The VLE works just fine

But just because it does the job, doesn’t mean we can’t seek something better. Should discussions about next-gen digital learning environments be restricted by a “what we have now works” mentality? The conversation so far Jisc recently began a Co-design consultation which seeks the next big ideas on their six challenge areas. Details of the challenges […]

Why won’t the VLE die?

Ever since the inception of the VLE it feels like we have been asking ourselves this question. We await the next generation, the technology that will save us all from the tyranny of the VLE. VLE (or LMS for my American friends) systems are a divisive technology in education. Some people hate them, others love them, most tolerate […]

Our Digital Capabilities Journey

I am passionate about staff and students being supported to develop their digital capabilities. So I thought I’d write a follow-up to the presentation Marcus Elliott and I gave at ALT Conference 2016 ‘Creativity takes courage and digital capability‘. I’ll provide some extra detail that we couldn’t include and answer some of the questions that arose. Why did we […]

Losing my ALTc virginity

I have just returned from my first Association of Learning Technologists conference, so I thought I’d write a little blog about the experience. There was a lot of choice and I saw a lot of presentations so forgive some of the vague descriptions. As an aside, I loved ALTc. I genuinely enjoyed it. Although the […]

Lecture Capture: A divisive tool

Lecture capture has become a topic of great debate in Higher Education. Despite the controversy use is increasing. Students have been asking for it and it has appeared in the campaign promises of Student Union sabbatical officers. In this post I describe some of my thoughts on the subject. Of course students want it I find the concept […]

What is Institutional Digital Capability?

If you are reading this in search of a definitive answer, I am sorry, you will not find one here. This post is not based on months of arduous, thorough, rigorous research, it is based solely on my own experience and conversations I have had at a Jisc Digital Capability Service Modelling workshop. This post, and its content, […]

Stop moaning, start doing.

We spend a lot of time moaning about what our staff can’t do. We spend just as much time asking why they aren’t doing something about it. So what can we do? Well how about we stop moaning and start doing something? How about we start supporting our staff instead of bringing them down. I have […]

The Employability Misconception

There is a misconception amongst our students that a degree will guarantee a job. I realised this belief is probably a huge factor that contributes to the worrying behaviours I wrote about in my last post Students: I’m worried about you. There is a belief, or misguided hope at least, that a degree will guarantee a […]

Edit…| Day Two

Today was dedicated to honing pitches. How do you ensure your audience listens to your pitch? How do you influence your audience? How can you achieve buy in to your idea? Day two was kicked off by Hil Gibbs who shared her tips for a great pitch. Our teams spent the day honing and practising their pitches […]

Edit…| Day one

We have been running the inaugural Edit event today. Students and staff are working together to generate ideas and improve the student experience. Here’s a brief look at what we’ve been doing so far. We began by identifying problems that affect the student experience. We were lucky to be joined by Hil Gibbs who shared […]