EduFest 2024

What is EduFest?

EduFest is our annual Learning and Teaching conference. This two-day event has been designed to help colleagues reflect upon and develop their approaches to learning and teaching. It features contributions from sector-leading experts, insights from colleagues at other institutions, and examples of how cutting-edge research here at Bath can help to make university courses everywhere more inclusive and engaging.

Edufest 2024, participants watching presenter

What to expect EduFest 2024

The theme of this year’s EduFest is INNOVATIVE TEACHING.

After feedback from previous years EduFest our annual learning and teaching conference will look a little different this year. Day 1 will be on online and take place on Wednesday 28th February 2024. Day 2 will be held on Tuesday 14th May 2024 as an in person event celebrating our successes for AY2324.

Day one – Wednesday 28th February 2024

Innovative teaching is the adoption of creative, novel and new approaches to the process of facilitating learning – both in the classroom and online. Innovation in teaching can help to encourage students to try something different, to take an active role in their learning and to engage them with the subject matter in order to promote deeper understanding, critical thinking, problem solving and retention of information. Innovative teaching methods often include the use of technology, experimental learning and new or sometimes untested teaching practices; equally, it can encompass traditional approaches, but applied in new contexts which are novel to your own practices. For EduFest 2024, we are keen to hear about your innovative approaches to teaching; whether that involves a new approach that has had a positive effect on student engagement and learning, or something you tried that did not work well and what lessons you learned along the way.

The call for contributions to our February online EduFest conference did not disappoint, with colleagues from across the University sharing excellent examples of their work.

Programme (Online) Wednesday 28th February

The conference was held on Zoom and recordings are now available below against the sessions.

Dr Chris Bonfield, Director of Centre for Learning & Teaching and Mrs Marie Salter, Head of Technology Enhanced Learning who introduced the day.

Mark Egan gave us an introduction to the New Teaching Hub, a website created by the CLT to offer support and resources for all our staff

Breakout room A or B for these Parallel sessions.

Breakout Room A:

Embedding sustainability – MariCarmen Ortega and Nicki Shantz, Department of Education (15 mins)

Psychology of Creativity & Innovation – Gosia Goclowska (5 mins)

Analytical literacy in chemistry labs – Robin Groleau, Department of Chemistry (5 mins)

Using data in Moodle to improve your teaching – Josh Lim, CLT (5 mins)

Breakout Room B

Modernising social science curricula (decolonisation) – Ben Radley, Department of Social & Policy Sciences (15 mins)

Feedback fruits – Cressida Lyon & Miriam Ellis, Department of Life Sciences (5 mins)

NUMBAS – Tamsin Smith and Evi Papadaki, MAST (5 mins)

Random data R-exams – Ilaria Bussoli, Department of Mathematical Sciences (5 mins)

Please use this time to make yourself refreshments and have a screen break

Session talk from the Curriculum Transformation Team lead by Marion Harney

Breakout room C or D for these Parallel sessions.

Breakout Room C

Embedding EDI in an Engineering curriculum – Melusine Pigeon, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (15 mins)

Embedding Sustainability in an Engineering curriculum – Melusine Pigeon, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (15 mins)

Curriculum Transformation Introducing Y1 “Grand Challenge” – Adam Brazil, Department for Health (5 mins)

Breakout Room D

Team Based Learning (TBL) in undergraduate Bioscience education – Zoe Burke, Cressida Lyon and Jo Stewart-Cox, Department of Life Sciences (15 mins)

Skills competence in the curriculum – Philip Shields & Colleagues, Department of Electronic Engineering (15 mins)

Vertically Integrated Projects – Paul Chin, CLT (5 mins)

Time to break from the screen and refuel.

`colleagues described how they have incorporated GenAI into thier teaching.

A Student Guide to Using GenAI for Assessing Knowledge and Understanding – James Fern, Department for Health

Embracing GenAI in summative assignments – Steve Cayzer, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Opportunities and pitfalls of using OpenAi for creating balanced teams for group work – Daniela Defazio, School of Management

The working group of GenAI at Bath mathematics – James Foadi, Department of Mathematical Sciences

Case Study for use of AI (Type B) engineering coursework – Melusine Pigeon, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Closing remarks by Dr Paul Chin, Head of Learning & Teaching and thank you for joining.

Day two – Tuesday 14th May 2024

The event featured presentations from the winners of the Teaching Excellence Awards 2024, emphasising the importance of innovative teaching methods. The Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) Scheme showcased end of semester posters with attendees voting for their favourite student posters. There was a chance to find out more about Teaching Development Fund Projects and Pedagogic Research and other professional development practices. The day allowed time for networking and celebrating our Learning and Teaching successes for AY2324.