Newcastle University Innovation Fund Dissemination Event 2015

1. DR SARA MARSHAM, DRVANESSA ARMSTRONG & DR JC PENET
ULTSEC INNOVATION FUND PROJECT 2014
The NUTS and Bolts of L&T:A staff-student
partnership at Newcastle University

2. BACKGROUND TO NUTS
 Newcastle UniversityTeaching and Scholarship Forum
 Opportunity for all colleagues interested in teaching and scholarship to meet
 Share good practice across disciplines
 Enhance communication and collaboration
 Create a supportive community for T&S colleagues
 Hold regular, informal meetings to discuss work related to teaching and scholarship
activities
 Colleagues to engage with Faculty Representatives

3. AIMS OF OUR INNOVATION FUND PROJECT
Priority themes:
 Strengthening the relationship between research and teaching
 Diversifying our portfolio of programmes – CPD offer
 Engage students as partners in informing SoTL
 Allow NUTS forum to support colleagues in SoTL
 Establish collaborations across disciplines and Faculties

4. WHY WAS IT INNOVATIVE?
 Strengthened the relationship between research in L&T, and teaching
 Asked students directly which issues in L&T staff should focus their pedagogical research on
 By doing so, students will be partners in establishing a programme of workshops/research
projects
 As delivered through the NUTS Forum, the project was cross-Faculty and multidisciplinary
 All three Faculties represented in project team and are involved in very different subject areas
 NUTS Forum will develop from being principally staff-led to integrating students as partners
in research in L&T by making their voices heard
 Positive impact on the student experience - proactive approach should also help all Schools
concerned improve their NSS results

5. WHAT DIDWE DO?
 Organised and hosted a workshop to discuss how students could get involved with
teaching practices
 Worked with SU: Representation and Democracy Coordinator, and Education Officer
Structure of workshop
 Dr Helen Walkington from Oxford Brookes: keynote on Students as Partners in SoTL
 Short activity to ask participants what they considered to be ‘excellence in teaching’

6. WHAT NEXT?
Research projects

7. THANKYOU
Any Questions?