Digitally Ready

Progress with Digitally Ready: top down, bottom up

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

Last week, we invited our colleagues here at Reading for a lunchtime Show & TEL on ‘Progress with Digitally Ready’ – a chance to find out more about some of our digital initiatives on the ground, as well as the developments that are gathering momentum on a more strategic, institutional level.

As a university, we are considering where we want to be digitally, and how internal and external developments, and institutional and personal development complement and drive each other forward. Continue reading →

Posted in Dissemination, Meetings & Events, Small project funding scheme | Tagged Blackboard (VLE), Centre for Staff Training and Development (CSTD), Centre for the Development of Teaching & Learning (CDoTL), Department of Art, Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, Existing and Emerging Biotechnologies (EEB) Framework, Gavin Brooks, Guy Pursey, Kate Allen, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Nadja Guggi, Nic Hollinworth, Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP), Sam Holton, School of Biological Sciences, School of Systems Engineering, Show & TEL: Progress with Digitally Ready, TEL Strategy Group, Vicki Holmes | 2 Comments

Online resources for physical and life sciences students

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

Even more online support has been made available for students here at Reading seeking work placement and graduate employment. A new online tool dedicated to helping students find opportunities within the life sciences industry has been launched this month by the Biopharma Skills Consortium (BSC), which is led by the University of Reading and comprises seven universities from across the southeast. Continue reading →

Posted in Employability, Work/Academic placements | Tagged Biopharma Skills Consortium (BSC), Faculty of Science, High Fliers, James Gazzard, Nadja Guggi, Orla Kennedy, University of East Anglia | 1 Comment

Virtual careers fairs

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

The Careers, Placement and Experience Centre (CPEC) here at Reading has invested in virtual fair technology, which has enabled the service to extend its traditional offer of careers fairs and provide students with a virtual environment in which to interact with employers.

Two virtual fairs are currently live: the Careers & Placement Virtual Fair and the Law Careers Virtual Fair – both are available throughout the Spring term and have already attracted a number of student visitors, interested in finding out more about the organisations that are looking to recruit from the University of Reading. Student attendees can visit virtual exhibitor stands, click through to employer websites and view details of the opportunities on offer.

These virtual fairs are the online versions of the live fairs hosted every year in the Palmer Building during the Autumn term – ensuring that as many students as possible are able to view the information supplied by exhibitors, over a longer period than the traditional afternoon events. This has been particularly helpful for those students that did not start to research career options until a little later in the academic cycle, or who prefer to interact with employers online in the first instance. Students need to register for the fair through the online site, before browsing the information stands within the ‘Virtual City’.

The virtual fair technology is available for use by departments across the University for the delivery of their own events. To find out more, contact Employer & Graduate Manager Amanda Duggan (a.l.duggan@reading.ac.uk).

Posted in Employability | Tagged Amanda Duggan, Careers & Placement Virtual Fair, Careers Placements Experience Centre, Law Careers Virtual Fair, Nadja Guggi, School of Law, Virtual careers fairs | Leave a comment

Digital literacies and skills for 21st-century learning: Steve Wheeler visits Reading

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

Digitally Ready is proud to welcome Steve Wheeler, Associate Professor of Learning Technology at Plymouth University, who will be visiting Reading on 30 April to speak about ‘Digital literacies and skills for 21st-century learning’.

This seminar will explore the challenges universities will face in the coming years, the possible strategies they will need to implement, and discuss the new and emerging digital literacies that will form the skills for successful learning in a digital age.

Continue reading →

Posted in Dissemination, Meetings & Events | Tagged Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Digital literacies and skills for 21st-century learning, Nadja Guggi, Plymouth University, Steve Wheeler, Teaching & Learning Seminars | 1 Comment

(Video) Lessons learnt the hard way last forever

Posted on February 22, 2013 by katerinalazidou

Hello, I am Katerina Lazidou, a research student working on a small project funded by the Digitally Ready team. This small project is being conducted for the School of Biological Sciences here at Reading, with Dr Teeroumanee Nadan and Dr Kimberly Watson.

This project is part of a larger HEA-funded initiative. This initiative has, at its heart, the student experience in all its definitions and particularly focuses on improving global employability skills of our students. Continue reading →

Posted in Employability, Internationalisation, Small project funding scheme, Video, Work/Academic placements | Tagged Katerina Lazidou, Kimberley Watson, School of Biological Sciences, Tee Nadan | Leave a comment

Placement support online – for staff and for students

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

Our research study into digital literacies for student employability, focusing on WRPL and the University’s placement schemes, revealed that many students are as yet unaware of the full range of opportunities on offer, and that some work remains to be done in terms of establishing and embedding placements within the curriculum, particularly where monitoring and assessment are concerned. Continue reading →

Posted in Dissemination, Employability, Work/Academic placements | Tagged Careers Placements Experience Centre, Cindy Becker, Digital Literacies for Student Employability, Nadja Guggi, Staff Guide to Managing Placements | Leave a comment

Learning on Screen Awards

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

Congratulations to our Digital Hero Matthew Nicholls, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics, who has been shortlisted for a prestigious Learning on Screen Award by the British Universities Film & Video Council (BUVFC) in the Courseware and Curriculum Non Broadcast/Multimedia Award category.

Here is a short clip from Matthew’s entry, ‘Digital Modelling of Ancient Rome and the Roman World’:

Matthew has been using digital modelling software to build a detailed model of the ancient city of Rome as it appeared around AD 315. He spoke about ‘Rebuilding the ancient world, digitally’ at our ‘Sharing Good Practice’ event last July and presented on ‘Integrating digital modelling into student teaching and assessment’ at the recent Teaching & Learning Showcase on ‘The use of technologies in Teaching & Learning’.

If you want to find out more, Matthew will talking about his project in a keynote speech at the University’s annual IT Supporters Conference on 18 April – just before heading off to London for the Awards ceremony! Fingers firmly crossed.

Posted in Dissemination, Video | Tagged British Universities Film & Video Council (BUVFC), Department of Classics, Digital Heroes, Digital modelling, Digital Modelling of Ancient Rome and the Roman World, Matthew Nicholls, Nadja Guggi | 1 Comment

Closing the feedback loop

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

A couple of weeks ago, I foolishly promised readers of this blog a catch-up on the latest session in our Teaching & Learning Showcase series – ‘Closing the feedback loop’, which took place here at Reading on Tuesday. Continue reading →

Posted in Dissemination, Meetings & Events | Tagged Closing the feedback loop, Henley Business School, Inclusive practices in teaching learning and assessment, Kara Swift, Matthew Nicholls, Nadja Guggi, Rachel Redrup, Reading University Students' Union (RUSU), Stuart Morris, Teaching & Learning Showcase events | Leave a comment

Show & TEL: Progress with Digitally Ready

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Nadja Guggi

Digitally Ready requests the pleasure of your company at our lunchtime ‘Show & TEL: Progress with Digitally Ready’ on 1 March, 12.30–2.00 here at Reading. This session is open to all Reading staff with an interest in using digital technologies in Teaching & Learning. Digitally Ready’s small project funding scheme is making a difference in Schools and departments across the University. Join us to hear from selected project partners and have a chance for discussion with like-minded colleagues over a light lunch.