Are we getting it right? Using an MBA Placement Tutor Snapshot survey during the pandemic to support effective personal tutoring

Introduction The MBA International Business Programme in the Greenwich Business School is a large programme with a predominantly international student cohort. The programme has three intakes – in September, January and April, providing nearly 1,000 students across the academic year. At the recent Learning and Teaching Festival, we discussed a… Continue reading

Improving onboarding to create an effective transition to university for new students. Case study of a postgraduate taught programme at the University of Greenwich

The onboarding process is essential for the success of students at university: the start to university life and academic study are a unique and challenging experience. The faster a student settles in and learns new systems, the more engaged they become (Grillo & Kim, 2015). During the Covid-19 pandemic many HE educators have faced deteriorations in incoming students’ engagement levels (McKie 2020). A few key factors have contributed to this such as the use of online platforms and reduction in or… Continue reading

Development of novel teaching aids to support inclusive science learning

This work is supported by the Vice Chancellor’s Learning & Teaching Project Fund 2020-21. The year 2021 marks 60 years since the invention of the piston action pipette that has allowed scientists to develop some of the world’s most important modern scientific discoveries including diagnostic tests and medicines for diseases.  … Continue reading

Hyflex Teaching Experiences at the University of Greenwich

This blog will share an interview I had with two colleagues from the Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences: Lee Jagodzinski (Academic Lead for Simulation) and Charles Everard (Clinical Skills/Technical Learning Resources Manager). Both Lee and Charles have extensive experience of delivering Hyflex teaching to Health Science students based on… Continue reading

Mentimeter: Empowering presenters and students in online teaching

We have recently seen the number of users of Mentimeter breach the 1,000 mark. That the numbers of colleagues (and students) creating presentations is still increasing is testament, we believe, to the flexibility of Mentimeter as a tool to support engagement and indeed empowerment even where teaching has been increasingly… Continue reading

‘Move fast and break things’ – Breakouts before breakout rooms: a wish list and lessons learned

I decided to experiment with breakout rooms in Teams some weeks ago, in mid-October 2020.  It was clear that large group tutorials would not be the right forum for the activity we planned – short, individual presentations.  The official Teams release of breakout rooms was not available yet, so we… Continue reading

Engaging students online – how to support student participation before and during Microsoft Teams sessions

As Care Leaver Co-ordinator for UK Student Recruitment, I had my first experience of leading Microsoft (MS) Teams sessions over the summer; ‘Preparation for University’ webinars for external offer holders. Using MS Teams with these participants has prompted me to reflect on how I can support engagement, through my actions… Continue reading

Developing the student voice in five easy steps

“In all of my work in education, there has never been a more motivating or driving force than student voice.” Andrew Marcinek (Educator) Note: These five easy steps are based on my own personal learning experiences as a Programme Leader and Portfolio Lead on the BA Education Studies and Childhood… Continue reading

Letting students’ voices be heard: building effective learning relationships and increasing outcomes on the 2-year accelerated BA (Hons) in Primary Education

Two-year degrees, often referred to as ‘accelerated degrees’, are intensive degree programmes that offer increased flexibility in Higher Education (HE) with the traditional three years of study condensed into a two-year period. Accelerated degrees are becoming a more appealing option for many students seeking HE study (Baty, 2017; Cabral and… Continue reading

‘Keepin’ it real and Sharin’ good practice’ – Insights from the Sociology and Combined Honours Degrees

Using that Sociological Imagination in assessin’ and feedin’ back A prevalent feature in our programme is the ‘Sociological Imagination’ – a term coined by C. Wright Mills (1959:6) emphasising ‘the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society’. This is reflected in our research and teaching,  as… Continue reading