Contributing to Teaching Essentials

This briefing explains how you can contribute to the University’s Teaching & Assessment Essentials online resource aimed at supporting academic practice and learning innovation.

Visit Teaching Essentials at: https://sheffieldhallam.sharepoint.com/sites/4151

What

Teaching Essentials is a growing resource that provides a set of online toolkits that together provide high quality information and guidance about teaching, learning and assessment. The material is broad in scope being first and foremost practical, inspirational, and research-informed. The collection is designed to support academic development in its various forms, and to underpin curriculum enhancement activities.

It is principle-based, meaning that the key ideas can be applied by staff in any discipline to address their discipline-specific requirements.

Much of this resource has been produced by peers from across the University’s academic community who continue to share their in-depth knowledge, interest and experience.

We invite you and your colleagues to contribute by sharing your own knowledge and experience of teaching and learning in the form of articles, interviews, case studies or more practical tools.

Recognition

Contribute to this growing resource and receive recognition for sharing your experience, knowledge and inspirational practice. In addition to the intrinsic satisfaction you get from leading or being associated with an area of academic innovation, contributors to Teaching Essentials are awarded globally recognised Digital Certificates (certificates for Contribution, Project Leadership, or Editorial roles are available).

Engagement with the development of these academic toolkits will provide you with evidence that can be used to support claims for fellowship, individual and team-based awards, and professional body recognition. You can draw upon your involvement with developing Teaching Essentials to inform your annual review and enhance your career progression.

The Teaching Essentials site is outward facing ensuring that examples and knowledge about our excellent academic practice can be accessed globally. The toolkits and their content are made available under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution licence by default. This reflects the pride we take in our practice.

Ways to contribute

Here are some ways you can contribute to Teaching Essentials and gain recognition:

  • Join or lead a toolkit editorial group
  • Offer a case study account of your practice
  • Share a link to a resource that you have created or found useful
  • Host artefacts from a learning and teaching project, e.g. LEAD Associate projects or Hallam Guild projects
  • Create some guidance, or just offer hints and tips
  • Design or run a workshop or online activity as part of the University’s CPD programme and share the materials you used
  • Generate ideas as a workshop participant
  • Allow us to video your practice or record an interview with you
  • Co-write a research paper
  • Share a link to a research paper you have written
  • Explain what a concept or jargon means in reality
  • Improve content you find in a toolkit
  • Offer feedback on a briefing or case study you have used
  • Suggest someone who we should invite to create content

Teaching Essentials is co-ordinated by Learning Enhancement & Academic Development (LEAD) on behalf of academics across the University.

Contact: TeachingEssentials-mb@exchange.shu.ac.uk  to find out more about how you can share you practice or become involved in one of the editorial groups.

Andrew Middleton, Head of Academic Practice & Learning Innovation, January 2018