Creative curriculums explored at Imperial's Education Day

International insights, innovative teaching and the student perspective were all on the agenda at this year's Education Day on 22 April.

Over 150 staff were joined by Imperial College Union representation, head teachers and speakers from both the College and as far away as Singapore.

Professor Debra Humphris, Pro Rector (Education) and Professor Andrew George, Director of the Graduate School and the School of Professional Development welcomed guests to the annual event, now in its sixth year.

Speakers provided examples of creative curriculum designs, including keynote speaker, Associate Professor Daniel Tan from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), who shared his experiences of learning and teaching internationally.

Professor Debra Humphris welcomed guests to the annual event

Professor Debra Humphris, Pro Rector (Education) said: “Education, along with research is the core business of Imperial and our annual Education Day, provides a focal point in the academic year. The event offers a chance for staff from across the College to come together to share good practice and discuss ideas, as well as to hear the contributions of specially invited speakers.”

“With the landscape of education in the UK undergoing a period of rapid change and development, Education Day offers a chance to pause, evaluate and consider the next steps for Imperial. This year’s programme considered creativity in the curriculum from a variety of perspectives and institutions. This created a welcome opportunity for discussion of different approaches and ways to incorporate creativity into teaching and learning practice at Imperial”, Professor Humphris added.

A panel of speakers including Dr Eryl Price-Davies (Professional Development), Professor Peter Childs (Mechanical Engineering), Alison Ahearn (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Doug Hunt, Deputy President (Education), Imperial College Union and UCL’s Carl Gombrich, Programme Director of a new undergraduate degree programme, the Bachelor in Arts and Sciences (BASc), talked around the issue of designing curriculums and spaces which foster and nurture creativity in education.  

Alison Ahearn talks about Constructionarium

The speakers offered insights on designing creative curriculums from a range of perspectives. Dr Eryl Price-Davies (Professional Development) began by talking about the work of Imperial Horizons, a new programme introduced in October 2012. The initiative provides opportunities for students to take part in an Imperial Horizon course alongside their area of study and aims to enhance students’ employability.

Professor Peter Childs (Mechanical Engineering) presented some of the work produced by students on the Global Innovation Design Masters course run jointly by Imperial and the Royal College of Art. Alison Ahearn (Civil and Environmental Engineering) talked about the success of Constructionarium, a project where civil engineering students get hands on building site experience, working together with volunteers from industry.  

Other speakers included Doug Hunt, Deputy President (Education), Imperial College Union, who offered insights on learning from a student perspective and Carl Gombrich, Programme Director, University College London, talked about the development of a new interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences BASc.

As well as a number of talks, a roundtable discussion provided staff with an opportunity to pose questions and share good practice. The day concluded with a keynote address ‘Learning that clicks and connects’ from Daniel Tan, drawing on his experiences at NTU where an elearning system both engages students and helps staff monitor their progress.

Dr Anita Hall, Senior Teaching Fellow (Life Sciences) was one of the attendees: “Education day gave me the perfect opportunity to set aside some time to think about my teaching and how best to improve it. I learnt about imaginative, enjoyable ways to engage students and met some new educator colleagues and friends.”

“I would strongly recommend that staff carve out some time to attend the next Education Day. I now feel ready to tackle those last preparations for next term’s teaching: now bring on the students!” Dr Hall added.

Photographs courtesy of Thomas Angus.