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In this episode​, Rosa Spencer (Professional Development Manager at Newcastle University) and James Davoll (Creative Practitioner and Technical Manager at Newcastle University) talk about evidencing and gaining a ​category of HEA fellowship ​from ​Advance HE from a technician’s perspective.

There is a transcript available. 

This discussion begins with James’s experience as a technician and an educator, and how his journey led him to write a guide for all technicians to help them demonstrate and evidence their work as being aligned with the UKPSF.  You can read and download the guide here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/nu-technicians/

James and Rosa talk about some of the complexities for both the technician and the university in the role of a technician as an educator, and they reinforce Advance HE’s and the university’s belief in recognising the contribution Technicians make to teaching and supporting students through HEA Fellowships.

This podcast is part of a suite of podcasts developed from the meetings of the Academic Practice Board of Studies and for more information on the work and support of the Academic ​Practice Team please contact: apt.lts@newcastle.ac.uk or visit https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ltds/professional/

Links from the episode

HEA / AdvanceHE Technician Guide – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwnclacuk/research/files/HEATechnicianGuideUpdate.pdf

National Technician Centre –
https://nationaltechnicianscentre.ac.uk/

Technician commitment booklet –
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwnclacuk/research/files/Technician-Commitment-Booklet.pdf

Newcastle University support in achieving AdvanceHE recognition –
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ltds/professional/

There is a transcript available. 

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Hello and welcome to episode ten of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle podcasts

There is a transcript available.

As we celebrate black history month, we look at Decolonising the Curriculum and speak with key members of the university about this subject. In this episode, we try to go beyond the title and see how the process can be implemented here at Newcastle University.

In our first segment, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Education Tom Ward shares his thoughts on why this is such a crucial step for us personally, institutionally, and nationally.

Students have greatly contributed towards the push to decolonise the curriculum.  We spoke with NUSU’s new Education Office Livia Scott, who has made Decolonising the Curriculum (or DeCol for short) a priority for her role. Livia shares what the student union is doing to work with students and staff to implement change through the ‘Decolonising NCL’ campaign. 

We then explore what this change is like in practice. Dr. Paula Waterhouse from the School of Dentistry takes us through the wider context behind their decision to make a pledge, and the steps are taken to Decolonise a Curriculum like dentistry. Paula offers her advice for other schools looking to go through a similar process.

If you would like to get in touch or have an idea you would like to share. Please email ltds@ncl.ac.uk and use the title ‘Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast idea’.

Links for the episode

Decolonising NCL X BHM Panel Discussion NUSU Recording – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzymu46isMY

Newcastle Changemakers video – https://twitter.com/changemakersncl/status/1270772605176463366

School of Dental Sciences EDI Update video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1DJq2Z3eY&t

School of Dental Sciences Pledge to NUSU – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/mediav8/dental/files/Decol_pledge_SDS_NUSU.pdf

Transcript available here

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Hello and welcome to episode nine of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University podcast.

There is a transcript available.

This first section is dedicated to placements and internships in industry and also study abroad opportunities. Contributors to this episode include the NU Careers Service, International Office and Industry representatives, plus students who have just started or finished their placements/internships. All hosted by the SNES Academic Lead for Employability and Enterprise, Dr Lee Higham.

In this section Lee discusses the importance of placements, what students gain from placements, and how placements have a positive impact on the business and the University in general. In the second part Lee discusses why students should consider studying aboard, the benefits they will gain, and also why studying aboard is an amazing opportunity to travel and gain unique experiences.

Did you know, according to UUKi (2017) Gone International: Mobility Works , students who go abroad as part of their degree are:

• 9% more likely to gain a 1st or 2:1
• 24% less likely to be unemployed
• 9% more likely to be in graduate jobs six months after graduation
• 5% higher wage earners six months after graduation

compared with those who don’t.

In the final part of this episode, Graeme Redshaw-Boxwell from LTDS speaks to Magnus Svendsen Nerheim from the University of Bergen in Norway about how they implemented Inspera, our new digital assessment tool, and how they got the best out of this technology. We recently launched this new software for digital exams. By adopting a specialist digital exam system, we have access to more advanced digital assessment functionality. This will enable the expansion of our digital exam provision to support more modules and larger student cohorts in future.

If you would like to get in touch or have an idea you would like to share. Please email ltds@ncl.ac.uk and use the title ‘Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast idea’.

Links from the episode

University placement pages – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/study/your-future/work-placement/

Contacting the placement team – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/workexperience/placements/

Careers Service – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/

Looking for a placement – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/workexperience/placements/finding/

Studying aboard – https://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=6582058

Go Abroad Fair is on Wednesday from 1- 4 pm on 3rd November

Inspera pages at Newcastle University – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/learning-and-teaching/digital-technologies/inspera/

Inspera website – https://www.inspera.com/assessment

There is a transcript available.

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Hello and welcome to episode eight of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University podcast.

There is a transcript available.

In this episode, we have five interviews that cover three topics, exploring different aspects of learning and teaching here at Newcastle University.

The first topic sees Dr Lee Higham, Senior Lecturer and SNES Academic Lead for Employability and Enterprise talk to staff and students about placements. In the first of three interviews Lee speaks to Tom Meadows an Employer Liaison Manager and Placements Advisor from the University Careers Service about what a placement is, the importance of preparation and motivation in securing these opportunities and what the benefits are of going on placement. In the second and third interviews, Lee talks to Caitlin Storry, a placement student who has recently started hers and Goda Stasytyte, a returning placement student, about their experiences.

The second item is with Emily and Josh our current students. Those first few weeks at university are exciting, they can be a nervous time, hopefully enjoyable, but always a brand-new experience. Emily and Josh discuss those first few lectures, seminars, and labs. They also discuss making new friends and interacting with academics and teachers. Emily and Josh try to demystify some of those thoughts  about the step up to university.

In the final part of this episode, Dr Adam Potts returns to talk about how Newcastle University students learned through the pandemic. In this conversation Adam and his students discuss managing your time and learning communities through the pandemic. How can what we’ve learned shape and influence positive outcomes for the future?

If you would like to get in touch or have an idea you would like to share. Please email ltds@ncl.ac.uk and use the title ‘Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast idea’.

Links from the episode

University placement pages – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/study/your-future/work-placement/

Contacting the placement team – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/workexperience/placements/

Careers Service – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/

Applying for a placement – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/workexperience/placements/finding/

Student Homepage – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/

Student wellbeing – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/wellbeing/ Student’s Union – https://www.nusu.co.uk/

There is a transcript available.

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Hello and welcome to episode seven of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University podcast. 

There is a transcript available.

In this episode, we have one topic and two interviews that will explore welcoming new and existing students on campus here at Newcastle University. 

The first interview is with Livia Scott, the Student Union Education Officer. In our interview with Livia, we will look at her role and how her role is vital for our students. The education officer is elected by students and Livia works for the students. Our students are her primary concern. Livia will also go through her role in the first few weeks of the new academic year. We also find out how you can contact Livia should you need any support.   

The second interview is with Emily and Josh our current students. We speak about the nerves or lack of nerves in the lead up to that day where you pack up the car and make your way to Newcastle. They also give us their insights into freshers’ week, what they got up to in their freshers’ week and how to get the most out of this once in a degree experience. This is an equally exciting and nervous time for many students and we hope hearing from students will give you a feeling of what happens in those first few days. 

If you would like to get in touch or have an idea you would like to share. Please email ltds@ncl.ac.uk and use the title ‘Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast idea’. 

Links from the episode 

Livia Scott on Education Officer website  

Education Officer website at Newcastle Student Union  

Livia Scott on email – Education.Union@newcastle.ac.uk 

Education Officer Instagram  

Google Map to find Livia in person 

There is a transcript available.

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Hello and welcome to Episode 6 of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast.

There is a transcript available.

You may (or may not) already know that Newcastle University has two branch campuses; one  in Malaysia and one in Singapore. In this episode Sue Gill from the Learning and Teaching Development Service (LTDS) and Dr Paul Hubbard (Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at New Med and currently based at our Malaysian Campus in Johor) look at what academic life is like in a branch campus, what the learning and teaching issues to consider are, and how Covid changed the branch campus experience.

This discussion point, taken from the meeting of the Academic Progress Board in 2021, looks at the two main branch campuses in South East Asia. In this wide ranging conversation Paul takes various aspects of the branch campus life, including

• Location – what does it mean to be 10,837km away from Newcastle?
• Culture – how do these campuses compare to our Newcastle campus?
• Role – what does Paul do on and for the campus?
• Connections – what are the links from the branch campuses and the broader University?
• Experience – what does learning and teaching look like?
• Pandemic – how Covid changed the branch campus experience?
• Value – what is the importance of these campuses?

This is the second of a set of podcasts developed from the meetings of the Academic Progress Board of Studies and for more information on the work and support of the Academic Progress Team please contact: apt.lts@newcastle.ac.uk or visit https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ltds/professional/

There is a transcript available.

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Hello and welcome to episode five of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University podcast.

There is a transcript available.

In this episode, we have three topics that will explore different aspects of learning and teaching at Newcastle University.

The first section introduces Emily and Josh, two students here at Newcastle University, who will give great insight to what it is like to be a student in 2021. In this first conversation Emily and Josh talk about the excitement for achieving your A-Level results and confirming your place at Newcastle University. What did they do first and what do they recommend before coming to university? Emily and Josh will pop up in future episodes throughout the year.

The second section of this episode is a conversation with Dr Lindsey Ferrie. We caught up with Lindsey to discuss National Teaching Fellowships, why she applied, what it was like to be awarded her fellowship in 2019, and what the process for applying involves. The winners of the 2021 National Teaching Fellowship have just been announced, congratulations to Newcastle University’s very own, and friend of the podcast, Dr Paul Fleet who was awarded his National Teaching Fellowship this year.

In the final part of this episode, we introduce another regular podcast feature: Learning through the pandemic. Dr Adam Potts talks to Newcastle University students about what it was like to learn through the pandemic. What have we learned that we will continue to use, what have we learned that may not benefit students moving forward? This conversation concentrates on lectures and seminars. We will hear move from Adam throughout the next few months.

We hope you enjoyed this first magazine style episode. Longer form conversations will continue to pop up in future episodes as well.

If you would like to get in touch or have an idea you would like to share. Please email ltds@ncl.ac.uk and use the title ‘Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast idea’.

Links from the show.

National Teaching Fellowships

Dr Lindsey Ferrie – Advance HE Profile

Dr Lindsey Ferrie – Newcastle University Profile

Dr Paul Fleet – Advance HE Profile

Dr Paul Fleet – Newcastle University Profile

Dr Adam Potts – Newcastle University Profile

CATE and NTF awards for Newcastle University

Newcastle University Students’ Union Freshers Week

There is a transcript available.

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Hello and welcome to episode four of the Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University podcast.

There is a transcript available.

In this episode Suzanne Hardy from the Learning and Teaching Development Service here at Newcastle University speaks with Chair of the Association for Learning Technology, and DVC at Chester University Professor Helen O’Sullivan.

Helen recently delivered the keynote session at our Newcastle University Art of the Possible week. Helen’s session was called ‘Preparing students for their future, not our past: How the pandemic pushed us past the tipping point into education 4.0’ and was an insightful look at how education has changed since March 2020.

In this episode, Suzanne and Helen have a wonderful conversation over Zoom digging into and unpacking Helen’s session. They discussed how the Covid 19 pandemic really changed the landscape of education, and in some cases for the better.

If you are a member of staff or a student at Newcastle University, you will be able to view Helen’s keynote session.

If you would like to get in touch or have an idea you would like to share. Please email ltds@ncl.ac.uk and use the title ‘Learning & Teaching @ Newcastle University Podcast idea’.

Links from the episode

HEPI Survey for 2021

HEPI

World Economic Forum

Robin Derosa on twitter

There is a transcript available.

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In this episode Dr Paul Fleet (Chair of the Academic Progress Board of Studies at Newcastle University) and Michael Atkinson (Lecturer in Medical Education and Mindfulness Teacher at Newcastle University) talk about how we can best integrate mental health and wellbeing into our daily lives in ways that can enhance our working practices and beyond.

There is a transcript available.

This discussion point, taken from the meeting of the Academic Progress Board on 18th March 2021, recognises that mental health and wellbeing in academic practice is not only increasingly important as a topic of conversation in HE, but is fundamentally important to our pedagogic development as an academic community.  This podcast is for anyone involved in higher education (staff and students) and makes reference to research-driven ideas and practice to encourage a community of supportive wellbeing, including the power of a smile!

This is the first of a set of podcasts developed from the meetings of the Academic Progress Board of Studies and for more information on the work and support of the Academic Progress Team please contact: apt.lts@newcastle.ac.uk or visit https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ltds/professional/

References

There is a transcript available.

Houghton, A–M. & Anderson, J. (2017) Embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum: maximising success in higher education. York: Higher Education Academy

Bok, D. C. (2010) The politics of happiness:  what government can learn from the new research on well-being. Oxford: Princeton University Press

Byrom, N. (2018). Academic Perspective: Research gaps in student mental health [Online] What Works Wellbeing https://whatworkswellbeing.org/blog/academic– perspective–research–gaps–in–student–mental–health/

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2013). Creativity: The psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics

De Graaf, J. (2012) What’s the economy for, anyway?; why it’s time to stop chasing growth and start pursuing happiness. New York: Bloomsbury Press

Farmer, P. & Stevenson, D. (2017). Thriving at Work. London: gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving–at–work–a–review–of–mental–health–and–employers

Harding, S., Morris, R., Gunnell, D., Ford, T., Hollingworth, W., Tilling, K., Evans, R., Bell, S., Grey, J., Brockman, R., Campbell, R., Araya, R., Murphy, S. & Kidger, J. (2019), ‘Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing?’, Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 253, pp. 460–46

House of Commons Library (2019). Support for students with mental health issues in higher education in England. London: UK Commons Library, pp.1–16

Houghton, A. M. & Anderson, J. (2017) Embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum: maximising success in higher education. York: Higher Education Academy

Hughes, G., Panjwani, M., Tulcidas, P., Byrom, N. (2018). Student mental health: The role and responsibilities of academics. Oxford: Student Minds

Hughes, G. & Spanner, L. (2019) The University Mental Health Charter. Leeds: Student Minds

McAllister, M., Wynaden, D., Happell, B., Flynn, T., Walters, V., Duggan, R., Byrne, L., Heslop, L. & Gaskin, C. (2014). Staff experiences of providing support to students who are managing mental health challenges: A qualitative study from two Australian universities. Advances in Mental Health, 12(3) pp 192–201

Mind (2020) Mental health charity Mind finds that nearly a quarter of people have not been able to access mental health services in the last two weeks [online] https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/mental-health-charity-mind-finds-that-nearly-a-quarter-of-people-have-not-been-able-to-access-mental-health-services-in-the-last-two-weeks/

Morrish, L. (2019). Pressure Vessels: The epidemic of poor mental health among higher education staff. London: HEPI. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp–content/uploads/2019/05/HEPI–Pressure–Vessels–Occasional–Paper–20.pdf

Oswald A. J., Proto, E. & Sgroi, D. (2015) Happiness and productivity. Journal of Labor Economics, 33 (4). pp. 789–822.

Roozendaal B., McEwen B.S., Chattarji S. (2009) Stress, memory and the amygdala. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.10(6):423-33

Rothenberg, A. (2006). Creativity—the healthy muse. The Lancet, 368 Special Issue, S8–S9 DOI: https://doi. org/10.1016/S0140–6736(06)69905–4

Salimzadeh, R., Saroyan, A. & Hall, N.C. (2017) Examining the Factors Impacting Academics’ Psychological Well– Being: A Review of Research. International Education Research. 5(1), pp 13–44. DOI: 10.12735/ier.v5n1p13

Seldon, A. & Martin, A. (2017) The Positive and Mindful University. Higher Education Policy Institute

Staw, B. M., Sutton R. & Pelled L. H. (1994) ‘Employee Positive Emotion and Favorable Outcomes in the Workplace’, Organisational Science 5: pp 51–71

Thorley, C. (2017). Not By Degrees: improving student mental health in the UK;’s universities. London: IPPR https:// www.ippr.org/research/publications/not–by–degrees

The University Mental Health Charter (nd) Planning For a sustainable future: the importance of university mental health in uncertain times

Universities UK (2020) StepChange: Mentally Healthy Universities [online] https://www. universitiesuk.ac.uk/stepchange-mhu Worsley, J., Pennington, A. & Corcoran, R. (2020) What interventions improve college and university students’ mental health and wellbeing? A review of review–level evidence. London: What Works Centre for Wellbeing