UAL Learning and Teaching Day 2016: Call for contributions

Reimagining creative spaces for teaching and learning at UAL
Wed 13 January 2016, LCF, 20 John Prince’s Street

Deadline for submission of proposals: Wednesday 21 October 2015

At UAL we have a long tradition of using learning spaces in innovative and experimental ways to support and initiate new pedagogic approaches. In 2011, Central St Martins moved to its new building in Granary Square and over the last four years staff and students have been exploring both its limitations and its potential as a provocative and enriching learning environment for creative practice. Similarly, the move of Chelsea to one site, the current development of the Camberwell site and the new building at Wimbledon have all enabled interesting discussions around the way in which space can inform curriculum development and innovation in teaching and learning.

As we begin envisioning the future pedagogic and social spaces we will design for the London College of Fashion and the major redevelopment of the London College of Communication, it is timely for us to reflect on how physical, blended and virtual spaces shape and are shaped by our teaching and learning values and practices.

Ways to contribute

We invite UAL staff to participate in the debate by submitting proposals in any of the following formats (scroll down for a full description of each format):

• Workshop (45 minutes)
• Paper (15 minutes)
• Roundtable (45 minutes)
• Lightning talk (5 minutes)
• Poster (45 minutes)

We also welcome proposals that use alternative formats to stimulate dialogue or new ways to engage colleagues. Please note that to enable us to accommodate as many contributions as possible during the programme for the day, an outcome of the peer review process may be the recommendation that a contribution is presented in a different format.

How to submit a proposal

All proposals should use the Learning and Teaching Day 2016 proposal form and be emailed to Siobhan Clay (s.clay@arts.ac.uk). If you would like to have an informal discussion about your proposal prior to submission please email Saranne Weller (s.weller@arts.ac.uk).

Important Dates

• Deadline for submission of proposals: Wednesday 21 October 2015
• Outcome of peer review: Wednesday 18 November 2015
• Deadline for presenter registration: Friday 11 December 2015

Peer review criteria

All proposals will be peer reviewed against the following four criteria:

• Engagement with the Learning and Teaching Day theme
• Potential for participation and engagement as part of proposed session
• Relevance to wider UAL community
• Innovative approaches
• Exploring the theme

We understand the idea of teaching and learning spaces broadly and aim to generate multidisciplinary discussion around topics such as:

• how contemporary physical, virtual and blended learning spaces are designed, inhabited and exploited for learning within and across the disciplines
• how we might reimagine traditional learning spaces such as the lecture theatre, studio or learning zone for the next generation of students
• what the ‘future studio’ is and how it can support new forms of practice
• how social media spaces such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or public spaces such as cafes, community buildings, gallery spaces and streets are exploring the boundaries between the university and wider society
• what potential physical and virtual ‘makerspaces’ have for bringing learners together to make and innovate by doing, collaborating and sharing
• what the tensions and opportunities are between curricular and extra-curricular spaces
• how work-based and work-related learning and the role of internships, live projects and employment impact on learning
•  what it means for our students to belong to, or feel a sense of place, within the university and its buildings and how we engage with home and international student and staff identities
• how we generate a social and pedagogic environment that is genuinely inclusive for all students

Choosing a session format

Workshop (45 minutes)
A workshop is intended to be a fully participatory and experiential session where colleagues can engage, discuss and reflect on learning and teaching strategies relevant to the Learning and Teaching Day theme. It is an opportunity to be creative and use visual or performance approaches, which particularly suit our university context, to facilitate the workshop.

Paper (15 minutes)
This format provides an opportunity to give a 15 minute oral, visual, film or slide presentation outlining your research, project or curriculum innovation. Two papers will be allocated by the conference team to each 45 minute paper session with time for discussion and feedback. It can be useful to prepare 2-3 focussed questions at the end of each presentation to start the discussion.

Roundtable (45 minutes)
This group format brings together up to three linked presentations of approximately 10 minutes each around a shared topic with 15 minutes for discussion facilitated by a chair. Roundtable sessions provide the opportunity for communities of practice and programme or service teams to present together and network with new colleagues. Roundtables are submitted as a group to a single session and include an abstract for each presentation and a rationale for how the presentations are linked.

Lightning talk (5 minutes)
Lightning Talks are short think pieces limited to 5 minutes. Each presentation includes a maximum of 20 slides and each slide will advance every 15 seconds. The aim is to keep each talk concise so as to excite and stimulate ideas and discussion as well as enable multiple speakers to contribute to a theme. Lightning Talks are an excellent format for sharing a teaching innovation or an interesting solution to a problem from your experience.

Poster (45 minutes)
Posters and alternative formats such as objects, artefacts or demonstrations are a format that allow you to present a developing idea, innovation, service or project and get immediate feedback. Posters will be on display for the duration of the day but there will be a timetabled slot for contributors to present their poster in the programme.