We would like to welcome Chris Haycock as the Lead for Curriculum Development within Academic Enhancement and Professional Development (AEPD). In this new role Chris will lead the support for academics in curriculum building,  assessment design and course development and review especially in relation to the Curriculum Transformation Project (CTP).

Chris qualified in Law, training as a Barrister before joining the West Midlands Police. In 2006 Chris joined the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Coventry University becoming an Associate Head of School for Enterprise and Innovation in the School of Psychology, Social and Behavioural Science. He is currently reading for a PhD with University of Birmingham. 

 “I have spent much of my time at Coventry University developing curricula and managing courses. Being part of AEPD at this time of growth and development is exciting, and I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues in our joint challenge of delivering excellence to our student groups.”                           

                       Chris Haycock  SFHEA

'Teaching is in so many ways a kind of performance - with a wonderful script of knowledge. I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity to share a traditional and innovative skill base of acting techniques that can be key to bringing that knowledge script alive in a way that is both memorable and inspiring!’ 

We would like to welcome Sonia Ritter to Academic Enhancement and Professional Development (AEPD). In her role as Senior Teaching Fellow, Sonia will contribute to the delivery of workshops and bespoke sessions to further support colleagues explore and liberate their teaching practice.  

Sonia is a freelance professional actor and theatre practitioner with extensive experience. She brings the expertise of her practice to her workshops, enabling participants to explore voice projection and breathing, body language, positive listening skills and the creative use of on-line and on-campus spaces for teaching. 

Sonia's first workshops, The Overture and Say It! Speak It! are available to register via the Course Booking System. 

We were delighted to have Dr Isobel Gowers, Lead : Active Inclusive Learning at Anglia Ruskin University, sharing her experience on peer-support for assessment and the challenges and opportunities for assigning students to groups.

Dr Gowers' talk inspired our community and led to fruitful discussions. We then had the opportunity to reflect on our teaching experiences around Active Learning for the past semester and share our plans and receive feedback for the upcoming semester. 

To join the Active Learning CoP and to be kept up to date with our upcoming events and guest speakers, sign up below. 

Coventry University London Campus colleagues came together on Wednesday 17 May to co-create a group project supervision model for the growing number of postgraduate students at the campus. Co-facilitated by Martin Jenkins, Christina Magkoufopoulou and Hany Wells, and informed by analysis of feedback from students and supervisors, colleagues were supported to explore the potential for this new approach to enable community building and peer learning experiences.

An initial group project supervision guide was collaboratively created by the end of the session. This will be reviewed and further developed throughout this semester with the aim of sharing practice with colleagues across the Coventry University Group ahead of September 2023.

Photo by Athena

"This model will enable us to have an automated attendance monitoring system with more accuracy, it will encourage cross departmental supervision which will enhance efficiency and it will provide opportunities for students to share best practices. This new group supervision model is not designed to replace our one-to-one support, but to complement it by providing a structured independent learning within a community which will stimulate progress and learning conversations more effectively amongst students and supervisors.”

Dr Hany Wells, Academic Dean, PFHEA

Coventry University London

Interested in Changing Practice, colleagues from the CU Group Dagenham and Greenwich campuses came together on Wednesday 17 May to share ideas across subject disciplinary boundaries and co-create new ways of working in response to the theme of student engagement.

Co-facilitated by Erika Hawkes, Emelie Helsen and Tamar MacLellan colleagues were introduced to models of student engagement which build confidence, consolidate knowledge, and develop academic performance.  

Practice exchange activities afforded time for colleagues to explore what engaged learning looks like in the CU Group block model, identify opportunities for changing practice and select new ways of working to enrich the student experience.

The session resulted in the co-creation of an academic peer resource which offers a series of starting points for colleagues interested in developing learning design and teaching practice through a lens of student engagement.

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