The LALT Brief 16th April 2024

New textbook edited and co-authored by colleagues in Psychology and Life Sciences

The new textbook, 'Introduction to Human-Animal Interaction: insights from social and life sciences' is now available. This book introduces recent developments, theories, and debates in the relatively new research area of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and focuses on the social and life sciences aspect of these interactions - ideal for any students interested in human-animal interaction. Thank you to all academics from UoL who took part in this book! We aim to promote further HAI research in the associated website (click the button below), so if you have any research video talks or teaching/learning activities you would like to share, let us know.

Laetitia Marechal, Associate Professor in Psychology

Survey updates

NSS

This year's National Student Survey (NSS) campaign took a fresh approach, focusing on meaningful student engagement at the local level. This localised approach encouraged students to participate as part of a dedicated session, rather than directing them to take part in a separate place on campus, making the survey more relevant within the context of students' academic programs.

The campaign moved away from a transactional incentive model and emphasised the power of student voices. Rather than relying on incentives, we wanted students to recognise the impact of their feedback.

NSS launched on the 5th February 2024, and over 70 sessions were held to promote NSS and encourage participation. By the end of week 1, the institutional response rate was 36.8% (13.2% ahead of the 2023 response rate). By the end of week 2, the institutional response rate had reached 48.5% (12.7% ahead of the response rate in 2023).

We are now currently in week 11 of the NSS campaign, and the current response rate is 73.8% (70.7% at the same time last year). The survey will close on 30 April 2024, and results of the feedback will be published on the OfS website in summer 2024.

Student Experience Survey: 05 March - 28 April 2024

The Student Experience Survey, previously known as the Year 1 and Year 2 survey, is now open for responses from all undergraduate students who are not eligible for the NSS.

This survey provides students with an opportunity to provide feedback on their university experience so far and to help to shape the future of their programme and university experiences.

The survey is being coordinated at the school level, so the timing and promotion of the survey will vary within the designated 8-week timeframe.

Survey data will be available on the Planning dashboard in the summer, allowing staff to reflect on student feedback at all levels, and implement changes that will positively impact the overall student experience.

PTES: 08 April - 13 June 2024

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is open to all postgraduate taught students and invites them to comment on their course and learning experience. The survey is open now and will close on 13 June 2024.

As we enter the second week of the campaign, the institutional response rate for the end of week 1 was 8.8%. Please continue to highlight PTES to your students and encourage participation. On completion of the survey, eligible students can claim a free drink and sweet treat voucher (subject to a limit of 1000 vouchers) from the PTES strand located in the Minerva Atrium.

New IMPact edition: UROS

The latest edition of the IMPact journal has been published on the LALT website, and can be viewed using the button below.

This is a student edition, allowing students who took part in a UROS project in 23/24 to reflect on their experiences of the scheme, and present their findings of their projects.

StAR Lab

To increase opportunities for Students as Researchers, LALT has worked in collaboration with the Estates Sustainability Team to launch the Student-led Climate Action Research Living Laboratory (StAR Lab) scheme.

This scheme embodies the principle of Student as Producer and provides students with an opportunity to collaborate with a local organisation; to develop new knowledge and skills; and to engage in sustainability focused research and consultancy project.

There are currently two StAR Lab projects open for applications, one working with Ruddocks, and the other Doddington Farms LLP. Successful applicants will be awarded a £500 student bursary as a contribution to cost of living while undertaking the project.

If you have any questions or queries, please email lalt@lincoln.ac.uk.

Call for IMPact journal papers

IMPact is the University of Lincoln’s peer-reviewed, open access and multi-disciplinary journal of Higher Education. The journal invites colleagues from across the university, including postgraduate and undergraduate students, to share their work with the express intention of informing, challenging and influencing.

We encourage colleagues to submit to the journal through conventional manuscripts (5000 words in length accompanied by an abstract of up to 250 words). Submissions can also take the form of a scholarly research notices, which are more suited to submissions which are shorter, smaller scale written pieces of work, notably small interim reports, or evaluations of small scale projects. This format also allows authors to submit some focused reflective pedagogical discussions/ narratives.

All submissions are peer reviewed and are required to follow the standardised journal template as indicated on the website.

If you are interested in discussing further please contact the IMPact email impact@lincoln.ac.uk.

Call for research reviewers

We are looking for volunteers to support LALT with reviewing research for various projects. This includes the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Scheme (UROS) applications, and IMPact paper reviews and feedback. Full training and support will be provided.

Supporting LALT as a reviewer will provide you with a developmental opportunity, which can be used to evidence your contribution to scholarship, collaboration, and student engagement at an institutional level.

This opportunity provides a flexible commitment level, and you can volunteer for as much or as little as your workload permits.

If you are interested in volunteering and would like to find out more, please contact lalt@lincoln.ac.uk.

Student Teaching and Support Panel - Open for submissions!

The Student Teaching and Support Panels are a collaboration between Lincoln Academy of Learning and Teaching (LALT) and the Students' Union, designed to bring together staff and students to provide feedback on new initiatives and proposals on teaching and learning.

We are inviting staff from both academic schools and professional services to submit their proposals; project/innovation ideas or initiatives for reflection and feedback from our panel of trained student volunteers and collaborating in the development of teaching and learning practices.

If you have any projects or initiatives that would benefit from student input and insight, please complete the online proposal form below by the stated submission date.

For further details about the Student Teaching and Support Panel, including other panel dates, visit the website below or contact lalt@lincoln.ac.uk.

Academic Development

PgCert HE (standard)

The application window for the September cohort of the PgCert will open on 1st May. Anyone interested in encouraged to read the programme details below, which include eligibility criteria. Please ensure you discuss your interest in the programme with your line managers before submitting an applications. Please contact pgcert@lincoln.ac.uk to express interest, and the team will assess your eligibility and ask you to complete an application form in early May.

PgCert HE (GTF)

At the beginning of February, we welcomed a cohort of 28 Graduate Teaching Fellows from across different areas of the university on a bespoke PgCert programme, on a block delivery model. Learners will complete their studies in February 2025.

APA

Also in February, we welcomed our 6th cohort on the Academic Professional Apprenticeship, with 11 apprentices joining us. The APA is designed for academic staff who are new to teaching in HE. Recruitment for the February 2025 will start in the Autumn and anyone interested can contact apa@lincoln.ac.uk for more information.

HEAR Scheme Update

The University of Lincoln has transitioned to the new Professional Standards Framework (PSF) 2023, which is a globally recognised framework for benchmarking success within Higher Education teaching and learning.

Key dates and guidance about applying (including video resources) can be found on the HEAR web pages using the button below.

The next submission deadline is 3rd June 2024.

Applicants are invited to attend a support workshop first; these are bookable via the HEAR web pages.

If you have been asked to write a supporting statement for a colleague, new guidance is also available for you.

Any queries can be directed to HEAR@lincoln.ac.uk.

Digital Education

AI at University of Lincoln

In the ever-evolving landscape of accessible AI, the university is actively assessing its transformative impact on our organisational functions. In teaching and learning, we are observing how AI is influencing the way students are engaging with the knowledge they build and generate. To address this, the University has established three primary working groups, each with a distinct focus on the strategic, technical, and operational aspects of AI utilisation.

  1. AI Working Group: Chaired by Andy Beggan, this group is strategically oriented, guiding the University's response, policy, and approach to AI integration. Comprising representatives from diverse areas, the group aims to actively navigate and promote the potential and challenges associated with AI.
  2. Digital Innovation Centre of Excellence (DICE): Recently announced, DICE is a team of technologists specialising in AI, Machine Learning (ML), automation, and related fields. They will direct the technical implementation of new advancements to strategically benefit the organisation. This group will explore and develop new services, involving the wider community through stakeholder groups to guide development directions.
  3. Generative AI Network (GAIN): Led by Kate Strudwick, GAIN has an operational focus, aiming to explore the practical application of AI across a broad spectrum of organisational and scholarly activities. One of GAIN's objectives is to foster innovation through piloting and experimentation, driven by an interdisciplinary team of early adopters. This group will be instrumental in building use cases that will be circulated across the University to support the implementation of AI-driven practices.

Collaboratively, these three groups are committed to promoting the use of artificial intelligence and ensuring its seamless integration across all University domains.

If you are interested in contributing to AI initiatives at the University, we invite you to join the GAIN network. We are currently welcoming expressions of interest for the first round of exploration tasks such as Copilot use cases and integrated AI tools investigations. Ideal candidates will have some knowledge of AI and prior experience with available tools. To learn more and express your interest, please complete the form below or contact Kate Strudwick (kstrudwick@lincoln.ac.uk) or Phil Peatling (phpeatling@lincoln.ac.uk).

Digital Mindset

The University is currently working with professional and academic staff on the Digital mindset Initiative. This initiative aims to help support staff with development opportunities to embed new digital approaches to working. We aim to work directly with staff to understand our current digital literacies, finding out our current practice and tool use as well as identifying skills and knowledge pathways to help foster digital capabilities.

We are currently within the first phase of the project. Having talked directly to department and area leads to identify communication pathways and working with staff using a short form, we are now in the process of running staff-facing workshops to help us identify the needs of the University in terms of digital development and tool use. This information will help us generate wider training sessions, based on your needs, and a variety of approaches to help support staff digital development within the second phase.

We are looking forward to working with you. If you would like more information or wish to book onto one of the upcoming sessions, please visit the website using the button below.

Training and CPD

The next Digital Education Week is running from 17th-21st June 2024.

Our workshops (traditional training courses as well as more specialised sessions) how support year-round staff development and are available to book on to until July 2024. These include: Makerspace sessions to help you develop new teaching activities, Digital Discussions, Data Driven Teaching, Assessment Design, Creating Interactive Digital Content, Blackboard sessions, Engaging Students Online, and many more.

Booking can be done through the 'My View' HR system. The direct link to the booking system can be found below. To book through the system, click on 'My Training & Development' > 'New Course Booking' and filter the type by 'Digital Education'. Click on the course you are interested in > click on the date you would like to attend to find more information, and submit your request for training.

If you have any further questions, please contact digitaleducation@lincoln.ac.uk.

Libraries and Learning Skills

Reading list content in Blackboard Ultra

Research has found that aligning module reading with your teaching builds student participation without overwhelming students. It helps them to be sure what to read when, and why.

If you would like to know more, see our video on Reading Lists on Blackboard Ultra or visit the webpage for instructions on how to do it.

Library subscriptions

Did you know that the library subscribes to 154,000 journal titles (mainly online) and 220 databases?

If you would like to explore this rich content for your teaching or research, contact your Academic Subject Librarian (ASL), who will be happy to walk you through what is available in your subject area.

Note: we are currently reviewing all our subscriptions. ASLs can help find alternative library resources where subs are no longer available.

Skills for Study

Here is a reminder about Skills for Study, and that you can embed content from it into your Blackboard module site to supplement existing study skills teaching and resources. Skills for Study is an interactive resource based on Stella Cottrell's Study Skills Handbook. It covers a range of academic skills and is designed to help students develop these skills at their own pace. For more information, click the button below or talk to your ASL.

Writing Development

The Writing Development team has developed several new webinars and workshops including Writing with Dyslexia at university; Presentation skills; and Thematic analysis for the first-time researcher. They will also be running more exam and revision webinars in the lead up to exams in May. The workshops are open to all students and can be booked via the library's events page:

The team launched its new blog in February, which includes ideas and reflections on the art of writing.

Online and on campus one-to-one appointments are available throughout the week for students to discuss any aspect of their writing or assessment skills with the team. These are bookable via the website:

Please contact the team if you would like to arrange a Writing Development lecture for your students. Either fill out the form on our website or email: writingdev@lincoln.ac.uk.

If you are interested in having content included in the next edition, please contact jhornertimmins@lincoln.ac.uk.