Programme of the Annual Academic Development Symposium

Registration and Poster session (09:00-09:30)

• Room: McKay Hall

Welcome and Introduction (09:30-10:30)

• Professor Steve Tucker, Dean for Quality Assurance & Quality Enhancement

External Keynote

• Partnership and Belonging – what does genuine partnership with students look like and can it foster a sense of belonging across diverse student journeys
  by Eve Lewis, Director of sparqs
• Room: KQG5 Auditorium, King’s College Centre / MS Teams

Break (10:30-10:50)

3-minute presentations (10:50-12:00)

10:50-11:20

10:50-11:20

11:30-12:00

11:30-12:00

Lunch (12:00-13:00)

Poster session

• Room: McKay Hall 

Show and Tell: Share your creative use of the VLE

• Description: Bring your lunch to this informal session highlighting innovative and effective uses of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in course design. Presenters will showcase strategies, tools, and activities that have enhanced student engagement and learning experiences. From creative applications of built-in VLE features to simple yet impactful course design tweaks, this session offers practical insights and inspiration for educators looking to optimise their use of the VLE.
• Room: KQG4 King’s College Centre

Spring clean your MyAberdeen course with an eLearning Adviser

• Description: Looking for inspiration to updating your course area on MyAberdeen? Bring your laptop along to this session, where an eLearning Adviser will provide a demonstration of relevant enhancements to MyAberdeen and you will have the opportunity to have some peace and quiet to update and tidy up your course area on MyAberdeen. An eLearning Adviser will also be available to provide some help and support.
• Room: TBC

Parallel workshops (13:00-13:45)

Workshop 1 (hybrid): From Curriculum to Community: Designing Courses, Programmes and Experiences for Student Belonging

This workshop will explore how course and programme design choices can strengthen students’ sense of belonging and ownership throughout their learning journey, and we’ll do it in a hands-on, practical way.

We’ll kick things off with an interactive (and slightly competitive!) game of Belonging Bingo, before rolling up our sleeves and working together to identify when and how curriculum design can develop a students’ sense of belonging within the University of Aberdeen community.

This is very much a do-and-build session. By the end of the workshop, we aim to have a set of concrete, usable resources that can be shared more widely across the University to support and enhance the student experience of belonging.

• Facilitators:
  • Professor Kirsty Kiezebrink, Personal Chair, Institute of Applied Health Sciences
  • Professor Jason Bohan, Dean for Student Support and Experience
• Room: TBC / MS Teams

Workshop 2 (in-person only): Professional Identity Formation and Employability: Linking Curriculum to Skills and Future Pathways

An interactive workshop exploring how curriculum, learning experiences, and   assessment can more effectively support professional identity formation and employability. Participants will collaborate on practical approaches to embedding authentic skills development and helping students recognise, articulate, and apply their capabilities for diverse future pathways.

• Facilitators:
  
  • Professor John Barrow, Dean for Employability & Entrepreneurship
  • Dr JP Mynott, Dean for Portfolio and Programme Development
  • Tracey Innes, Assistant Director and Head of Careers
  • Emily Cleland, Teaching Fellow, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
• Room: TBC

Workshop 3 (in-person only): Teaching with the Tides of the Term

Every teaching term has its ebbs and flows, students feel them and educators too: After a vigorous first few weeks assessments take over, and towards the end of term classroom energy might well drop to a low tide. During this interactive session participants will discuss ways to maintain and encourage student engagement, participation, and connection during all phases of the term, for example through class communication, effective course (website) design, or student voice and participation. By the end of the session, we hope to identify simple yet effective ideas to take to the classroom, alongside broader possibilities for fostering student ownership of learning and a sense of belonging.

• Facilitators:
  
  • Dr Heidi Mehrkens, Lecturer in Modern European History, School Director of Education (DHPA)
  • Mr Xudong Zhu, Teaching Assistant, DHPA
• Room: TBC

Workshop 4 (online only): Inclusive Assessment Design

This online and interactive workshop will explore how formative and summative assessments have been designed to be both ‘authentic’ and/or ‘inclusive’.  Featuring some recent innovative practices at the University of Aberdeen, including our Doha, Qatar, campus, this workshop will be relevant for staff who are designing assessments at any level, and offer an opportunity for discussion of 'inclusive' assessment.

• Facilitators:
  
  • Dr Mary Pryor, Senior Academic Skills Adviser, Centre for Academic Development
  • Dr Aaron Thom, Senior Academic Development Adviser, Centre for Academic Development
  • Dr Munshi Masudul Haq, Lecturer in Economics and Finance, AFG College with the University of Aberdeen
• Room: MS Teams

Parallel workshops (13:55-14:40)

Workshop 1 (in-person only): From Curriculum to Community: Designing Courses, Programmes and Experiences for Student Belonging

• This workshop will explore how course and programme design choices can strengthen students’ sense of belonging and ownership throughout their learning journey, and we’ll do it in a hands-on, practical way.

  We’ll kick things off with an interactive (and slightly competitive!) game of Belonging Bingo, before rolling up our sleeves and working together to identify when and how curriculum design can develop a students’ sense of belonging within the University of Aberdeen community.

  This is very much a do-and-build session. By the end of the workshop, we aim to have a set of concrete, usable resources that can be shared more widely across the University to support and enhance the student experience of belonging.

  • Facilitators:
    • Professor Kirsty Kiezebrink, Personal Chair, Institute of Applied Health Sciences
    • Professor Jason Bohan, Dean for Student Support and Experience
  • Room: TBC / MS Teams

Workshop 2 (hybrid): Professional Identity Formation and Employability: Linking Curriculum to Skills and Future Pathways

An interactive workshop exploring how curriculum, learning experiences, and   assessment can more effectively support professional identity formation and employability. Participants will collaborate on practical approaches to embedding authentic skills development and helping students recognise, articulate, and apply their capabilities for diverse future pathways.

• Facilitators:
  
  • Professor John Barrow, Dean for Employability & Entrepreneurship
  • Dr JP Mynott, Dean for Portfolio and Programme Development
  • Tracey Innes, Assistant Director and Head of Careers
  • Emily Cleland, Teaching Fellow, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
• Room: TBC

Workshop 3 (in-person only): Teaching with the Tides of the Term

Every teaching term has its ebbs and flows, students feel them and educators too: After a vigorous first few weeks assessments take over, and towards the end of term classroom energy might well drop to a low tide. During this interactive session participants will discuss ways to maintain and encourage student engagement, participation, and connection during all phases of the term, for example through class communication, effective course (website) design, or student voice and participation. By the end of the session, we hope to identify simple yet effective ideas to take to the classroom, alongside broader possibilities for fostering student ownership of learning and a sense of belonging.

• Facilitators:
  
  • Dr Heidi Mehrkens, Lecturer in Modern European History, School Director of Education (DHPA)
  • Mr Xudong Zhu, Teaching Assistant, DHPA
• Room: TBC

Workshop 4 (online only): Inclusive Assessment Design

This online and interactive workshop will explore how formative and summative assessments have been designed to be both ‘authentic’ and/or ‘inclusive’.  Featuring some recent innovative practices at the University of Aberdeen, including our Doha, Qatar, campus, this workshop will be relevant for staff who are designing assessments at any level, and offer an opportunity for discussion of 'inclusive' assessment.

• Facilitators:
  
  • Dr Mary Pryor, Senior Academic Skills Adviser, Centre for Academic Development
  • Dr Aaron Thom, Senior Academic Development Adviser, Centre for Academic Development
  • Dr Munshi Masudul Haq, Lecturer in Economics and Finance, AFG College with the University of Aberdeen
• Room: MS Teams

Break (14:40-15:00)

STEPping into Enhancement (15:00-15:40)

Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) is the enhancement element of the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF) replacing the previous enhancement themes. The current 4 year STEP cycle focusses on “Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys” and after 1.5 years has established a number of projects and vibrant engaging network of colleges, universities and sector agencies. This session will detail STEP so far including:

• perspectives from the QAA (guest speaker and Quality Enhancement Specialist, Dr Rachel Horrocks-Birss will join)
• sector wide projects and how to get involved
• enhancement at Aberdeen

Steve and Samuel will run the session reflecting STEP from staff and student perspectives and indicating key next STEPs and how to get involved.

• Hosts: Professor Steve Tucker, Dean for Quality Assurance & Quality Enhancement and Samuel Seymour, Vice President Education, Students’ Union
• Room: KQG5 Auditorium, King’s College Centre / MS Teams

Excellence Awards, Poster Competition and Closing Remarks (15:40-16:00)

1. Excellence in Education Award
2. Principal's Teaching Excellence Award
3. Symposium Poster Competition: Digital Accessibility Award and Popular Vote Award

• Hosts: Professor Jo-Anne Murray, Vice-Principal (Education) and Samuel Seymour, Vice President Education, Students’ Union
• Room: KQG5 Auditorium, King’s College Centre / MS Teams