These are questions we hear all the time from academics across faculties. In response, the team in IML have put together a new program: Teaching for learning.futures (TLF). TLF will guide you towards finding answers to these questions and making changes that will work for you and your students.
So what is TLF?
It’s a program made up of five ‘blended’ modules run over a period of 10 weeks (see here for details). The modules involve online and face-to-face activities – just like your subjects. Each module tackles a key element you need to get across, not only to teach well but to make sure your subject aligns well with UTS learning.futures.
10 weeks! Does that mean it involves a lot of time?
No. While it runs over 10 weeks, each module only involves around 4 hours of work over a fortnight – and that’s the face-to-face as well as the online bits. Plus, the work you do is focused on getting things done to improve your subjects. It is definitely time well spent and you and your students will reap the benefits!
Ok – what’s so good about the program?
A key thing is that TLF walks the talk. It models the blended approach you would have heard all about, you know “the best use of face-to-face and online environments”. It’s run in UTSOnline so the whole program has the ‘look and feel’ of a UTS subject and you, just like your students, participate online between attending face-to-face classes, doing activities designed to build engagement and interaction. So while you are learning about how to enhance your teaching, you are also experiencing – as a learner – the approaches, tools and technologies you can use in your subjects with your own students.
This also helps you gain a better understanding of the sorts of issues your students face in learning in blended ways, making the ‘take a walk in my shoes’ thing a little easier to imagine. And as the student perspective is a key feature of TLF you’ll get to hear from lots of current students about what helps them learn in their classes– as well as the things that stop them from showing up!
The program also tackles the ‘why’ along with the ‘how’. From our experience working with hundreds of academics we know how important it is to marry a practical focus with the chance to think about and critique the thinking behind the focus on learning, blending and learning.futures.
You also get to meet others who are tackling similar challenges and bounce around ideas together. Given they come from different disciplines and diverse backgrounds you’ll get to hear lots of perspectives and ideas, and have heaps of examples you can draw from in planning your own subjects.
And that’s not all (at this point I feel I should be offering you six free steak knives!). You also get the space to think about how teaching and learning fits into your career and the sorts of evidence you could and should be collecting to get ready for that next promotion.
Do I have to do the whole thing?
You’ve heard the expression ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’. While the modules each tackle a key element related to teaching for learning.futures, you’ll benefit most if you integrate these areas. As TLF runs over 10 weeks, you get plenty of time to think about, plan and revisit your ideas. We’ve built in activities that run across the program that help you do this. You’ll set up an e-portfolio that will help you pull your ideas together, consider the different perspectives from colleagues and students, and reflect on what works best for you.
What will you leave with?
Along with some great connections, an understanding of how to put key elements of learning, teaching, designing, assessing and evaluating to practice in your subjects to align with learning.futures, you’ll also have some good ideas for building a case for a teaching promotion!
We hope we’ve tweaked your interest. If so let us know by completing this form.