The TELSIG Podcast

Today I’m talking to Michael Gerlich about his recent study on the potential effects of AI on critical thinking. While much ink has been spilled discussing the value of the traditional essay in a post GPT landscape, much of the conversation has focused on assessment and questions of authorship. Perhaps unsurprisingly, less time has been given to the impact on the learning process itself. The phrase ‘I write to know what I think’ al...

In this episode of TELSIG does SoTL, we are joined by Jane Pritchard to discuss the evolving landscape of scholarly teaching. Jane describes her transition from a material scientist to an educational developer at the University of Glasgow, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based educational enhancement. We go on to cover the historical development of SoTL since the early '90s, the role of interdisciplinary collaboration, the i...

What do academic skills do students need in higher education today? Does ‘embracing’ AI come at the cost of developing higher order thinking skills? I’m joined by Computer Science Lecturer Mike O’Dea and Associate Lecturer in Academic Skills Paulina Melichova to get their take on this. We reflect on Mike’s recent AI training session, and talk about how much curriculum time should be given to AI literacies, whether authentic assessm...

As we approach the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we discuss the impact of the war on Ukrainian higher education. Many university buildings have suffered extensive physical damage, especially those in the east of the country, and online teaching, a distant memory for most, is for many Ukrainian students and teachers still a reality. Despite the hardships, learning and teaching carries on, and technology and inno...

In this third installment of the SoTL flavoured TELSIG podcast, Phil is joined again by Lucy Turner Voakes from York's Academic Practice team, and Nick Glover from Inclusive Learning to discuss equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in higher education and its interactions with SoTL. The conversation explores the catalysts for heightened attention on EDI, such as award gaps for black students, the interplay between broader social...

Today we take a tour of all the free, nearly free and paid-for tools that can help language teachers create lessons and materials while also helping students become more independent learners. We talk about ways in which we can work more efficiently, but also actively boost learning gains in the process.

The discussion covers practical uses of AI for generating lesson materials, and tools like Mizou for practising conversation. Also...

What is the role of a learning technologist in modern higher education? What are the career paths available, what skills do you need, and what does a typical working day look like? Today we’re joined by Lilian Joy from the University of York and Sita from the University of Sheffield: both learning technologists at different stages of their careers, who are able to offer their own answers to some of these questions. 

We get into acc...

This is the second in our SoTL spin off series where we move the focus from technology to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Today we are joined by lecturers Jess Hargreaves, who teaches in data science, and Yaprak Tavman from the Department of Economics. We talk about how teaching works in their fields and how they’ve incorporated scholarly teaching into their own practice. They discuss their backgrounds, motivations, and c...

Nidhi Sachdeva from the University of Toronto talks about the science of learning, myth-busting educational misconceptions, and the role of technology in teaching. We get into cognitive load theory, explicit instruction, and question the efficacy of demanding reading loads in higher education. Nidhi shares her expertise on structured teaching methods, the importance of factual knowledge in the age of AI, and her efforts to simplify...

This is the first of a series of conversations recorded last year with teachers from a range of disciplines who share an interest in applying scholarship to their own teaching, and conducting their own scholarly projects.

Today Lucy Turner-Voakes from the Academic Practice team and I sit down with Jeremy Moulton from Politics and Clément Moissard from Physics at the University of York. They explore how they integrate scholarship, t...

Pauldy Otermans and Stephanie Baines return to TELSIG to talk about the research and course design they've been carrying out at Brunel University. Building on the webinar they delivered back in May, Pauldy and Stephanie talk in detail about the challenges and triumphs of building an academic skills course that teaches students how to harness AI tools. As well as the practical applications and the importance of critical thinking, we...

Today I'm talking to Dr Zoe Handley about her research on English tutors' knowledge and beliefs about the use of AI in language teaching. Zoe shares her background, starting as a language learner using technology, and details the evolution of speech and language technologies over the past 20 years. We elaborate on the potential of AI technologies in language learning apps like Duolingo and the ethical and practical challenges these...

I'm joined today by Dev Aditya of OIAI by Otermans Institute. We discuss the innovative use of small language models in education, the development and deployment of an AI teacher, and how AI can help to upscale marginalized communities. Dev shares insights into the challenges and opportunities of AI in education, the effectiveness of small language models, and the future of AI-integrated learning environments. He also touches on so...

Today we delve, that’s right, delve, into the world of machine translation and its influence on education with Klaus Mundt and Michael Groves, who have been researching and writing on this topic since 2015. We explore the evolution of machine translation tools from Babel Fish to today's advanced AI models like ChatGPT. The discussion uncovers the ramifications for student voice, authenticity, academic integrity, and policy within e...

As teachers, we have access to literally millions of high quality, freely-availably images thanks to resources such as Pixabay and Unsplash. In this episode we dig into the impactful use of visual metaphors in teaching with guest Dr Richard Cotterill, who shares insights from his recent research. Rich argues that visual metaphors can make abstract concepts more comprehensible for students. We explore the challenges and benefits of ...

E-authoring tools like Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate have had a transformative impact on education. They allow teachers and course writers to quickly create visually appealing, interactive learning materials. Despite these benefits, their uptake often remains restricted to small circles of enthusiasts.

Today I talk to David Read from the University of Sheffield about and the benefits and potential challenges faced by tea...

How has classroom practice changed as a result of the ever increasing availability of teaching technologies? We look specifically at polling tools, and consider the broader influence of such platforms.

Rob Shaw is an Educational Adviser in the Programme Design and Learning Technology Team and the Faculty contact for the Arts and Humanities. He is the service lead for Mentimeter classroom polling at the University, and he is interes...

In this episode, Sam Hazeldine discusses the integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in education. We discuss the potential of AR and VR to enhance learning, clarify the definitions of VR, AR, and mixed reality, and talk about their practical applications in classrooms, such as simulations and interactive learning environments. Sam also addresses the accessibility of such technologies and the impact of AI on ...

This conversation from May 2023 took place in the wake of the launch of ChatGPT 3.5. We cover responses from institutions, policy, implications for teaching and assessment, questions raised and opportunities for research, and other topics.

Stephen Gow is responsible for the coordination of standards, assessment and academic integrity at the University of York, he has been working in this evolving role since 2014. Stephen spent 5 ye...