Category: Uncategorized

Wednesday 20 March, 2 pm to 3:45 pm via Zoom

We are delighted to invite you to the next event in History UK’s online Pedagogy Forum series. This time, we will explore ‘Experiential Learning in History’, showcasing different ways in which historians have incorporated practice-based approaches into their university teaching. The event follows on from an in-person event held at Northumbria University in July 2023 and will contribute to our ongoing work in this field.

During the March event, we will hear about four different teaching initiatives:

• Ruth Murphy (Sheffield) – Experiential Learning through the ‘Life Worth Living’ Module

This presentation will introduce ‘Life Worth Living’, a project and pedagogical approach that equips students, educators, and the public for the lifelong process of discerning and pursuing the good life by engaging the world’s philosophical and religious traditions. In particular, it will focus on the ‘Life Worth Living’ module as it is taught to history and philosophy students at the University of Sheffield, and the ways in which it differs from other courses.

• Kristen Brill (Keele) and Rachel Adcock (Keele) – Experiential Learning in Heritage (and Beyond): Reflections on the Role of Placements and Projects in the History Curriculum

Integrating authentic experiences and assessments into the History university curriculum provides a low-stakes but high reward opportunity for students to connect their knowledge and experience to societal debates, external organisations and audiences, as well as supporting them in developing key employability skills and visualising themselves as professionals. Dr Kristen Brill and Dr Rachel Adcock will draw on their experience of integrating various opportunities for ‘off-site’ experiential learning into the History curriculum at Keele University, presenting case studies from their work with local heritage organisations including V&A Wedgwood, Tatton Park/National Trust, and a range of other organisations.

• Julia Moses (Sheffield) and Charles West (Edinburgh) – Promise, not Peril: Artificial Intelligence as an (Experiential) Teaching Tool in History

Artificial Intelligence has often been met with scepticism in the teaching of History at university. Viewed as a means to shortcut the essay writing process, or outright ‘cheat’, the potential of AI as a pedagogical tool in History has been underexplored. At the same time, it is clear that AI is shaping the everyday experiences of our students as well as the world they are moving into. In this paper, we share our experiences of teaching with AI in different settings in the UK: an undergraduate medieval history module at Edinburgh and a masters option module in modern history at Sheffield.

• Caroline Nielsen (Northampton) – Developing Humanities Student Communication and Research Skills Development via Practice-Based Communication Modules

How do you encourage students to move beyond academic communication styles? How do you support them to transfer their historical research skills to other sectors and to graduate employment?  This showcase will briefly outline the pedagogic development of broadcast and communication practice-based modules for History at the University of Northampton, highlighting our key practical tips and learning for the HE History sector.

For any questions on this event, please get in touch with Daniel Laqua (daniel.laqua@northumbria.ac.uk), who has organised this workshop, or with the convenors of the History UK Pedagogy Forum, Sarah Holland (sarah.holland@nottingham.ac.uk) and Sarah Jones (sarah.jones@bristol.ac.uk).

Book your place now.

Wednesday 13 December 2023, 2-3.30pm, Online via Zoom

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is affecting the way in which society interacts whether through work, play or education. As the technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, there are concerns about the role of AI in HE and its implications for pedagogical practice and assessment types. Many institutions are developing responses to AI. The focus is often on the potential use of these tools whether in terms of plagiarism and academic malpractice or for innovative and legitimate uses. Academics in history are also beginning to consider the implications for subject specific practice. This forum will present insights from three historians who have considered the issue of AI from different perspectives. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion.

Dr Lorna Waddington (University of Leeds) is Academic Integrity Lead and has undertaken research on the use of chatgpt-4 with specific reference to twentieth century history.

Dr Adam Richardson (University of Leeds) is Digital Education Manager and historian of twentieth century Europe.

Dr Jon Chandler (UCL) is interested in the use of technology in higher education and has been part of the AI in education working group at UCL considering its impact on pedagogy.

Register now (https://www.tickettailor.com/events/historyukpedagogyforum/1075471)

Join History UK for our next Pedagogy Forum on Friday 23 June. Following on from previous forums we are revisiting the theme of engagement and asking: Are our own expectations about what ‘engagement’ looks like at odds with the needs of an increasingly diverse student body? We are looking forward to this discussion and a wide range of perspectives. Register now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mind-the-gap-staff-expectations-and-student-engagement-tickets-648864078927

If you have ideas for future Pedagogy Forums, then please email Dr Sarah Jones (sarah.jones@bristol.ac.uk), Dr Sarah Holland (sarah.holland@nottingham.ac.uk) and Dr Simon Peplow (simon.peplow@warwick.ac.uk)

History UK Pedagogy Forum

Join us for the second History Pedagogy Forum:

Managing Student (Dis)Engagement (8^th March 2023, 2.30 pm – 4:00 pm)

Many colleagues have questions and concerns about student engagement, especially as attendance has dropped steeply in the post-COVID context and in light of the cost-of-living crisis. Here we will consider some of the complex reasons why students are becoming disengaged and discuss a variety of different ways we might encourage and support students to engage with their studies.

Register for the discussion via Eventbrite

 

The forum – a series of online events designed to motivate discussions about the teaching of History in British universities – aims to offer opportunities for critical reflection on the ways we teach and function as an accessible space in which a diverse range of educators from across higher education can share insights, experiences, and points of best practice.

While we have some exciting events already scheduled, we are very keen for this to be an open and collaborative endeavour and, as such, warmly welcome ideas and expressions of interest for future events. We are open to different formats (including research papers, reading groups, and roundtables), and are eager to offer a platform to colleagues from a variety of backgrounds, institutions, and career stages.

Please email Dr Sarah Jones (sarah.jones@bristol.ac.uk) and Dr Sarah Holland (sarah.holland@nottingham.ac.uk) with ideas and suggestions.