The Hitchhiker's Guide to Faculty Development

Episode highlights A student from a diagnostic radiography programme shares her experience using Virtual Medical Coaching as part of her studies We explore how VR simulation creates a safe environment for experimenting with radiography equipment Rebecca highlights the technical support that facilitated successful VR integration Discuss her decision to purchase her own VR headset for additional pra...

In this episode I speak to two of our MSc Physiotherapy students, Carly Walker and Alice Hockham, alongside Dean Walker, to discuss their experiences with Bodyswaps — a VR platform for developing non-technical healthcare skills. Highlights Bodyswaps provides immersive experiences focusing on communication, empathy, and professional presentation in both VR and desktop formats Students co-created sc...

In this episode, we explore the crucial topic of employability in higher education, particularly in health and social care programmes. Charley shares her insights on why employability matters and how it can be integrated into the curriculum. We talk about the role of employability in professional programmes, bridging the gap between academic learning and professional skills, preparing students for...

In this conversation, I'm talking to three technicians in a School of Health and Social care, to get a better sense of their essential contributions to programme delivery and faculty development. We start by covering the wide range of roles and responsibilities the tech team have, as well as the specific activities they're involved in. In particular, we talk about their contributions in te...

This episode explores a new Diagnostic Radiography programme launching this September. We discuss the transition from clinical practice to academia and the challenges and benefits of working in higher education. The conversation highlights the programme's innovative use of virtual reality (VR) technology for student simulation training. This VR simulation allows students to practice in a reali...

In this episode, we discuss the development of a simulation framework within a higher education institution. Guests share their insights on the importance of establishing a common understanding and vocabulary around simulation activities, differentiating simulation from other teaching methods, and providing guidance for planning, implementing, and evaluating simulation experiences. Key takeaways:...

I think that AI personas are a massively under-appreciated use-case in professional education. In this conversation, I talk to Leanne and Dean about their experiences using structured prompts to create generative AI personas for students to build communication and reasoning skills. Leanne and Dean talk about the aims of their sessions, their process for developing the prompts, how they were integr...

Pi is a generative AI from Inflection, promoted as a personal AI assistant with an emphasis on thoughtful conversation. In this conversation I speak to Rowena about her experience of introducing her second year Social Work apprenticeship students to generative AI. Rowena wanted to use Pi to support students' reflections, with varying degrees of success. We also talked about using Claude as alt...

In this conversation, Dave, Ian, and Trevor work through some of the different ways we can understand the student voice, and how we might better listen to those voices. They explore the multifaceted nature of the student voice, recognising that students' perspectives, experiences, and feedback can take many forms. The discussion touches on the value of actively seeking out and carefully listen...

In this conversation I talk to Chris about the experience of being intersex and the impact this has had on their life, as well as how we can create more welcoming and inclusive spaces for intersex and transgender people. Chris offers candid insights into the challenges and triumphs they have encountered navigating a world that often misunderstands and stigmatises intersex experiences.

In this introductory conversation, I speak to Sean about the issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion in higher education. We talk about some of the challenges with EDI in the sector, and focus on the framing of appreciating difference. This is the first episode in a series of conversations that aim to open up opportunities for discussion around EDI in higher education.

In this conversation, Amy and I talk about her plans for using Oxford Medical Simulation VR scenarios in her module, specifically to run an OSCE. This is part of a trial to evaluate the use of OMS to reduce the time and cost of running OSCEs in nursing education, while still achieving student learning outcomes. Amy talks about the rationale behind the use of VR in simulation, the challenges she an...

In this conversation, I speak to Colin Winter ⁠ from the University of Suffolk, to learn more about how they use immersive rooms and virtual reality to support nursing education. We discuss the challenges and limitations of the software and hardware options in these scenarios, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Note that the audio in this episode is especially poor, with some segments be...

In this conversation, Myles and I talk about the process of developing a staff induction programme that aims to support new and existing staff across a range of different contexts. Whether you have yet to start at the university, are in your first few days, or are an established member of the team, this programme has something for you.

In this episode, Helen and Rachael talk about their experiences with the transition to BlackBoard Ultra. Helen has used Ultra for one of the modules she's involved with, and Rachael is overseeing the move at a programme level. We talk about some of the biggest challenges with the transition, and how faculty can best address the issues. As with any learning management system (or any use of tech...

In this conversation, Dean Walker shares his experiences with the Realwear Navigator headset for physiotherapy education. We talk about the use cases where we think the headset adds to the learning experience, as well as the challenges that Dean faced in practice. While the Navigator has important limitations, which we discuss in some detail, we nonetheless think that, for certain situations, it p...

In this conversation, Jackie and I talk about our perceptions of feedback, and how we can do more to help prepare students and colleagues for an enhanced feedback process.

In this conversation, Ian and I talk about decolonisation as a way of thinking from different perspectives. Recognising that each of us is seeing the same reality from different points of view, was an eye-opening (for me) way to reflect on what decolonisation might mean for my own practice.

In this conversation, Dave Johnson and I talk about a compassionate approach to developing a learning, teaching, and assessment strategy. We discuss the three main components of the strategy that Dave has worked on, including our learning community, scholarship, and staff support.

The conversation around ChatGPT in higher education quickly evolved into a conversation around generative AI, which is the broader category of AI-based systems that include image, audio, and video content generation. This was another drop-in session with staff to talk about the implications of generative AI in higher education. The conversation was recorded in early May 2023, and reflects an under...

In this episode we present a short overview of ChatGPT, and then move into a broader discussion of the implications for academic staff in higher education. Note that this episode was recorded in February 2023, and may therefore be out of date, depending on when you listen to it.