Cultivate is hosted by the Academic Development Centre at the University of Warwick. It is an open access series of events and resources to support learning, teaching and assessment that caters to all experience levels, ranging from early career academics to those leading modules and programmes. The Cultivate workshop series supports sector-wide community explorations of all things related to HE teaching, learning and assessment. Cultivate supports individual professional learning as well as providing a platform for colleagues to share their work and connect with wide and diverse communities.

At a glance:

Writing in the "Golden Hour": effective, synchronous, collaborative academic writing
Prof. Karen Heard-Lauréote and Dr. Carina Buckley, Thursday 14th December 2023, 1pm – 2pm

How can we align learning spaces with our pedagogies? Making learning spaces work better
Dr. Hiral Patel, Cardiff University, Tuesday 23rd January 2024, 11am – 12pm

Addressing institutional legacies: what role for educational development?
Helen Knowler, Tor Wright and Richard Steele, UCL, Wednesday 6th March 2024, 2pm – 3pm

Science for social justice: co-creating authentic anti-racist assessments
Dr. Moonisah Usman and Dr. Amy MacLatchy, University of Westminster, Tuesday 23rd April 2024, 1pm – 2pm

Zip Whizz Bang: A workshop on bringing unconventional sources to the classroom

Ariane Demeure, Kelly Mayjonade-Christy and Dr Margaux Whiskin, University of Warwick, Tuesday 14th May 2024, 11-12pm

Empowering University Teaching and Learning with STEM Outreach Excellence
Dr. Ishwar Kapoor, University of Warwick, Tuesday 21st May 2024, 11am – 12pm

Ethics and Value in Evaluation: How do we navigate multi-stakeholder education projects?
Naomi Clements, Dr. Erika Corradini and Tahrima Hossain, University of Southampton, Thursday 20th June 2024, 1pm – 2pm

Writing in the "Golden Hour": effective, synchronous, collaborative academic writing

Prof. Karen Heard-Lauréote and Dr Carina Buckley, Thursday 14th December 2023, 1pm – 2pm (MS Teams)

The life of a contemporary academic is characterised by multiple competing priorities and complexity. In such a context, how can a full academic profile of teaching, leadership, research and scholarship be maintained? The aim of this session is to illuminate peers about the potential of writing in collaborative golden hours to carve out and protect time for scholarly activity. This is a method that promotes inclusion by being open to all interested parties, whatever their background, and levelling the playing field for all collaborators - each finds the same time and duration from their workload to invest in the co-creation of publishable artefacts. This is a tried and tested method of publication for the authors with 5 outputs realised in the last 3 years. As we roll this model out to other colleagues in the sector, the intention is to evaluate effectiveness through participant satisfaction surveys.

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
1. Understand the notion of collaborative golden hours and what can be achieved in them.
2. Feel empowered to write collaboratively following the method presented.
3. Identify a potential output to be completed through this method within a specified timeframe

This session has already taken place. You can view a recording (21mins) of the first part of the session in which the collaborative writing approach is introduced.

How can we align learning spaces with our pedagogies? Making learning spaces work better

Dr. Hiral Patel, Cardiff University, Tuesday 23rd January 2024, 11am – 12pm (MS Teams)

Are you designing a new module/programme? Are you designing/refurbishing learning spaces? Are you developing new student partnership projects? If yes, then this workshop is for you.

Space matters. We all agree that spaces where learning happens are important. But it can take years to get a space just right for the kind of learning experience we want our students to have. There are various reasons why that’s the case ranging from the debates about efficiency versus effectiveness to changing pedagogic practices and learning spaces in tandem rather than in silos. The process of achieving alignment between the learning experience and learning space requires a substantial overhaul of how we think about campuses and curriculum delivery. The Learning-Space Aligner framework provides a blueprint for such a process. The framework draws on curriculum design approaches, service design methods and lived experiences of academic staff, professional services staff and students. This workshop will introduce the Learning-Space Aligner framework and the outcomes of three pilot projects conducted to implement this framework. During the workshop, we will map the challenges you face in aligning learning and space, provide a taster of different tools that are part of the Learning-Space Aligner framework and identify opportunities for improving learning experiences for you and your students.

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
1. Understand the Learning-Space Aligner framework and underpinning research.
2. Understand the tools included in the Learning-Space Aligner framework
3. Discuss contextual opportunities to achieve better alignment between learning experience and physical spaces

This session has already taken place and you can view the recording (25mins) of the first part of the session in which the Learning-Space Aligner framework is introduced.

Addressing institutional legacies: what role for educational development?

Helen Knowler, Tor Wright and Richard Steele, UCL, Wednesday 6th March 2024, 2pm – 3pm (MS Teams)

We will explore the complexities of the relationship between institutional historical legacies and the implications for teaching and learning in higher education. Drawing on UCL's historical links to and legacy of eugenics and considering the recommendations of the 2018 UCL Eugenics Inquiry, we consider the ways in which education can heal. Drawing on Sriprakash's (2022) notion of reparative futures and Britzman's (1998) theorization of difficult knowledge, we consider the practicalities of preparing and supporting colleagues to teach sensitive or difficult topics, foster student engagement and partnership, as well as thinking about curriculum development when attempting to demonstrate that the harms of a eugenics legacy have been addressed in post-inquiry activities. We will view and discuss objects from UCL’s Galton Collection, think about the relation between legacy and educational harm, reflect on project management tensions, and the importance of sensitive communication when working with legacies educationally.

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
1. Critically reflect on the relationship between historical legacies, education harms, and reparative futures.
2. Explore the tensions of working educationally across large higher education institutions and supporting complex and sensitive engagements with legacy issues in classrooms.
3. Consider the practical implications of supporting staff and students to introduce teaching materials related to eugenics legacies across different disciplines

This session has already taken place and you can view the full recording (54mins).

Science for social justice: co-creating authentic anti-racist assessments

Dr. Moonisah Usman and Dr. Amy MacLatchy, University of Westminster, Tuesday 23rd April 2024, 1pm – 2pm (MS Teams)

As decolonising of science gains momentum across the sector, we reimagine it to be about challenging prejudice and bias, shifting from eurocentric epistemology and recentring marginalised voices. Ultimately, shifting our relationship to and practice of science by being actively anti-racist and inclusive, may help us tackle problems such as health inequalities, which affect minoritised groups the most and with which we’ve grappled for too long (Raleigh and Holmes, 2021). In this workshop, we will consider the link between science and social justice to create inclusive learning spaces that allow anti-racist dialogue and practices. We will share lessons from our journey of using student partnership and critical thinking to develop and co-create anti-racist, inclusive assessments within the discipline of life sciences, on the core foundation module ‘Critical Thinking for Academic Professional Development’ in the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation, University of Westminster.

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
1. Appreciate the link between science and social justice.
2. Develop an approach to getting started with co-creation and anti-racist assessments.

This session has already taken place and you can view the full recording (57mins).

Zip Whizz Bang: A workshop on bringing unconventional sources to the classroom

Ariane Demeure, Kelly Mayjonade-Christy and Dr Margaux Whiskin, University of Warwick, Tuesday 14th May 2024, 11-12pm (MS Teams)

Theoretical discussions on the notion of canon and what/who is included/excluded have found a practical application in departments being encouraged to diversify their curriculum provision. Reading lists have opened up to new topics, new authors, but also to new types of primary source. In previous years, French Studies at the University of Warwick have included in its first-year core culture module a volume of Astérix, a comic book series which started in 1961. For the first time this academic year, French Studies is running a final-year module on graphic novels published between 2018 and 2021, so more reflective of the experience of contemporary French readers. This is an exciting new development, but one which comes with its challenges. We would like to use our experience of bringing graphic novels in the classroom to open a broader conversation on working with unconventional primary sources with students. This workshop will be articulated around four main sections:

1. The rationale behind choosing to work with unconventional sources.
2. The challenges of working with this type of material.
3. Solutions put in place to respond to these challenges.
4. Student responses.

The workshop will alternate between a brief presentation of our experience through our module on French graphic novels and an open-floor discussion on these four points so that colleagues may share best practices.

This session has already taken place and you can view the full recording (59mins).

Empowering University Teaching and Learning with STEM Outreach Excellence

Dr. Ishwar Kapoor, University of Warwick, Tuesday 21st May 2024, 11am – 12pm (MS Teams)

This session will delve into the transformative effects of STEM outreach within university settings, highlighting its profound connections to broader scholarly and topical dialogues. Through a comprehensive analysis, this session will underscore how STEM outreach aligns with institutional strategies, addressing priorities such as community engagement and educational enrichment. By addressing sector-wide concerns related to workforce diversity and skill development, this session will contribute to ongoing discussions about the future of STEM education. Emphasizing inclusivity, the session will showcase strategies that empower underrepresented groups, fostering diversity and equity in STEM fields. Additionally, the session will delve into the rigorous evaluation methodologies employed to gauge the effectiveness of these outreach initiatives. By examining tangible outcomes, educational advancements, and stakeholder engagement, the session will provide insights into the measurable impact of inclusive STEM outreach. This session will exemplify the dynamic relationship between outreach efforts, scholarly discourse, and educational innovation.

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
1. Incorporate innovative teaching methods inspired by STEM outreach into their university courses.
2. Design learning experiences that cater to diverse student backgrounds, abilities, and learning styles, ensuring equitable participation and understanding for all learners.
3. Use and adapt techniques to measure student progress, gather insights on teaching effectiveness, and continuously improve the learning journey.

This session was postponed - we hope to reschedule it soon.

Ethics and Value in Evaluation: How do we navigate multi-stakeholder education projects?

Naomi Clements, Dr. Erika Corradini and Tahrima Hossain, University of Southampton, Thursday 20th June 2024, 1pm – 2pm (MS Teams)

The purpose of evaluation is to understand the ‘value’ of an activity, programme or project. In a multistakeholder education environment, evaluation, the “doing right, or “good,” poses several ethical challenges regarding who's “good” we are trying to attribute value to (Brown & NewMan, 1996; Morris, 2011). Evaluation processes in Higher Education Institutes (HEI) often involve multiples stakeholders, such as students, academics, researchers, administrators, and external evaluators. Each has specific outcomes to achieve and sometimes these include conflicting interests and priorities. These conflicts lead to ethical dilemmas for evaluators which raise questions on how evaluation processes can be designed to promote ethical decision-making that considers the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders.

In this interactive session, the facilitators will discuss a working case study of ethical decision-making design at an English University. We will enable a discussion space where participants can explore their own challenges in multistakeholder environments. Participants will collaboratively create solutions to ensure ethical evaluation practice within their own contexts. This session is relevant for anyone involved in evaluation processes in a multistakeholder environment. It will provide insights into the ethical challenges of evaluation processes in higher education institutes and how they can be addressed through ethical decision-making that ensures an inclusive evaluation process.

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Identify the roles of different stakeholders in evaluation processes.
2. Describe the ethical challenges of working with differing interests of stakeholders in education evaluation projects.
3. Design evaluation processes to promote ethical decision-making in multi-stakeholder evaluation projects.

This session has already taken place and you can view the full recording (57mins).