[2003]

The Learning, Teaching and Assessment Newsletter of the Faculty of Science, LJMU

Ab	stract #3.3
1849	… to be no more than 881 words.	21^st January 2019

Walkabout Week returns!

Walkabout Week is the Faculty’s biannual celebration of casual, no-strings-attached teaching observation. Last year’s event was evaluated as an overwhelmingly positive experience and you can now express your willingness to take part in Semester 2. As a participant, you would be inviting Faculty colleagues to attend one of your teaching sessions in Week 23 (25 Feb to 1 Mar) through completing this online form by Friday 1^st February.

The Eighteenth LJMU Teaching and Learning Conference, Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June 2019

This annual two-day event is organised by the PVC (Education) and the Teaching and Learning Academy (TLA). This year’s conference will focus on ‘Developing Inclusive Learning Cultures’, showcasing the work of both academic and professional service staff, and students. The deadline for submissions is 10am Mon 4th Feb 2019 and first-time contributors are always welcome to submit to this friendly and informative event.

Semester 2 Module evaluation weeks 26 & 27 (Mon 18^th – Fri 29^th Mar)

Please schedule an in-class survey session to maximise response rates. If not in an IT suite, you can book the 20 Faculty Nexus Pads, a further 20 pads are to be purchased following feedback and using funds form the TLA. Acamedics would book, collect and return pads to BS/321a, alternative porterage arrangements being explored.

Opportunities
>	A TLA workshop Wed 27th March 2-5pm led by the team behind the Diversity and Inclusion Student Ambassador project for the HEFCE, led by the University of Manchester. If you would like to attend please email me by Fri 1st Feb.
>	E-learning Forum 12pm-2pm, Wed 27th Feb. Offered by the TLA and for all staff who are interested in supporting learning through technology
>	‘What is teaching excellence? The Student Perspective: 415pm-530pm, Wed 30th January. Part of the RAP series offered by the TLA.
>	Inclusive Practice Network annual conference, Bath, 6th June and UP North, Learning & Teaching Symposium, York, 7th June [thanks to the, TLA]. Please email me for funding requests from the Faculty budget. Staff receiving funding would complete a report for dissemination.

Responding to emails from students

Recent JMSU focus groups found some students lamenting that, “the university doesn’t care”. This negative sentiment was partly associated with lecturers not replying to emails. Staff should respond to all queries from students, even if it is simply to direct correspondents to the module guide. POD’s Email Best Practice Guidelines sensibly acknowledge that emailers should not expect replies within less than 24 hours: Email is not an instant messenger service.

Meetoo

Following some isolated but unfortunate incidents, a reminder to always turn moderation ON when using Meetoo. The default setting is OFF, but you only need to turn it on once for each unique meeting as the last setting is remembered.

LJMU Staff experiences of using Meetoo have been collated by the Teaching and Learning Academy and training is available.

Employability

The Faculty’s LTA website has been redesigned to better present the Faculty’s employability resources.

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The Bioscience Special Interest Group of AdvanceHE STEM is offering a series of half-day workshops delivered by winners of the 2017 HEA Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE). Please email me for funding requests [thanks to Janice Harland, PBS].

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Employability was the topic of recent School away days in PBS/NSP and a forthcoming SPS forum, all operating in collaboration with the LJMU Careers Team.

Teaching
>	A request from IT helpdesk: If you set the IT Suite slider signs (right) to ‘No entry’, please return them to green after you have finished teaching: When you leave scene, return to green
>	I have taken delivery of more PowerPoint controllers and USB microphones using funds provided by the Teaching and Learning Academy (TLA). Please email me to arrange delivery.
>	I will place a series of 14 seating plans in Marybone (example, right). These can be used to direct students to seats, particularly in cases where; the class is smaller than the room, group working is employed, or you require occasional row breaks to facilitate circulation. They can be shown on one projector screen via the visualiser while you set up.

New Directions in Teaching Physical Sciences University of Leicester [Thanks to Teaching & Learning Academy]

Skills resources

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Online tutorials through Skills4study available via the Academic Skills pages of the Skills@LJMU website.

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The online Rosetta Stone language learning system is available to both staff and students.

Applicant event types [Thanks to Tim Sellars, SCS]

Digital developments [thanks to the TLA]
>	New rating tool, opens when staff log off from a classroom PC (right). Rooms rated very poor will be chased up but still use helpdesk, AVA-Byrom, or Estates to report issues, as usual.
>	Panopto has had an interface spruce up and they are hoping to double upload speeds. The system is increasingly being used by students to submit Panopto videos as coursework.
>	With the latest Canvas update you can e.g. reorganise tiles on your Canvas dashboard. The Teaching and Learning Academy have also created a process to create private journal areas in Canvas for individual students.

Phil Denton, Faculty of Science Associate Dean (Education)

Maintained by SCSADE@ljmu.ac.uk. Last Update: 20/01/2019.