What is your most striking memory of being involved in the CETL initiative (working in/with a CETL)?

This question was designed to attract a very wide range of responses, covering all types of issues and experiences. You will see that this was definitely achieved...

• Sheer hard work (but stimulating!)

• Developing ‘learning through humanities project’ – for a sciencebased teaching programme this is a novelty (and to me)

• Frustration at something so instrumental, influential and impacting ceasing to exist in the near future, despite some fantastic, hard work

• RISK

• The lack of institutional support for or even engagement in the initiative
• BUT the huge interest by faculties 4 individuals in our work

• The ‘Launch Event’ for the centre was a truly remarkable combination of hope, expectation and goodwill. The senior management of the university were genuinely thrilled to have a CETL and it was great to see teaching being celebrated in a research intensive univ

• Getting medical students dancing and them getting the same academic credit for it as their peers doing a clinical elective

• The rejection of the interim evaluation report being rejected by one of the CETL’s partners

• Satisfaction of working with academic colleagues on their project (CETL) and observing their development as researchers

• Recognition and the offers of visiting professorships and fellowships at UK and North American universities

• Challenge      getting everyone to work together to common goals. To agree, to collaborate

• Freedom and autonomy to rapidly develop and implement new ideas

• Running a workshop for 90 of the University’s most senior staff with an interest in teaching and learning – and finding that they all wanted to listen and contribute

• Having a fire breathing mechanical horse in the middle of our conference

• Striking Memory – Consultancy in Libya

• A few days before the start of teaching. I rewrote the entire assessment strategy because I was inspired after a CETL conference

• Meeting with lots of students engaged actively in learning and teaching through the CETL student network events (now student C+T network)

• Giving Evidence to 1055 Select Committee on students and Universities

• Appreciating the scope of activities and the creativity of teaching methods which have been adapted to practical learning and the immediate benefits the students show

• Striking memory:
• The opportunities to go to events and conferences to learn a new field
• Opportunity to research an area I was interested in: learning space

• Getting the Job
• First experience of working in HE and delighted that university values industry experience over HE/FE experience of the other candidate!

• Want to be seen as innovative/creative      how can we justify this always being ‘extracurricular’?
•       Teaching quality / valued focus
• If not embedded is strategy then not effected...

• At an emotional level, my most prominent ‘memory’ is of conversations with staff who have changed in their self perceptions a result of CETL involvement. The memory is therefore of transformation
• CETL as asset of individual

• Trying to design a CETL research strategy

• Thinking outside the box – a big black box of a room in the case of the Capital Centre 

-       INNOVATION IN PRACTISE –

• Lack of institutional support
• Good experience being director

• Overall experience of working with a great group committed to supporting excellent learning an teaching with technology

• The earthquake

• Working with colleagues at an awayday and generating creative/constructive models for the future

• Not a striking memory – more of a journey – one of personal development but also seeing so many others developing alongside me

• HEFCE evaluating the project after 3 years to assess impact when the dissemination was planned in years 4 and 5

• Working with incredibly committed, imaginative and intelligent people as part of the CETL team / CETL associates

• Academically and pedagogically
• Engaging with students in (2) exotic locations
• NW USA
• Malaysia
• Listening to student voices

• Striking Memory
• Working at the interface of LeT, KT and Research to achieve a significant purpose / aim with a wide range of impacts! (valuable and hopefully longlasting)

• Lots of hard work
• Building an observatory

• CETL supported project was nominated for the THES award and attending the awards dinner

• We did have a big CETL celebration (end of the project) – people were very emotional – looking back on what they’ve achieved and I’ve got a big bunch of flowers and big thank you

• Most stimulating memory – ‘learning that we had the funding!’

• Being told by loads of students that they really appreciate the state of the art IT suite that I established

• Positive experience
• The excitement and the networking opportunities at the beginning of the CETL

• Working with people who are not afraid to take creative, scary risks J

• Learning we had won the funding!
• When writing the final evaluation, realising how much work had been achieved

• Seeing the transformation of student space with the capital expenditure

• Challenges

• Collaboration                        Technology               Embedding

• MSOR/CETL conference Lancaster

• The liberating effect of having money for educational developments

• How hard it is to change anything...

• Being able to do things without having to think about where the money comes from

• Autonomy – albeit not as influential as hoped

• The diverse range of T + L activities that staff across the university are involved in

• Being part of something very innovative that was stimulating change, debate and discussion within depts., faculties, institution wide and externally

• The ability to use innovative methods to conduct research
• The freedom to work in your own area. And make your own choices

• Gathering data about staff attitudes – very illuminating

• Meeting people across the institution (all levels, all depts, all faculties, and Students Union) who I would never have met and worked with in – I learnt so much about HR, finance, estates as well as learning and teaching

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