The TELSIG Podcast

All of us started our careers somewhere, and today I'm talking to two old friends and former colleagues about how our years teaching English as a foreign language shaped our view of education and the world. We talk about the resilience and adaptability that those early classroom days taught us, the overwrought lesson plans, learning humility from failure, and how these experiences inform our work...

I'm joined by Peter Davidson from Zayed University to discuss the 2023 article by David Brooks : In the Age of AI, Major in Being Human, which claims: "AI will force us humans to double down on those talents and skills that only humans possess. The most important thing about Al may be that it shows us what it can't do, and so reveals who we are and what we have to offer." What might these ‘human’...

Last year HEPI reported 95% of students were using gen AI, but recent research from Stephen Gow and Sam Illingworth casts doubt on this figure. Today I’m joined by Stephen to talk through some of the key finding of his Leverhume Trust funded study that draws data from over 7,000 participants. What do students really think about gen AI in higher education, and how should this shape the way we treat...

Language students using machine translation has certainly raised lots of questions for those of us teaching English for Academic Purposes over the past few years. But most of the conversation has been around its impact on written compositions. A new study by Lamont and Cirocki looks at how and why it's changing the way international students interact verbally with each other and their teachers.  W...

Are smartphones and laptops enabling or impeding students’ progress in class? On the plus side they give access to a wealth of resources, but they can also kill interaction and provide any number of distractions. Today we dig into the research on devices in class with educational psychologist Paul Kirschner. Paul also clears up the confusion around cognitive offloading, what it really means and wh...

Phil is joined by Lily Abadal and Nidhi Sachdeva to talk about reducing device reliance, rebuilding in-class writing, and using technology with clear pedagogical intent. Lily describes redesigning written assessments by breaking the traditional term paper into smaller in-class, long-form writing components, encouraging device-free classroom culture without heavy policing, and emphasizing silence,...

Deanne, James and I gather around a virtual Yuletide fireplace, roast chestnuts and perform that time-honoured festive tradition of chewing over key moments in learning tech and EAP from the year gone by. Much as the shepherds probably did. Is a full in-class digital detox a good idea, and is this a weird thing to suggest in a technology enhanced learning podcast? Did we ever figure out whether st...

I’m joined today by Mike Perkins to talk about the AI Assessment Scale , following the publication of the latest version of the scale that appeared in the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice in September.  The AI Assessment Scale has been used by more than 350 institutions globally, has been translated into 30 languages, and is recognised by regulators such as TEQSA (Tertiary Educ...

Today I’m talking to Samantha Curle from the University of Bath about her recent article, Generative AI and the future of writing for publication: insights from applied linguistics journal editors. The peer review process is under increasing strain. With the explosion of submissions to academic journals since ChatGPT became available to all, editorial boards are struggling to keep pace. Peer revie...

Many of the skills and language conventions that we see in academia can serve as barriers to students, especially to those for whom English is not a first language. Translanguaging argues for a more inclusive approach to these conventions, and looks for ways in which we can take a more pluralistic view of what kinds of communication are seen as acceptable.  Kelly Webb-Davies joins us to talk throu...

This is the last in a three-part series exploring responses from the EAP community following three years of Chat GPT induced mayhem. We talk through adaptations in the classroom, transferability and AI skills in the workplace, how to prepare students for higher education, the lack of consistency both within and among universities, reducing students’ reliance on gen AI, the dangers of confirmation...

In part two of ‘are we still language teachers?’ I’m joined in the studio by Thuy Thai and Charles Lam from the University of Leeds. Thuy and Charles argue for the continued relevance of language proficiency in education and in the role of EAP. We also examine the broadening scope of ‘academic skills’ that has come to include AI literacy, and raising awareness among students about things like over...

Today I’m in conversation with Paul Breen, Senior Digital Learning Developer at UCL to get his take on how EAP and ‘hub’ disciplines should be adapting in the wake of AI. We often hear about the need to ‘embrace’ AI, so we try to unpack what this actually means.  EAP practitioners and learning developers are often looked at as the ones to help students navigate the demands and conventions of acade...

Today I'm talking with Danny Liu about assessment in the age of AI. So far, the idea of a 'traffic light' approach to assessment has been gaining traction in higher education in response to the widespread availability of generative AI. Using the traffic light metaphor, assignments are colour coded according to the level of AI use deemed to be permissible. However, as these systems rely solely on s...

Today I’m talking to Michael Gerlich about his recent study on the potential effects of AI on critical thinking. While much ink has been spilled discussing the value of the traditional essay in a post GPT landscape, much of the conversation has focused on assessment and questions of authorship. Perhaps unsurprisingly, less time has been given to the impact on the learning process itself. The phras...

In this episode of TELSIG does SoTL, we are joined by Jane Pritchard to discuss the evolving landscape of scholarly teaching. Jane describes her transition from a material scientist to an educational developer at the University of Glasgow, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based educational enhancement. We go on to cover the historical development of SoTL since the early '90s, the role of int...

What do academic skills do students need in higher education today? Does ‘embracing’ AI come at the cost of developing higher order thinking skills? I’m joined by Computer Science Lecturer Mike O’Dea and Associate Lecturer in Academic Skills Paulina Melichova to get their take on this. We reflect on Mike’s recent AI training session, and talk about how much curriculum time should be given to AI li...

As we approach the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we discuss the impact of the war on Ukrainian higher education. Many university buildings have suffered extensive physical damage, especially those in the east of the country, and online teaching, a distant memory for most, is for many Ukrainian students and teachers still a reality. Despite the hardships, learning and teaching...

In this third installment of the SoTL flavoured TELSIG podcast, Phil is joined again by Lucy Turner Voakes from York's Academic Practice team, and Nick Glover from Inclusive Learning to discuss equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in higher education and its interactions with SoTL. The conversation explores the catalysts for heightened attention on EDI, such as award gaps for black students, t...

Today we take a tour of all the free, nearly free and paid-for tools that can help language teachers create lessons and materials while also helping students become more independent learners. We talk about ways in which we can work more efficiently, but also actively boost learning gains in the process. The discussion covers practical uses of AI for generating lesson materials, and tools like Mizo...

What is the role of a learning technologist in modern higher education? What are the career paths available, what skills do you need, and what does a typical working day look like? Today we’re joined by Lilian Joy from the University of York and Sita from the University of Sheffield: both learning technologists at different stages of their careers, who are able to offer their own answers to some o...

This is the second in our SoTL spin off series where we move the focus from technology to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Today we are joined by lecturers Jess Hargreaves, who teaches in data science, and Yaprak Tavman from the Department of Economics. We talk about how teaching works in their fields and how they’ve incorporated scholarly teaching into their own practice. They discuss th...

Nidhi Sachdeva from the University of Toronto talks about the science of learning, myth-busting educational misconceptions, and the role of technology in teaching. We get into cognitive load theory, explicit instruction, and question the efficacy of demanding reading loads in higher education. Nidhi shares her expertise on structured teaching methods, the importance of factual knowledge in the age...

This is the first of a series of conversations recorded last year with teachers from a range of disciplines who share an interest in applying scholarship to their own teaching, and conducting their own scholarly projects. Today Lucy Turner-Voakes from the Academic Practice team and I sit down with Jeremy Moulton from Politics and Clément Moissard from Physics at the University of York. They explor...

Pauldy Otermans and Stephanie Baines return to TELSIG to talk about the research and course design they've been carrying out at Brunel University. Building on the webinar they delivered back in May, Pauldy and Stephanie talk in detail about the challenges and triumphs of building an academic skills course that teaches students how to harness AI tools. As well as the practical applications and the...