Topic 3: Open teaching (2022/3)
A session outline for PG Cert HE participants on the Open Knowledge in Higher Education unit
PG Cert HE participants: This topic relates to the session on Friday 17th March. You can use this page to prepare/catch up/review. The topic will be updated after the session has taken place to include any recorded content from guest speakers or tutors and any shared resources we create during the sessions.
You can find interviews with past participants of the unit here
What is ‘Open teaching’?
In this topic, we encourage you to consider what open teaching is within Higher Education.
Our featured guests at this session were April McMahon, Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students and Student Team members Tabita-Gabriela Juravle and Dhruv Mistry.
We are incredibly grateful to our guests for contributing to the session and sharing their viewpoints and experiences.
Open Teaching
April began by stating that openness is and should remain central in all the work that we do at the University. It is important that students can see and hear people that look like them across the University — both in terms of staff and graduates. Through working in genuine partnership with students we can ensure that they not just survive their university experience but thrive from it.
Open to everyone
April highlighted the difference between equality and equity. The Access and Participation Plan covers the whole student lifecycle and aims to improve retention, reduce the awarding gap, and support progression beyond graduation. We don’t do this because of metrics but because it is the right thing to do.
Open access through flexibility
Through the pandemic we increased eLearning support and online provision. Our aim now is to provide flexible learning for everyone, including on campus students. Online and face-to-face delivery are both necessary for a fully blended experience.
Open to different perspectives
There are gender and ethnicity gaps that need to be addressed — even if we are highly successful in bringing a diverse student body into Manchester at UG level, who goes on to postgraduate study? We need to ensure that our curricula, reading lists and resources reflect different perspectives.
Open to ideas
We strive for parity of esteem between teaching and research. Reward and recognition for excellence in teaching and learning is vital. How does a research-rich environment benefit students? What about teaching-led research?
April concluded by looking at the pioneering spirit at the centre of teaching and learning which encourages us to think about how we can be bolder and jump ahead.
You can view a recording of the presentation and Q&A here.
Student Team Panel
We were joined by Tabita-Gabriela Juravle and Dhruv Mistry from the Student Team. They gave us an overview of their roles. As well as regularly assisting with workshops on TLS programmes such as My Learning Essentials, they also develop resources for the UCIL course Digital Society, create social media content for the Library and take on projects from across and beyond the University such as this IWD book review project from the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre and Education Trust.
Tabita and Dhruv both highlighted the importance of providing opportunities and support for all students. Openness is tied to inclusion and diversity and the University must listen to student needs and act, rather than being tokenistic in its engagement with students.
You can view a recording of the panel and Q&A here.
💬 Contribute
During the course, we will ask you to share ideas and experiences and hear from your peers through 💬 Contribute activities like this one. Read the following prompt then add your contribution in the box below. All comments are anonymous. Please be civil and don’t share personal identifying information.
What would you like to ask the student team?
Reading and thinking about openness
You may want to engage with this suggested reading and contribute your thoughts:
Suggested reading: Education, Knowledge and Data in the Context of the Sharing Economy | SpringerLink — This provides clear examples of digital collaboration and co-creation
We asked students: What does Open Knowledge mean to you? | SFU Library — Graduate students’ definitions/opinions on openness
Reflection
We encourage you to reflect on the unit as a whole. You may want to think about the following questions:
How would you define openness?
How does openness intersect with your role?
How has your understanding of openness changed?
