News

Funded by Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA), the Compassionate Pedagogy Learning Circle would like to invite UK academics who have student-facing roles to participate in a study on compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to others' suffering. We are interested in exploring compassion fatigue in UK academic staff as part of their role in providing pastoral care and support to their students.

Common symptoms of compassion fatigue include reduced feelings of empathy and sympathy, feeling helpless/powerless, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by work demands, feeling detached, numb and emotionally disconnected, increased anxiety, sadness, anger and irritability, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, including physical symptoms such as headaches, upset stomach and sleep disturbance.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the experience of compassion fatigue in HE academic staff in order to highlight and communicate HE staff experiences with a view to raising awareness and empowering HE institutions to implement effective support strategies to promote best practice related to compassion fatigue within the HE sector. 

Who Can Participate:

• Academics from all disciplines, employed at a UK Higher Education Institution with experience of compassion fatigue. Please note: academics from the department of Psychology at the University of Warwick are not eligible to take part as the research assistant is from the same department.
• Academics who have a student-facing role (e.g. personal tutor, senior tutor, module convenor, supervisor etc.)
• Full-time and part-time staff members, and those on fixed-term contracts

What to Expect:

You will be invited to take part in a semi-structured interview asking about your experience of compassion fatigue as part of your role in providing pastoral care and support to your students. Interviews should take no more than 1 hour and will be conducted online via MS Teams.

How to Participate:

If you are interested in taking part or would like more information, please contact Emma.Turton@warwick.ac.uk (Project Officer).

Your support in helping to share the call and the information above with your network, both within and beyond the University of Warwick, would be very appreciated.

The DETTA Learning Circle has recently been relaunched as a forum for exploring good practice and innovation in digital education and technologies for teaching and assessment. The new co-leads are:

• Dr Devon Allcoat, based at WMG and works with IATL. She specialises in technology-enhanced learning and technology management, with special interests in immersive technology and game design.
• Dr Charlotte Stevens from the Academic Development Centre, where she co-leads the PGA Digital Education. She has specific interests in online pedagogy and supporting the online learning experience and is an editor of Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning.
• Saran Shantikumar, a public health consultant who is also based at Warwick Medical School, where he runs a masters course and is involved in UG/PG research and education. He has interests in using generative AI in medical education, from learner and educator perspectives.

DETTA is a space for Fellows and Alumni to explore new ideas to overcome community challenges through ideation and connection with domain experts as well as exploring new technologies and updates to existing technologies, such that recommendations can be made and disseminated across the University. A range of projects are currently being considered for the forthcoming year, including CMALT accreditation, funding for teaching technology innovations, opportunities for dissemination, and development and promotion of user testing. As projects progress they will be shared on the DETTA Learning Circle web pageLink opens in a new window.

WIHEA Fellows and Alumni that are interested in joining the Learning Circle please contact the leads. The firs meeting is scheduled for 25 February, 10am on MS Teams.

WIHEA has supported two projects led by Dr Freeha AzmatLink opens in a new window, that curate AI-focused learning resources aligned with the JISC Digital Capability Framework, enabling both staff and students to develop essential skills for the age of AI. Please see an overview of both projects below and the links to the resources.

Digital Development Pathways for StaffLink opens in a new window

Developed in partnership with FOLD and IDG, and co-created with students, this WIHEA-funded project aims to empower Warwick staff including Teaching-Focused staff and Professional Services staff with key digital and AI-related skills.

Grounded in the JISC Digital Capability Framework, the project enables staff to complete an AI skills self-assessment, identify skills gaps, and follow structured development pathways. These pathways consist of curated resources aligned to the seven JISC digital capabilities, supporting staff in building AI awareness and confidence.

• Teaching-Focused Staff Pathway: AI Pathway for Educators
• Professional Services Staff Pathway: AI Pathway for Professionals

AI Horizons – Digital Skills Pathway for Students

Developed in partnership with the Warwick Award team, this pathway introduces students to core AI concepts, responsible use, and practical applications for academic study and future careers. It offers a step-by-step learning journey, progressing from foundational awareness to applied digital fluency.

Based on curated resources, the Warwick Award team are launching two pathways: AI Fundamentals (General) and AI Fundamentals (Technical)Link opens in a new window, through which students can develop AI literacy while earning points towards the Warwick Award."

The Embedding Belonging in Curriculum Design Working Group, part of the WIHEA Building Belonging Learning Circle invites contributions to a University-wide collaborative project which aims to translate the principles of belonging into practical curriculum design. If you have practice to share or would like to assist with collecting case studies, co-designing and co-facilitating workshops and/or developing resources then you can join as a member.

As part of the induction programme for the 2025 Fellows who started their Fellowship in September, a Mentoring and Networking lunch on 22 October gave the new Fellows and their mentors (Fellows and Alumni) an opportunity to engage in conversation about past and present Fellowships. The lunch was also attended by Prof Georgia Kremmyda, DPVC (Learning & Teaching), Prof Rebecca Freeman, DPVC (Education) and Kerry Dobbins, Associate Professor (ADC), who each gave presentations specifically aimed at helping new Fellows make the most out of their Fellowship and of being part of the WIHEA community.

If you did not attend the event, do take a look at the presentations attached. They explore the strategic priorities in learning and teaching, student success and engagement, and provide an insight into the upcoming work and how the WIHEA community can get involved and contribute to the institutional enhancement priorities. They also include some great guidance about applying the principles of SoTL to your Fellowship, along with practical tips on how to focus on what is meaningful to you.

Congratulations to WIHEA Fellow Naveera Abhayawickrama on winning the Warwickshire Law Student of the Year Award. A fantastic achievement, which gives recognition of excellence in legal practice, innovation, leadership, and service. Naveera became a WIHEA Student Fellow in 2024, co-led the ‘Belonging and Inclusivity: A space for international and neurodivergent students in HE’ project and continues to actively engage and support our new cohort of Student Fellows this year. We are delighted she has received this recognition in her field. You can read more about this award.

WIHEA 2025 Annual Report

We are pleased to share our 2025 Annual Report, which celebrates the impact the Academy has had over the last 10 years and also includes the personal reflections and achievements of some of the Fellows who have recently transitioned into Alumni. You should all have recently received an email containing a link to the report. Current Fellows and those that became Alumni in September will shortly receive a hard copy in the internal post. We only have a limited number of hard copies, but any Alumni that would also like a hard copy, please email WIHEA@warwick.ac.uk and where possible we will send you one.

This online event on 5 November brought together academics, professionals and students from across the WIHEA and the wider university community to hear directly from Learning Circle Leads about their aims and ideas that they will be working on during 2025/26 and how anyone interested can get involved.

The recordingLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window of this one hour event is available to watch.

What does the recording include:

• Discover the wide range of Learning Circles including open circles that everyone can join.
• Hear directly from the Leads about their aims and ideas for 2025/26.
• Find opportunities to get involved and connect with Fellows, Alumni and Warwick Members who share your interests.
• For further information on the Learning Circle's please visit the Learning Circle web pages.