaces. Staff have embraced innovation and delivered novel solutions which will become part of our norm, for example: Use of simulation software to carry out assessed radiography experiments via MS Teams Use of Minecraft to deliver induction activity…
…we do this is by hosting some much-needed social relief such as our recent online Christmas quizzes and an upcoming end of academic year event. Why get involved in the first place? During the first year of my PhD, I encountered many challenges, including moving to a new continent, redesigning my research project and establishing fully remote working arrangements in light of Covid-19. What I have learnt, however, is that a PhD does not have to be a…
