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Faculty
of Science Learning, Teaching and Assessment
Information and Resources |
Faculty
Protocols The Faculty follows University LTA policies complemented by
local protocols, below. These processes align with our principles
of engagement with the LJMU Learning and Teaching Strategy 2023-2030. All
protocols are approved by Faculty Management Team (FMT) and endorsed by
Faculty Education and Student Experience Committee (FESEC). |
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1.5 Curriculum Enhancement Weeks (Sept 2020 onward) 1.6 Academic Misconduct - You be the judge 2.1 Assessments requiring special consideration 2.5 Coursework marks on Canvas 2.7 Principles around the use of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) 3.1 In-class online survey completion 4.1 Science Teaching Interest Group (STIG) 4.3 Peer Observation and Reflection 4.4 Faculty and University teaching awards 4.6 LJMU Students at the Heart Conference registration
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1 Teaching |
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1.1 Formal contact hoursAll contact
hours on each module must be recorded on the module catalogue in order for them to be included in formal returns. [Principle
1b] Regular UG
classes should not be scheduled on Wednesday afternoons (from 1 pm) so that
students can participate in Sports Events. If this is unavoidable, the
Faculty PVC should be contacted for consent. For
practical-based research modules on UG programmes, the number of laboratory
practical hours stated on proformas should be allocated using the formula 4
days (28 hours) per ten credits. PGT modules should have 30 hours of
laboratory practical work recorded per ten credits. For the purposes of the workload allocation model, the maximum
tutorial allowances per tutee for project and dissertation research modules are; UG Module: 20 credits = 5 hours, 30 credits = 10
hours, 40 credit = 15 hours. PG Module: 20 credits = 5 hours, 40 credit = 10
hours per tutee, 60 credits = 15 hours. Module proformas for these modules
should be informed by these figures. For STEM UG
programmes, approximately 50% of the overall contact time should involve
practical, field or project work. Practicals include experiments, exercises, or simulations
conducted under supervision. [Principle
1a] Undelivered
contact hours activate the Deviation
from Published Timetable Policy and reporting
form. |
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1.2 Informal contact hoursThe following
applies from the start of teaching until the end of the July referral week,
excluding three periods: winter break, spring break, and the period following
the May examination window up until summer results notification day. All teaching
staff with a designated office on site should use SeeMyTutor. Full-time staff should advertise a
minimum of four hours per week for
ad hoc meetings with students i.e. those not already part of module provision
listed on ModCat. Part-time staff should advertise
minimum weekly time slots equivalent to 1 hour per working day. [Principle
1b] A clip frame is
installed on/next to each member of staff’s office door. The poster therein
should be entitled, ‘Advice and Academic Support’, include the staff member’s
contact details, colour photograph and a present link to the SeeMyTutor appointment booking tool. A template
is available and an example is shown below. |
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1.3 IT Suites at Byrom StSlider signs
are installed on bookable IT suite access doors [Principle
3a]: If you are
teaching in an IT suite: ·
At the start of the session, set the signs
to Green or Red depending on your preference for
that session. Advise any existing occupants of the suite that: o Green:
students on the module booked into that room have priority access to PCs.
Other students may use the printers and any remaining PCs. Ideally, students
in small modules should be moved closer together to minimise the class
‘footprint’ in the suite; a region that is away from the printer may be
preferred. o Red:
students not on the module booked in that room should vacate the suite
immediately. Only students on that module may then use the printers within
the room. ·
After leaving the IT suite, staff should
ensure sign(s) on all access doors are reset to green. “When you leave the scene, return to
green!” |
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1.4 Personal tutorialsTen personal
tutorial sessions will be scheduled evenly through the academic year,
reducing to 6-8 sessions in the final year. Wherever possible, personal
tutors should only schedule tutorials on days when their tutees would
otherwise be on-site for other taught activities. [Principle
1c]. Where programmes have undergone formal amendment to a fully active
blending learning model, shifting from lectures to small groups for onsite
teaching, then there can be a reduction from the Faculty
tutorial requirement as part of a coordinated approach to student support.
Please email scsade@ljmu.ac.uk to
explore this in the first instance. Personal tutorial
hours should be recorded in CourseLoop, being
ideally associated with module(s) spanning the full academic year on the
understanding that their content is not restricted by this association. In
line with LJMU policy, at least two scheduled tutorial sessions should be
one-to-ones, students being allotted a time within the tutorial period of at
least 15 minutes, if resources permit. To help cohort
identity, all students in the group should be on the same programme. Students will retain the same personal
tutor throughout their studies except when the tutorial group becomes too
small to be sustainable, a student requests a personal tutor change (see
University policy), or the student’s personal tutor switches to their final
year research supervisor, as is the practice on some Science programmes. At Levels 3 and
4, tutors should review the LDE system (link
on staff home page) in advance of the tutorial. Any matters arising can then
be raised with students privately upon completion of the tutorial. Recommended Tutorial Content First year • One tutorial, early in Semester 1,
that includes: ·
Assessment: types of coursework,
importance of deadlines, feedback, contribution of summative coursework to
the Module mark, contribution of Module marks to Level mark, and its
significance for progression. ·
Academic conduct. Pre-placement
year (where appropriate) ·
One tutorial, scheduled appropriately in
Semester 1, that considers potential placement opportunities and an
explanation of associated procedures. Alternatively, this tutorial might be
used to flag-up/reinforce messages from a placement presentation to the whole
level by the programme’s placement tutor. Final year ·
One tutorial, late in Semester 1 that
includes the National Student Survey and its significance. This may also be
used to flag-up/reinforce messages from a NSS presentation to the entire
programme. ·
As part of a one-to-one tutorial:
Discussion of LJMU PGT programmes, where relevant, and associated funding
schemes: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/discover/fees-and-finance |
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1.5 Curriculum Enhancement Weeks (Sept 2020 onward)The starting
position for Science UG programmes is that curriculum enhancement weeks (CEW)
are used for directed reading but modules can
timetable teaching during these weeks. Indeed, this is encouraged as it might
relieve timetabling pressures. If a programme at a particular level only
includes modules (core and all options) that are exclusively taken by
students on that programme then the decision to
schedule teaching within CEWs can be taken unilaterally. Otherwise,
consideration must be given to the potential impact of CEW teaching on
multiple programmes so that timetabling issues are avoided. In either case,
if CEWs are being used for teaching, including field trips, then
communications to students must be clear in this respect given they are
likely to socialise with students on programmes where CEW teaching is not
occurring. Programme teams might
wish to give particular consideration to teaching in
the Semester 2 CEW when this optimises course delivery with respect to the
timing of the Easter break in some years. |
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1.6 Academic Misconduct - You be the judgeThis resource is
a professionally-produced Canvas quiz, designed to
introduce new students to higher education practices and definitions around
Academic Misconduct. FESEC has agreed that all programmes should offer the
quiz to Level 3 and 4 students, with a recommendation that students undertake
the quiz at the start of each level. To add the quiz to a course in Canvas,
click the Commons button in the left-hand margin of Canvas and search for
‘Academic Misconduct’. |
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1.7 Recording of TeachingThe University
has an ‘opt-in’ policy regarding the recording of teaching
and this is published on the Policy Centre. The Faculty
position is to encourage staff to record taught sessions where this
permissible within the Policy. This position recognises the role that lecture
recordings can take in offering an inclusive learning environment. All
classrooms should have audio recording facilities in place e.g. radio
microphone and/or webcam. If a room has no in-built recording facilities,
please report to Helpdesk. If you would prefer to carry a back-up portable
USB boundary microphone please contact scaade@ljmu.ac.uk to discuss. |
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2 Assessment |
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2.1 Assessments requiring special consideration2.1.1
In-person Examinations Where not explicitly
precluded by a professional body, the Faculty of Science favours online
open-book assessment over in-person closed book assessment. Decisions on
individual exam formats should be made in the context of the wider programme
assessment strategy, including consideration of students’ use of AI tools. The principal
reasons for favouring online open-book assessments are: •
Authenticity: workplaces are ‘open book’ and we should prepare students accordingly. This
includes the development of skills associated with the ethical and informed
use of AI tools. •
Accessibility: students can use digital
tools to optimise how assessments appear to them and potential physical
impediments to attendance are minimised. •
Environmental: there is no requirement to
print exam papers or travel to a venue. •
Business continuity: there is protection
from certain unexpected events e.g. transport disruption and pandemics. It is expected that
invigilated assessment, including in-person exams, vivas
and assessed practicals, will continue to have a
place within programme assessment strategies in the longer term. 2.1.2
Group Work Staff should
take particular care when setting group work, particularly in the final year,
due to associated negative sentiments expressed by students. This is
especially true when the entire group is awarded the same mark, although this
is entirely permissible as it recreates the scenario in many workplaces. A Faculty tutorial regarding Group Work is
available from here.
Colleagues should also note that Buddy Check can be used to allocate
individual marks to students in group work based on each group members’
perceived effort. |
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2.2 Approval of assessmentsUniversity
policy requires that all credit-bearing assessments on all modules at all
levels are approved by an External Examiner. The Faculty
procedure is shown below: |
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Invited members of the programme team
review the assessment(s), including the Programme Leader. |
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External review |
Module leader submits assessment(s) to the
School Office by relevant deadline for External Review |
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Updated review |
Module team update assessment(s) in light of External Examiners’ remarks and by application
of professional judgement |
Exams only ® |
Final version to School Office |
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Reporting |
Module leader responds to External Examiner
Comments, noted within Mark Verification Tool |
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Exam questions
shared by email must be in password-protected documents. Your School office can advise you of the password. As a courtesy
to our External Examiners and to assist our administrative staff, we seek
approvals on four specified dates during the academic year. In summary these
are: |
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For exams in: |
For coursework set in: |
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September |
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Semester 1 |
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October |
January (and July) |
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November |
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Semester 2 and Summer |
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February |
April/May (and July) |
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For details, please
refer to the key assessment-related deadlines included within the annual
Faculty Calendar circulated by the Head of Operations. |
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2.3 Information for students
Module guides/handbooks
are no longer required and the Teaching and Learning
Academy now provides centralised guidance on key information to be included
on Canvas course sites. |
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2.4 MarkingThere
is no requirement to obtain special permission to bulk print off coursework
submitted electronically and staff are under no obligation to e-mark,
although the electronic marking of work is encouraged. |
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2.5 Coursework marks on CanvasWhere timings
permit, internally-agreed marks must be entered into
Canvas Grades as percentage marks and made visible to students prior to the
Board of Examiners. Attention is drawn to the need to distinguish between the
following entries in Canvas Grades: |
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= ‘null’ i.e.
the student made no attempt (NAT) and will fail the module. |
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= ‘zero’ i.e.
the student made an attempt but scored 0% and might
still pass the module. |
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2.6 Recording marks in Excel
The =ROUND(A1, 0) formula should be applied to all marks that
are submitted to the School office as SIS can only store integer marks. Only
in this way will Excel and SIS compute the same module mark once weightings
are applied. e.g. UNROUNDED: 39.4 (30% weighting) + 39.5
(70% weighting) = 39.47 = 39%. ROUNDED: 39 (30% weighting) + 40
(70% weighting) = 39.7 = 40% |
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2.7 Principles around the use of Artificial
Intelligence (AI)
The Faculty of
Science has agreed the following principles around the use of generative AI
tools: The Faculty of Science will:·
Support students and staff to become AI literate, including risk
awareness. ·
Enable students to use AI tools responsibly and ethically within
their learning. ·
Adapt teaching and assessment to integrate the use of AI and provide
equal access. ·
Ensure academic rigour and integrity are maintained, including the
appropriate citation of the use or non-use of AI tools. ·
Work collaboratively to optimise practices as AI technologies
evolve. The principles have
informed the development of COMPASS:
our staff and student guidance on the use of AI in assessment. Acknowledgement: New
principles on use of AI in education The Russell Group (4/7/23) |
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3 Evaluation |
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3.1 In-class online survey completionThe Faculty supports staff who wish to conduct online student
surveys within class as they solicit views from active programme
participants. This may be accomplished within an IT suite or within standard
classrooms through booking the Faculty
Nexus Pads in advance. [Principle
3a] |
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3.2 Module evaluationThis is the
only formalised mechanism within LJMU where remarks relating to individual
staff and their practice are collected from students. Comments are provided
by the Teaching and Learning Academy on a biannual basis, with a very small
number of unsuitable comments being omitted before circulation. |
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4 Learning Community |
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4.1 Science Teaching Interest Group (STIG)This group, founded in
2021, aim is to gather together colleagues from within the Faculty
to discuss matters of contemporary interest relating to teaching, learning
and assessment. This groups sits outside deliberative structures and,
although there are no terms of reference, outcomes are expected to feed into
decision-making by the Faculty Education and Student Experience Committee and
FMT. |
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There is no quoracy
requirement or expectation of attendance. The group is purposefully large to
ensure opportunities for meaningful discussions even if % attendance is low.
The group will bring together colleagues with an established interest in
teaching and membership is drawn from: • PGCert/CAP
Observers • Academic
LJMU Teaching Award Winners • NSS
Champions • National
Teaching Fellows • School
LTA Coordinators All SCS staff
are welcome to join STIG. Please contact p.denton@ljmu.ac.uk |
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4.2 Lab coat printingThe Faculty
handheld printer may be hired to print student names on lab coats [Principle
1c]. A survey of 197 undergraduates in Spring 2018 found that students
who had had their name printed on their lab coat reported more favourable
outcomes in eight first-year experience questions, compared to only one
question for other students. Notably, students with their name on their lab
coat were significantly more positive in response to questions about their
experience “at” or “within” LJMU. Indeed, the proportion of these students
that had considered withdrawing from the programme was 9% lower than those
who had not had their name printed. |
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4.3 Peer Observation and ReflectionThis annual
scheme will be introduced in January 2024 as a means to further encourage
reflective practice [Principle
2a]. Details were confirmed by FMT in December 2023. |
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The key features of the scheme are: • A
focus on formative observation and collegial practice exchange. • Observation
partnering criteria that are informed by the literature. • The
Teaching and Learning Academy providing resourcing for incentives. • Leadership
being distributed among the ADESE and Subject Leads, these colleagues acting
as equal partners within the scheme. |
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Observation
format In
the spirit of the scheme, there is no formal recording or reporting form. To
guide discussions in the post-observation meeting, there are two questions
that observers should ask themselves when observing a session: ·
What elements of the session might I
consider adopting or adapting for my teaching? ·
What elements of my sessions might the
tutor consider adopting or adapting for their teaching? Elements of a session
may relate to: ·
resources e.g. PowerPoint slides and
handouts ·
themes e.g. inclusivity and accessibility ·
presentation e.g. body language and voice ·
interactivity e.g. oral discussions and
use of (Vevox-type) classroom response systems ·
structure e.g. organisation within the
session and relationship to other parts of the course ·
operational e.g. use of classroom
facilities to ensure a smooth, comfortable and safe session |
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Operation 1) Directors
provide a list of participating staff. Staff undertaking the PGCert in
Academic Practice will be exempt from our scheme given that they are already
observed. 2) Initial
staff pairings are suggested by the ADESE, the model being that staff act as
either observer or observe within a particular academic year. Pairings are
between School colleagues, line mangers not being
paired with their team’s members. 3) Subject
Leads edit suggested pairings as they see fit. Based on the literature,
length of service is used to inform combinations, with pairings between
relatively new staff, or those between inexperienced and experienced staff
being favoured. 4) Pairings
are released to staff; the designated observer having responsibility to
arrange a session to observe, through arrangement with the observee. Observations should take place within Semester
1 or 2 teaching weeks. 5) A
pre-observation meeting is optional, although a post-observation discussion
should occur. The emphasis here is on sharing good practices, not performance
evaluation. 6) Upon
completion of the observation, the observer and/or observe complete an online
declaration to confirm the activity has occurred. The deadline for completing
the form is the end of May. 7) Annual
reports on participation are received by FESEC in June. |
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4.4 Faculty and University teaching awards
All science staff have the
ability to nominate colleagues for HITS Faculty Teaching and Student
Support Awards (TASSAs). The aim of these awards is twofold: i) to recognise
good practice by our colleagues, and, |
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ii) to celebrate academic delivery and student
support within science. There is a single criterion: Nominees have made a significant and positive impact
on the student experience through their practice over the past year.
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Enhancing the
student experience may arise from a range of activities: · administrative
and wellbeing support, · employability and
skills development, · laboratory,
research, and placement support, · level and
personal tutoring, · module and
programme leadership, · promoting
equality, diversity and inclusivity, · teaching,
supervision, assessment, and feedback, · technology-enhanced
approaches. TASSA
Commendations · November: Online
survey open to science staff to solicit TASSA nominations, accompanied by a
short citation. · December:
Academic nominations are shared with the relevant SMT (Nominations for
non-academic staff are considered by the Heads of Operations in a separate
process). School Management Teams decide on TASSA Commendations: Teams may commend
and add to the nominations submitted through the form. · January: Commended
staff are contacted by the ADESE and may withdraw participation from the
scheme at this stage if they wish. Following this grace period, the Directors
formally announce the winners within their areas and the full list of
commended staff are shared within the science Schools via the Abstract
newsletter. TASSA Winners TASSA Winners for
each award category are drawn from the pool of commended staff. · January: Faculty colleagues
matching the following criteria are invited to submit an
application for a TASSA award: o They have a TASSA
Commendation from that year. o They have not won
an LJMU award within the last decade for the category being considered. ·
February: A FESEC shortlisting panel consisting
of science school members reviews the forms of potential nominees and
shortlists nominations in each category, a timetabled meeting taking place if
there are contested categories: Ideally, and to ensure good attendance, this
meeting replaces one of the existing FESEC meetings and will be timetabled
before the start of the academic year. As a special sitting, FESEC’s normal
quoracy rules do not apply. Line managers are exempt from deliberations
within contested categories. Provisional LJMU
Award nomination · February: TASSA
winners identified by the FESEC shortlisting panel are automatically invited
to be the provisional LJMU Award nominees from the science Schools. · Outcomes of this
meeting are shared with all applicants, the official
nomination form(s) are circulated to TASSA winners in each category. Approved LJMU
Award nomination · May: Nominees
submit applications for approval by FMT. This is normally a formality but is
included in case submitted nominations fall short of the technical criteria
set by the University e.g. nomination falls significantly short of the
expected word count. |
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4.5 Faculty fundingThe Faculty
will periodically offer funds to support Curriculum Enhancement Internships
and attendance at pedagogic events [Principle
3a]. Faculty funding for internships is agreed at a formal meeting of
FESEC when applications are considered. Funding for event attendance is
allocated by FESEC Chair’s action on a
first come, first-served basis. Consent is normally given if the suggested
activity is within the UK and has a significant pedagogic element, providing
that discussions have already taken place within the applicant’s School
around funding and appropriateness. After Friday of the penultimate teaching
week, and if funds remain, existing and new requests from colleagues that
have already secured funds, and/or applications for international event
attendance, will be considered. Individual staff can be funded for no more
than two events per year and will submit a report upon return for dissemination
via the Faculty LTA Website. |
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4.6 LJMU Students at the Heart Conference registration socialA catered event
held every May (LJMU working guidance permitting) to support SCS staff and
student co-presenter registrations for the LJMU Students at the Heart
Conference [Principle
3a]. |
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4.7 Walkabout weeksThis scheme
runs annually (LJMU working guidance permitting) in those years where there
is no Faculty-wide teaching observation scheme. During Walkabout Week,
academic staff may register to open up their
classrooms for casual observation by Faculty colleagues. [Principle
2b]. |
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4.8 AbstractThe Faculty’s
LTA newsletter,
normally published bimonthly during the teaching year. [Principle
3c]. |
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4.9 SoftwareThe Faculty will coordinate and/or fund the purchase of
teaching-related software when this has generic interest and/or there are
economies of scale [Principle
3a]. For example, in the 2021/22 Academic Year, three programs were supported: ·
Biorender ·
Learning Science ·
Labster Following a successful
pilot year, the ADESE will liaise with LIS over the possibility of Library
Material Fund (LMF) support. This applies to student-facing software only. |
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4.10 Teaching EquipmentThe ADE can provide
USB Boundary Microphones for extended loan. These are intended for use in
lecture capture in classrooms with no in-built microphone facilities
connected to recording software. The ADESE can also provide PowerPoint
controllers and spare batteries. Email scsade@ljmu.ac.uk.
IT Services can provide other USB devices, including webcams and headsets,
through their dedicated helpdesk form. |
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Maintained by SCSADE@ljmu.ac.uk.
Last Update: 04/02/2025. |
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