To showcase each of our course themes, we’re sitting down with our four course leaders to talk through the courses they deliver and who they’re for.
This week we spoke to Dr Lindsay Davies, Learning and Development Manager at UK ITSS, about the Teaching and Training Skills Development theme.
About the course leader:
I’m Dr Lindsay Davies, Learning and Development Manager at UK ITSS, with over thirty years’ experience of working in higher education. My focus is on technical teaching, training and professional recognition for supporting HE student learning.
Many technicians don’t see themselves as teachers, yet they’re often the people helping others develop their skills and capabilities. These courses are about recognising that, and building the practical understanding behind it, how people learn, and how you can support them to do it well.
Why is Teaching and Training important for technicians?
The TALENT Commission Report, published in 2022, looked specifically at the role technical staff play in teaching. It found that technicians are vital to teaching and learning across UK higher education, and that 88% of them are involved in teaching or supporting learning in some form.
It also found the sector needs more visibility, targeted skills development and recognition for technicians who support others’ learning.
What will you gain from this course?
The courses are built around the parts of teaching you’re already doing in your day-to-day, planning, designing, delivering, assessing and evaluating other people’s learning, and give you evidence-based approaches for each of them.
You’ll come away from the course with practical skills you can use straight away. You’ll also have spent time with other technical colleagues, which participants tell us is one of the most useful parts, and more confidence in the way you work.
Why Teaching and Training Skills Development is right for you?
These courses are for technical staff at any stage who support student’s learning, whether that’s undergraduates, postgraduates or postgraduate researchers. They’re also for anyone who trains colleagues or other professional within a higher education or research institute setting.
If you’ve found yourself teaching or training without ever having been taught how, this is where to start.
