Monday 4 July 2016

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Session 1a - KEYNOTE

• Time: 09:00hrs
• Location: G101
• Length: 60 minutes
• Title: How the University of Bedfordshire will thrive in a changing world
• Presenter: Vice Chancellor, Bill Rammell

Jo Johnson’s higher education reforms set out in the recent HE White Paper and forthcoming HE Bill will complete the work started by David Willetts. Continued emphasis on social mobility will interact with a more intensive focus on market competition, fuelled by new ‘challenger’ providers and a Teaching Excellence Framework linked to fee levels. Looking ahead to our next Strategic Plan I will set out a vision for how we continue to achieve our mission to deliver transformative experiences to our students in a rapidly changing higher education environment, and how our staff can engage in shaping the direction of the University over the coming months.

Session 2a

• Time: 10:05hrs 
• Location: PM03           
• Length: 25 minutes
• Title: Integrating working and learning: How Guildford Street Press is addressing the changing needs of art and design employability skills
• Presenters: Rachel Gannon, Viv Cherry

Presentation

Using an innovative alumni-led design and publishing studio as a platform to investigate good practice and the role of ‘co-operative’ learning within work experience.

Session 2b

• Time: 10:05hrs
• Location: P203
• Length: 25 minutes
• Title: Establishing Communities of Practice to Enhance the Learning Experience for PG Dissertation Students
• Presenters: Diane Richardson, Teslim Bukoye, Students

Presentation

This session will showcase how we are making better use of resources (people and IT) in the changing HE Environment we face and enhancing the learning experience of PG Dissertation students in the Department of Strategy and Management.  Communities of Practice have been established to better engage MSc students with their Dissertations and enhance their learning and research skills, through a physical and on-line community, including the subject expertise of a PhD student, and a research resource bank.

Session 2c

• Time: 10:05hrs             
• Location: P303
• Length: 25 minutes     
• Title: The Undergraduate Psychology Teaching Assistant Scheme as a method to enhancing employability
• Presenters: Isabella McMurray, Dr Andrew Clements

Presentation

Enhancing students' employability is a major focus for all disciplines.  Level 6 students applied for a 'teaching assistant' post and were assigned to a unit (level 4 or 5) that reflected their experiences, knowledge and interests.  Students attended a training session and then worked alongside unit co-ordinators assisting in tutorials to develop key skills for a set amount of weeks.  Students felt that the experience had given them a chance to see another dimension in teaching. They learnt a lot about their university and realised how far they had come as a student.  Future developments of the scheme are discussed.

Session 3a

• Time: 11:00hrs
• Location: P203
• Length: 60 minutes
• Title: Enhancing professional behaviours: Proposed student, academic and institutional responses
• Presenters: Dr Diana Pritchard, Dr Philip Wright, Theresa Curry

Workshop

In response to the increasing challenges presented by “student behaviours” which are incompatible with work practices and disruptive to learning, various initiatives have spawned across the University.  This session brings together three academics working in distinct areas.  They share their findings on the problem and the perspectives of students and staff. The session will explore interest for wider uptake of the approaches they propose. This includes the establishment of student-academic agreements for each cohort, and interactive use of a map depicting the student learning journey that emphasises the links between specific behaviours with desired outcomes or unexpected consequences.

Session 3b

• Time: 11:00hrs
• Location: P103
• Length: 60 minutes
• Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, What you say is what you are. Innit.
• Presenter: Theo Maniski

Workshop

"Teenage talk" communicates meaning, but speech conveys much, much more.  Words convey allegiances, values, attitudes, and status.  What's not to like?

Session 3c

• Time: 11:00hrs             
• Location: P206            
• Length: 60 minutes      
• Title: CES Assesment Centres

Workshop

Employers are using an ever-increasing range of online and face to face assessment techniques throughout their recruitment processes. Many students are unaware of the number of steps and are therefore unprepared for the tasks which they have to take part in. The Careers & Employability Service aim to support as many students as possible by providing practice tests and mock assessment exercises in order for our students to succeed. 

Drop in to the late morning sessions to experience some of the activities and tests that our students must face to get their first ‘graduate’ job. The Careers & Employability Service will be demo’ing some group exercises and online tests which will help you to talk to your students about what they may face when applying for roles.

Lunchtime Activities

• Time: 12:15hrs
• Location: P205
• Length: 30 minutes
• Title: Surfing, not drowning: higher education policy change and UoB
• Presenter: Dr Debbie McVitty

A whistle stop tour of the changing policy environment for universities, exploring how the Government plans to shake up the higher education sector, what the implications will be for the University of Bedfordshire and what our response might be.

• Time: 12:15hrs
• Location: P303
• Length: 30 minutes
• Title: Employment simulated assessment tasks: evidence and exploration of the impacts
• Presenter: Dr Nick Worsfold, Dr Diana Pritchard (with student input)

This session will share findings of the impacts of a novel assessment process, which simulates employment tasks, on academic and transferable skills and employability.

• Time: 12:15hrs and 12:45hrs
• Location:Meet at PG & CPD Centre Reception
• Length: 20 minutes
• Title: Library Tours (Sarah Arkle)
• Presenter: Sarah Arkle

Tours of the new library facility.

• Time: 12:45hrs
• Location: PM06
• Length: 20 minutes
• Title: Changes at the Higher Education Academy
• Presenter: Melvyn Smith (Partnership Manager, Higher Education Academy)

The HEA is undergoing some significant change as a result of changes to its funding arrangements.  This session will bring participants up to speed with these developments and their implications for HEA recognised staff across the institution.

Session 4

• Time: 13:30hrs 
• Location: P202
• Length: 45 minutes
• Title: Through the Keyhole
• Presenters: Various

Welcome to Through the Keyhole, which provides you with a glimpse of some of the good things that people are up to across the University. This session is rather like one-sided speed dating!

A presenter will sit opposite a small group of listeners (1-3 depending on numbers) and will have 3 mins to tell you about their innovative practice and a minute for some brief Q&A or interaction. The listeners will then mark a postcard as:

• Interesting but not something I want to follow up on
• Interested and please keep me informed via email or newsletter, but I don’t want to be involved at this stage (add name and email to postcard);
• Would like to talk more as I am interested in possibly adopting or adapting the practice (add name and email to postcard)

The card gets posted in a ‘letterbox’ at the end and we will put relevant people in contact with each other. When the whistle blows, each small group of listeners then moves along to the next presenter and gradually works there way round the room over the course of an hour. Each room will have a mix of professional support and academic staff both as presenters and in the audience.

Some of our presenters for 2016 are listed to below: