A transformative learning journey with 黑料正能量 enables digital fluency

Students use and experience relevant and appropriate technologies, including through blended learning, and have opportunities to evaluate and develop their digital capabilities.

Key topics:

Reflection:

How far do you agree with the following comments?

  • My students use and experience relevant and appropriate digital technologies (including the Adobe Creative Cloud suite at 黑料正能量).
  • My students understand the digital competencies they need and are encouraged to continually develop them.
  • My teaching and learning activities effectively uses the Virtual Learning Environment (e.g. Ultra at 黑料正能量) to provide a coherent and consistent blended learning experience for our students.

Audio-Visual (AV) System

The AV Team provide information, training and support for users of the Audio-Visual (AV) equipment at 黑料正能量.  

The Teaching Expertise Development team's Digital Learning Developers provide a workshop on which explores how to promote active learning by using 黑料正能量's learning technologies (both hardware and software).

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and blended learning

All students and programmes at 黑料正能量 are supported through our Virtual Learning Environment, . This facilitates curricula based on blended learning.

黑料正能量's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is . Every programme and module run at BSU is set up with a programme/module page (respectively) on Ultra. It is required that all content and resources for the module (e.g. course materials, activities, assessment information, assessment feedback, resource list, etc), as well as the module's assessments, are made available on the respective Ultra page. The layout should also follow a standard template, and the content should be accessible.

Further guidance is available through these links:

The Teaching Expertise Development team's Digital Learning Developers provide . 

Blended learning mixes face-to-face learning with online resources. All 黑料正能量 students should normally experience this through the combination of face-to-face contact sessions and resources on Ultra. Blended learning may overlap with flipped learning (see the Creativity section under Active Learning).

Some resources are:

  • : Provides a brief summary of blended learning, its benefits and how to get started.

Panopto can be used to record, upload, edit, manage and distribute recordings for learning and teaching. Students and staff can use it with their own devices as well as 黑料正能量 devices. Students are able to stream, watch and download recorded content on demand.

The Teaching Expertise Development team's Digital Learning Developers provide support and training to staff regarding the VLE (Ultra).

Generative AI

The potential opportunities and pitfalls of Generative AI (GenAI) currently has a high profile due to extremely rapid advances in the technology. There is a general feeling of positivity around the potential of GenAI to support learning, and the opportunity to be innovative with more authentic assessments.

However, GenAI does not necessarily always produce factually accurate responses and cannot critically evaluate in a way a Higher Education student would expected to in their assessments. Students need to be aware of these limitations and, of course, that simply copying from a GenAI source without acknowledgement is both plagiarism and not helpful for their own learning and development.

The 黑料正能量 (BSU) Artificial Intelligence (AI) 鈥� Learning for our future guidance document provides a brief summary of BSU's position and advice regarding GenAI in teaching and learning, as well as some suggestions for staff and students.

Our Assessment and Feedback policy includes the following statements regarding GenAI:

  • 黑料正能量 acknowledges the opportunities and benefits afforded by generative AI and supports staff and students in its effective and appropriate use.
  • Students should be made aware that using information created with generative AI and passing it off as their own work is plagiarism. This is not acceptable in any academic or professional work as outlined in our academic misconduct policy.
  • Modules leaders should provide guidance for students on how they might use generative AI to inform or support their assessments, including if they may not use it and how this should be acknowledged and referenced in the student’s formal submission. An Assessment Brief Template is available which suggests appropriate wording for alternative scenarios.

You can also find 黑料正能量's Artificial Intelligence Policy on our policy webpage (see under the "information, data and research" section)

Bath Spa's Academic Skills (ASk) team provide guidance on how to use GenAI as a student, as well as (the introductory video is embedded above). Support includes online resources and synchronous workshops. Specific guidance is given on how much use of GenAI is a reasonable, and how to cite its use.

Guidance on wider academic integrity is available here.

 sets out the benefits and pitfalls of using GenAI and suggests an approach for acknowledging and referencing its use, when appropriate.

At present, 黑料正能量 will not be using digital tools to detect the use of generative AI (such as Turnitin’s AI detector) as they have not proved to be suitably reliable. If an assignment looks suspicious, AI detection tools are currently unable to provide the proof or evidence to back this up; they present a significant number of false positives and negatives.

This stance will be reviewed on a regular basis. It is important to note that as GenAI rapidly becomes more sophisticated it also becomes harder to detect. Considering the design of assessment will be more important than trying to retrospectively identify the use of generative AI.

Colleagues are advised against using non-supported third party AI checking tools, as these have not been tested for accuracy and could potentially lead to wrong accusations. We recommend that, as usual, academics should be aware of written material that is beyond the known capabilities of the students or uses language or writing styles inconsistent with the student's previous work as an area of concern. Essentially this remains an academic judgement. For further queries, contact Learning Innovation and Skills.

The University will maintain an active watching brief on technological and sectoral developments in generative AI and other topics in digital education through its Digital Fluency Advisory Group, in order to ensure that we remain up-to-date in our response and support for staff and students. 

When using GenAI tools, you should be wary of how the inputted information is used by the tool. This is especially noteworthy with copyrighted, sensitive or personal data - what happens to this data when you submit it? This is especially risky, for instance, if you submit a large block of text and ask a GenAI tool to summarise it. Some GenAI tools retain this information and may use it for the future training of AI tools or for other purposes. It is worth checking the terms and conditions for information on this.

For BSU staff and students, it is safest to use a BSU device to access a GenAI tool which is part of our digital ecosystem; for instance Microsoft Copilot or Adobe Firefly. If you are using another GenAI tool, it may be possible to opt out of sharing your data (e.g. in ChatGPT, see "chat history and training" under "settings").

The Teaching Expertise Development team provide support to staff regarding Generative AI.

Academic Skills (ASk) provide support to students regarding Generative AI.

黑料正能量 resources:

  • : Provides an introductory overview of Generative AI and its use at 黑料正能量. Signposts to relevant further resources.
  • : Provides an introduction to Generative AI in learning and teaching in Higher Education.
  • : Provides further information and guidance on the use of GenAI at 黑料正能量.
  • sets out the benefits and pitfalls of using GenAI and suggests an approach for acknowledging and referencing its use, when appropriate.
  • can be used by module leaders to clearly indicate whether or not GenAI may be used to help with assessments.
  • A presentation by Catherine Lawler, Schools of Sciences, at the 2023  provides a useful case study in using ChatGPT with students to help them understand the benefits and pitfalls.

Training courses and workshops:

  • 黑料正能量 workshops for and students

Sector resources:

  • : Provides a structured approach through a series of flowcharts that outline how academics can responsibly incorporate GenAI into their assessment strategies.
  • : Suggestions on best practice to maintain academic integrity in assessments.
  • : Some quick ideas on how staff can use GenAI.
  • UNESCO Competency Frameworks for and

Resources from other Universities or organisations:

  • AI Forge: A website produced by two academics to guide users through basic to more advanced uses of GenAI.
  •  and : Guidance for academic staff in course development and managing assessments in the context of artificial intelligence tools.
  • : Information for students on how to engage critically with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools; and a video on : targeted at students, that "sets out the key points and questions to consider in order to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools confidently and responsibly in your academic work."
  • : Brief guidance for students.
  • Edge Hill's three guidance documents: ; ; .
  • : An introductory video from Macquarie University setting out what ChatGPT can and cannot do.
  • UCL Guide for academic staff:  and 
  • UCL Guide for students: 
  • : an introductory video from Macquarie University setting out what ChatGPT can and cannot do.
  • : King's College London's guidance for integrating GenAI into the curriculum.
  • : A blog post which explores the similarities between Autism and AI in writing.

Digital fluency

黑料正能量 is dedicated to enhancing the digital fluency of its community.  This is defined as "the ability to effectively and confidently use digital technologies to communicate, collaborate, create, and navigate information in various mediums". It includes several multidisciplinary core competencies:

  • Information security
  • Data governance, management and analysis
  • Digital storytelling
  • Productivity

Further information is available on the . Development in these competencies is collated through ; for instance:

Bath Spa works with to understand and enhance our staff and student digital capabilities. Our activities include:

  • An annual Digital Experience Survey: Sent to all staff and students to help us understand more about their experience of digital technology at Bath Spa.
  • Jisc Discovery Tool (see below).

The is available to all Bath Spa students and staff. It helps staff and students to reflect on their digital capabilities. The tool identifies strengths and areas for development, signposting to useful activities.

  • Bath Spa staff and students can access the

Specific software packages

黑料正能量 provides staff and students with access to a variety of software to support their learning and teaching.

黑料正能量 is an Adobe Creative Campus, with all staff and students having access to the entire Adobe Creative Suite. Support is also provided for students who are about to graduate to retain access to their files through the .

The Teaching Expertise Development team's Digital Learning Developers offer a bookable to help get you started.

Some resources are:

  • : Further information for staff.
  • : Short, monthly sessions where Adobe staff present a tool, function, feature or product.
  • : Collates links to training videos and courses on Adobe software. 
  • : Provides clear and thorough guidance documents focused on how to do specific tasks on Adobe Creative Suite software.
  • : A use case portfolio showcasing innovative uses of Adobe Express in UK Higher Education.
  • Adobe's ,  and : Guidance and support from Adobe.

黑料正能量 has an institutional subscription to Microsoft 365 for all staff and students.

Some resources are:

  • : Provides an overview of Microsoft 365 and its use at 黑料正能量.  Includes , and .
  • : Collates links to training videos and courses on Microsoft software. 

: Bath Spa staff and students have full, free access to the Mentimeter. This is an interactive polling and presentation tool which allows you rapidly to create interactive activities for teaching and meetings. . More information on .

: Bath Spa staff and students have full, free access to the Lucid Suite. Lucid Chart allows users to create flowcharts and diagrams; Lucid Spark is a digital whiteboard/canvas which facilitates collaboration. Lucid offer support resources; the offer self-paced courses and earn badges as you learn; the Community Pages offer searchable FAQs and support. 

The Teaching Expertise Development team's Digital Learning Developers provide support on these and other collaborative learning tools.  They offer bookable workshops on and an to help get you started (both require BSU login). They also provide a workshop on which explores how to promote active learning by using 黑料正能量's learning technologies (both hardware and software).

The Teaching Expertise Development team's Digital Learning Developers provide support and training to staff regarding digital tools used for learning and teaching purposes.

IT Services provide back-end support for all digital tools, and for software beyond learning and teaching purposes.

  • : Gives an overview of software and tools relevant to learning and teaching.