Discover and share good practice for smarter working universities

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Hefce issues funding call and study supporting innovation in teaching and learning

Improving student outcomes and survival in a marketised environment are amongst the drivers for innovation in teaching in learning, according to a Hefce study. A blogpost by Hefce's Amanda Wilcox outlining the findings of the study also launches a funding call for institutions wishing to develop experimental innovations in teaching and learning.
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Universities join forces to design learning analytics architecture for the sector

Universities wishing to raise achievement of all students were urged to consider adopting learning analytics in the Higher Education Commission's recent report ‘From Bricks to Clicks’. In this blogpost, Phil Richards says the sector is now also recognising learning analytics as a priority area and Jisc is working with universities deliver a national open architecture for this work.
The ALT conference. Photo credit : Chris Bull CC-BY-NC-SA ALT https://flic.kr/p/yuDXkn

Connect, collaborate and create with the Association for Learning Technology

September sees the return of the ALT Annual Conference for its 23rd year. Martin Hawksey explains some of the hot issues preoccupying the minds of delegates and looks forward to this year’s event, organised by the UK's leading membership organisation in the learning technology field.

Exploring institutional practices in the post-digital age

The 15th annual Academic Practice and Technology conference included discussions around student engagement and digital provision and provided an opportunity to expand on ideas that can improve the link between students and institutions. Steve Dawes writes on the Association for Learning Technology blog about how the event showed that there is still a willingness to use digital technology to help students individually as well as part of a group.

The UK Higher Education Learning Space Toolkit: a SCHOMS, AUDE and UCISA collaboration

This toolkit has been produced by three higher education organisations to help their members share best practice and work more effectively when creating learning spaces. It is intended to serve both as a practical guide and as a source of inspiration in the design of spaces that delight and motivate students, as well as meet their functional needs.
picture credit: McCoy-Wynne

Teaching and learning technology: driving student efficiency

Technology can help professional and academic staff do their job more efficiently but it can also produce efficiency gains for students. Lucy Haire looks at what universities are doing to introduce technology to improve teaching and learning for students.

The rise of the new academic advisor

Could the advent of the TEF see the emergence of a new breed of data-empowered academic advisors? Student experience consultant Brian Hipkin says the growth in student-generated ‘teaching excellence’ metrics could herald the introduction of this role.
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New classrooms for a new curriculum

As classrooms become more connected through students' use of their own devices in lectures and seminars, universities are responding in exciting ways. Gunter Saunders and Federica Oradini describe how the University of Westminster is embracing these changes by transforming their classrooms.

Digital is not the future – hacking the institution from the inside

Efficiency Exchange has joined a sector-wide hack at the London School of Economics, which will explore changing the discourse about the potential of technology and changes in teaching practice. The aim is to finding a solution to putting digital at the heart of the conversation.
A cartoon case study of Edinburgh Napier's exam logistics project

First class results delivered in exam logistics process improvement project

When Edinburgh Napier trialled streamlining the logistics around the production of exam papers they expected the changes would save some time for staff. But the benefits produced went further than that as Louise McElhone and Steve Yorkstone explain.