Submitted by Chris Baker on Mon, 09/10/2023 - 15:00
Introducing the Blended Learning Service
The University is proud to announce the launch of its brand new Blended Learning Service, designed to enable and support staff and students to engage with emerging technologies and practices within education. This marks a significant milestone in the University's commitment to delivering exceptional education in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. It also builds upon the existing work performed by the Technology Enabled Learning Service (TEL) as we grow our resources and aim to offer wider benefits to our community.
The Blended Learning Service will provide:
- a vision for digital and blended education at Cambridge and advice on appropriate strategic objectives
- a range of opportunities for staff development, training, and demonstrations
- 1:1 support with service staff to discuss, develop and evaluate blended learning challenges and opportunities
- a regularly updated suite of resources and guidance for their own autonomous professional development
- collaborative opportunities to develop blended education with staff and students
- alignment and networking across multiple services in support of education (e.g., Teaching Learning & Assessment Systems, Cambridge Centre for Teaching & Learning, and Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre)
- forums for discussion with and between disciplines, Colleges, students, and professional services about effective use of technology within Cambridge
- advice on the adoption and development of good practice in blended education
As the service continues to grow, new opportunities to engage with staff and students will inevitably emerge and allow us to fully support the University in providing an outstanding educational experience. There is much more to follow in the coming months so be sure to check the website regularly for updates and consider joining our Blended Learning Cambridge community on Viva Engage to be a part of the conversation.
To get in touch with the Blended Learning Service and discuss how we may be able to support you, your colleagues, and your students, please email info@blendedlearning.cam.ac.uk
Recent Projects
Blended Learning Guiding Principles & Priorities
At the heart of the new service are the Blended Learning Guiding Principles & Priorities. These principles serve as the cornerstone of the University's approach to blending traditional and digital learning methodologies, ensuring an integrated and effective educational experience for all students. Informed by several research projects, previous successful initiatives, and valuable contributions from staff and students, the Principles and Priorities present a strategic approach to enabling our University to enhance our approaches to blended teaching, learning, and assessment.
Undergraduate Student Experience Research
To ensure that the Blended Learning Service caters to the unique needs of its diverse student body, we conducted a qualitative study providing valuable insights into the preferences, challenges, and aspirations of our undergraduate learners. The results of this research will be integral in shaping the vision for blended learning and services in support of a student-centric approach to education. This project has already begun to inspire more in-depth investigations into how we as a University can support students and enable them to make the most of their time here.
Institutional Guidance for the use of Artificial Intelligence
The University of Cambridge recognises the transformative potential and rapidly emerging impact artificial intelligence (AI) will have on education for the future. To begin supporting staff and students and embrace these new technologies we have released institutional guidance for the appropriate use of AI in education at Cambridge. These guidelines aim to provide potential use-cases for both staff and students whilst respecting the academic integrity of education and safeguarding the interests of all involved. Due to the rapid developments in this sector, this guidance will be updated regularly to ensure accurate guidance for our institution.