Gathering of the Clans – ALTNWE, ELESIG and MELSIG

Date: 11th June 2015

Host: University of Chester

 

We invite you to share your experience of, and ideas about, the innovative use of digital or social media for learning and how interest and innovation in this area addresses or raises questions about being inclusive.

This ‘3 for 1’ meeting brings together 3 of the major significant interest groups working across institutions in the North West of England. We will be connecting together, cross institutionally, across roles, subjects and departments with the common aim of supporting the productive use of learning and technologies in Higher and Further Education. Our commitment to collaboration demonstrates the importance of sharing practice,being inclusive, open and community minded.

The groups sponsoring the event are:

  • MELSIG – the Media-Enhanced Learning Special Interest Group
  • ALTNWE SIG – the Association for Learning Technology North West England SIG
  • ELESIG – the Evaluation of Learners’ Experiences of E-Learning SIG

The aim of our meeting is to share our practice and our common interests and to explore ways in which our overlapping groups can work together and support each other.

Provisional Agenda

09:15 – 09:45 Registration and coffee

09:45 – 10:00 Welcome

  • Welcome to University of Chester
  • Welcome from representatives of ELESIG, MELSIG and ALT NWE SIG

10:00 – 10.50 Delegate ‘Thunderstorms’
The idea of a thunderstorm is that you can:

  • share your experience of, ideas about, or innovative use of, digital or social media for learning and how this addresses or raises questions about being inclusive.
  • facilitate a discussion about a key issue.
  • find people to work with to research or develop good practice.

Limit yourself to 5 slides (or none, this is up to you) in 10 minutes and off you go. We very much welcome alternative presentation formats.
In this session there will be 3 x 10 minutes short presentations or focused discussion groups and plenary summary discussion.

Each group ALT NWE Sig, ELESIG and MELSIG will convene one thunderstorm on a topic of their choosing.

10.50 – 11.20 Multimodality and design in digital education Dr Natasa Lackovic, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University
Natasa specialises in image-based (visual) and multimodal research, HE pedagogy and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, semiotics and their inter-relationship. She is particularly interested in research on multimodality and innovative pedagogy in higher education.

11.20 – 12.20 Theme 1 – After TEL – Who am I?

How are academic development groups changing in response to emerging user-produced, socially mediated, fully blended, ‘personal’ learning environments?

This themed session will be informal in style held in small groups meeting in parallel in break out rooms. We invite delegates to come prepared to share the issues that they see arising in their own institutions and professional practice. Contributions should be short with a suggested 5-10 minute duration.

12:20 – 13.00 Lunch

13.00 – 14:00  Thinking about improving e-learning – Nick Rushby
Nick has been working in the area of educational and training technology for over 44 years. More recently his experience includes being the co-founder of the training consultancy Conation Technologies (September 2001) and is the author and editor of a number of books and papers on CBL and CBT. Having previously edited Programmed Learning and Educational Technology, and Interactive Learning International he currently edits the British Journal of Education Technology.

14:00 – 15:00 Theme 2 “Why do we need to be innovative?”

Who needs to be innovative in higher education? Institutions, academics/teachers, students, ourselves? What does this mean for us as educational developers/para academics? How important are ideas such as scholarship, enhancement and transformation to us?

In a similar way to the morning themed session this will be informal in style, held in small groups meeting in parallel in break out rooms. We invite delegates to come prepared to share what you have done this year or what your big innovation is for next year. Contributions should be short with a suggested 5-10 minute duration.

15:00 – 15:25 Refreshments

15:25 – 16.00 Being Social!– Plenary – A panel composed of convenors from the three groups who will provide 5 minute comments on the day followed by a round up from delegates on what they will take away.

16:00 Finish and Depart