An introductory course in learning and teaching in HE

The Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (HE) two-day course at the University of Brighton is delivered by the Learning and Teaching Hub. Lucy Chilvers, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader and Marina Trowell, Lecturer, facilitate the course. The 2-day course provides an introduction to teaching, learning and assessment in HE, preparing colleagues to undertake a variety of teaching activities, building confidence and enhancing skills.

The course is intended for University of Brighton colleagues who are new to teaching in Higher Education or have teaching as part of their wider role. This usually includes academic staff, colleagues with a role in supporting learning such as information services staff, technical demonstrators as well as PhD students.

The course is designed to model aspects of learning and teaching approaches throughout for experiential learning. Throughout the year there are iterations of the course which are delivered online on MS Teams and on-campus. In the online format, participants have a mix of synchronous live sessions and asynchronous activities using Nearpod (an interactive digital tool) and provide comments in collaborative boards which generate discussions during the live sessions. Topics include theories of learning and teaching, approaches for designing and delivering sessions, assessment and feedback practices, student engagement, inclusive practice and evaluation and reflection on teaching. A formative peer assessment task allows participants to provide feedback on each other’s session plans and develop useful skills to carry forward into their own practice.

In each iteration of the course, participants reflect on their professional development and consider what their next steps will be beyond the course, with support from the Learning and Teaching Hub. Feedback from participants includes:

“I feel it was helpful to have trustworthy content by knowledgeable colleagues who have taken the time to condense a large volume into a concise introductory overview. This enables early career educators a strong place to start and, for those who may have some experience already, reassurance/reaffirmation of existing knowledge.”

“I really enjoyed learning about the theories of learning and appreciate all of the references for further reading on these… the course has given me resource and prompts to think about what sort of a HE teacher I want to be.”

“This course has changed my perspective on inclusiveness. I like the fact that we widen accessibility rather than singling out individuals.”

If you are a University of Brighton staff member, postgraduate or doctoral college student, you can find out further information and sign up here: https://unibrightonac.sharepoint.com/sites/LearnTeachHub/SitePages/Introduction-to-Learning-and-Teaching.aspx

Contact:

Lucy Chilvers, Course Leader, Senior Lecturer – L.R.Chilvers@brighton.ac.uk

Marina Trowell, Lecturer – M.Y.trowell@brighton.ac.uk