Innovative teaching is the adoption of creative, novel and new approaches to the process of facilitating learning – both in the classroom and online. Innovation in teaching can help to encourage students to try something different, to take an active role in their learning and to engage them with the subject matter in order to promote deeper understanding, critical thinking, problem solving and retention of information. Innovative teaching methods often include the use of technology, experimental learning and new or sometimes untested teaching practices; equally, it can encompass traditional approaches, but applied in new contexts which are novel to your own practices.
The call for contributions to our February online EduFest conference did not disappoint, with colleagues from across the University sharing excellent examples of their work. The day started with Chris Bonfield and Marie Salter nicely setting the scene for the day, introducing Mark Egan and Yvonne Moore from the Centre for Learning and Teaching. Mark and Yvonne briefly introduced the new CLT Hub, which is a great starting point for all things teaching and learning, such as learning technology and professional development resources. The new CLT Hub replaces the previous Hub with a new look and more features, so well worth checking out.
Next up was the first set of parallel sessions covering a range of topics, from Embedding sustainability to using Moodle effectively in your teaching. Both parallel sessions provided a mix of presentations and shorter lightning talks. This generated great discussions and ideas for future work and developments, both for participants and presenters. Following on from this session was a really informative update by Marion Harney on Curriculum Transformation. Marion was able to report on great progress with CT, with departments now moving from development to implementation.
Next up was the second set of parallel sessions and just like the first cohort of speakers, these talks showcased some great examples of innovative work followed by much thought provoking conversations. This included a Y1 ‘Grand Challenge’ as part of CT development and Team Based Learning (TBL). After lunch we were treated to reflections of AI over the last year and the current work of the AI working group – and no, this article was not written by AI…
After a really engaging day of presentations, showing the real wealth of innovatory practice at Bath, Paul Chin from the CLT gave a short summary of key points and reflections from the day. Paul noted that we were pleased to host partners from Stellenbosch University and City University of Hong Kong, making the day truly international.
Finally, the enthusiasm and commitment from all of the speakers demonstrated that we all have the capability to innovate in our teaching and we look forward to seeing more colleagues showcasing their practice in our next EduFest day, which will take place in person on Tuesday 14th May 2024. Sign up now.
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