'Supporting the Supporters' Encouraging Continuing Professional Development for Support Staff
Tuesday 8th June 2004, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham
An LTSN Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences conference in association with the School of Environment, University of Gloucestershire
Contents
- Summary / write up of this event (rtf)
- What is the event about?
- Who is the event for?
- How Can You Contribute?
- Programme
- Where is the event being held and how do I get there?
What is the event about?
Support staff in Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences (GEES) departments serve a very important role in enhancing the student learning experience, yet continuing professional development and networking opportunities for this cohort remain somewhat limited. The primary aim of this national conference is to give GEES support staff an opportunity to network with colleagues in similar roles in other institutions and to provide opportunities for their continuing professional development. In this way therefore the conference seeks to improve support for this diverse group of personnel so as to improve the learning experience of GEES students. This event provides a unique opportunity for GEES support staff to collaborate and network on a wide variety of issues.
So, if you have ever wondered what colleagues do in other disciplines and departments, this is your chance to learn from their experiences - or to present and showcase your own! The conference will be interactive, including specialist workshops, allowing GEES colleagues to benefit from active engagement with a variety of topics.
Who is the event for?
This event is for all Support staff including in Geography, Earth
and Environmental Sciences: administrators, departmental managers,
fieldwork and laboratory technicians, resource centre staff, librarians, cartographers,
C&IT/ GIS technicians, disability specialists and others.
How Can You Contribute?
LTSN-GEES and the organisers are calling for short contributions for the specialist sessions in the afternoon (8 - 10 minutes MAXIMUM each).
Possible topics for discussion could include:
- How can we support more students in the lab?
- How can we support disabled students?
- How can we support online learning?
- How can we support local/overseas fieldwork?
- What learning resources will we need to provide in 5 years time?
- How can we best support the independent learner?
- How do we keep up with constantly changing technologies?
- What are the CPD requirements of learning support staff, and are they being met?
Programme
10:15-10:45 Coffee and Registration
10:45-10:50 Welcome
(Dame Janet Trotter, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Gloucestershire)
10:50-11:15 'Someone in the lab can help you': student learning
and the invisible army
Carolyn Roberts, Head of School of Environment, University of Gloucestershire)
11:15-12:30 Interactive Keynote Presentation:
'Reaching the parts' - encouraging support staff development in HE
(Jude Carroll, Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes
University)
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:10 Keynote Presentation: Self
development, Professional development: The Balancing Act
(Professor Sally Brown, Institute of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education)
2:10-3:15 Presentations and Discussions in Specialist Groups: Key Issues in Supporting Student Learning
- Departmental Administrators and Managers (Chair:
Kathryn Haig, School of Environment Manager, University of Gloucestershire)
- With a short presentation from:
- Steve Gaskin (LTSN-GEES/The Higher Education Academy): From
Roots to Routes: CPD for administrators and managers
- Steve Gaskin (LTSN-GEES/The Higher Education Academy): From
Roots to Routes: CPD for administrators and managers
- With a short presentation from:
- Cartography, Mapping and Graphic Staff
(Chair: Steve Chilton, Learning and Technical
Support Unit Manager, Middlesex University)
- With short presentations from:
- Mike Shand (University of Glasgow): How traditional cartographers are keeping up with software and digital data developments PowerPoint of Presenteation | Summary of Presentation
- Tim Aspden (University of Southampton): How cartographic support units have to change with the times and encompass new skills (graphic design, printing, web design, etc)
- Huw Dobson (UWE): How support staff (including cartographers) can make career moves into other support roles, including support managers
- Martin Robertson (University of Newcastle): New technologies in the area of Geomatics (Land Surveying ) for carrying out surveys for mapping purposes
- With short presentations from:
- Laboratory, Fieldwork & Equipment Technicians (Chair:
Paul Kimber, Senior Laboratory Technician, School of Environment, University
of Gloucestershire)
- With a short presentation from:
- Dickson Nosa Aigbedion (Linkoping University, Sweden): How can
we support more students in the lab?
- Dickson Nosa Aigbedion (Linkoping University, Sweden): How can
we support more students in the lab?
- With a short presentation from:
- Librarians, Map Curators and Resource Centre Staff (Chair:
David Sherren, Portland Learning Resources Centre, University of Portsmouth)
- With a short presentation from:
- John Moore (University of Glasgow): Swimming in a sea of acronyms:
how do we make sense of what is available for our readers
- John Moore (University of Glasgow): Swimming in a sea of acronyms:
how do we make sense of what is available for our readers
- With a short presentation from:
- ICT Technicians and ICT Administrators (Chair: Pauline Framingham, IT Manager (School of Geography), University of Plymouth)
3:15-4:00 Plenary Session: Issues in Career Management and
Continuing Professional Development
(Chair: Professor Brian Chalkley, Director, Subject Centre for Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences (The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre
for GEES) with selected panel members).
4:00 Close
Directions
The event is being held at the School of Environment, University of Gloucestershire (located in Cheltenham), on the Francis Close Hall Campus (number 5 on the Campus Location map), in the Clegg Building (number 3 on the Francis Close Hall Campus map). If you make your way to the Francis Close Hall Campus there will be ushers to direct you to registration.
Getting to the University of Gloucestershire
- Directions by road, rail, air and National Express
- Detailed road directions
- Directions to the Cheltenham Racecourse Park & Ride