Monthly Archives: April 2020

Transforming Assessment Practices at BU through assessment design policy change: the principles

Statue in garden

In May 2019 Senate approved the new  evidence-based student-centred assessment policy change. This blog post sets out the principles underpinning the change. There are separate blogs on the specific requirements  of the policy and on the resources to support the changes. The drivers for change in assessment practices were both local and national. These included… Read more » about Transforming Assessment Practices at BU through assessment design policy change: the principles

Epigeum Learning Blended Course, developed by BU academics, now open access

                                              Colleagues, Led by Dr Geli Roushan, Dr Elvira Bolat and I contributed to creating this Epigeum online course – with the covid-19 situation, Epigeum are offering it open access. You can access… Read more » about Epigeum Learning Blended Course, developed by BU academics, now open access

Running a successful online quiz in Brightspace

Brightspace logo

There are several benefits to moving quizzes online. The administrative burden is reduced with automatic grading and results can be issued promptly to students. Online quizzes are scalable with large cohorts and can be accessed remotely. Questions and answers can easily by randomised, avoiding subconscious patterns. And the online environment is inclusive for students who… Read more » about Running a successful online quiz in Brightspace

LT Drop in clinics week beginning 20th April

Thank you for the continued positive feedback that the team is receiving. It’s good to know that the work we are doing, often behind the scenes, is having impact across the organisation. This week, we’re moving to take a closer look at quizzes on Brightspace during our online LT drop in clinics.  So if you’re… Read more » about LT Drop in clinics week beginning 20th April

Using Brightspace Calendars

Brightspace logo

With the rapid move to on-line teaching, most timetables will be outdated, however, there is another tool you can use to help to communicate events to your students. Each Brightspace unit has its own schedule or calendar which can be used to communicate with your students about when events will take place. As well as… Read more » about Using Brightspace Calendars

8 Tips to Help Improve your Online Teaching

Most of us are not professional YouTubers and do not have any special equipment for creating stunning videos, so here are a few suggestions to help you make the most of the equipment you do have. Internet connection: A good Internet connection is required, especially when running a live event such as Virtual Classroom or… Read more » about 8 Tips to Help Improve your Online Teaching

Sharing video files with your students

Panopto logo

Sharing video is now more relevant than ever and with increased interactions happening online you might find yourself with a bunch of video files that you need to share with your students. There’s a number of ways in which this can be done, but to ensure the best possible experience for students (and staff!) we… Read more » about Sharing video files with your students

Talking HE Policy: why it matters – report on a session by Jane Forster and Debbie Holley

Thanks to Prof Liz Falconer for inviting us to ‘talk policy’ and sharing her expertise to enable us to deliver a creative virtual classroom session. Exemplary policy advice – delivered with panache online! Jane Forster, policy adviser to the Office of the Vice Chancellor, working Department of Nursing Sciences’ Debbie Holley, delivered an engaging, interactive… Read more » about Talking HE Policy: why it matters – report on a session by Jane Forster and Debbie Holley

An update on online meeting tools

I’m sure we are all a lot more familiar with online meeting tools than we were a month ago, I know I am. Nonetheless, updates for these tools and the way we use them are developing on a regular basis. Here’s a quick snapshot on the updates from this week. Virtual Classroom in Brightspace (lectures,… Read more » about An update on online meeting tools

Support for Colleagues Applying for HEA Fellowship

If you are interested in applying for HEA Fellowship via our TeachBU scheme, then please click here to use the four step online tutorial which I have recorded to help you. I recommend that you use all of the four steps which cover the following topics: STEP 1 – Introduction to TeachBU STEP 2 –… Read more » about Support for Colleagues Applying for HEA Fellowship