Call For Proposals
Educational Gain: Beyond the Metrics
Thursday 11th May, 2023
The HEFI 2023 Teaching and Learning Conference will seek to explore what educational gain is, how we measure it effectively, and how else it can be evidenced. Our aim is to take these discussions beyond the metrics, sharing good practice and learning from within the University and beyond to shape our collective and individual future practice and ensure our students’ success.
Drawing on established research and practice around “learning gain” and using the HEFCE definition of “a change in knowledge, skills, work readiness and personal development by students during their time in higher education” as a starting point we are looking for contributions that cover the full range of the student experience (within and outside of the curriculum) whilst at university. What does success in higher education look like? How do we design an experience that educates the whole student and ensures that they are ready for their futures? How do we know that what we do is working?
Details of our Keynote Speaker for the HEFi23 Conference are coming soon
Call for proposals:
We welcome proposal submissions for paper presentations, discussion groups and short ‘lightning’ sessions. Proposals must be submitted to hefi@contacts.bham.ac.uk using this form by Friday 24th February 2023.
The call for proposals for the HEFi23 Conference is open to internal and external colleagues interested in exploring the concept of educational gain. We welcome submissions that align with the Conference themes, and are particularly interested in submissions that consider one or more of the following dimensions:
Proposals could cover a variety of themes including how we foster intellectually curious and confident students, how we develop independent critical thinkers and subject experts, how we encourage cross-disciplinary learning, and how we measure academic excellence beyond assessment.
- Employability / career-readiness
This might include proposals that explore how we develop creative thinkers, how we encourage collaborative working and skills of communication, how we develop resilient and agile graduates, and how we know if / when our students are career-ready.
- Personal skills development
Proposals might consider how we promote self-reflective practice in our students, how we support our students to become socially responsible, how we prepare our students to respond constructively to ethical challenges, how we know if we have been successful.
Proposals might consider how we close awarding gaps, how we create inclusive environments that promote learning, and how we are able to construct narratives that are not about numbers and what is quantifiable but speak to quality education.
Some of the examples used above are taken from the University of Birmingham Graduate Attributes and we would welcome examples of how these and other graduate attributes are influencing the conversation with our students around educational gain.
Presentation formats:
- Discussion Group (30 mins)
- Paper presentation (15 minutes plus 5mins for questions).
- Lightning Session (5 mins)
Presentations must:
- Align with 1 or more of the conference day themes
- Draw on relevant experience and wider research
- Be self-contained and crafted for maximum audience learning
- Include a conclusion with ‘implications for practice’
- Be designed to last no longer than 15 minutes
Discussion Groups must:
- Align with 1 or more of the conference day themes
- Be facilitated by one or more leads
- Draw on relevant experience and wider research
- Encourage attendees to discuss and apply the topic to their teaching practices
- Facilitate an open reflective and developmental space for participants
- Be designed to last no longer than 30 minutes
Lightning Sessions must:
- Align with 1 or more of the conference day themes
- Be concise in their focus, avoiding extraneous detail
- Be practice-focused and evidence-informed
- Use a minimal number of presentational aids (e.g., PowerPoint slides)
- Be designed to last no longer than 5 minutes