Writtle University College and ARU have merged. Writtle’s full range of college, degree, postgraduate and short courses will still be delivered on the Writtle campus. See our guide to finding Writtle information on this site.

Masterclasses 2021

Masterclass one: The Active Learning Podblast - an approach to promoting multimedia co-creation

Session overview

Are you podcast curious, just starting out in podcasting, or a veteran in the world of online audio? Would you like to work with like-minded colleagues to create a podcast, from start to finish, in just three hours? Are you interested in exploring a new approach to empowering students and staff as co-creators? If you answered yes to any of these, then this event is for you.

Join us as we embark on the first ever Active Learning Network Podblast.

In this hands-on masterclass, participants will become a podcast production team. During the event, you will be given the tools and step-by-step guidance to plan, record, edit and publish a podcast series. We will begin by working together to plan the content for the podcast, establishing a central theme and ideas for episodes. After the initial briefing, you will work in small groups to record and edit a podcast episode. Finally, we will publish the episodes together in a central online location and you will have a finished podcast which you can show to colleagues, friends and family. That’s right: a whole podcast series created in three hours.

Presenter bio

Tab Betts is a Lecturer in Higher Education Pedagogy at the University of Sussex and a Learning Technology Management and International Education Consultant. He is also Co-Founder and Institutional Co-Lead for the Active Learning Network, an international community of practice for active learning with satellite groups around the world and engagement from over 100 countries. He has been promoting active learning in Higher Education for over fifteen years and has won a number of awards for his innovation in teaching, including the University of Sussex Award for Outstanding or Innovative Undergraduate Teaching (three times) and the University of Brighton Award for Most Innovative Teaching. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, has been Head of Department at a Chinese university and has delivered training and consultancy to clients in the UK, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Spain and Nigeria. 

Masterclass two: Reinventing the online space

Session overview

Looking to the future, together we will deconstruct definitions of online learning to reinvent the space based on what we now know its value to be. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Higher Education saw the transition of all learning and teaching from a predominately geocentric space to entirely online (noting that some courses are by distance learning). As a sector, we have been inspired by new pedagogical practices, the resilience of staff and students and how learning, which could have been perceived through the lens of a deficit model, has enriched practice to support the achievement of excellence.

As we begin to plan for the next academic year, we need to reflect on our experiences and explore how our courses may be delivered in the future. There will be a continued need for online learning, which raises the question of what will this look like? Pedagogically, we need to explore new models of active online learning, championed by technology and founded on sound educational principles.

The crucible has been forged. Innovation has inspired. Planning proceeds.

This workshop aims to challenge what we mean by online learning to construct an approach for active online learning in the future.

By the end of the workshop, successful participants will be able to:

  1. Deconstruct the definition of online learning to form a new shared understanding;
  2. Reflect on a learning activity designed to challenge the traditional online learning modality;
  3. Construct a proposition for the future of online learning within a named context;
  4. Plan how to integrate a new shared understanding of online learning into module delivery.

Dr Mark J. P. Kerrigan will facilitate this interactive workshop, and it is suitable for all those engaged in teaching or supporting learning. Delegates will require access to a computer, mobile internet, pen/paper and agile smart technology

Presenter bio

Dr Mark J. P. Kerrigan is Dean of Learning & Teaching - Plymouth College of Art, Honorary Visiting Fellow, Centre for Innovation in Higher Education, Higher Education Academy (HEA) National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow HEA.Mark's role is to drive towards pedagogical innovation and provide strong and effective cross-college leadership that will enhance learning and teaching across FE/HE provision. Mark has professional interests in curriculum design and delivery, assessment, digital literacy and mobile/technology-enriched learning. He holds a PhD from Edinburgh University, is a published researcher and an experienced PhD supervisor.

Masterclass three: Digital storytelling

Session overview

Storytelling can be a powerful tool to enhance teaching, learning and assessment, or to increase public engagement in outreach or research. You could be working with students or other communities to capture authentic voices. People generally respond positively to stories and the greater nuance they give to content through the use of visuals, voice and music.

The workshop will get you started with digital storytelling as an alternative way of enhancing student learning and communicating with stakeholders. It outlines the pedagogical potential of digital storytelling, offers practical guidelines for storyboarding and production, and give you the opportunity to create your own stories.

The workshop will enable you to:

  1. Develop your understanding of the use of narrative and storytelling in education and outreach activities;
  2. Write memorable stories that engage your audience
  3. Use digital tools to create and share stories;
  4. Gain confidence in the use of relevant technologies.

In preparation for the workshop, you will need to:

  • download Audacity, a free open-source audio recording and editing app, available from: audacityteam.org
  • create a free account for Adobe Spark at adobe.com/express. You do not need to have an Adobe account: sign up with your university or personal email, Google email or Facebook account. The free version of Spark has some constraints but it is enough to explore the potential of digital storytelling.

Presenter bio

Helping people make the most of technology has a been a constant in Anne-Florence Dujardin’s career, outside and then within academia. As senior lecturer in Communication Studies, she supported professionals enrolled in an online Master’s programme in Professional Communication. As Academic Developer at UEA since 2014, she supports new lecturers and more experienced colleagues seeking to develop their digital practice, for example by using digital storytelling, podcasting, and creative learning techniques. Her current research interests are in futures research and digital literacies.

Book one of the masterclasses listed above on the Eventbrite page.