Addressing the different needs of students
The university’s annual Learning and Teaching Conference was organised by Academic Professional Development together with the Chairs of Faculty Learning and Teaching Committees. Taking in place on the morning of 5th September 2013, it offered staff the opportunity to discuss issues around the subject of addressing the differing needs of students. In the afternoon each faculty learning and teaching committee had the opportunity to organize workshops that supported and developed the themes within their own context.
Almost 90 delegates attended the conference and heard from three speakers, two external National Teaching Fellows as well as the Head of Academic Professional Development.
Together the three speakers provided a rich insight into key issues concerned with the conference theme. All of the delegates reported that the conference had been stimulating and helpful, enabling them to attend their faculty-based afternoon sessions with a clear context within which to address local needs.
Further details, including the presentations from the keynotes are available below.
Conference Programme
Dr Nick Allsopp: DMU’s Head of Academic Professional Development
Nick provided details of a research project which used Frontrunner students linked to the university’s Retention and Achievement of Ethnic Minority Students group (RAEMS) to gather students’ stories of their DMU experience and highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses.
Keynote Speaker 1: Dr Phil Gravestock
NTF 2005, Head of Learning Enhancement & Technology Support, University of Gloucestershire.
Phil’s main interests are in inclusive education and technology-enhanced learning. Phil spoke about the ways in which the curriculum is and could be made more inclusive to students.
Keynote Speaker 2: Dr Catherine Montgomery
NTF 2010, Reader in Education, University of Hull
Catherine spoke about her areas of interest in the internationalisation of Higher Education, the internationalisation of the curriculum, teaching international students and the development of graduates as ‘global citizens’.