What next for history teaching and learning?

EMC online workshop
9 July 2020 9.30am-12.30pm

The East Midlands Centre for History Teaching & Learning is a regional organisation bringing together historians from the nine East Midlands HEIs to develop, share, and investigate excellence in history teaching in higher education. Our teaching history workshop is a forum for colleagues to discuss aspects of their teaching practice under a specific theme. The workshop is open to PGRs, postdoctoral researchers and teachers, and experienced academic staff from across the region.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is anticipated that universities will continue to deliver teaching, assessment and other learning activities remotely and online in Autumn 2020. Yet despite the evident enthusiasm of many universities and policymakers for this form of delivery, the pedagogical aims or implications of teaching online are relatively unclear. Amidst a rapid rollout of online provision only generic training or guidance has been provided and staff and student literacy in such methods is often assumed, while critical discussions of the limitations of teaching online or the exclusions and inequalities it can exacerbate have been limited. Most pertinently, little attention has been given to the subject-specific challenges involved in delivering teaching remotely or online, and the implications of such a shift for certain disciplinary practices, be they specific skills, assignments or “qualities of mind”, intrinsic to studying history at university level.

Drawing on the range of expertise from across the nine East Midlands HEIs, this workshop will showcase some innovative and research-informed approaches to teaching our subject digitally. It will provide valuable opportunities to share practice across institutions, learn from each other’s experiences and address common concerns or problems. What does effective teaching and learning in history look like if delivered remotely or in blended or “hybrid” form? What should we expect of our students in this context and how can we best engage or assess them? How can we ensure online teaching spaces are accessible, inclusive and embracing of difference? And which disciplinary and pedagogical principles should underpin a history class, module or degree programme if the content is to be largely delivered online?

We would like to invite contributors to deliver a brief (10 minutes max) talk or presentation on an aspect of their practice in this area (PowerPoint Audio is the preferred format). These contributions will be pre-recorded and uploaded to a shared space on Microsoft Teams, where participants can access them in advance of the workshop. Participants will then have the opportunity to ask questions of the speaker during the workshop, and stimulate a larger discussion.

If you are interested in providing a talk or presentation, please contact joe.merton@nottingham.ac.uk with a title and brief outline (200 words max) by Friday 19 June.

The workshop itself will be delivered via Microsoft Teams and is free to attend. It will be facilitated by EMC members from the University of Nottingham. If you would like to attend the workshop, please email joe.merton@nottingham.ac.uk by Friday 5 July.