EUSA to hold 'Inspiring Teaching' conference

The second annual 'Inspiring Teaching' conference will take place on the 19 January 2011, in Teviot Row House. 

The conference is organised and hosted by Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA), with the full support of the Institute For Academic Development and the University of Edinburgh.

The conference is set to provide a forum for the sharing of advice within the University, as well as a space where both students and staff of the University can share experiences of good teaching practice.

The conference will consist of two keynote speakers who have yet to be finalised, plus there will be interactive workshops on aspects of good teaching practice.

The conference will also include the 'Teaching Oscars', the EUSA Teaching Awards that seek to highlight best teaching practise. Dai Hounsell, Vice President for Academic Enhancement, has been extremely impressed with the Teaching Awards: "This is an absolutely magnificent initiative. I think it’s helped change the way that we look at excellent teaching in the university.

"It's nudged us into recognising the absolutely outstanding teaching that’s done by many of our colleagues, but it's also compelled us to acknowledge just how many excellent teachers there are across the university.”

The awards were introduced by former Vice President for Academic Affairs, Guy Bromley, in July 2008. He said: "There was a massive problem here. Students were not feeling very loved by the university and teaching was seen as a bit of a side activity to the world-leading research the university is doing. That's really important and is the reason why students come here, but they don’t want that to impact upon teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level."

The conference speakers will be followed by a series of workshops, including Video Feedback by Paul McLaughlin of the Biological Sciences department, as well as feedback practises for postgraduate teaching, directors of study and feedback from the student perspective.

Last year's conference was considered a success and it is hoped that the 2011 setup will improve on the foundations of that.

Students can sign up for a half day or full day of the conference on the EUSA website.