ITL Conference 2023
The 2023 ITL conference at the University of Manchester was a highly successful and engaging event that brought together students and staff to explore teaching and learning. With its three central themes of student partnership, assessment practices, and sustainable change, the conference fostered collaborative discussions and showcased effective practices. Attendees actively participated through wicked problem sets, paper presentations, poster presentations, and lightning talks, resulting in a vibrant atmosphere of knowledge sharing and networking. Overall, the conference left participants inspired and equipped with valuable insights to drive positive changes in teaching and learning at the University and in the broader more inclusive higher education landscape.
The conference began and ended with impactful plenary sessions that left attendees inspired and motivated. The opening session addressed racialised inequalities in higher education, while the closing session focused on the student voice and driving meaningful change. These sessions set the tone for the conference, fostering discussions and generating a collective drive for positive transformations in the field of education.
Opening Plenary Session: Challenging racialised inequalities in Higher Education
The opening plenary session on challenging racialised inequalities in Higher Education set a powerful tone for the conference. Professor April McMahon's opening address emphasized the urgency of addressing racial disparities in the educational landscape. The panel, consisting of experts from various backgrounds, provided valuable insights into their work on combating these inequalities. From Dr Paul Ian Campbell's inclusive education initiatives to Dr Esnath Magola-Makina's focus on differential attainment, the session offered thought-provoking perspectives and actionable recommendations for attendees to implement in their own teaching practices.
- Click here to watch the Challenging Racialised Inequalities plenary.
- You can also access the presentation from this plenary here.
Closing Plenary Session: Student's Union panel on the Student Voice
The closing plenary session centred on the student voice, offering a platform for discussing the power dynamics within educational institutions. Facilitated by Shauna Rogers, the panel explored questions surrounding meaningful change and the imbalance of power between staff and students. With panel members including Students' Union representatives and HE policy experts, attendees gained valuable insights into promoting student engagement and creating an inclusive learning environment. The session ended with a closing address from Professor Judy Williams, emphasizing the importance of student involvement and reaffirming the commitment to an inclusive and student-centered approach in higher education.
- Watch the SU Panel Session here
- Watch the closing remarks from the conference here.
The conference featured engaging poster presentations, covering a wide range of research topics. From exploring the effectiveness of questioning-based frameworks in interacting with ChatGPT to proposing alternative assessment methods and discussing sustainable change in higher education, the sessions offered valuable insights and innovative ideas. The presenters, representing diverse fields, delivered impactful presentations that fostered knowledge sharing and inspired further exploration.
Click here to access the online poster presentations: Artsteps Poster Exhibition
Standard Papers
The conference featured paper presentations covering a wide range of topics. Sessions on "Belonging" explored postgraduate students' experiences, embedding belonging in the student journey, and the role of student voice. The "AI and Academic Integrity" session delved into AI's role in student inquiry and assessment, perceptions of academic plagiarism, and the challenges and opportunities of ChatGPT technology. Other sessions focused on authentic assessment, co-creation of learning, and peer support. These presentations provided valuable insights and fostered engaging discussions among participants.
Paper Presentations: Belonging
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Searching for belonging: a photographic understanding of postgraduate students’ HE experiences - Heather Cockayne, Zhuomin Huang
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Embedding Belonging into the Student Journey: A Case Study Approach - Rachel Studd, Rachel Parker-Strak
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How student voice can help create a sense of belonging - Students' Union Education Team
Paper Presentations: AI and Academic Integrity
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AI as an approach to managing variety in student inquiry and assessment - Mark Johnson
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Perceptions of the morality, risks, and rewards of student academic plagiarism: a vignette-based study - Jon Shute
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ChatGPT, WTF, and NGLs: Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities of ChatGPT Technology in Higher Education Assessment Design - Arcadius Ludkowski (content not available)
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Academic Integrity in the classroom: ways to increase your impact - Emma Sanders
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Arguing with ChatGPT: Writing Assessed Essays with Second Year Undergraduates - Dr Claire Reddleman
Paper Presentations: Authentic Assessment
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The University Living Lab: Authentic assessment that affects change for sustainable development whilst enhancing the student experience - Jennifer O’Brien & Students
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Gradescope for programming and maths assignments - Ekaterina Kazak
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Students in the Stacks: Using Collection-based Learning in Assessment - Aya Van Renterghem
Paper Presentations: Co-creation of learning
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Using co-creation to teach mathematics in an economics degree programme: some lessons and insights - Panos Sousounis
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Exploring how learning space(s) co-constructed in partnership can offer a sense of belonging for students - Sara Jackson, Karen Healy, Chang Gao, Lingyi Zhou, Xinyue Zhang, Choen Yin Chan, Kate Sapin
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Using Summer Internships with an Educational Theme to Improve Student Experience - Martin Simmons
Paper Presentations: Sustainable Change
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Come Watch with Me: Blending synchronous with asynchronous to enhance learning and sense of belonging - Jen McBride, Kipras Achramavicius, Grace Allen, Martina Annoni, Itir Derin, Amy Fitzgerald, Katie Lee, Ffion Neal, Elena Ritsch
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The Benefits of Working with Charities in Teaching and Learning - Patricia Perlman-Dee
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Development of Active Learning in Project Cost Estimating Teaching - Paul Baguley
Paper Presentations: Group work and peer and self review
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Empowering students intellectual development through essay writing and reviewing peer’s work - Jennifer Rose
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Assessing individual student contribution to group work - Maria Canal, Ewan Chamings, Ryan Metcalfe
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Developing Student Understanding of Assessment Criteria through Peer Marking - Lisha Agarwal, Dan Rigby
Paper Presentations: Peer Support
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International Student Peer Support - Marianna Rolbina, Siobhan Caughey
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Developing students' leadership and communication skills from peer-mentorship: a pioneering pre-sessional online peer-mentoring scheme - Li-Chia Chen, Selena Tai, Pol Donald Nkana Nkana
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Improving online learners experience of formative assessed discussions - Jenefer Metcalfe
Lightning Talks
The Lightning Talks sessions featured brief yet engaging presentations on topics such as sustainable change and student partnership. Talks covered areas like building connections with industry, utilising ChatGPT ineducation, enhancing student-staff interactions, exploring mindfulness, and fostering student voice and partnerships. The sessions concluded with interactive Q&A and discussions, encouraging dialogue and knowledge exchange among participants.
Wicked Problem Sets
The conference organized by our institute provided a platform for thought-provoking discussions and presentations on various wicked problem sets. These problem sets encompassed a range of challenges and dilemmas within the context of our educational institution.
Problem Sets
One notable aspect of the conference was the inclusion of several "Wicked Problem Sets" sessions. These sessions aimed to address multifaceted and challenging problems faced in the education system. Here, we provide a reflection on some of the Wicked Problem Sets that took place during the conference.
- How do we raise student voices? Led by Abi Dickinson-Trowbridge, the Student Success and Development Officer, and the Students' Union Education Team, this session focused on empowering students and amplifying their voices within the academic community.
- Student attendance - to be or not to be? Alison Harvey, a Teaching and Scholarship Lecturer in Advanced Biomedical Materials, organized this session to explore different perspectives and approaches to managing student attendance policies, provoking critical examination of their impact on student engagement and academic success.
- Awarding Gaps - Working with the Data Addressing the issue of awarding gaps, this session brought together Andrew Mawdsley, Chris Bamford, and Andy Peet, who examined data-driven approaches to identify and bridge gaps in student achievement and attainment.
- Building Circular Bridges: Lessons from a Data Fellowship Programme Led by Jackie Carter, this session explored the concept of circular bridges in data-driven initiatives, showcasing the role of data fellowships in facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange.
- Next Steps to Getting the Blend Right Caroline Bowsher, Steve Pettifer, and Alison Fisher led a session that focused on finding the optimal blend of traditional and digital learning methods to enhance the educational experience.
- Is it still internationalization? Discussions and implications on Chinese students pursuing postgraduate degrees in education in the University of Manchester Bowen Zhang organized this session, which addressed the evolving landscape of internationalization in education and its implications for Chinese students pursuing postgraduate degrees.
- Student partnership, voice, and co-construction of International Post-Graduate Taught student employability support Shirley Jenner, Rachel Challinor, Caroline Everson, and Hannah Bratley organized this session, which explored the importance of student partnership in designing and implementing effective employability support programs for international postgraduate students. Access the Session Facilitation Guide here.
- The wicked problem of achieving and maintaining teaching excellence Ali Owrak and Anna Goatman led this session, which aimed to unpack the challenges and strategies associated with achieving and sustaining teaching excellence in higher education.
- Exploring AI Tools: Challenges and Capabilities Cesare Guilio Arditio and Rebecca Hodgeson organized this session, providing insights into the challenges and capabilities of AI tools in the context of education.
- Curriculum Co-creation in Humanities Learning Design This session, led by Helen Perkins, Charlotte Warden, Alastair Wehbeh, Christine Lampe, and Linda Irish, explored the collaborative process of curriculum co-creation and its application in humanities learning design.
