Bridges CETL achieved much in supporting and sustaining a focus on effective integrated curriculum design that supports student development and employability. It did so through the insight, hard work and commitment of staff from across the University. Those involved have been too many to mention all by name but some of the key players are acknowledged below together with some reflections on their learning from their engagement with the Bridges.
Dr Mark Atlay - CETL Director and Director of Teaching and Learning
My part-time role as Director of the Bridges has been enormously rewarding. Through involvement with staff internally and externally to Bridges I have learnt much about the conditions that support effective teaching and learning. The creativity and commitment of staff from across the University to the support of students never ceases to amaze me; there have been many times when I have felt truly humbled by the work of others and this will, I am sure, contribute to the continued maintenance of the University’s focus on effective teaching and learning long after Bridges’ demise.
Arti Kumar MBE - CETL Associate Director and National Teaching Fellow
As the CETL Associate Director for three years I feel privileged to have worked with so many wonderful colleagues University-wide on projects that allowed me to learn and grow while contributing in my area of interest, which is to integrate the development of wider skills and attributes in curricula. My National Teaching Fellowship gave me the impetus to develop ideas and author the 'SOARing to Success' approaches, and to further disseminate at conferences and publish various papers. I have led and evaluated the Action Research Consortium (ARC) as part of my leadership involvement with the collaborative National Action Research Network on researching and evaluating (e)-PDP. Bridging personally beyond CETL, I hope to pursue my interests in developing employability at a national and international level.
Lena Holmes - CETL Administrative and Project Officer
My part-time role in the Bridges as Senior Administrative and Project Officer was to monitor the progress of the Bridges projects. Project proposals were submitted and if successful supported with Bridges funding. The projects covered many topics and it has been an interesting and informative task formatting the final reports.
Melanie Coulson - CETL Administrator
I have worked for the Bridges since its beginning in September 2005. I looked after the administration including the budget and management of the Bridges learning spaces. I also supervised the student on work placement. I have learnt much during my time here and enjoyed working with a great variety of staff, both support and academic, and made many good friends along the way. Over the last 20 years I have worked in a range of administrative roles, mainly in the higher education sector, and I hope to find a suitably challenging post either in this University or another academic institution.
Ina Maslejova - CETL Communications Officer
My role was to design and co-ordinate the Bridges internal and external communications. Part of my role was to engage students. I was part of the SLTN Network, set up U CRe8 Club workshops led by students, www.uobstudentzone.co.uk website and helped to project manage Peer Mentoring Project, B:Fest – Luton Arts Festival and Flux Employability and Enterprise Competition. I am proud to contribute to the success of our students in becoming the Flux National Champions 2010. Bridges enabled me to grow as a person and after I am moving back to my home country - Slovakia, with aspirations to use gained skills in the PR and Event Management Sector.
Dr Peter Norrington - e-PDP Development Officer
My role has been to manage and implement the roll out of PebblePad, the University's centrally supported Personal Development Planning (PDP) and e-portfolio platform. I have worked with teaching, research and support staff and undergraduate to research postgraduate students across the University on pedagogy, PDP and technology opportunities and challenges. I am looking forward to new roles in connecting people and technology, crossing disciplines with, I hope, a positive impact on people.
Maja Jankowska - CETL Research Fellow
My research investigated cultural aspects of PDP, use of concept maps and creative and social learning spaces. I also ran RIPEN (Research in Pedagogy Enhancement Network) aimed at developing a pedagogic research culture across the University. My interests evolved towards internalisation, culture learning, meaningful and transformational learning and personal change. My work in the Bridges has been horizon broadening and developmental experience. The next year I hope to write up my PhD and progress with my academic career.
Annika Coughlin - Research Assistant
I was a research assistant for the Action Research Consortium (ARC) helping academic staff conduct pedagogic research. My role extended to include project coordination of the Dispositions to Stay project led by Northumbria University. I was also organiser of the two Bridges/Teaching and Learning Directorate writing retreats and sub-editor of Bridges' two internal books. I am looking for a research work in HE or other sectors.
Dr Sam Elkington - Research Assistant
I have been involved in the Bridges since 2008 supporting staff Action Research projects as part of the Action Research Consortium (ARC). I have also held the position of Employability Fellow for the Division of Tourism, Leisure and Sport Management, working directly with the Bridges and CPCD to develop employer engagement strategies for Tourism, Leisure and Sport.
Helen Corkill - CETL Fellow
Initially, I joined the Bridges as the Foundation Degree Fellow, a role part-funded by Foundation Degree Forward. Working alongside colleagues from both the Bridges and the University’s Partnership Office, a main focus of my work has been on developing approaches to work-based learning and how this links to PDP. The Bridges has provided a fantastic opportunity to be part of an active cross-University community but it has also provided a steep learning curve. My biggest regret about my time in the Bridges is that I did not know at the outset many things I know now – and I think what might have been achieved had this been the case.
Dr Andrea Raiker - CETL Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Education
My time at the Bridges has been the most stimulating and rewarding of my academic life. I have been privileged to be part of a team whose dynamism, commitment and creativity has changed the direction of teaching and learning in the University. For me, the Bridges CETL legacy is deepened knowledge and understanding of the processes that shape learning. I will continue to draw on and develop these in my work to improve students’ achievements at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Guy Parrott - CETL Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Marketing
My part-time role as a Fellow within the Bridges has been enormously rewarding. I count myself lucky to have been involved with colleagues from disciplines outside my own. This interaction has enabled me to realise my ambition to develop pedagogy-based research and scholarship, ranging from internal articles to conference papers and journal articles. Bridges proved to be a supportive and informative influence in helping us develop new and innovative teaching spaces and curriculum across the Business School. The discussion, debate and policy will enable all active participants to establish a teaching and learning legacy that will help the wider community to develop new and engaging teaching and learning strategies.
Dr Alfredo Gaitan - CETL Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Psychology
From 2005 to 2008 I was a CETL Fellow. This allowed me take part in fascinating debates and research on teaching and learning, which helped shape the new curriculum at Bedfordshire (also known as ‘Cre8’). More specifically, I developed the notions of 'realistic learning' (active, meaningful, collaborative, challenging and reflective) and ‘learner development’ (significant transformations in knowledge, awareness, motivation and skills and abilities). I continue to research and implement these ideas through PDP and students' e-portfolios. I am a strong believer in reflection as an essential human ability and one that should be at the centre of Higher Education. Last September, I became the Academic Director for undergraduate degrees in Psychology and I see it as an opportunity to work with colleagues and students to support engagement with learning, encourage constructive leaning relations and make a more creative use of resources.
Dr Dorota Ujma - CETL Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Travel, Tourism and Event Management
Working for three years with the Bridges opened my eyes to a nebulous nature of employability and complex links between employers and curriculum. Processes guiding development of tourism career management skills, for example through work placements and personal development planning, or more general educational research areas including links between assessments and learning/teaching, and the value of feedback to students and members of staff have been added to my research agenda as the result of co-operation with the Bridges team. Bridges secondment enabled me to actively participate in many rewarding conferences. Results of this co-operation largely enhanced my list of presentations and publications.
Rob Manton - CETL Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Computing
My role was to investigate the use of games and simulations to support
the Bridges objectives, including applications to student induction and
personal development. I also got involved in trials of new tools and
ideas with students in my own department, including the use of
e-Portfolios and the ELLI tool. As a result, our department's curriculum
has been improved and we have adopted many innovative practices in line
with the CRe8 agenda.
As part of their one-year work placement, there were five students working with Bridges in the role of a CETL Student Liaison Officer: Kamran Khan and Salman Shoukat and
Edita Markute
Working in the Bridges on a placement year was part of my BA (Hons) Business Studies (Accounting) course. I was given an opportunity to manage the front office and booking system, get involved in organising student activities and had a chance to go on a couple of student conferences. Being in an academic environment motivated me to reflect on own achievements and drove my PDP forward. At the moment, I am working for the University on full-time fixed term contract. After gaining more work experience, I will be looking into starting Master’s degree in Business.
Mima Rybanska
I have studied BA (Hons) International Tourism Management at the University. I was working for Bridges during my work placement year from September 2008 till August 2009. I really enjoyed my work placement at Bridges, especially the organisation side of events for students. The one, that I enjoyed in particular, is the Leisure, Travel and Tourism Careers Conference which I have organised for my former classmates. I was part of the Organisation Team for the B:Fest, which I found challenging but definitely a great experience, as in the future, I am hoping to start my career in events industry.
Alin Dobrea
My work placement at the Bridges has been extremely rewarding. During my time here, I got the opportunity to 'cut my teeth' on research, speak at conferences around the UK about employability, and publish my work in the two books produced by the Bridges. I published a journal article in the Summer Edition of Graduate Market Trends and won the National Flux Competition 2010. I will be progressing into the final year of my course in Marketing Communications and Advertising and after I graduate I plan to embark on a career in advertising.
During the existence of the Bridges, several staff members from across the University have been involved in its work and projects as CETL Associates, Employability Fellows and funded project holders. Their names can be found in various sections of the legacy website.
