Hello readers! My name is Benjamin Hanson and I’m a researcher at the University of Leeds. I’m supported by the Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence to investigate the specific ways in which virtual reality (VR) can be used to aid teaching of abstract topics in physics. There are theoretical areas...
Diverging and Converging for Team-Based Learning Working on team-based activities can be challenging for many students. For example, some students feel uncomfortable or not sufficiently confident to actively and consistently engage during group discussions. While this can be detrimental to team-based activities, more importantly, it can impact individual student learning...
In 2021, we started a Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) fellowship that aims to help academics embed Global Citizenship (GC) in the curriculum. ‘Global Citizenship’ broadly refers to the use of subject-specific knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully and thoughtfully to solving global problems. This includes issues like climate...
Phase 1 of my LITE fellowship project involved recruiting students from across campus who self-identified as ‘under-represented’ to form a research team with me to co-create a staff/student reverse mentoring scheme to run in 22/23.[1] I had just over 50 applications which signalled to me that the project speaks to...
By Peter Matthews and Niamh Mullen. Peter and Niamh completed their LITE Fellowship The Academic Listening Project in 2021. It is difficult to observe the product of listening in others (Lynch, 2011). In comparison to reading, writing and speaking, we know little about the success of our students in...
Femi Owolade is a Research Assistant at LITE supporting a range of LITE Fellowships contributing to the University’s work in widening participation and student success. Femi reflects on the Student Education Conference through a decolonising lens. The opening address of the Student Education Conference (SEC) saw the Vice Chancellor Simone...
Natalja Nassonova is a Student Research Assistant for LITE. Her role is to support LITE fellows in carrying out their research and to provide the student voice of reasoning to discussions and ideas. This year we invited her to attend the University’s Annual Student Education Conference (SEC) and to offer...
Jenny Brady, Project Lead for Inclusive Learning and Teaching, Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence, reflects on the standout messages from this year’s Student Education Conference at the University of Leeds Belonging means being seen In many ways, this years’ Student Education Conference (SEC) felt like a much deeper dive into...
With the International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating, Caroline Campbell and Lorna Waddington, Project Leads for the Academic Integrity Strategies LITE Fellowship, review progress made over the last 12 months in combatting the threat of contract cheating, and offer guidance on how we can better inform our students of...
LITE Fellows Ruth Payne and Andrew Mearman consider further implications of their work for future practice at Leeds. This blog is also available here as an audio clip One possible implication of ELIXIR (Exploring links between induction, exit, and retention) is structural. A key impact of the project was to...