6 things I learnt at the HEA Arts and Humanities Conference, Brighton, 3-4 March 2016

1. There is a shortage of National Teaching Fellows in art and design – see HEA link for more details on this https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/national-teaching-fellows-2015.
2. New models for teaching which are less about telling your students and more about facilitating – see the work of Donald Finkel – ‘Teaching with your mouth shut’ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-Your-Mouth-Donald-Finkel/dp/0867094699 – Finkel proposes an alternative vision of teaching – one that is less about telling and more democratic in its intentions.
3. The power of objects to educate and inspire – could we be using objects more to inspire and engage students in art and design? See the work of Chatterjee, H.J. & Duhs, R. (2010). ‘Object Based Learning in Higher Education: Pedagogical perspectives on enhancing student learning through collections.’ Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Through Design, University of Brighton. 3-6. Published online: 1/7/2010. http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/18649/01-Object-based-learning-in-higher-education.pdf
4. How can we make induction more engaging to students and transform a passive, staff led experience? Could we use mobile technology to encourage independent learning? By students for students? Utilising the physical and the virtual, with an emphasis on the social?  This is what Ravensbourne have been doing http://www.designsonelearning.net/2015/sessions/fashioning-spaces-for-learning/
5. Embedding equality and diversity as part of induction encourages positive attitudes to diversity and inclusion and better student group cohesion.  This helps to build student communities and a better sense of belonging and student well-being. As a result students become comfortable with managing difference. See Kath Abiker’s work at Canterbury Christchurch University.
6. Shifts to more inclusive practices in art and design – How students understand their feedback in art and design – See Robert Harland (2015) Testing keywords internationally to define and apply undergraduate assessment standards in art and design. https://journals.hioa.no/index.php/formakademisk/article/viewFile/1407/1259