Wednesday 29 January 2014

ScHARR Snack Size - Open Access - Carmen O'Dell - 12th February - 12.30 - Lecture Room 1&2


The next Snack/Bite Size session looks at the increasingly important topic of Open Access. Want to know more about it and how to get to grips with it? Join our resident expert Carmen O'Dell to find out more.

Monday 20 January 2014

Sheffield University Learning and Teaching Conference - From MOOC Student to MOOC Tutor



Last week myself and Claire Beecroft delivered a presentation at the University of Sheffield's own Learning and Teaching Conference. The conference is held every year in January and this year's theme was based on the use of technology in teaching. We delivered a session in parallel with two other ScHARR colleagues, e-Learning lead Chris Blackmore and university teacher Katie Powell on the MOOCs we've run at ScHARR. Our session reflected on our own journey from being students on MOOCs to finally running three of our own.




The abstract of the session can be read below.

What is this about?
The session explains the journey taken by University Teacher Claire Beecroft alongside her colleague, Information Specialist Andy Tattersall that started as MOOC students to delivering the University of Sheffield’s first MOOCs. Claire and Andy discovered MOOCs back in the early summer of 2012 and were impressed by the technologies driving them and the potential for such courses in their own department. Coming from information backgrounds and with a past record in innovation and creativity, Claire and Andy formed part of the core ScHARR MOOCs team. Working closely with learning technologists, University teachers, marketing professionals all led by the Director of Teaching at ScHARR the first MOOCs were run in June 2013. Claire is the Assistant Course Director for the Health Technologies Assessment MOOC which started in October 2013.
 

How will colleagues benefit?
Colleagues will benefit by seeing what a MOOC timeline looks like, the implementation of technologies along the way to create and organise one and eventually promote and facilitate it. We will give an overview of the tools, skills and infrastructure to deliver a MOOC and to maintain a healthy level of engagement with students. Colleagues will benefit from discovering the pitfalls, myths and benefits of incorporating technologies into a MOOC by colleagues who have balanced their own learning curve on a challenging and relatively new way of delivering learning.

Thursday 16 January 2014

Gig Review: audio feedback workshop at Sheffield Hallam University!

On Tuesday IR's Claire Beecroft attended a workshop on audio feedback at Sheffield Hallam University, so it seems only appropriate therefore that we provide audio feedback on the audio feedback workshop (click below to listen!):





Monday 13 January 2014

New article on EBLIP and active learning

                                           Photo Mark Brannan  http://www.flickr.com/photos/heycoach/1197947341/sizes/l/                                                                                            
A couple of years ago I had the good fortune to be able to run a Continuing Education Course at the EAHIL conference in Turkey.  My idea was to explore how we use educational theory and other evidence in preparing to teach. I was also interested in exploring the hypothesis that if this preparation, this engagement with evidence was undertaken using active learning methods, it would be more effective and address some of the barriers to evidence based teaching.

To this end, on a hot day in July, the participants and I entered into an action packed course. We looked at a variety of evidence from text books to empirical research and the course utilised a number of active learning techniques. Feedback was positive, ideas and discussion were stimulated. After the event I wrote a paper to further explore the relationship between active learning and EBLIP. It has just been published in the EBLIP journal - see the full paper here: https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/18654

ScHARR Snack Size - Research Data Management - Laurian Williamson - 12.30-1pm - Friday 24th January - Eric Wilkes Room

The 2014 series of ScHARR Snack Size sessions kicks off with Laurian Williamson and Research Data Management.

Being an effective researcher means knowing how to look after your research data at all stages of your research project and beyond. Research data is a valuable output of your research and increasingly research funder's, your institution and learned societies have expectations around data management planning, archiving, sharing, and preservation


Sunday 5 January 2014

ScHARR's Andy Tattersall is Mendeley Advisor of the Month!



IR's "Man about the web" Andy Tattersall has been named Mendeley Advisor of the Month for December 2013!

The accolade comes chiefly in recognition of the inclusion of Andy's 'Minute Mendeley' instructional videos in the University of Sheffield's content within iTunesU. 

However, Andy has been a key proponent and supporter of Mendeley for over five years and has trained hundreds of staff and students at the University of Sheffield in how to use this vital combination of reference management tool and academic social network. 

Managing information and promoting your research are key employability skills, and Andy is always keen to remind students that they can build their Mendeley library during their time at university, and then take it with them as they go on to job-seek in the wide world!

Nice one Andy!



Posted by Claire