Led by Dr Jane Mooney (Senior Lecturer, Division of Medical Education and Academic Theme Lead for Digital Skills and Literacy, Flexible Learning Programme) and Prof Hannah Cobb, SFHEA (Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, University Academic Lead for Academic Development in the Institute of Teaching and Learning)

Thursday, 23rd June, 2022 – 10:00 - 11:30, on campus 

The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method is a facilitated thinking, communication and problem-solving technique for use with organisations, teams and individuals. In this guided workshop, led by trained LEGO Serious Play facilitator Jane Mooney, we use the method to explore what reflective practice is, what value it has and how we can develop it in our own practice.

Led by Holly Dewsnip-Lloyd, Teaching and Learning Coordinator (Academic Development), Institute of Teaching and Learning

These sessions run monthly.

These sessions offered an opportunity for colleagues to dedicate some time to writing on an aspect of teaching and learning development. 

These sessions followed a Pomodoro approach, alternating between 25 minutes of working with 5 minute breaks throughout the session. In the breaks there was space to talk and check in.

Led by Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, and Lisa McDonagh, Institute of Teaching and Learning

These sessions took place monthly from March 2022 and will be running again in 2022/23.

This session introduced what reflection is and why we do it, provided advice and support on reflective writing and carved out some quiet time to reflect.

Led by Lisa McDonagh SFHEA, Teaching and Learning Officer, Institute of Teaching and Learning and Professor Hannah Cobb NTF SFHEA, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, School of Arts, Langauges and Cultures and Academic Lead for Academic Development, Institute of Teaching and Learning

Wednesday 26th October 2022, 12:00-13:00, online 

Not sure what reflective writing is, or how to do it effectively? Need to reflect for LEAP or your NAP portfolio, but not sure if you're doing it right? Feel like you knew about this in the past, but could do with a refresher?

All UoM staff were welcome to attend this session, which served as an introduction or refresher on reflection and reflective practice. We discussed the purpose of reflection and how it's different to 'just thinking' or ruminating, and explored a few models that can help you to structure and deepen your reflection (and might help you if you find you're getting stuck). Attendees could ask any questions they had on reflective thinking or reflective writing, and discuss any difficulties they may be having with these. 

This session was a friendly and informal space to explore reflection. It was facilitated by colleagues who believe in the developmental potential of reflection, but also understand that not everybody likes reflection or feels confident in it. Please come along with your questions and concerns, and we'll hopefully support you in finding a way forward that helps reflection work for you.

How to reflect will be repeated monthly.

For those who want to carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style you may wish to attend one of our 'Action on Reflection' sessions: https://app.manchester.ac.uk/UMITL2005

Led by Professor Judy Williams, Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning and Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students

The Institute of Teaching and Learning will soon be calling for applications for the 2023/24 cycle of ITL Fellowships. An ITL Fellowship offers colleagues an opportunity to develop and deliver a strategically-aligned project to enhance an aspect of teaching and learning (including links between teaching and research) across the University while working in partnership with students to effect positive change.

This online information session is aimed at colleagues interested in applying (or those who may be supporting them) to find out more about the Fellowships and the recruitment process before the deadline for applications in early February. Fellowships are open to Academic and Professional Services colleagues across the University, and anyone who would like to find out more about the Fellowships is welcome.

The presentation slides are available to view on the document store.

Led by Patricia Clift Martin, Teaching and Learning Manager and Emma Sanders, Teaching and Learning Officer (Institute of Teaching and Learning)

Monday 16th May, 2022 - 14:00 - 15:00 

This online session offered an opportunity for colleagues to find out more about the University’s Teaching Excellence Awards, in advance of the submission deadline on Wednesday 25 May 2022.

Academic, Professional Service and technical-lab-based colleagues are eligible for the award, and nominations may be made by – or on behalf of - individuals or teams. Key elements of the award are outlined, such as the nomination process, the core criteria and the strategic themes. In addition, previous winners share their experiences and be available to answer any questions. 

A recording of the session is available to view on the Video Portal. Please remember to log in via the button on the top right to be able to view the video.

Led by Professor Judy Williams, Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning and Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students; Dr Charles Buckley, University of Liverpool; and Patricia Clift-Martin, Institute of Teaching and Learning

In collaboration with colleagues from the universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Northumbria and Manchester Metropolitan

A series of 3 sessions, starting on Thursday, 28^th April, 2022 – 12:00 – 14:00

This series of 3 sessions ran alongside the NTFS sessions and was for teams or groups of colleagues who were interested in applying for a CATE award in 2022-23.

We provided a series of webinars and follow-up support sessions to offer advice and networking opportunities for colleagues who were intending to submit expressions of interest, or who were already in the pipeline to represent their institution in applying for a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).

The series of sessions covered:

• CATE Criterion 1: Excellence in the team’s collaborative approach
• CATE Criterion 2: Excellence in the impact of collaborative working
• Final reflections session for NTF and CATE applicants

Led by Professor Judy Williams, Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning and Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students; Dr Charles Buckley, University of Liverpool; and Patricia Clift-Martin, Institute of Teaching and Learning

In collaboration with colleagues from the universities of Manchester, Liverpool, Northumbria and Manchester Metropolitan

A series of 4 sessions, starting on Tuesday, 5^th April, 2022 – 12:00 – 14:00

This series of 4 sessions ran for colleagues interested in applying for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme in 2022-23.

We provided a series of webinars and follow-up support sessions to offer advice and networking opportunities for colleagues who are intending to submit expressions of interest, or who are already in the pipeline to represent their institution in applying for a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF).

The series of sessions covered:

• NTFS Criterion 1: Individual excellence
• NTFS Criterion 2: Raising the profile of excellence
• NTFS Criterion 3: Developing excellence and creating a golden thread
• Final reflections session for NTF and CATE applicants

Following an inspiring awards ceremony at the Whitworth Hall in September, The Institute of Teaching and Learning is delighted to share details of the event along with the names of winners on behalf of the University.

For the first time the award categories were expanded to include Team nominations, and a truly impressive range of submissions was received from colleagues working across the institution.

In total 22 awards were presented by Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students (11 for individuals and 11 for teams). The event provided an opportunity for Professor Judy Williams to highlight the transformative nature of the awards, particularly in relation to the opportunities for the winners’ personal and professional development, as well as the ways in which they can further contribute to enhancements in teaching and learning.

We are committed to showcasing the culture of teaching excellence at the University and as such, you can find details of all the winners below.

Feedback received from attendees has been extremely positive with one guest concluding that it was “Just the right amount of ceremony, perfect trophies, amazing banners, tasty food and amazing people.”

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks to all of the nominees for their valued contributions to teaching and learning at The University of Manchester, and congratulate winners again on their brilliant achievement.

The full list of award winners can be found here.

Further information:

• Teaching Excellence Awards 
• Contact teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk

On Monday 4th May we held a launch event for our inaugural ITL Fellows on Zoom. This replaced the on-campus event we had originally planned and so offered an opportunity (and a challenge!) to bring everybody together via a medium still quite new to many of us, and to use new ways of providing opportunities for valuable group discussion. These discussions were around themes such as working collaboratively across the University and ensuring truly co-creative work with our Student Partner Interns, who are part of our new Student Partner Programme within the Institute. As well as welcoming our Fellows, we were also very happy to be joined by invited guests from Faculties and from central services, all of whom contributed advice and ideas throughout the session that will really benefit our Fellows as they move forward with their projects; we were also really pleased to be joined by Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students April McMahon, who talked with the Fellows about how their new role sits within the University's strategy for teaching and learning and the importance of their work, together with our student partners, in driving forward positive change.

The Institute team were really inspired by all of the discussion and by the supportive exchange of ideas and insight between all who attended, and we're looking forward to building on the work done in the session as the Fellowship projects move forward. We were really pleased to hear that our Fellows found this event valuable:

"From this first event, it is clear that the Institute of Teaching and Learning is going to support, inspire and change the way we approach teaching and learning at Manchester. There was a sense of energised camaraderie throughout the afternoon that felt really reassuring and hopefully reflects the comprehensive and collaborative work that is going to come out of the inaugural projects for the Fellowship. The range of Fellows and the breadth of topics were nicely complemented by just how willing everyone was to help out and how positive we all felt afterward."
- ITL Fellow

Given the digital learning curve we are all on, we also appreciated this final comment!

"Best Zoom in 6 weeks"
- ITL Fellow

Led by Jessica Napthine-Hodgkinson, Teaching and Learning Librarian, University of Manchester Library

Tuesday 9th May 2023, 13:00-14:30, on campus

Thursday 11th May 2023, 11:00-12:00, online

In this fully interactive workshop participants learnt a range of improvisation techniques to improve their confidence about public speaking and informal networking. Improvisation is a form of unscripted theatre that relies on heightened communication and creativity. Aside from performance, it can be also be used to promote teamwork, enhance presentation skills and ease social anxiety. We focused on the application of improvisation for improving public speaking skills and provided participants with practical exercises to help them build confidence in communicating with a variety of audiences. Learn to be more present, feel confident speaking in any setting and embrace failure.

This panel was chaired by Professor Hannah Cobb SFHEA (Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, University Academic Lead for Academic Development in the Institute of Teaching and Learning). The panel included Andrew Mawdsley SFHEA (Clinical Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, Director of Teaching, Learning and Students for the School of Health Science), Dr Cecilia Medupin FHEA (Senior Lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Dr Jennifer O'Brien PFHEA (Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Academic Lead for Sustainability, Teaching and Learning and Honorary ITL Fellow).

Wednesday, 25th May, 2022 – 12:00 – 13:00

“Spotlight on Teaching-Focused Careers in Higher Education” panel event: for anyone pursuing - or interested in pursuing – a teaching-focused career.

Our three panellists shared their motivations, experiences and advice about shaping a teaching-focused career in HE at The University of Manchester, and answered questions about following a teaching-focused path.

Led by Professor Judy Williams, Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students and Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning (ITL)

Tuesday 17th May, 2022 - 14:00 - 15:30

In this on-campus session Professor Judy Williams, Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students and Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning explored what we mean (and can mean) when we talk about CPD context of teaching and learning, and talked about the development opportunities available to you to develop your career and showcase your practice.

We also discussed CPD activities that colleagues have undertaken which have had a positive impact on them and their work, sharing tips and experiences, as well as seeking participants' thoughts on the CPD opportunities they'd like to see more of.

There was then an opportunity to explore various opportunities in more depth, in conversation with members of the ITL team, on aspects of CPD - such as LEAP, ITL Fellowships, awards, development programmes, leadership and management, coaching and mentoring - in order to help you to set goals and plan next steps as you develop your T&L career.

If you were unable to attend this session but would like to discuss T&L CPD opportunities with a member of the ITL team, you can contact us on teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk.

Tuesday 17th May, 2022 - 12:00 - 13:30 in Whitworth Committee Room A

As part of our Focus on Teaching week the Institute of Teaching and Learning team will be holding an informal drop-in session where you can come and speak to us about ideas, find out about opportunities in teaching and learning or just come along and say hi if you're around - we can provide tea, coffee and friendly T&L chat.

Over the lunch hour on Wednesday 15 September the ITL hosted an online open panel event, “Spotlight on Teaching-Focussed Careers.” Our target audience was anyone currently pursuing – or interested in pursuing – a teaching-focussed career at the University, from GTAs wondering if this might be for them, to current lecturers thinking about going for promotion or even making the switch from teaching and research.

We invited 3 colleagues at various stages of their career from across the three Faculties to share their experiences and advice, and then opened up the floor to questions.

• Dr. Alison Harvey outlined her motivations behind becoming a teaching-focussed lecturer in FSE and shared her top tips for anyone who might be considering embarking on a teaching-focussed career.
• Dr. Doron Cohen summarised his career path as a T&S Senior Lecturer in BMH, and gave advice for lecturers looking at career development, or for T&R colleagues maybe thinking about a switch.
• And finally Hannah Cobb outlined her career path to becoming a Professor in Humanities, and spoke about the importance of “finding your tribe”.

“That was absolutely fab!”
“Brilliant panel event and great speakers. I really enjoyed it”

A recording of the event is available on the University video portal. Please remember to login via the button on the top right.

The ITL blog – TEA: Teach, Explore, Apply – launched in April 2021 to provide a platform for the sharing of practice and experience around teaching and learning with University colleagues, students and the wider public. In addition to spotlighting the work of the Institute, TEA provides a space for our colleagues and student partners to share their experience, practice and perspectives on themes including inclusive teaching, blended learning, the Leadership in Education Awards Programme (LEAP), student support and much more.

If you'd like to share an element of your practice or tell us what you'd like to see more of please get in touch via teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk