Institute of Teaching and Learning Open Workshop Programme
The list below is the definitive programme of events announced to date, available to all staff at the University of Manchester who are interested in teaching and learning practices and developing their own skills. This page will continue to be updated as we announce further workshops and other activities - so remember to bookmark or save the page and revisit regularly for all the latest details.
Announcements of additional workshops will also be advertised via the Teaching and Learning Online Network (TALON).
If you would like to suggest topics or themes for sessions which you would find useful, or if you would be interested in delivering or co-delivering a session as part of our Open Workshop Programme, please get in touch with the ITL team by email, at teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk.
February 2025 workshops
March 2025 workshops
Evaluating your Scholarship - Wednesday, 11 March, 16:00-17:00(online)
-
Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaology and Pedagogy and Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
-
Fran Hooley is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Health Education in the School of Health Sciences.
This year the University has introduced the category of Scholarship into promotions criteria for colleagues on a Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) contract, and the ITL is offering a series of workshops about how you might do scholarship in your context. But, whether you are applying for promotion, for teaching awards, or just need to explain to someone what you do, it is also helpful to be able to tell your own T&S story - or what some may refer to as a “golden thread” – that is, a clear (and usually succinct) way of articulating the big picture of what your scholarship does and what difference it makes. But this is a tricky task! And often even harder to do alone! So, in this session, we lead and support participants to begin to tell their story and draw out their golden thread. Beginning with a short consideration of what scholarship is, participants will then explore their teaching philosophy, draw out key contributions they have made to teaching and/or scholarship, and work with peers to begin to refine their story and draw out their golden thread.
How to reflect, Wednesday, 12th March, 13:00-14:00
Led by Holly Dewsnip, 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
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
Psychological Safety in Clinical Learning Environments - Wednesday, 19 March, 11:00-12:00(online)
- Fatima Malik
Psychological Safety is the belief that an environment is safe for risk-taking. This session will cover the general benefits of Psychological Safety,
drawing on evidence from clinical and medical education literature for its relevance of in clinical learning environments and tips on how to
cultivate it. The session will include discussion points and activities facilitating attendees to apply the concepts discussed into their own
practice and contexts.
Intended Learning Outcomes
- be able to define Psychological Safety (PS)
- be able to describe benefits of Psychological Safety
- be able to explain how Psychological Safety is relevant in clinical learning environments
- be able to apply approaches for cultivating Psychological Safety in clinical learning environments
Book to attend ' Psychological Safety in clinical Learning Environments'
Action on Reflection – Wednesday, 12th March 2025, 14:00-15:00
Led by Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, and Holly Dewsnip, Institute of Teaching and Learning
Need to reflect for your NAP portfolio or LEAP application, but struggling to get started? Want to see if reflection can help you build confidence and problem-solve? Know all about reflection, but finding it hard to carve out time to do it?
Come along to our monthly Friday sessions – all welcome!
During this session you will have the opportunity to:
-
Have a quick reminder on what reflection is and why we do it
-
Carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style
-
Share and discuss your ideas with other interested colleagues if you wish to do so
These sessions will take place via Zoom and are not recorded, and colleagues are welcome to join us as many times as they wish to.
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.
Sharing your Scholarship: The Broad View - Wednesday, 26 March, 13:00-14:00(online)
-
Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaology and Pedagogy and Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
This year the University has introduced the category of Scholarship into promotions criteria for colleagues on a Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) contract, and the ITL is offering a series of workshops about how you might do scholarship in your context. But, whether you are applying for promotion, for teaching awards, or just need to explain to someone what you do, it is also helpful to be able to tell your own T&S story - or what some may refer to as a “golden thread” – that is, a clear (and usually succinct) way of articulating the big picture of what your scholarship does and what difference it makes. But this is a tricky task! And often even harder to do alone! So, in this session, we lead and support participants to begin to tell their story and draw out their golden thread. Beginning with a short consideration of what scholarship is, participants will then explore their teaching philosophy, draw out key contributions they have made to teaching and/or scholarship, and work with peers to begin to refine their story and draw out their golden thread.
April 2025 workshops
Sharing your Scholarship: Writing Peer Reviewed Publications - Tuesday, 1 April, 15:00-16:00(online)
-
Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaology and Pedagogy and Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
This year the University has introduced the category of Scholarship into promotions criteria for colleagues on a Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) contract, and the ITL is offering a series of workshops about how you might do scholarship in your context. But, whether you are applying for promotion, for teaching awards, or just need to explain to someone what you do, it is also helpful to be able to tell your own T&S story - or what some may refer to as a “golden thread” – that is, a clear (and usually succinct) way of articulating the big picture of what your scholarship does and what difference it makes. But this is a tricky task! And often even harder to do alone! So, in this session, we lead and support participants to begin to tell their story and draw out their golden thread. Beginning with a short consideration of what scholarship is, participants will then explore their teaching philosophy, draw out key contributions they have made to teaching and/or scholarship, and work with peers to begin to refine their story and draw out their golden thread.
Inclusive Assessment - Thursday, 10 April, 13:00-14:30 In Person
-
Dr Jenny Silverthorne
This session introduces participants to a number of key resources to support inclusive assessment before providing practical experience in using the EAT framework (Evans, 2022). Participants will evaluate the EAT framework’s relevance and usefulness to their own practice through engaging with a self-assessment exercise. A staff network for participants interested in using the EAT framework will be initiated.
How to reflect, Thursday, 24 April 2025, 14:00-15:00
Led by Holly Dewsnip, 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
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
Action on Reflection – Tuesday, 29 April 2025, 15:00-16:00
Led by Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaeology and Pedagogy, and Holly Dewsnip, Institute of Teaching and Learning
Need to reflect for your NAP portfolio or LEAP application, but struggling to get started? Want to see if reflection can help you build confidence and problem-solve? Know all about reflection, but finding it hard to carve out time to do it?
Come along to our monthly Friday sessions – all welcome!
During this session you will have the opportunity to:
-
Have a quick reminder on what reflection is and why we do it
-
Carve out some protected quiet time to get on with reflection, ‘Shut Up and Write’ style
-
Share and discuss your ideas with other interested colleagues if you wish to do so
These sessions will take place via Zoom and are not recorded, and colleagues are welcome to join us as many times as they wish to.
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.
May 2025 workshops
Telling your Teaching and Scholarship Story - SOTL Workshop Series- Tuesday, 6 May, 15:00-17:00(online)
-
Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaology and Pedagogy and Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
This year the University has introduced the category of Scholarship into promotions criteria for colleagues on a Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) contract, and the ITL is offering a series of workshops about how you might do scholarship in your context. But, whether you are applying for promotion, for teaching awards, or just need to explain to someone what you do, it is also helpful to be able to tell your own T&S story - or what some may refer to as a “golden thread” – that is, a clear (and usually succinct) way of articulating the big picture of what your scholarship does and what difference it makes. But this is a tricky task! And often even harder to do alone! So, in this session, we lead and support participants to begin to tell their story and draw out their golden thread. Beginning with a short consideration of what scholarship is, participants will then explore their teaching philosophy, draw out key contributions they have made to teaching and/or scholarship, and work with peers to begin to refine their story and draw out their golden thread.
This workshop is open to anyone who wants to refine how they talk about their teaching, their scholarship, or both. It is open to anyone who teaches, not just those on T&S contracts, and will be valuable whatever stage in your career and your teaching and/or scholarship journey you are. It will take place face to face and colleagues should come prepared to talk about what they do and to listen to one another. By the end of the workshop participants will have an understanding of how scholarship is defined at the University of Manchester, they will have built a clear articulation of their teaching philosophy, have identified some key contributions they make in teaching and scholarship and have a draft golden thread or summary of their T&S story.
Book to attend 'Telling your Teaching and Scholarship Story'
Speed SOTL: Scholarship Peer Support - SOTL Workshop Series- Tuesday, 13 May, 13:00-14:00(online)
-
Professor Hannah Cobb, Professor of Archaology and Pedagogy and Associate Director for eLearning and Teaching Innovation, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
This year the University has introduced the category of Scholarship into promotions criteria for colleagues on a Teaching and Scholarship (T&S) contract, and the ITL is offering a series of workshops about how you might do scholarship in your context. But, whether you are applying for promotion, for teaching awards, or just need to explain to someone what you do, it is also helpful to be able to tell your own T&S story - or what some may refer to as a “golden thread” – that is, a clear (and usually succinct) way of articulating the big picture of what your scholarship does and what difference it makes. But this is a tricky task! And often even harder to do alone! So, in this session, we lead and support participants to begin to tell their story and draw out their golden thread. Beginning with a short consideration of what scholarship is, participants will then explore their teaching philosophy, draw out key contributions they have made to teaching and/or scholarship, and work with peers to begin to refine their story and draw out their golden thread.
Whether you are new to scholarship or have been doing it for some time, being able to articulate your scholarship to others is an important skill, but one that can take practice and time to refine. Speed SoTL sessions offer the opportunity to hone this skill.
Participants will be paired with another person in the room and given a short time for each in the pair to discuss their scholarship. After a given time participants will rotate, finding new partners and starting again. Repeating this process a few times should have the benefit of not only helping you to refine your own scholarship narrative, but also to learn about the work of others. Whether you are just beginning scholarship or have been doing it for some time, this session should be helpful to all. Participants should come ready to discuss and talk about their work in this highly interactive session.