View programme: Academic skills provision knowledge exchange forum

9.30am  

Registration and arrival refreshments

Room: Foyer area

10am  

Welcome

Room: Auditorium

Speakers:

• Dr Richard Earl, Vice-Provost Academic Faculty and Dr Helen Parish, Senior Tutor, Worcester College
• Professor Rhona Sharpe, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning 

10.15am 

The Oxford context: academic skills in colleges

Room: Auditorium

Speakers:

• Dr Claire Cockcroft, Programme Director, Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust, Somerville College 
• Dr Lynn Featherstone, Senior Tutor, Wadham College 
• Dr Luisa Ostacchini, Nelson J Carr Career Development Fellow for Academic Skills Support, Jesus College
• Dr Helen Parish, Senior Tutor and Dr George Webster, Learning Development Officer, Worcester College

Chair: Dr Anne Crook, Senior Educational Development Consultant, Centre for Teaching and Learning

This session will showcase examples of how academic skills interventions are designed and implemented within Oxford's collegiate system. Speakers will provide a brief overview of their approaches to delivering academic support, sharing their experiences, insights, and reflections to inspire and inform similar initiatives across colleges. The session will conclude with an opportunity for audience Q&A

Refreshment break

Room: Foyer area

11.45am

Parallel sessions

Session 1: Workshop: Evaluating academic skills provision

Room: Auditorium

Facilitators: Dr Amy Smail, Project Associate (Evaluation, Communications & Coordination), Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning, Cambridge University and Dr Joris de Henau, Evaluation Officer, Student Data Insights, Education Policy Support

This workshop will offer practical tools and evidence-based strategies to assess academic skills provision and address common challenges in evaluation. Participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with peers, share experiences, and gain valuable insights into conducting evaluation of provision

Session 2: Workshop: Challenges and approaches to developing students' academic writing

Room: The Hub

Facilitator: Dr Sam McIlroy, Head of Academic English, Language Centre

This workshop is designed to facilitate discussion among colleagues working to develop students' academic written communication. Participants will have the opportunity to share effective practices, explore common challenges and collaboratively identify strategies to enhance academic writing instruction and support 

Session 3: Workshop: Engaging students with your academic skills provision

Room: Le May Room

Facilitators: Dr George Webster, Learning Development Officer, Worcester College and Dr Dominic Alonzi, Educational Development Consultant, Centre for Teaching and Learning

This workshop will provide opportunities for colleagues to share practice and explore strategies to engaging students in college academic skills provision. How do you promote your skills provision and how do you ensure students take-up the opportunities made available for them? The session is supported by the University's Academic Skills Special Interest Group

1.15pm

Lunch

Room: Foyer area

The student perspective 

Room: Auditorium

Speakers:

• Dr Jo Begbie, Director, Astrophoria Foundation Year Programme, Department for Continuing Education
• Emily Rudgard, Specialist Academic Skills Advisor, Centre for Teaching and Learning and Disability Advisory Service

Chair: Dr Mary Beth Benbenek, Associate Teaching Professor, Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning, Cambridge University 

In this session, the speakers will share their experiences of supporting students in two different contexts: supporting neurodiverse students 1-1 and bespoke academic skills development for students on the Astrophoria Foundation Year Programme now in its second year. The session will conclude with an opportunity for audience Q&A

2.30pm

The sector perspective

Room: Auditorium

Panel members:

• Dr Mary Beth Benbenek, Associate Teaching Professor, Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning, Cambridge University
• Dr Simon Gamble, Head of Study Skills, Library Services, Bristol University
• Dr Andrew Struan, Director of Academic Services, Glasgow University

Chair: Eleanor Miller, VP Undergraduate Education and Access, Oxford SU

This session invites participants to explore innovative approaches to supporting students' academic skills across a variety of institutional settings. A panel of experienced educators will share their practices, discuss the rationale behind their approaches, and reflect on the challenges and successes they have encountered  

Academic Skills Development Project

Room: Auditorium

Speakers:

• Dr Anne Crook, Senior Educational Development Consultant, Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Dr Jane Pritchard, Head of Educational Development, Centre for Teaching and Learning

In this final session, we will share an update on the University's Academic Skills Development Project funded by the Access Fund, and outline next steps in the project and how it can support academic skills provision across Oxford

Closing remarks

Room: Auditorium

Speaker: Professor Rhona Sharpe, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning