Category Archives: Uncategorized

THES Digital Universities – reflections

On 20th May I took part in the Times Higher Education Digital Universities Week 2021 event entitled: ‘What could university look like for the class of 2030? Despite the last year changing higher education in ways we never thought possible, there are still years of transformation ahead of us.” Below are some of my reflections, bothContinue reading “THES Digital Universities – reflections”

Don’t cut yourself on all that edge

Contrarian Scepticism as pro-level passive-aggressive performance.  This was a Twitter thread, now posted here, trying to reflect on, extend and reconstruct a talk I gave at ‘Question Criticality’ Symposium at Leeds @CentreCelt in November 2019 about criticality/critical thinking in HE and wider contexts We often laud critical thinking, seeing a lack of it as sociallyContinue reading “Don’t cut yourself on all that edge”

Reflections on Decolonising the Curriculum

I posted this as a Twitter thread – but am popping it here too – and to remind me that I want to expand on the of details of classroom practice. I have been thinking, sat in Teams meetings obviously, about decolonising practice in Universities. I think I understand why the most common way toContinue reading “Reflections on Decolonising the Curriculum”

All I write are emails: (Not) A Lament.

All I write are emails. I should join my generation in a mass bemoaning. A wailing of would-be scribes. Denied our space to craft lyrical whimsy by neoliberal templates. But I won’t. Because I don’t really write emails. I write missives of reassurance. To a colleague, straining under anxiety who needs kindness. Compassion between theContinue reading “All I write are emails: (Not) A Lament.”

Podcast about shifting to remote/online learning

I spoke over the weekend to philosopher Dr Pat O’Connor, from the Thales’ Well podcast, about the move to online learning. As he said on twitter, “We talked of different aspects of #eLearning like synchronous and asynchronous delivery, managing expectations, value of structure, segmenting on-line classes and other practical tips.” The podcast is live atContinue reading “Podcast about shifting to remote/online learning”

Is that meant to be funny?

Thinking about pedagogy, comedy, freedom and change. Also incorporating a mini-review of Laura Davis’ Ghost Machine show. Preface: I occasionally develop obsessive interests. I actually seem to accumulate them, but that’s another blog post. Of late this has taken the form of listening to the Comedian’s Comedian podcast – and one of its many virtuesContinue reading “Is that meant to be funny?”

Building Cohort Identity, and Social Media

I am delighted to have a small chapter in Social Media in Higher Education: Case Studies, Reflections and Analysis, Chris Rowell (ed.) The book is a free download/online read if you want the pdf, or you can pay for a physical copy. It features a lot of really valuable material – as the blurb states:Continue reading “Building Cohort Identity, and Social Media”

Why not both? Kigali Reflections on Problem-Based Learning versus Direct Instruction.

The context for this set of reflections is the ‘Trad Vs Prog’ debate, which rages amongst teachers of school-age children, but also has substantial importance for HE educators. While on Twitter the debate is often fierce and contains more heat than light, there are important, deeply political (what is education even for?), high-stakes (whether certainContinue reading “Why not both? Kigali Reflections on Problem-Based Learning versus Direct Instruction.”

Working Out in the Academy? Why the ‘University is like a gym’ metaphor is flawed.

Dr Nicola Rivers and Dr Dave Webster Since the introduction of fees to UK Higher Education there has been a notable anxiety about the notion of the ‘student as consumer.’ In a ‘market’ where student fees mean they are accumulating substantial debt as they study, there is extensive speculation about both the meaning and impact of thisContinue reading “Working Out in the Academy? Why the ‘University is like a gym’ metaphor is flawed.”