Looking Back on 2023

Posted on: 5 December 2023 by Rebecca Atkinson in General

As we bid farewell to 2023, it's a perfect time to reflect on the accomplishments and achievements from CIE, and eagerly prepare for what 2024 holds!

Kicking off 2023 we held the annual Liverpool Learning Summit in January, a weeklong series of events diving into the concept of citizenship and what it means to be a citizen in a global, local and digital sense. Working with partners from the Guild of Students, Liverpool John Moores University, The Civic University Network, Association of Learning Technologists, and colleagues across UoL, the talks and workshops covered a range of topic from our twinning with Sumy State University to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

From one event to another, in May we held the second Islands of Innovation, this time blasting off into space! Our intergalactic adventure was a synchronous event held across 3 time zones, connecting educational developers and learning technologists across the globe. This innovative event allows participants to co-create their educational mission whilst considering cultural lenses.

Our final large event of the year was the Learning and Teaching Conference. As with all our events, we chose a theme relevant to the landscape of UoL, for this LT Conference it was ‘Reassessing Assessment’. Colleagues from across the University of Liverpool attended ignite talks, roundtable discussions and workshops presented by peers. With presentations from nearly every department, and featuring student made posters, our first in-person conference since 2019 was a resounding success!

Without forgetting our smaller events, throughout 2023 we held over 100 workshops. Our timetabled workshops and bespoke workshops cover a wide variety of topics from generative AI, accessibility in Canvas, and digital tools, to assessment and feedback, groupwork and cultural awareness.

In-between our events we also launched several pilot programmes. Our first was for the collaborative platform SpatialChat which we now have an institutional license for. Our second was for H5P, the interactive platform embedded into Canvas. Finally, we have secured hybrid teaching equipment to start a Hyflex Pilot from 126 Mount Pleasant.

We established two networks, the Student Sustainability Network, and the Generative AI Network (GAIN), both having an influx of members upon launch. Throughout the year we have also been committed to implementing our students as partners outlook by recruiting 10 students interns to develop our work on Canvas, an Inclusive Curriculum, GAI, and Social Media. With our social media intern Sherley Admane, we have launched our Instagram and TikTok accounts as @livunicie. We have also launched our regular newsletter which helps us keep in touch with friends across the university and beyond.

The CIE Innovation Fund was launched in 2022, which allowed us to support five projects with the goal of enhancing the curriculum and having a positive impact on student experience. In 2023 we had a record-breaking amount of applications who will each be awarded funding up to £2500. 

From departmental achievements to personal ones; a special shout out to our wonderful Laura Blundell, Kate Evans and Rob Lindsay for being part of the winning group for the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ Award at the 2023 Staff Awards for the Inclusive Curriculum Toolkit. And a special mention to our Tunde Varga-Atkins for being shortlisted for the ‘Evans Memorial Professional Services Award’ for delivering outstanding service to students, colleagues, and stakeholders.

Our colleagues have also been published in several GAI academic texts, presented at numerous conferences, and led on the implementation of GAI support in the curriculum.

We truly have had a remarkable 2023, making progress in new fields and collaborating with colleagues across the University. With our sights set on new horizons, fresh challenges, and exciting opportunities, the momentum from 2023 will propel us towards 2024! Looking ahead to the new year, in a similar fashion we’ll be starting with the Liverpool Learning Summit 2024, with a new theme: What Unites Us? We hope to see many of you there!

With heartfelt seasons greetings we wish you all the best for 2024!