8 ways we can help enhance your teaching and support of learning this year

The UCL Arena Centre for Research-Based Education and UCL Digital Education offer professional development to all staff who teach and support learning. Here are some ways we can support you and your education practices this year:

1. Join our new Connected and Blended Learning Hub

Become part of the Connected and Blended Learning Hub on UCL eXtend for inspiration, discussion and debate on how to embrace a connected and 'blended by design' approach to teaching, learning and assessment. The Hub is a gateway to ideas and resources that support you to find the right blend of approaches for your programme, module or individual session.

2. Get in touch with our dedicated liaison reps

• Your Arena Faculty liaison can offer you tailored support or point you in the direction of relevant resources, workshops and further training opportunities for your individual programme, module and assessment needs.
• Your new Digital Assessment Advisor works with your faculty to build an understanding of the digital assessment needs of different departments and programmes, identify solutions, and channel any feedback back to the central digital assessment product team. They  also provide training and support to academic and administrative colleagues, facilitate sharing of practice, and champion the capabilities of AssessmentUCL among colleagues.

3.  Explore our extensive programme of events

Book onto one of our events or workshops where we share best practice in teaching and learning, and discuss ideas and challenges with colleagues. We cover a range of topics including:

• assessment and feedback
• designing sessions and modules
• approaches to engaging students
• ways to evaluate and reflect on your teaching
• support and wellbeing, and
• supervising student research.

4. Gain professional recognition with an Arena and AdvanceHE Fellowship

Whatever your job title, if you teach or support students’ learning at UCL or lead on an area of education, you’re welcome to work with us to achieve recognition. Since the scheme launched in 2014 there have been almost 2000 successful fellowship applications! Find out more and start your accreditation journey today. 

5. Get involved in one of our student-staff partnership initiatives

This year, our Student Reviewers of Teaching Practice are also available to work colleagues delivering their modules as hybrid sessions. Student reviewers will work with you in pairs, with one acting as co-pilot while the other student observes the session. The experience of co-piloting will provide an opportunity to work together and to consider how students in the online and in-class environment experience the sessions. Applications to the Student Reviewers programme are open all year, so you can apply to participate at any time or discover more about similar staff-student partnership schemes. 

6. Join us to reflect on different approaches to working with diverse and multicultural cohorts. 

In our Working with international students session, we will explore various themes around developing intercultural competence at UCL, in all areas of student and staff life. These include:

• challenging stereotypes
• different perspectives on group interaction and student-staff rapport, and
• internationalization of the curriculum beyond international mobility.

7. Browse our collection of Teaching Toolkits

These practical resources on a wide range of topics help provide inspiration and guidance for all colleagues involved in teaching and assessing at UCL. Whether you are a new member of academic staff seeking to extend your knowledge or a more experienced teacher looking for a fresh perspective, there’s something here for you. Explore the Toolkits now. 

8. Explore our newly-updated UCL Personal tutoring webpage.

Personal tutors continue to be key in supporting students to become part of the learning community, facilitating their individual development, and enabling students to achieve their full potential. Our Personal Tutoring webpages provide an overview of the role and resources to help you carry out or support the role, including:

• A self-paced online course for new and experienced personal tutors – a ‘one-stop’ resource for support on specific areas, and  
• a series of face-to-face and online workshops