AEPD November updates

Welcome to the November edition of the AEPD Newsletter

Hopefully you have had an enjoyable semester so far and are managing to engage with activities from AEPD that can support you and can impact on the success of your students.

In AEPD we understand the pressures on staff time, with many changes to how and what we deliver, through the curriculum transformation programmes.  However, we aim to offer support in a number of alternative ways through online/face to face workshops and support information on our website. 

To help you navigate the months ahead, we highlight in this newsletter a wide range of information and academic development opportunities/resources, specifically designed to meet the diverse needs of all staff within Coventry University Group. This information aims to build on your existing expertise, offering practical tools, fresh perspectives, and innovative strategies to enhance both your professional practice and your students' learning experiences.

For those eagle-eyed readers you may have spotted that the picture of "Coventry University in November" above is AI created (through CoPilot) with some of the good, bad and even ugly aspects of AI generated content that we will be highlighting in this edition.

There are many column inches being given in the national and educational press relating to the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) by students to "cheat" in their assessments, devaluing the integrity of the degrees they receive.  As we can see from the image generated by CoPilot (the University Group supported AI tool) at the start of this newsletter GenAI can do a reasonable job, from a simple prompt, to create an image of what it is asked (Coventry University in November, please!).  However, on closer examination, you can see the generic nature presented of what a university building could be (not Coventry), issues with the lettering on the Coventry University signage (common rendering issues) and the occasional “ghost tree” that appears to have no trunk (hallucinating – seems plausible but not situated in reality).  Similar issues occur in written work produced by GenAI and can also include inherent bias/lack of currency (based on the information they are trained on) and a lack of coherent critical argument (although this is rapidly developing). Our position is clear that it is our responsibility, as a University Group, that we recognise the potential of AI tools in our teaching, learning and in the workplaces that our students will be entering.  It is therefore important that we support their use in a considered and transparent way that recognises the associated risks.  So what can and should we be doing as academic staff? 

Firstly, develop your skills and understanding of GenAI and how it relates to your discipline. 

Secondly, embrace the potential of AI, whilst recognising it’s limitations.

Thirdly, work with students to help develop a joint understanding of what GenAI tools can/should be used, why and how. 

For more information on the use of GenAI, assessment setting and general guidance visit the knowledge base.

AdvanceHE Member Benefits 2024-25: A Wealth of Opportunities for Coventry University Group Staff

We are delighted to share with you the exciting opportunities available through Advance HE’s Member Benefits for 2024-25. These resources are designed to support CUG staff and across higher education as we navigate the evolving landscape of our sector.

Key Themes for 2024-25:

• Governing and Leading Transformation
  Advance HE is offering valuable leadership programmes, such as the Change Academy, to help leaders at all levels drive innovation and transformation within their institutions.
   
• Securing Student Outcomes
  Join insightful webinars like the Essential Frameworks for Enhancing Student Success, taking place on 23rd October. These sessions will provide practical guidance on enhancing student retention, attainment, and progression.
   
• Designing Education for the Future
  Engage with Advance HE’s initiative to foster collaboration with Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) to shape the future of education, with an opportunity to contribute your own case studies.
   
• Protecting Inclusion in Times of Change
  Explore strategies for maintaining inclusivity and supporting diverse student and staff communities, even in challenging times.

Upcoming Member Activities

This autumn, Advance HE is hosting a range of free activities for members, including webinars, case studies, and blogs that showcase data-driven approaches to improving student outcomes and institutional transformation.

We encourage all CUG staff to engage with these valuable resources and events, leveraging them to enhance our collective impact across the sector.

STAR - Space for Teaching Advancement and Research

Just a reminder....but if you are interested in continuing conversations around teaching and learning after completion of the Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Professional Practice (PGCAPP), you may like to join STAR.

Facilitated via a dedicated MS Teams space, this five-strand framework has been co-created with Coventry University Group PGCAPP alumni to offer a programme of continuing professional development beyond the point of Fellow.  Value is afforded to getting together, both informally and in more formal settings, sharing and exchanging practice, continue to learn, and supporting others. Each strand of the framework offers opportunities to advance practice and PGCAPP alumni are warmly invited to join, participate, contribute and lead activities to continue to evolve an inclusive and authentic programme. The five strands are:

1. CONNECT: Informal get togethers offering time to catch up, check in, swap ideas, and eat cake!
    
2. CO-CREATE: An invitation to share and exchange practice around a given theme leading to a collective output.
    
3. PUBLISH: Callouts and guidance to support writing up practice for publication and conference presentation
    
4. LEARN: Guest speakers, information, and resources to advance practice and explore what’s new in HE.
    
5. LEAD: Opportunities to mentor, guide, and share experiences with new and early career academics

2024-2025 programme: Activities are scheduled to take place twice a semester (around week 3-4 and week 8-9) on-line and on-campus. Details and joining instructions will be shared with all STAR colleagues.
 

Participate in our research and help us bridge the gap between what staff want and what students do when it comes to assessment.

Our research project “Enhancing assessment literacy: Balancing staff’s expectation with students time and effort” aims to produce a framework for effort-focused assessment design and an assessment literacy toolkit for staff and students to improve and expand on the existing time-on-task tool designed by Coventry University.

We are looking for both staff and students who will be willing to spend 30minutes to complete a survey that will help us to:

1. Explore your understanding of assessment literacy
2. Explore your understanding of time and effort around assessment
3. Explore your Initial views to the assessment literacy tool developed by Coventry
4. Identify candidates for the focus group participants (£10 vouchers will provided for those that will join the focus group sessions at a later date)

The project is led by Coventry University in partnership with Aston University, University of the West of Scotland, and University of West London, that is funded by the Collaborative Enhancement Project initiative by QAA. You can find out more about the project here.

For any queries, please contact the project lead Dr Christina Magkoufopoulou (ad8497@coventry.ac.uk) or the project co-lead Dr Misrah Mohammed (ae2996@coventry.ac.uk) 

You can also scan the QR code below, to complete the survey

Video and audio recordings, both of live teaching sessions and supporting guidance, provide valuable resources to our students, particularly recognising the diversity of our student population.

The University has now developed a Learning Capture Framework.  Learning Capture has been intentionally used as a term to provide a broader context that encompasses the recording of learning events (i.e. lecture capture and the recording of face to face and synchronous online teaching) but also where recordings are used in assessments and undertaken by students.  The framework document is set out in three parts:

• Expectations for learning capture Setting out the minimum expectations and recommendations for practice across the University Group.
   
• Lecture capture practices Providing an overview of actual and potential applications and provides a pedagogic focus to the framework.
   
• Learning Capture tools Providing an overview of tools available across the University Group to deliver the functionality.

All staff are expected to engage in learning capture to support our students in achieving success.

Our colleague in AEPD, Dr Misrah Mohamed, has this month had confirmation that research she has been involved in has been published in the Q1 Journal Teaching and Teacher Education. The paper "We are clueless: The voices of Jordanian teachers untrained in conflict-sensitive pedagogy" sheds light on the experiences of Jordanian teachers navigating the complexities of teaching amidst the Israel-Palestine conflicts. The study reveals the challenges, practices, and perspectives of teachers in conflict-affected classrooms. The teachers report a significant lack of formal training and express a sense of disillusionment with educational authorities.

For us in higher education, the paper offers valuable lessons. While our contexts may differ, conflict-sensitive teaching approaches can be highly relevant across various disciplines. You might consider ways to:

• Encourage critical media literacy by discussing how conflicts are represented in the media, fostering students’ ability to analyse information from diverse perspectives.
• Promote open dialogue and respectful debate to help students engage thoughtfully on sensitive topics, especially when discussing global issues with historical or political dimensions.
• Integrate empathy and cross-cultural understanding into course content, which can help students navigate complex social dynamics and foster a more inclusive classroom environment.

Are there elements of conflict-sensitive pedagogy you’re already using, or areas where you feel additional strategies could be beneficial? Feel free to reach out and share your insights and experiences with Misrah.  email - ae2996@coventry.ac.uk