Next Tuesday's Education Day 2010 brings staff together to explore ways of enhancing the educational experience at Imperial <em> News</em>
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Friday 16 April 2010
By John-Paul Jones
Nearly 300 people involved in education and student support at Imperial will take time out to explore the most innovative and effective approaches to teaching next week for the College’s second Education Day.
The day gives staff across the College the chance to come together for a series of sessions, workshops and exhibitions on what the College is currently doing to ensure it provides a world class education, as well as future opportunities for further enhancing students’ educational experience.
The day is divided into two main themes. For the first, participation, speakers will tackle subjects including how students can make the jump from school curricula to learning at university level and engaging industrial partners to provide hands on experience for students during their studies. Other sessions include experiences of giving undergraduates the opportunity to be teaching assistants and introducing ethics teaching in Engineering.
The second strand highlights the possibilities and benefits of e-learning technology, with a daylong exhibition of the range of technologies available, from online lecture programmes to using flip video devices as well as Virtual Learning Environments such as Second Life.
One of the organisers, Dr Annette Mahon from the Educational Development Unit, said: “We wanted this year’s Education Day to focus on education at its broadest. Rather than thinking just in terms of good teaching from the front of a lecture theatre we wanted to take a wider view and bring people from around College who are doing exciting things on the ground to share their ideas.”
Elaine Walsh, Senior Lecturer in Transferable Skills, will be one of the session leaders on the day, with a session looking at factors affecting the wellbeing of PhD students. She said: “Moving from a taught course into the open-ended and more unpredictable world of research can be a challenging period for students. Their wellbeing, how supported they are and how able to share their concerns at an early stage is important in ensuring PhD students can realise their potential. I hope people will come away from Education Day with ideas of how they can support students to be as effective as they possibly can be".
Participants will also hear from invited guest speakers. A session on the future of quality assurance has, as guest speaker, Anthony McClaran, Chief Executive of the Quality Assurance Agency while Professor Diana Laurillard from the Institute of Education will take part in a session on academic engagement with digital innovation.
Welcoming the day Imperial College Union's Deputy President (Education) Jonathan Silver said: "From the Union’s point of view, it’s really important for a research centric university to take a day to think about education and educational strategy and to share ideas in such an open forum.”
Dr Mahon added: “We’ll have considered the day a success if the atmosphere in the building has a buzz, as people get stuck into asking questions, chatting through some of the initiatives on show and trying out the technology at the exhibits. In the long term though, success lies in what ideas from the day are taken forward, what collaborations are struck up and how people apply some of the things they have experienced.”
Tuesday's event will be held in the Sir Alexander Fleming Building, with registration and coffee from 9.30, followed by a welcome from Professor Julia Buckingham, Pro Rector (Education), at 10.00. It follows on from the inaugural Education Day in 2008, pioneered by Professor Buckingham to promote excellence in learning and teaching and to provide a forum for the cross-fertilisation of education ideas.
Registration details and a full programme for the day can be found here: //www3.imperial.ac.uk/edudev/edday2010. Due to the limited spaces registration in advance is required.
The day will end with the Rector presenting the Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Pastoral Care and Research Supervision. The 2009 winners are:
Awards for Excellence in Teaching
Dr Peter Clark (NHLI)
Professor Paul Dauncey (Physics)
Dr Kirsten Fobelets (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
Dr Matthew Genge (Earth Science and Engineering)
Dr Steve Gentleman (Neuroscience and Mental Health)
Mr Martin Holloway (Bioengineering)
Dr Peter Karayiannis (Medicine)
Dr Catherine O’Sullivan (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Dr Silvestre Pinho (Aeronautics)
Dr Nicola Rogers (Medicine)
Professor Shiranee Sriskandan (Investigative Science)
Professor Richard Thompson (Physics)
Dr Gareth Tudor Williams (Medicine)
Dr Paul Wilde (Chemistry)
Professor Denis Wright (Biology)
Teaching Fellows
Dr Matthew Genge (Teaching Fellow for Innovation)
Dr Silvestre Pinho (Aeronautics)
Professor Richard Thompson (Physics)
Professor Denis Wright (Biology)
Awards for Excellence in Pastoral Care
Mr David Allman (Student Counsellor)
Dr Simon Archer (Biology)
Dr Lorraine Craig (Earth Science and Engineering)
Dr Vasa Curcin & Dr Arash Mostofi (Warden & Assistant Warden, Piccadilly Court - joint award)
Professor David Lloyd Smith (Dean of Students)
Dr Neil McIntyre (Warden, Beit Hall)
Pastoral Care Fellows
Mr David Allman (Student Counsellor)
Professor David Lloyd Smith (Dean of Students)
Awards for Excellence in Research Supervision
Professor Paul Cullinan (NHLI)
Dr Louise Donnelly (NHLI)
Dr Amparo Gallindo (Chemical Engineering)
Dr Julian Jones (Materials) Dr Jane Mitchell (NHLI)
Dr Xiao Yun Xu (Chemical Engineering)
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