Dear Alison and ILT list members,
I am the Faculty of Engineering Co-ordinator of Student Learning at
the University of Ulster and I have recently completed the Postgrad.
Cert. in Univ. Teaching (PGCUT) at UU. a number of my
engineering colleagues have also been working on this including
APEL facilitated routes for experienced colleagues and pathways for
new staff through the course. I am not yet an ILT member but will
apply soon. I am hoping that the process may be simpler if the UU
PgCUT is successful in gaining accreditation and would suggest that
there may be a fair number of interested academics who are stalling
for this sort of reason, rather than a lack of pedagogic vitality.
Our PGCUT provided a good forum for interdisciplinary exchanges,
including peer observations across traditional subject boundaries. It
also exposed me to literature which I would probably not have read
otherwise, largely due to pressures and 'tunnel-vision' pre-
occupation with my own subject area and related research activities.
I have been (and still am) associated with RAE exercises so I have a
foot firmly in both camps. There is, however, a current danger of
increasing rifts between reasearch and teaching and a need for
careful review of balances. I suspect that the ILT can play a major
role, together with the LTSN, in enabling folk on the learning &
teaching side to build status and credibility towards greater parity
with research and enhanced interaction and mutual support.
I would suggest that many colleagues would value shared thoughts
on the changes that are taking place such as programme
specification and the addressing of learning outcomes and related
assessment strategies. Some colleagues are worried about the
potential death of the 8 choose 5 (or similar) exam since it might risk
being too vague to test intended outcomes. I suspect that much of
what has happened historically is fairly sound but needs 'tweaked'
and better justified with greater explicitness.
In summary, I feel that the pendulum has swung heavily towards
research and the ILT can help to restore balance and most
importantly, raise the self esteem of the major L&T players (and
possibly tired researchers being put out to seed!!)
Food for thought as the discussion gets 'bootstrapped'
Alan Webb
Dr J A C Webb,
Senior Lecturer,
School of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering,
Coordinator of Student Learning,
Faculty of Engineering.
Tel. 028 90365131 Ext. 6696, Personal Direct: 028 90366696
Fax. Ext.6804 EMail: [log in to unmask]
Secretaries: 6276/6091
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