Festival of Learning

Festival of Learning, 16-24 June 2022

This year we introduced a two-day sister Symposium. The Festival Symposium is aimed at postgraduate researchers, early career academics, associate lecturers and those who identify themselves as new to teaching in academia. The Symposium is designed to offer a space where early career voices can be heard without prejudice, in a non-judgemental environment, and provides an opportunity for attendees to develop their network, serving to further embed a sense of community.

Resources

Visit the Festival of Learning SharePoint site  (UWE login required) to view recordings of presentations and download materials from the Festival of Learning which was held between 16 and 24 June 2022. Materials are also available on Blackboard  where they can be downloaded in alternative formats, such as audio. Please note that you may need a staff login to view these.

You can view full details of the event on the Festival programme (DOC) which includes over 50 contributions from diverse colleagues.

Themes

Based on the idea of rediscovery and fresh starts following a period of difficult circumstances, we chose an overarching Festival theme of “The Joy of Learning and Teaching”. Festival sessions (16-21 June) addressed one or more of the following sub-themes:

• How do I know it’s working? (eg research-informed teaching, evidencing impact)
• Playfulness and creativity (gamification of learning, practices from outside teaching (eg theatre))
• Cultivating a community fit for learning (eg wellbeing, inclusivity, community, space, engagement, uncomfortable conversations and safe spaces).

Under the theme of “The Tentative Teacher”, Symposium sessions (23-24 June) addressed one or both of the following sub-themes:

• Comfort in the classroom – creating an atmosphere conducive to learning (eg wellbeing, inclusivity)
• Notes on Belonging: Welcome to Academia (eg imposter syndrome, transferrable skills).

Our first keynote was Dr Paul Campbell, Director of the Leicester Institute for Inclusivity in Higher Education, who discussed his work around awarding gaps, including decolonisation of the curriculum and of assessment – and how one might measure and evaluate the impact on the student experience. 

The online keynote was Head of the Research Excellence Training Team at the University of York, Dr Karen Clegg. Using the scholarship into doctoral education and data in the UK Research Supervision Survey, Karen considered the role of supervision and what it does for the culture of a department and organisation.

Kate Lister was the inaugural Symposium keynote, exploring the concepts of comfort and joy, how they relate to and affect wellbeing, and how they can be embedded in teaching and learning to the benefit of staff and students.

As well as around 50 contributions from diverse colleagues, providing great variety in the programme, we are offering a more sustainable and inclusive event. For example, we continue with the Participant Commitment introduced to uphold the safe and inclusive environment and encourage all members of staff to get involved, food waste will be minimised, documents will be accessibility-checked, and the use of personal pronouns supported.

We are committed to creating and maintaining a friendly, safe and inclusive environment, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, language, marriage/civil partnership status, national or social origin, physical appearance, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation.

Any ideas or queries

Please email Academic Practice at academicpractice@uwe.ac.uk.

Praise from the 2022 event

Colleagues felt the June 2022 Festival of Learning had an impact on their practice.

"I'm now planning how to do more research and feeling less intimidated by this"

"I would like to implement some of the new ways I have learnt to make teaching more fun"

"Gained confidence in some of the teaching approaches and methods that I am trialling"

"The attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) session confirmed my approach in teaching and I feel better equipped to request my teaching team to follow the advices given"

"There will definitely be ways in which I change my approach to teaching as a consequence. There have been quite a lot of stimulating ideas about assessment this time"

"Will follow up on new contacts and use new tools etc in the way that I teach"

"I will be more fearless and more authentic when teaching - instead of trying to fit a mould. I will also try and incorporate joy into my teaching, as well as my own work schedule"

Festival of Learning resources