WIHEA Learning Circles and Funded Projects
IATL staff have played a leading role in WIHEA Learning Circles and funded projects since WIHEA’s inception. Areas of activity span a range of topics to enhance teaching and learning practices, such as the Wellbeing Pedagogies Learning Circle and Wellbeing Pedagogies Library project, a project to create a ‘Support the Supporter’ Resource for Student Research and a Learning Circle on Inclusive Policy and Practice for Disabled Students.
Learning Circle: Wellbeing Pedagogies
Co-led by IATL’s Direction of Education, Dr Elena Riva, the Wellbeing Pedagogies Learning Circle has brought together WIHEA Fellows and colleagues from the university’s Wellbeing Support Services. The Learning Circle explores, shares and promotes practices to support the wellbeing of both students and staff. Learning Circle members have contributed to a host of initiatives including the development of an open-access module on Understanding Wellbeing, the Wellbeing Pedagogies Library (see next section) and the development of the University’s Wellbeing Strategy.
Funded Project: Warwick Wellbeing Pedagogies Library
Also led by IATL’s Director of Education Elena Riva, the Wellbeing Pedagogies Online Library project was funded by WIHEA as part of efforts to address the crisis in UK higher education in student mental health. Developed by a team of staff and students, the library brings together resources organised into categories identified by the Warwick community as central to enhancing student wellbeing, including student-centred environment and intercultural and international integration. Library users can also use a set of filters to help locate the most relevant resources. The library was launched in October 2021 and in less than two years has been used by colleagues from Warwick, the UK and beyond. This remarkable, global reach was enabled by the fact that the library was featured by the THELink opens in a new window, ranking in the top ten most-read THE resources of 2021, as celebrated in a follow-up THE podcastLink opens in a new window.
Funded project: Creating a ‘Support the Supporter’ resource for Student Research
Student research is a key strategic priority for Warwick with many opportunities for students to engage both within and outside the curriculum. Dedicated support for student research is often delivered centrally but student feedback suggests that departments have a key role to play as well. Co-led by Emma Barker (IATL), this project created a ‘Support the Supporter' resource to build staff confidence, knowledge and skills to enable academics to support student research. The resource includes guidance on building students’ confidence to undertake research, alerting students to funding and dissemination opportunities, developing ethics applications and also helping staff articulate student research supervision activities for HEA Fellowship purposes.
Learning Circle: Inclusive Policy and Practice for Disabled Students
This Learning Circle co-led by Elena Riva is focused on developing a code of practice to support disabled students in their learning and in their wider student experience while at the University. Developed in partnership with key stakeholders across the university, the code of practice will provide staff with guidance on inclusive practice and provision for disabled students.
