Getting Ready for Academic Year 2022-23

With government restrictions lifting, we can now look forward to a return to campus-based teaching for AY22-23 across all our Heriot-Watt locations.  This means teaching teams will be able to make decisions based on what makes best pedagogic sense rather than having to be responsive to all the demands of the pandemic.

The dedication and creativity that colleagues brought to teaching over the past two years has been extraordinary.  Many of the teaching practices, learning activities and resources teaching teams have been using online can be adapted and used on-campus. Continuing to blend on-campus teaching with online support, resources and activities will ensure students will be able to access a rich and engaging learning experience.

Globally Connected Learning: Priorities for AY22-23

Heriot-Watt’s campuses are at the heart of our community and campus-based learning is core to the student learning experience.  With government restrictions lifting, we can now look forward to a return to campus-based teaching for AY22-23 across all our locations.

To support this our University teaching model for AY22-23 and beyond will be Globally Connected Learning, an approach that empowers teaching teams to make pedagogically-driven decisions about course and assessment design and effectively blend on-campus teaching with online activities, support and resources to create a rich student learning experience.

The Globally Connected Learning Principles are:

  1. Harness the strengths of our global learning community to inspire students to explore and transform the world around them.
  2. Make effective use of pedagogies, technologies and learning spaces to build community and inspire active learning.
  3. Develop assessment that supports learning and is authentic to disciplinary and professional contexts.
  4. Strengthen collaboration and the sharing of expertise across global teaching teams.
  5. Place wellbeing, compassion and equity at the heart of learning design and teaching practice.
  6. Recognise and support diverse learner journeys into and through Heriot-Watt study.

The Getting Ready for AY22-23 Teaching Team Pack

To help teaching teams review course and programme materials and approach, the Learning and Teaching Academy has brought together a suite of key resources to help frame course and programme planning. Take a look through these materials, bring your teams together to explore key themes, and work together to shape your approach to teaching for the coming academic year.

1. Beginning Your Preparations

'Start' written in front of a green baize athletics track.The following resources will help you as you prepare to refresh you materials for AY22-23.

To guide your review of your course, we ask all teaching teams to make use of this resource:

2. Course and Assessment Design

As Covid-restrictions are lifted, new opportunities for learning activities and assessment design are opening up. These resources will help you consider how to align course and learning activity design will help you work through the range of assessment options which can help support and demonstrate student learning.

Please take time to refresh your course and assessment design, making use of these resources:

If you would like to take a more structured approach to refresh your course design, the Heriot-Watt ABC Course Design guide will help.  You can work through this as a teaching team, using the resources provided.  Or contact the LTA and we can offer you a facilitated session.

3. Resources to Share with your Students

Resources are available for you to share with your students to support their learning.

Remember to make full use of the support from the Skills Hub and Effective Learning Advisors.

The Skills Hub is a student facing resource to help students develop their key academic skills for successful studying.  It includes how to find information for your studies, how to improve your study skills, how to reference sources and how to succeed in exams and more. Staff may wish to flag this to students during induction or to embed links to it at relevant points in your Canvas course site.

The Effective Learning Advisors provide study skills classes and individual appointments for students. They cover topics such as: time management, organising coursework and balancing priorities, academic goal setting and maintaining motivation, critical reading and evaluating information, good academic practice / academic integrity. You may wish to signpost students to these resources and support, particularly at the start of semester or as part of course induction.

4. Tailored Support for your Teaching Team

The Learning and Teaching Academy are available to support teaching teams as they plan and develop their courses for AY22-23.

  • Explore the Getting Ready for AY22-23 Teaching Team Pack and the wealth of LTA resources.
  • Find out about the approach for AY22-23 at your School Preparing for the New Academic Year Roundtable Session.
  • Join our Getting Ready for AY22-23 discussion and support sessions throughout August.
  • Get in touch with any specific queries or questions.

Information Services provide resources, expertise and services to support your teaching. For example:

  • Information Services aim to provide access to every item on a reading list, with multiple copies for larger classes and wider reading to support student’s learning.  Send your reading lists to the campus library early in the summer vacation for courses running in Semester 1 and at least six weeks before Semester 2 begins. Book orders can be submitted via this book order form.
  • Stay within copyright regulations and request electronic extracts of key readings to use in Canvas with the Digital Copies Service.
  • The Liaison Librarians can provide support on a range of information skills, including citing and referencing, literature searching and evaluating information sources.  Each School has a designated Liaison Librarian who creates a subject specific guide that introduces and highlights key resources that the University subscribes to. Get in touch with your Liaison Librarian with any specific requests, queries or questions.
  • The Learning Technology Training and Support Service (LTES) provide live training and support for staff in relation to technology, including Canvas, through the Information Services Training Site.