Space hopper reflecting the 80s theme

The final programme for the 24th Annual Durham Blackboard User’ Conference #durbbu is now available from stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

@martinnutbeem.bsky.social that is a fantastic site - thanks for sharing!

Should be in the next few days. Just waiting for a few reviewers!

Think edtech conference meets 89s disco with Glitterballs, Walkmans, OHPs and ET sprinkled in for good measure!

At long last the call for papers & registration are now available for an 80’s themed Durham Blackboard Users Conference. Hope to see you at No 24! #durbbu #blackboard #anthology #teaching #glitterball stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

Durham Castle lit up as part of the Lumiere festival

Delighted to share the confirmed dates for the 24th Durham #Blackboard Users’ Conference: #durbbu. Pre-conference workshops on the 22nd April, Main event 23rd and 24th April. Dinner in the castle! More detail soon.

ScienceDirect website showing journal article. A popup displays the message Ask ScienceDirect AI - What is you research question?

Who says #genAI doesn’t have a sense of humour? When opening Darvishi et al.’s 2024 paper on the Impact of AI assistance in student agency, the publisher’s AI bot couldn’t help but offer its services. QED. doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Although I wish the concept of “wicked” problems had a better name, this is a great paper highlighting the issues facing staff confronting #genAI Corbin, Bearman, Boud & Dawson (2025) The wicked problem of AI and assessment, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher
Education, DOI: doi.org/10.1080/0260...

A tabletop board game with counters representing people, seagulls and food

Today at #playlearn25 I learnt about the power of things, told people about washing a snake in a sink and helped develop the game Flock Off! Playful learning is a truly remarkable conference. Thanks to everyone involved in the organisation

Poorly disguised man drinking tea next to a wanted poster

This may help you xplain my last post from #playlearn25

I have been totally out-played by @drbethp.bsky.social ending with not a bear hunt but a manhunt at #playlearn25. Congratulations!

First day without @juliemulvey.bsky.social as a member of my team for over 20 years! Feels very much the end of an era. Wishing her a happy retirement. For a small person she has left a very large pair of boots behind to fill. One of the nicest, most caring people I have ever worked with.

retro game stele graphic: north east learning environments group

Grey concrete beast with lots of angular facets

Looking forward to catching up with everyone in #NELE today. Meeting in Newcastle in one of their unashamedly modern buildings!

Julie and Nico showing off her award

Julie Mulvey gets the first #Anthology Hall of Fame award at #durbbu

Amazing looking raspberry cup cakes

Glad to see that the cakes at #durbbu are up to the usual high standard!

The amazing curved roof of Newcastle Central Station

An early start for me today as I head for #durbbu. Safe travels everyone look forward to catching up with you all soon!

I think my money would be on #SpaceDog if their paths ever crossed

Personalised learning #durbbu - a tree (of knowledge) whose leaves are marked with arrows, all pointing in different directions

Heading for #durbbu this year? You can now download the final programme from the conference website: stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

A tabby cat keeping it’s paws dry using the seat whilst ting at a bus stop in a northern town.

Delighted to see the paper that @rachelleeobrien.bsky.social and I wrote about cats, escape bus stops and student transition courses has finally been published. jpaap.ac.uk/JPAAP/articl... We’d never have written it if we hadn’t met @nicwhitton.bsky.social and been given a (dog) license to play :-)

#LTHEchat A3 I think AI is now so embedded in tools that students use to write that the days of asking for prompts and responses are over. Now much more iterative and may involve multiple tools.

A3 I think AI is now so embedded in tools that students use to write that the days of asking for prompts and responses are over. Now much more iterative and may involve multiple tools.

Great opening @jisc.bsky.social #digifest2025 keynote from Chief Failure Office Paul Iske and his equation: NT + EE = E00. New technology and old organisation = expensive old organisation. Stressing the importance of changing the culture, not just bring in a new shiny tool. Resonated with the room.

Interested to hear of HEIs have using @adobeexpress.adobe.com working with @jisc.bsky.social in their teaching. Some big wins on assessment diversity. Got me thinking about our responsibility to students once they graduate. Are we an unintended sales funnel? Getting into murky ground. #digifest2025

A cat has sneaked into my case!

All set for the @FeedbackFruits UK and Ireland event tomorrow and then @jisc.bsky.social #Digifest #Digifest2025 afterward. Case seems strangely heavy and wriggly. #catinthebag

Automatic for the people? A prescription for AI 'mainlined into the veins' of government is a bad metaphor for a dangerous policy

A thought-provoking very human post about the UK government’s #AI plans from @helenbeetham.bsky.social helenbeetham.substack.com/p/automatic-...
that I hope lots of people will read. My favourite line is “…to be read only when you have a strong antidote to despair close by”.

Seeing far too many documents that are #stratGPT or perhaps #CHATegy things that pass a casual glance but are devoid of nuance, compassion or insight, that are created using predictions of how we got here not where we need to be or how to get there. We need to be more critical in our use of #genAI

23rd Annual Durham Blackboard Users' Conference Join us in Durham from the 2nd to 4th of April 2025. Meet friends old and new friends, to talk about pedagogy and learning..

Delighted to announce that we have opened registration and the call for papers for our annual #blackboard conference #durbbu. We are back in the Castle! stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

Two smiling chimps sat in a lecture theatre

Very proud day - attending the @Anthology Ethical #AI World Tour in Leeds today with my son! Some great discussion about who controls what we can ask and get out of genAI tools.

Greggs coffee cup printed with the message: Freshly ground fair trade flavour

Grabbing a coffee from #Greggs before my meeting with #Turnitin today to talk about #genAI and #education. Slightly concerned about the concept of fair trade “flavour”

AI generated image of smiley students sat round desks, surrounded by strange blue shiny things

Delighted to announce that the draft programme for #durbbu 2024 is now available at dcad.awh.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/2024_... AI - will it make or break the VLE?

Silhouette of a human head. The inside is filled with bits of tech. Generated by DALL-E

Delighted to share #DCAD’s new Student guide to generative AI which we hope will help students (and staff) develop an informed critical approach to #AI tools such as #ChatGPT, #Claude & #Bard. dcad.awh.durham.ac.uk/generativeai/