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Warwick International Higher Education Academy

WIHEA Learning Circles

WIHEA Learning Circles (LCs) help the WIHEA community, lead and develop expertise in an either that explores new opportunities or tackles current challenges faced by Warwick and/or other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the globe.

How do Learning Circles work?

Led by current WIHEA Fellows, Learning Circles use discussion-based meetings, held one to two times per term, to listen, understand and address topical questions and challenges. Learning Circles are expected to share regular activity (i.e., meeting details, focus, goals) so this information can be shared with the WIHEA and wider university community. Highlighting and celebrating best practice with the wider international network.

  • Role of a Learning Circle member: To gather intelligence, collaborate and share their findings and insights to inform strategic and practical thinking to enhance institutional practice and policy. Learning Circles enable members to enhance their own expertise and leadership experience through connections and collaboration, influencing Warwick’s future direction.
  • How to Join: New WIHEA Fellows are contacted during their induction regarding their interest in joining LCs. Any current Fellows/Alumni are invited to contact the LC lead(s) they are interested in directly. Not a fellow or alum? That’s ok, you can become a member! Warwick students and staff are invited to engage and participate in ‘Open’* LCs or LCs with a ‘Critical Friend Group’. Open learning circles are highlighted below in blue and say ‘open’.
  • Become a member by emailing WIHEA@warwick.ac.uk, to keep you informed of WIHEA activities, Learning Circles' progression and projects, so that understanding of WIHEA’s strategic aims and links to other similar work in this area can be made more easily.

*Please note, any Staff or Students who are not a WIHEA Fellow, Alumni or current WIHEA Member who wish to join an Open Learning Circle, are required to become a WIHEA Member.

How to propose a new Learning Circle:

As a WIHEA Fellow, if you would like to propose starting/leading a new learning circle, please email WIHEA@warwick.ac.uk and you will be provided with further information/guidance on starting and leading a Learning Circle and an online request form.

For information on past Learning Circles and those transitioning to Networks/Forums, please visit Past Learning Circles.

AI in Education

Co-led by Karen Jackson (Library), Neha Gupta (WBS) and Jianhua Yang (WMG). This Open Learning Circle aims to:

  • Understand and develop expertise in utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the educational context, from perspectives including teaching, learning, and ethical considerations
  • Acknowledge the significant and varied amount of work taking place across campus to address the above issues

Anti-Racist Pedagogy and Process in HE

Co-led by Olanrewaju Sorinola (WMS) and Poonam Pedley (Education Directors Office), the aim of this Learning Circle is to:

  • Inform institutional deliberations on issues of BAME student experience and attainment, as it relates to teaching and learning

Building Belonging

This Open Learning Circle, co-led by Inca Hide-Wright (Leadership and Management Development) and Tom Ritchie (Chemistry), aims to:

  • Test and review the Warwick Belonging Framework
  • Continue to evaluate and refine methods for increasing belonging at Warwick, and the metrics for measuring belonging

Compassionate Pedagogy

Co-led by Gemma Gray (Psychology) and Luke Hodson (Psychology), this Open Learning Circle aims to:

  • Focus on holistic, person-centred approaches to how we interact across the university
  • Foster compassion across staff and students
  • Imbue kindness and consideration into all of the activities we do

Designing and Assessing Group Work

Co-led by Tom Greenaway (Student Opportunity) and Mujthaba Ahtamad (WMG), this Open group exists to:

  • Reflect on student and staff experiences of assessed group work
  • Investigate possible success factors in the design of truly collaborative group work tasks
  • Explore existing research and scholarship on group work from both within and beyond Warwick
  • Enhance institutional understanding of effective approaches to assessing group tasks

Developing Academic Literacies

Co-led by Alexander Smith (Sociology) and Susie Cowley-Haselden (Warwick Foundation Studies), this Open group aims to:

  • Critically evaluate and support students in developing their academic literacies
  • Identify barriers to success in academia through a critical examination of academic writing requirements
  • Establish pedagogical practices and research developed through a reimagining of academic writing
  • Steer the direction of academic literacies support at Warwick

Digital Education and Technologies for Teaching and Assessment (DETTA)

Co-led by Caroline Elliott (Economics) and Matt Street (Online Learning), this Learning Circle aims to:

  • Produce a Digital Education Framework against which proposed investments can be assessed
  • Support recommendations to University education officers regarding possible future investments
  • Conduct exploratory meetings with other institutions, and produce data on potential technologies to explore

Employability

Co-led by Atisha Ghosh (Economics), David Molyneux (Student Opportunity) and Laura Yetton (Flexible Online Learning). This Learning Circle aims to:

  • Discuss and develop initiatives and practices to work towards furthering the employability of our students

  • Recognise the significant achievements that Warwick has made in this regard
  • Embed employability into the culture of our community

Inclusive Assessment

Led by Kerry Dobbins (ADC), this Open Learning Circle aims to:

  • Gain critical evaluation of current practices from both staff and students
  • Evaluate the stability of the assessment designs and help enhance our practices
  • Share best practices and enable co-creation of diverse and inclusive assessment practices

Learning Circle Sub-group:

Internationalisation

Co-led by Massimiliano Tamborrino (Statistics) and Zi Wang (Student Opportunity). Internationalisation is one of three aspects of learning beyond boundaries where Warwick excels. This Open group explores:

  • Student mobility
  • Exchange of ideas, practices and experience across the discipline
  • Internationalisation in the curriculum

Pedagogies of Public & Community Engagement

Led by Mark Hinton (Lifelong Learning), Jonathan Heron (IATL) and Gioia Panzarella (Global Sustainable Development), this group runs in conjunction with WIE and it explores Public Engagement within:

  • Current modules
  • Teaching
  • Assessments

Restorative Justice in HE

Co-led by Jane Bryan (Law) and Amanda Wilson (Law), this Learning Circle aims to:

  • Explore how Restorative Justice works in other institutions (within and outside of HE)
  • Explore the literature on Restorative Justice and develop an evidence base relevant to Warwick
  • Engage with stakeholders from across the university and explore ways in which Restorative Justice processes might be used at Warwick

Teaching Recognition and Reward (TR&R)

Co-led by Ali Ahmad (WMG) and Simon Peplow (History). It informs institutional deliberation on:

  • Parity of research and teaching
  • Teaching career development
  • Recognition and reward of teaching activity