Sally Brown

After our Irish adventures last week, we’ve had a couple of days to catch our breath and I’m now ready to do a keynote on Thursday 7th June for the British Psychological Society in Birmingham at their teaching and learning conference on Inspiring Teaching. It’s wonderful to revisit the influencers who have impacted on the UK sector and wider, and are continuing to do so. You might recognise some of the faces! The slides are here:  Inspiring-teaching-BPS-June-2018-w.pptx (457 downloads)
And on Friday 8th June one of the highspots of my academic year is going to the Solstice Conference at Edge Hill University where I always learn so much and I’m looking forward to presenting with Kay Sambell on International Perspectives on Assessment. We’ve still got loads to learn in this area but our knowledge base is growing thanks to our global contacts. The slides for this presentation are here: International-Solstice-June-2018-w.pptx (509 downloads)
So plenty going on this summer but still time to celebrate the joys of life!

After a lovely time down in Brighton (Hove actually) last week, after a 12 hour turnaround we set off to Dublin on Sunday morning for a series of workshops in Ireland for the Crannog Project, which is looking to advance middle management leadership in learning and teaching. The workshops will take place in Dublin, Limerick and Galway. On Friday in Galway (at NUI, Galway, not at the IT as the slides first posted suggested – updated ones here) in the afternoon I’m also leading a workshop on ‘enhancing assessment and feedback’. Both sets of slides are here!   Irish-Crannog-project-May-2018-w.pptx (593 downloads)    AssessFeedbackGalway-June-2018-w.pptx (484 downloads)   Biscuit-game-Anglia-Assessment-Album-w.docx (1190 downloads)

Picture shows those there at the start of the final workshop above:

And next week is another exciting week, I’m keynoting at the British Psychological Society Conference in Birmingham on ‘inspiring teaching’ and then heading off for the fabulous Solstice Conference which is Edge Hill University Annual Interactive Learning and Teaching Fest, at which Phil and I are both presenting. Slides for these events will follow next week.
And if you are able to enjoy any of this lovely sunshine, do so with joy!

This week Phil and I are working at Cork IT as part of a programme of activity enhancing  learning  and teaching. Phil is doing a masterclass on making learning happen and I am doing one on assessment. My slides are here:  AssessFeedbackCorkIT-May-2018-w.pptx (560 downloads) I will again be using the biscuit game to illustrate how we can develop assessment literacy: see here:  Biscuit-game-Anglia-Assessment-Album-w.docx (1190 downloads)
It’s great to be back in Cork again: on Sunday before we started working we had a train trip  down to Cobh as illustrated here.  
On Wednesday I am visiting Edinburgh Napier University again as part of the work I’m doing with Kay Sambell and I’m very much looking forward to meeting up again with colleagues from Pachua University.

Then joyously at the end of the week we are off to see our glorious granddaughters in Neath. What a lovely work life balance we have.

Have you ever considered doing a PhD by published works? If so you might like to read my blog posted today by the British Educational Research Association (BERA) a link to which is provided here. https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/phds-by-published-works
It’s the route by which I did my PhD and I think it’s really appropriate for people who have come into higher education teaching through various professional routes, who now need to find an accessible pathway to a PhD. Let me know if you find it useful.

I love being a Visiting Professor at Edge Hill University! And it’s good to see some Spring weather at last! After a great weekend supporting colleagues preparing for PhDs by Publication, Phil and I are both doing worksho

ps here on Tuesday 24th April, with Phil doing a session on assessment and feedback and me doing one on Professionalism in Practice: my slides are here.  Prof-in-practice-Rsch-Own-Teaching-Edge-Hill-24-April-2018-w.pptx (533 downloads)

And here is a marvellous picture from Sarah Wright (@Sarah_wright) at Edge Hill University of the infographic she did while she was in my workshop! She’s put my points much more succinctly and clearly than I did.

The University of Plymouth always runs an excellent scholarly conference under the auspices of PedRio led by Pauline Kneale so I am looking forward to presenting on the 20th of May, on the work Kay Sambell and I are working on currently, on international perspectives on assessment. The slides are here. International-Pedrio-2018-w.pptx (639 downloads) I am working too here with Pauline on an unfunded (but fascinating) research project on the assessment of students’ community engagement. How marvellous to be on such a glorious campus in sunshine after a long, grey, cold Spring!

After a great break featuring many Easter Egg hunts and much fun despite the terrible weather, it’s back to work this week, with me returning to Edinburgh Napier for another workshop with the Health and Social care team on assessment, my slides are here:  Edinburgh-Napier-HSC-12th-April-2018-w.pptx (492 downloads) . A link to the biscuits game is here:  Biscuit-game.docx (635 downloads)

I’m looking forward in the following week to working with the Law School at Manchester University. Slides and handout here:  GetPublishedManchester-w.pptx (517 downloads)   AssessFeedbackManchester17th-April-2018-w.pptx (529 downloads)   grid-2017-w.docx (633 downloads)

Then on to Plymouth for their amazing seventh annual Pedrio conference where I will be talking again about the work on international perspectives on assessment that Kay Sambell and I are currently working on. For the event details, see https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/whats-on/7th-annual-pedrio-conference​  It might still be possible to book a place there!

This week I will be facilitating the last two sessions for colleagues thinking about going for National Teaching Fellowship in 2018 or indeed subsequently, as well as for those who support them. On Wednesday morning  9.30-11.30, I will be at Anglia Ruskin University, so thanks to Sharon Waller for hosting us there, and on Wednesday afternoon I will be at City University 2pm-4pm  with thanks to Suzannah Quinsee for making this possible. The slides  I am using are here. ANTF-presentation-w3.pptx (667 downloads) Together with my ANTF colleagues, we will have then run 11 live events and two webinars notwithstanding blizzards causing the rescheduling of three of our sessions. After that, Phil and I are looking forward to hosting Easter egg hunt and Easter crafting party at our house on Friday afternoon before starting what we hope will be a peaceful and productive weekend, so we wish the same to you.

On Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st March, Phil and I will be in Manchester at the event the Association of National Teaching Fellows is co-convening with the HEA to celebrate the impact of National Teaching Fellows and winners of the Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence and Global Teaching Excellence Awards. I will be helping to lead the NTF day and Chairing the ANTF AGM, but on day Two I will be co-presenting with Kay Sambell our emergent thinking on international perspectives on assessment and feedback. Our slides are here:  International-ANTF-symposium-March-2018-ww.pptx (511 downloads)
We are tackling a bold theme: is it possible to identify any particular assessment and feedback conventions, approaches, expectations and practices associated with different nations? I would be delighted to hear from colleagues who have thoughts on this area.
And then on Wednesday 22nd March Phil and I will be co-facilitating the next in our series of ANTF workshops to discuss this year’s National Teaching Fellowship Scheme  at Leeds Beckett University 1pm-3pm: the slides we will be using are here:  ANTF-presentation-w3.pptx (667 downloads)