[Introduction] [Programme] [Venue] [Accommodation]
The Programme
Welcome from Stuart Lee, Head of the Learning Technologies Group, University of Oxford
"Hands across the Water; The Elucidations and Illusions of Metaphor." An Overview of Discussions from Herding Tigers, by John A. Alexander Instructional Technology Group, ITC University of Virginia.
Caroline Ingram - JISC - Summary of single breakout groups sessions and general discussion.
Wednesday 10th April - Promoting and Developing IT in HE
The day itself will be divided into three sessions (plus a general discussion at the end) but we hope to give over as much time as possible to discussing the issues that arise. Each session will be grouped around a common scenario that learning technology centres tend to encounter and will involve a short presentation, break-out discussions, and feed-back sessions:09:00 - 09:30 Registration
09:30 - 09:40 Welcome from Stuart Lee, Head of the Learning Technologies Group, University of Oxford
09:40 - 11:10 Raising Awareness
- how do you establish a network of contacts within your institution that reaches the teachers and practitioners?
- how can you avoid the trap of always preaching to the converted and attracting new people to the discussion?
- what dissemination activities do you employ?
- which ones work, which ones do not?
- how do you attempt to persuade the sceptic about the possibilities and benefits of using IT?
- how do you prevent all your time and resources being taken up by a few individuals?
11:10 - 11:30 tea/coffee
11:30 - 13:00 Working on IT projects in collaboration with academics
- how do you get academics to approach you with their ideas?
- how do you discourage unrealistic plans, and encourage achievable ones?
- how do you explain to relatively IT-illiterate people the possibilities and problems of using IT?
- how do you insure active and continued participation in the project by the academic partner?
- how do you evaluate the projects after they are completed?
- how do you make sure they are maintained and supported in the future?
- how do you insure sustainability of projects?
13:00 - 14:30 lunch at Keble College
14:30 - 16:00 Training and Teaching
- what courses do you offer in applied computing (i.e. not just basic IT skills training)?
- what topics in applied computing do you feel are important NOW, and which ones are emerging as important?
- how do your courses differ when offered to students/undergraduates, graduates, staff?
- how do you ascertain which courses are needed?
- bearing in mind the relatively low priority many academics place on IT skills, how do you persuade them to come to the courses; or how do you tailor the courses to match their needs/time constraints?
- how can one integrate IT courses into the University degree curriculum (problems/solutions etc)?
16:00 - 16:15 tea/coffee
16:15 - 17:00 General Discussion
- what are the main problems you are facing at the moment (these can be technological are infrastructural)?
- how do you tackle scalability and interoperability?
- what can you do to dissuade the proliferation of different software packages across campus?
- what do you think are the main technologies which you will have to deal with in the near future?
Thursday 11th April: Shock of the Old 2 Conference
Friday 12th April: 'Beyond Chalk and Talk' Debate