CELT conference

Just before the academic year kicks off, there is always the annual Teaching and Learning Conference, and this year was no exception. I went. It was interesting! One thing that struck me was that there were talks in Welsh. I hadn't seen that before! But as everyone knows not the whole audience will understand that, there was synchronous translation available. I thought it was good that these things happen!

There also was a bloke showing software that translates your lecture in English (or French or whatever) in real time to Welsh. Not quite perfectly though; that was quite funny.

Not everything was about language; there was a good talk from a lady from the Student Union about how to develop your curriculum in collaboration with the students. She had some very good points. There was a lot about inclusion and representation too.

Another thing that stood out was that there were two representatives from the software we use for our teaching. All our modules have a website, and that also is where the students submit all their work. It's pretty important! And they were showcasing the new version that is expected to come out next summer. The room was rather excited! It's important that sort of stuff works well. We need to use it every day; it had better be the best it can be.

Altogether it was worth it! You always pick up some good practical tips, and some food for thought. Time to use it all in the new academic year...

Lady giving talk in Welsh; the lady with the sheet of paper in front of her face is doing the synchronous translation, trying to talk only into the microphone and not the room

Showcasing the new version of Blackboard