The first 6 months and the new academic year.

The start of the new academic year is upon us again. This is the start of my first full cycle at Leeds Beckett University and the campuses already feel busier than at any point before. It also marks my 6 month anniversary in the job. My first 6 months have been a whirlwind of meeting people, finding places and trying not to break the technology but I am really enjoying it. Over the next 6 months I will lead my first development session, you can read about that below, begin to shape a new CLT resource site and work with colleagues from within CLT and across the institution on a wide range of events. 

We have spent the summer planning and preparing the new staff development programme for 2015/16. You can find and book all the sessions through iTrent , if you can't find it on iTrent or want more information about a session just contact clt@leedsbeckett.ac.uk. You can also see our sessions in date order on our events page.

There a number of new sessions this year including a group of sessions I will be running called the 'Digital Lunches'.  As the title says there will be lunch and we will be talking about technology and the use of digital skills. These sessions are going to be hands on and interactive, we will share ideas, concerns and work together.  I am also creating a MyBeckett module for the sessions so even if you can't attend you can interact and learn about the topics.

The topics I will be covering over the 8 sessions are :

Fri 16th October	Digital Lunch Club	#1. Making MyBeckett Modules Mobile Friendly	Students and staff can access MyBeckett through the Blackboard Mobile app. This practical workshop will let you check your own modules and then try out ideas to make it more mobile friendly	12.00 - 1.30	Headingley	JG123
Friday, 23 October 2015	Digital Lunch Club	#2. Online Feedback - the Options	A look at the video, audio and text options to deliver online feedback. Includes setting the submission method to make it easier to return the type of feedback you want.	12.00 - 1.30	City	PD401
Friday, 13 November 2015	Digital Lunch Club	#3. Online Communities of Practice	We can all share ideas and experiences through a range of formal and informal online groups and networks.How can they support our teaching and learning development?	12.00 - 1.30	City	PD401
Friday, 20 November 2015	Digital Lunch Club	#4. Social Media for Learning and Teaching	How social media can enhance the classroom experience and expand students global understanding of their subjects. Includes examples from Twitter, Facebook & Periscope.	12.00 - 1.30	Headingley	Leighton G14
Friday, 18 December 2015	Digital Lunch Club	#5. The Appy Hour - Show & Tell	Share with others your favourite apps from 2015 and find some new ones to try next year.	12.00 - 1.30	City	PD401
Friday, 15 January 2016	Digital Lunch Club	#6. Bring Your Own Device - and Switch It On	Many students now carry a mobile device with them to university. How might it be used to create more interactive resources and encourage students to provide peer feedback?	12.00 - 1.30	Headingley	LEG14
Friday, 11 March 2016	Digital Lunch Club	#7. Online Collaboration	Looking at the tools available to facilitate, support and encourage collaborative work online.	12.00 - 1.30	City	PD401
Friday, 18 March 2016	Digital Lunch Club	#8. OERs and MOOCs	OER’s (Open Educational Resources) and MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses). How can you use these resources to enhance your own teaching and development?	12.00 - 1.30	Headingley	LEG14

This year we have also created a double sided A3 calendar for staff, one side has the staff development programme on, the other a staff processes calendar. The calendar is available in hard copy so drop clt@leedsbeckett.ac.uk an email if you would like one sending out. The staff processes calendar for the next 3 months can also be seen on the landing page of the DEAP module in MyBeckett. 

If you have any suggestions for sessions or would like something tailoring to your specific course team or school please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Becky

3D Printing - September's 8th of the Month

It's a clever name is <<3D Printing>>. It draws you in, tempting you to believe that this next big thing is readily available at your local PC World.

And we may not be too far from that.

Raf Chaudhry, principal learning officer for AET faculty, lives at the bleeding edge of this, and other, manufacturing technologies.


Raf led this September's 8th of the Month session on 3D Printing.
This gave an interested but essentially inexperienced cross section of staff their first practical experience of 3D printing.
And a clearer understanding of what is, and what is not, currently practical.

Slides and other related resources are available here


Three key takeaways were:

• An insight into the process
• An overview of the range of possible products
• Our own rapidly produced 'printouts' 

The process

This infographic  (from www.onlindegrees.org ) clearly summarises the process...and also outlines potential uses of 3d printing in education.



Raf was equally clear about:

• the drawbacks of scanning, 
• skills actually necessary to produce or adapt the input .stl file
• the ongoing maintenance required for the printers.

The products
We got an insight into some astonishing current products largely from industries (F1, health, construction, fashion) with significant resources to invest.
Equally impressive however were the products of technical enthusiasts, many available for download from sharing websites such as Youmagine.

Our printouts

A bit random - and needing guidance in both the design and production - but an example here of a small object, printed in about 10 mins.





In connection with this topic, David Smith from Sheffield Hallam University will talk about his use of 3D printed objects in his 'Engaging Lectures' talk on Wed 16 Dec.

Details / for all sessions are available from CLT's Events and Resources.