The calendar, which is hosted on Sharepoint, was first launched last year and after receiving positive feedback the team decided to develop one for 2021.
It builds on the team’s RISE (Reflect, Improve, Share and Empower) agenda, sharing daily guidance, tips and best practice for all academics. Topics covered included helping students prepare for exams, how to engage with students, module feedback, and plagiarism.
It also has interactive features such as discussion forums and the ability to like, share and comment on posts.
Associate Dean of Teaching Michael Henshaw commented: “The RISE forum has been one of our most successful initiatives to share good practice at a time when there have been many changes in teaching. Advent is about important new arrivals: in this case a reminder of the new practices that have arrived during the year.”
Sheryl Williams (E-Learning Advancement Team Lead) said: “We have been looking for different ways to engage and support our colleagues with useful e-learning tips, while also bringing a smile. Using SharePoint add so much interactivity and opportunity.”
Tendai Dube (E-Learning Technology Specialist) added: “It’s amazing what you can do with the University’s existing systems. I have a lot of fun sourcing pictures and coming up with the designs in PowerPoint for each day’s topic, and then creating a post on the SharePoint Site.”
The Advent Calendar can be accessed here.