Linnaeus ICT specialists visit University of Birmingham for job shadowing

04/18/2023 | by EUniWell | Birmingham Linnaeus Mobility Staff

As part of the EUniWell staff mobility offer, three members of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Office at Linnaeus University visited their colleagues from the Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFi) at the University of Birmingham for a week of job shadowing.

Participants of the staff exchange standing outdoors at the University of Birmingham.
Participants of the staff exchange at the University of Birmingham.
Participants of the staff exchange sitting at a table at the University of Birmingham.

From 23-24 March 2023, three Educational Developers in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) from the Faculty of Technology at Linnaeus University, had the opportunity to participate in an Erasmus Staff Mobility programme at the University of Birmingham, specifically their Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFi). Brian Kottonya, Pia Palm, Birgitta Gillsjo and their e-learning teams across the faculties support over 200 degree programmes and 44,000 students. Their visit, supported by EUniWell, was a great opportunity to share experiences, discuss best practice in digital education as well as consider the challenges in the sector and how our institutions are responding.

During the visit, HEFi representatives, including Alison Gibson, Matt Turner and Danielle Hinton, among others, presented their organisation and discussed their collaborations with teachers in various colleges. The Linnaeus team engaged in many interesting discussions on digital skills and pedagogical competencies. The conversation also revolved around the challenges encountered during COVID-19 and how the situation at both universities, Linnaeus University and the University of Birmingham, has now returned to normal.

The ICT experts also participated in a workshop organised by the Academic Skills Centre and their hosts from HEFi, entitled “Student support with digital skills”. During this workshop, the Assistant Director of the Department spoke about the current state of digital skills and future challenges in assessment, including Microsoft's Co-Pilot and ChatGPT, as well as maintaining academic integrity. All groups discussed at length the use of generated AI, the need for curriculum revision and new forms of assessment.

During the staff exchange, the participants from Linnaeus University went on a guided campus tour, where they visited the expansive sports complex, library, museum, wet and dry labs, BIM Cave’s Makerspace in their School of Engineering building, and the Collaborative Teaching Laboratory. They greatly enjoyed their stay, and were well-received, even earning a mention in the HEFi newsletter. In exchange, the ICT team is already looking forward to welcoming their HEFi colleagues at Linnaeus University in the near future.

 

Further information

Find out more about EUniWell’s mobility offers.

 


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