DR SARA MARSHAM, DRVANESSA ARMSTRONG & DR JC PENET

ULTSEC INNOVATION FUND PROJECT 2014

The NUTS and Bolts of L&T: A staff-student

partnership at Newcastle University

BACKGROUND TO NUTS

Newcastle University Teaching and Scholarship Forum

Opportunity for all colleagues interested in teaching and scholarship to meet

Share good practice across disciplines

Enhance communication and collaboration

Create a supportive community for T&S colleagues

Hold regular, informal meetings to discuss work related to teaching and scholarship

activities

Colleagues to engage with Faculty Representatives

AIMS OF OUR INNOVATION FUND PROJECT

Priority themes:

Strengthening the relationship between research and teaching

Diversifying our portfolio of programmes – CPD offer

Engage students as partners in informing SoTL

Allow NUTS forum to support colleagues in SoTL

Establish collaborations across disciplines and Faculties

WHY WAS IT INNOVATIVE?

Strengthened the relationship between research in L&T, and teaching

Asked students directly which issues in L&T staff should focus their pedagogical research on

By doing so, students will be partners in establishing a programme of workshops/research

projects

As delivered through the NUTS Forum, the project was cross-Faculty and multidisciplinary

All three Faculties represented in project team and are involved in very different subject areas

NUTS Forum will develop from being principally staff-led to integrating students as partners

in research in L&T by making their voices heard

Positive impact on the student experience - proactive approach should also help all Schools

concerned improve their NSS results

WHAT DID WE DO?

Organised and hosted a workshop to discuss how students could get involved with

teaching practices

Worked with SU: Representation and Democracy Coordinator, and Education Officer

Structure of workshop

Dr Helen Walkington from Oxford Brookes: keynote on Students as Partners in SoTL

Short activity to ask participants what they considered to be ‘excellence in teaching’

WHAT NEXT?

Research projects

THANK YOU

Any Questions?