EduFest 2023 followed the same successful mixed approach from last year of having one day in person and one day online, working well again for delegates this year. Day 1 was an opportunity to network in person and we had a good attendance from delegates. EduFest is about celebrating all the teaching and learning successes over the last year, as well as hearing from all the excellent current and developing practice across the University. As noted in the introductions, Bath has a lot to be proud of, not least due to its excellent NSS results and being voted University of the year 2023 by the Times and Sunday Times University guide. This set the tone for a really positive day.
Key highlights from day 1 (In person) Tuesday 16th May 2023
The day started with a celebratory introduction from Chris Bonfield and Paul Chin from CLT, with Paul trying out the use of AI generated avatars for his presentation. Next, there were short presentations from our Teaching Excellence Awards 2023, where award winners were invited to showcase their work. This was the first time award winners were invited to present like this at EduFest and they didn’t disappoint, with lots of great feedback from delegates afterwards. Perhaps a really positive message that came across from all of the presenters was that engaging with novel, or new innovations in teaching and learning is a journey and by being willing to experiment and work with students, you can provide a positive learning experience for students – as well as providing a great sense of achievement for staff too. More information on the winners can be found on a previous blog post.
During the morning delegates had the opportunity to discuss and debate around the topics of blended learning, assessment and feedback and postgraduate taught provision. This proved to be a lively debate and you can read some of the feedback from participants here. Throughout the day people were also able to view student posters from our Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) Scheme. People could vote for their best poster and there were three winning posters from the Creating Immersive Training in Virtual Reality project, Students for Sustainable Food, and TBB Bath Biodevices without borders. You can read more about the VIP Scheme and the student projects here.
The day concluded with an introduction to the benefits of engaging in scholarly practice and pedagogic research by Paul Chin, followed by a very informative workshop by Hazel Corradi, who provided an engaging introduction to the different approaches you can consider for undertaking educational research.
Key highlights from day 2 (online) Wednesday 17th May 2023
Day 2 of EduFest was online and was introduced by Julian Chaudhuri, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), Julia Kildyushova, Education Officer, Students’ Union, who both set the tone for another engaging and exciting day of presentations and discussion. The day was recorded, and recordings and presentations are available on the teaching hub.
After the introductions the day kicked off with a keynote address around inclusive teaching from four different keynote presenters. Pete Quinn, an independent education consultant talked about his work with a range of institutions in developing inclusive practices, followed by Kate Coulson and Kahvan Bryan from the University of Northampton. They discussed work they were engaging in to help people recognise and engage in their own journey of supporting students by developing a better understanding of the student perspective. Next, Paul Campbell from the University of Leicester showcased his work on developing the 'Racially Inclusive Curricula Toolkit' that is in use at Leicester. This keynote session prompted a lively discussion, having addressed a range of themes around inclusive teaching and each of the speakers highlighted other examples of work, literature and resources the audience can follow up on.
After a break, next up were the Talking Points session, where colleagues from across the University shared their work on a range of topics, including the use of ePortfolios by Cressida Lyon and The Physics of Inclusivity by Vicky Scowcroft. Following lunch there was an engaging debate session exploring the use of labels for student groups. This was hosted by a panel of colleagues & Students working in different units such as Jenny Boyle from the Access and Participation team, and Gan Shermer from the Department of Chemistry, Amber Snary, Disability Action Group for Students Chair.
Next on the programme we had a series of Lightning Talks where more colleagues had the opportunity to discuss some highlights of their work. Topics included ‘Technology for all: tips for inclusive teaching’ by Josh Lim, ‘Should we listen to the ungraders’ by Steve Cayzer and ‘Community and belonging in the lecture hall’ by Nyika Suttie. After such a packed programme, the conference aptly closed with a workshop on ‘Welldoing’ by Abby Osborne and Liz Beavan. This workshop focussed on the importance of not only being considerate of our own wellbeing but also provided helpful and simple tips and ideas for ‘doing’ our own wellbeing – that is, engaging in our own welldoing.
Reflections on EduFest 2023
EduFest is about celebrating our teaching and learning excellence, and providing a platform for colleagues to showcase all their exciting, innovative, and engaging teaching and learning practices. This year didn’t disappoint, with a wide variety of excellent practice showcased by colleagues from across the University. The overarching theme of this year’s conference, inclusive teaching also demonstrated how well we promote inclusive teaching in our everyday activities. The EduFest conference team will now take on board feedback from conference participants to help inform its planning for next year. So if you haven’t provided feedback already, please let us know your thoughts on how we can build on the success of this year’s conference for EduFest 2024!
Author: Dr Paul Chin, Head of Learning & Teaching. If you have any questions please do contact Paul or Steph Kamffer via the CLT
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