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‘Will this be in the exam?’ and other teaching hurdles examined in UCL Arena Seminar

24 October 2016

Smartphones, lateness, language diversity, unknown levels of prior knowledge were just some of the challenges examined by UCL teaching staff at a highly enjoyable Arena Exchange seminar last week.

Staff at UCL Arena seminar

The session was led by Dr Hendrik den Ouden of the Zentrum für Hochschuldidaktik (Centre for University Teaching) at the University of Cologne. It was built around several drawing exercises designed to explore the student's perspective, with questions on ways of learning and the characteristics of good teaching.  He also ran a seminar on motivating students, incorporating aspects of group dynamics and their influences on learning behaviour.

Seminar participants came from a range of disciplines representing a diverse cross section of UCL’s global community. UCL Arena provides resources, networking and opportunities to develop professionally for all UCL staff who teach, supervise, assess or support students’ learning.  More staff are gaining Fellowships in recognition of teaching at UCL than at other Russell Group universities.

Dr den Ouden offered sessions to UCL Arena through their seminar proposal form. His visit is part of a growing programme of knowledge and skills exchange between UCL’s Centre for Advancing Learning and Teaching (CALT) and international education networks, particularly in Europe but also Chile, China, Japan, Australia, Pakistan, USA and New Zealand.

UCL Arena Director Dr Rosalind Duhs will make a return visit to the University of Cologne in November to speak to their networks about UCL Arena and embedding research-based education through the Connected Curriculum, as well as running a session about evidence-based teaching - using the research on learning in higher education to inform practice. Dr Gwyneth Hughes (IOE) and CALT Director Professor Dilly Fung are also making individual visits to Cologne in 2017.

Visit the Arena Exchange Seminars webpage for information and see the calendar for full list of events.