Our 8th Praxis Festival of Scholarship celebrated the fantastic pedagogic research and scholarship that WELS colleagues – academics, associate lecturers, postgraduate researchers and students had undertaken for the previous 12 months.

No single theme dominates the projects colleagues had successfully completed; instead, topics spanned a wide range, from decoding research and research-informed teaching and exploring the experiences of students aged 18–25 to becoming AI-enabled and developing web-based simulations for undergraduate nursing students.

The keynote speaker was Professor Paul Miller CEO of the Institute for Equity, newly inaugurated University Centre. Consistent with our enduring commitment to Praxis - the unity of theory and practice - Paul guided us in exploring how a passionate dedication to equity can be translated into institutional action.

Alongside Praxis supported projects, the festival included presentations from colleagues who had recently completed their Level 7 Institute for Equity Fellowship.

Event videos

Keynote presentation: Mind the Gap: Enabling All Students to Succeed 

Prof. Paul Miller, CEO & Principal, Institute of Equity University Centre

Morning Parallel session A -

• From Page to Podcast: Reimagining Scholarship in Audio Form – Olivia Kelly
• An exploration into students’ experiences, attitudes and agency in choice of digital tools when collaborating on group work – Poppy Gibson, Helena Staszkiewicz and Sagun Shrestha
• Journey to Success: Enhancing student recruitment and progression on the MA in Translation – Clara Guillén Marín and Linda Lapini

Morning Parallel session B -

• Spaces of potential mattering – Jo Josephidou
• Exploring Research-Informed Pedagogy: Experiences from Languages Associate Lecturers – Mara Fuertes Gutiérrez and Anna Tudela-Isanta
• A journey through Level 2 study: Exploring the study experiences of students aged 18-25 – Helen Lee

Morning Parallel session C -

• Evaluating the student and tutor experience of synchronous online skills-development workshops – Jo Strang
• Demystifying Criticality – Deborah Cooper and Bob Hallawell
• Designing inclusive assessment task guidance on taught postgraduate study – Judy Chandler, Bob Hallawell and Jennifer Agbaire

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fellowship Journey - Lina Furnell, Faculty of Wellness, Education and Language Studies Academic Lead for EDI, Staff Tutor and Faculty Coordinator, School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care and Tajinder Gill, Staff Tutor, Programme Lead Q96 School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care

Afternoon Parallel session A -

• Becoming an AI-enabled and EDIA-informed pedagogue – Deirdre Dunlevy, Clare Horackova and Rachele De Felice
• Exploring the use of tutorial recordings to support retention and best practice in tutorial design for beginner learners – Qian Kan, Christine Pleines and Shaomian Deng
• Developing reflective practice in Initial Teacher Education: A collaborative approach to toolkit design – Catharine Bleasdale and Nerys Defis

Afternoon Parallel session B -

• Peer mentoring in the practice tutor community – Jo Bartlett, Sarah Brown and Vicky Heffer
• Exploring the Potential of Cross Faculty Soft Skills Training – Fiona Gleed, Karen Storey, Mark Addis and Claudia Eckert
• Web-based simulation for Undergraduate Student Nurses – a pilot study – Dr Jane Cook 

Afternoon Parallel session C -

• Moving on up? Childhood and Youth undergraduate students’ perspectives of postgraduate study – Jon Rainford, Kate Oakley and Sally Sharp
• Recruiting younger nursing students to participate in research: Challenges and Lessons Learned – Dr Rhona McInnes
• ‘Study With Me’: the power of working together in distance learning environments – Kate Oakley 
   

Update from the Praxis Hubs 

• What are Praxis hubs? – Lisa Bowers, Leigh Worrall, Ursula Stickler & Olivia Kelly
• Into Practice Hub – Leigh Worrall & Ursula Stickler
• Immersive Technologies Hub – Lisa Bowers
• Social Media Scholarship Hub – Olivia Kelly