Academics for the 21st Century

05 May 2011 - 06 May 2011
Location: Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh

Participate in SEDA’s Spring 2011 conference to debate and discuss the academic for the 21st Century. The event will focus on the changed and changing roles of academic staff and how their work can be supported, developed and enhanced. Mirroring some of the work which has taken place in Scotland within the QAA quality enhancement theme Graduates for the 21st Century, there will be an opportunity to consider the desired attributes of the academic profession. Keynotes will be given by Ray Land, Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement at the University of Strathclyde, Lorraine Stefani, Professor and Director of Academic Development, University of Auckland

and by Aaron Porter, President of the National Union of Students. The conference will also include a range of refereed parallel sessions centred around the following key themes:

  • Preparing for academic practice (eg staff transitions, orientation, induction, work-based learning)
  • Exploring professional tensions (eg role expectations and realities, gender issues, institutional, professional)
  • Enabling effective academic performance
  • Enhancing academic roles (academic leadership, new pedagogies, working across academic cultures)
  • Working in harsher financial climates
  • Responding to student expectations
  • Considering the attributes necessary for 21st Century academics and how they can be supported to achieve such attributes.

A call for contributions inviting colleagues to submit proposals for these sessions will open in September 2010. The event will also include the range of networking and social opportunities for which SEDA conferences are renowned and regarded enabling participants to meet up to share ideas and approaches, discuss potential collaborations and to make and renew professional friendships. Held in the centre of the beautiful city of Edinburgh, the conference will be based in the attractive and comfortable Holyrood Hotel. Located just off the Royal Mile and with the magnificent Salisbury Crags within sight the hotel is only a few steps away from the iconic Scottish Parliament building and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The Call for Contributions is now closedCall for Contributions  SEDA Conference Committee invites you to contribute to the SEDA Spring Teaching Learning and Assessment Conference 2011 by leading a discussion or running a workshop on an aspect of your work. This could be developmental activities, research or scholarship which informs practice. This year we are exploring staff and educational development through themes linked to the 21st century academic. What are the characteristics, attitudes, skills and knowledge needed to be a successful 21st century academic? How might these link with the 21st century graduate[1] attributes? How can educational developers support their academic colleagues as we build on our experience to face the challenges presented by, for instance, the:

  • pedagogy of new learning environments
  • need to develop non traditional curricula
  • changing expectations, attendance patterns and priorities of our students
  • requirement to generate income as well as delivering on academic agendas
  • potential conflicts between institutions and the expectations of professional bodies
  • altered cultures resulting from changed economic circumstances

Conference ThemesProposals for sessions are invited that address the key themes of the 21st century academic:

  • Preparing for academic practice (e.g. staff transitions, orientation, induction, work-based learning)
  • Exploring professional tensions (e.g. role expectations and realities, gender issues, institutional, professional) 
  • Enabling effective academic performance 
  • Enhancing academic roles (academic leadership, new pedagogies, working across academic cultures) 
  • Working in harsher financial climates 
  • Responding to student expectations 
  • Considering the attributes necessary for 21st Century academics and how they can be supported to achieve such attributes.

The SEDA Conference ExperienceSEDA prides itself on creating a relaxed, welcoming and positive atmosphere at conferences, which encourages open, constructive and supportive sharing of ideas, experience and practice.  Feedback from participants at recent SEDA conferences: ”The informal atmosphere made it a pleasant, enjoyable yet very useful conference with plenty of networking opportunities. Thanks!” ”Excellent and worthwhile conference, first time at the SEDA conference and I would recommend to others and come back! Thank-you” “Great presentations, relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Fantastic organisation” VenueHeld in the centre of the beautiful city of Edinburgh, the conference will be based in the attractive and comfortable Holyrood Hotel. Located just off the Royal Mile and with the magnificent Salisbury Crags within sight the hotel is only a few steps away from the iconic Scottish Parliament building and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. ParticipantsThe conference will be of particular interest to all those involved in HE and FE learning, teaching and development. This includes:

  • Educational and academic developers
  • Staff developers
  • Higher Education Academy staff
  • Lecturers and teachers in further and higher education
  • National and institutional teaching fellows
  • Managers of academic departments
  • Educational technologists
  • Quality assurance and enhancement policy makers

Session FormatWe welcome proposals which address the conference themes through sharing and reflecting on practice, evaluating developmental initiatives and, exploring or critiquing research, relating to the conference themes. The emphasis should be on reflection, exploration and evaluation rather than merely describing what is happening. It is also a long-standing tradition at SEDA conferences to hold sessions which involve delegates in active participation and discussion, and consequently this is a key requirement of all proposals. We are designing the programme around either 45 or 90 minute sessions. We reserve the right to group some sessions into themed, chaired, 90 minute sessions.  Submitting your proposalProposals should be submitted electronically using the proposal form to SEDA at conferences@seda.ac.uk by Monday 1st November 2010. It is normal practice to accept only one contribution per individual so as to provide the opportunity for as many people to contribute as possible. It is a requirement that all presenters register as conference delegates either for the whole event or for the day of their session. Criteria for acceptance of proposalsEach proposal will be reviewed for acceptance at the conference against the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the conference title and themes
  • Clarity and coherence of the proposal
  • Contribution to scholarship and evaluation of educational and staff  development in further and higher education
  • Clear opportunities for participants to actively engage in the session, and particularly in workshops to reflect on transferability to their own practice

[1] QAA Quality Enhancement Theme: The graduate for the 21st century http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/themes/21stCGraduates/

Prices

 

Early bird price*

Standard price

Full residential conference delegate (includes accommodation on Thursday 5th May and all meals, including the conference dinner)

 

 

£419

 

 

£482

Non-residential day delegate Thursday 5th May (includes lunch and refreshments)

 

£140

£161

Non-residential day delegate Friday 6th May (includes lunch and refreshments)

 

£140

 

£161

Bed and breakfast accommodation for the night of Wednesday 4th May

 

£95

 

£109

Conference dinner Thursday 5th May

 

£35

 

£40

* Early bird expires on Friday 8th April.

Conference ProgrammeDay One: Thursday 5th May09.15 – 09.45 Registration and tea & coffee09.45 –10.00 Welcome and introductions10.00 – 10.45 Keynote Address: Being an academic in a time of uncertainty Ray Land, Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement, University of Strathclyde 10.45 – 10.50 Alastair Robertson, Head of Policy and Partnerships, Scotland, Higher Education Academy10.50 – 11.15 Break11.15 – 12.45 Parallel Session 1

  1. Empowering tutors as online educators through progressive online staff development Keith Smyth
  2. Encouraging creativity and reflection in the curriculum Catherine O’Donnell, Alan Masson and Jill Harrison
  3. Value for money educational development? Sharon Gedye and Priska Schoenborn
  4. Exploring professional tensions: from ‘the lady in the office’ to the professional who supports 21st century student learning. How a SEDA PDF programme enhanced the student experience Julie Hall and Sarah Hall      View presentation
  5. An institutional LTA resource bank: underpinning strategy with practice Karen Strickland and Rowena Pelik

12.45– 13.30 Lunch13.30 – 15.00 Parallel Session 2

  1. “Beam them out of there, Scotty!”: entering the parallel universes of staff and student transitions Helen Corkill, Sam Elkington and Lesley Lawrence
  2. Empowering programme leaders through institutional dialogue Fiona Campbell and Fiona-Jean Howson
  3. Enabling teaching excellence Angela Benzies     View presentation
  4. “I think you’re mistaking me for someone who cares”: talking to academics about their role in offering academic and pastoral support to students    Daphne Loads     View presentation
  5. Changing assessments – what can programme based assessment achieve for staff and students? Peter Hartley and Ruth Whitfield

15.00 – 15.30 Break15.30 – 16.15 Parallel Session 3

  1. Developing staff in effective online tutoring Anne Campbell    View presentation
  2. Exploring influences on new academics in developing identity Sarah Flynn
  3. Supporting the transition from the physical to the virtual classroom Sarah Cornelius and Darren Gash
  4. Peers enhancing practice – a flexible framework to ‘PEP’ up academic practice? Rachel Hudson      View presentation    View case examples
  5. Exploring critical incidents in assessment Jen Harvey and Marion Palmer    View presentation

16.30 – 18.00 Walk and talk: sharing our vision and values 18.30 – 19.00 SEDA AGM 19.00 Drinks reception 20.00 DinnerDay Two: Friday 6th May08.00 Breakfast meeting with SEDA Co-Chairs for those new to SEDA09.00 – 09.10 Welcome to day two 09.10 – 09.55 Keynote address: A student perspective on the future of student engagement, consumerism and co-production Aaron Porter, President of the National Union of Students (NUS) 10.00 – 10.45 Parallel Session 4

  1. Experiences of embedding an online system for ethical approval of research projects Aline Giordano and Sean Wellington     View presentation
  2. Academic practices and communities of practices: can academics open up the disciplines to new learners? Sharon Hutchings and Andrea Lyons-Lewis    View presentation
  3. Exploring transformative dimensions of threshold concepts Jaki Lilly and Mark Warnes
  4. What makes a great module leader and how can we best support others? Jenny Anderson and John Barfoot     View presentation
  5. Collaborative versus competitive: approaches to quality enhancement Stuart Boon and Ginny Saich     View presentation

10.45 – 11.15 Break11.15 – 12.00 Parallel Session 5

  1. Developing reflective practice for new academics using an ePortfolio Helen Boulton     View presentation
  2. Institutional culture and orientations to development Charles Neame    View presentation    View handout
  3. What do student-led learning and teaching awards for tutors tell us about excellence and academic staff development needs? Ian Scott and John Peters     View presentation
  4. Transforming academic identity through engagement in technology enabled academic practice – challenges and opportunities Neal Sumner     View presentation
  5. Developing and empowering staff to meet the challenges of leading global delivery teams Cathy Minett Smith and Heather Clay

12.00 – 13.00a. Tour of Scottish Parliament (limited to 40 places) b. Explore Edinburgh Independentlyc. Reading Group to be organised by the Scholarship, Research and Evaluation Committeed. How to write a SEDA small grants proposale. How to get published with SEDA facilitated by James Wisdom13.00 – 13.45Lunch13.45 – 14.30 Parallel Session 6

  1. Overcoming barriers to electronic feedback Joelle Adams   View presentation   View paper
  2. Using a personal learning system to support staff CPD Thomas Rickarby and John Peters
  3. Should or could? Finding the focus for academic induction Elaine Mowat
  4. Developing impact: supporting business and community engagement skills for academics Helen Blanchett View presentation
  5. Opportunities for pedagogic innovation: understanding the value of OER and Jorum Nicola Siminson     View presentation

14.35 – 15.35 Keynote Address: Evidencing the added-value of academic development Lorraine Stefani, Professor and Director of Academic Development, University of Auckland     View presentation 15.35 Tea and Depart