Professor Phil Race and Linda Carey

‘In at the deep end’ - a half-day workshop on getting started in teaching in higher education

Phil Race works on both sides of the teaching-learning equation; working with students to develop their learning skills and with staff to develop their teaching methods.  He is particularly interested in the design of assessment instruments and processes, and is keen that both assessment and feedback should play positive and motivating roles in student learning. 

Phil is a part-time Visiting Professor for Assessment, Learning and Teaching at Leeds Metropolitan University, and for the rest of his time designs and leads interactive training workshops for staff and students in universities, colleges and other organisations throughout the UK and abroad.

Rationale

The workshop provided a ‘crash course’ for staff new to teaching – not least for those who were coming into post-compulsory education with experience from commerce and industry, and who wished to gain confidence quickly for the new challenges of teaching what they know so well, but who have neither the time nor the desire to get straight into all the scholarship or jargon which so often surrounds staff development programmes.

The workshop was equally intended to be a stimulating refresher for experienced teachers, who wished to reflect on their techniques – and pick up a few more, and refresh their thinking about how students really learn.  

Indeed, the wisdom and experience of colleagues were a very useful additional ingredient at the workshop, helping new staff to find their feet even more rapidly.

Intended learning outcomes

After participating in the workshop, it was hoped that staff were better able to:

1. Continue confidently with their teaching;
2. Identify and confront any fears or nightmares about teaching;
3. Develop practical ideas in their own lectures, tutorials and seminars;
4. Develop creative solutions to some of the most common problems new and old teachers experience;
5. Respond to how students learn best.

If you missed this interactive workshop please download Prof Race's PowerPoint presentation                < Back to the Guest Speaker Series 07/08