Learning and Teaching Conference 2021

9th and 10th June 2021

The theme for the University of Worcester Learning and Teaching 2021 conference is:

Blended Learning: Maintaining teaching excellence through a year of challenge and change

The past academic year has presented colleagues and students with unprecedented challenges and yet despite this there is much to celebrate. This year’s Conference will focus on innovative and existing best practice that has been adapted to, or created for, blended delivery for 2021 and beyond.

We look forward to discussing these challenges and opportunities from both staff and student perspectives with a particular focus on innovations born of necessity but developed through to genuine pedagogical approaches for teaching excellence.

We will explore this theme through inviting papers and case studies particularly related to the following strands:

Blended learning approaches that include and engage
Developing digital skills, capabilities, and citizenship for the “new normal”
Educational innovations for 2021 and beyond
Promoting student and staff wellbeing through face to face and remote engagement.

We invite proposals showcasing practice or offering a critical insight into aspects of these themes from practitioners and students at the University of Worcester, partner colleges and the wider academic community.

Abstract proposals should be submitted using the linked form. Abstracts for Oral and Poster presentations should be no more than 250 words.

You are invited to submit an abstract to be presented in one of the following formats:

Oral presentation – Oral presentations (15 minutes) should aim to give a brief summary of a piece of research or a project, either completed or still in progress. Each presentation should last for 12 minutes giving time for questions/discussion (3 minutes). Several oral presentations, with a central theme, may be grouped into sessions and facilitated by a Chair to maximise engagement and ensure good time keeping
Poster – this year we are inviting submissions of posters and short video submissions which highlight an element of excellent practice or summarise recent research or project outputs
Teams workshops – workshops provide an opportunity to explore one of the sub-themes in more depth drawing on insight and experiences of colleagues and students. A brief abstract with a suggested workshop structure is requested, workshops will be allotted 1 hour.

Whilst the conference committee aims to accommodate as many applications as possible, this is a selective process and spaces are limited. Where space is very limited in a particular strand, applicants may be asked to present in a different format to their original submission.

Proposals will be reviewed and applicants contacted during the week beginning 17th May 2021.

You will also need to register to attend the event in order to contribute to the conference; further information will be sent out in due course.

Criteria for acceptance

In order to be selected for the conference, your proposed contribution will need to:

Have clear relevance to the overall conference title and agenda
Be written with clarity so that the content is easily understood by the review panel and by conference delegates
Be of interest to conference delegates by describing practice or research from which others might learn
Ensure accuracy of citations, where these are used.

The closing date for submissions to the conference is Monday, 26th April 2021. Submissions received after this date will not be accepted.

For further information, please contact ltconference@worc.ac.uk.