More than 200 attendees across two events at the Loughborough and London campuses listened to Professor Sam Grogan, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Education and Student Experience as he outlined the exciting opportunities to reshape the way in which we deliver our education and student experience, before opening the event up for colleagues to collaborate with one another and explore new ideas which can make a positive impact.
The event focused on the priority areas outlined within the Education and Student Experience Core Plan, whilst also providing space for other areas outside of these themes by incorporating both a physical and online ‘fridge’ where suggestions could be stored and explored at a later point. Other innovative features of the event included harnessing the latest technology, such as a ‘virtual Sam’ displayed on our Proto hologram technology. Virtual Sam opened the event with a 5-minute scene-setting speech before handing over to the real-life Sam to pick up the conversation.
The six broad themes were as follows: Teaching, learning, assessment and feedback development; future facing curriculum design; Coaching-led Ecosystem; Tech-enabled teaching and learning; International student experience and support; and Graduating Portfolio.
Attendees enjoyed the opportunity 'to discuss E&SE topics with a broad range of colleagues’ and to ‘collaborate across different Departments as well as students to get their thoughts’. One staff member commented it ‘felt like a genuine opportunity to input, shape change and be part of something new’.
Professor Grogan said: “Colleagues really stepped up to the plate, and the level of feedback we’ve had from these events has been phenomenal. It was brilliant to feel such enthusiasm and energy from those involved. It’s been great fun to be a part of, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to these events.”
These events play a significant role in the next steps of the University’s Education and Student Experience journey. Over the summer, project outlines and leads will be developed and proposed to the Education and Student Experience committee and the Core Plan Board. The intention is that in the autumn, there will be a broader plan identifying timescales of different projects and how updates will be shared with the wider community.