One

“I approached Ollie after he gave a presentation to a staff development meeting. I was interested in the functionality, ease of use and benefits of wikis in teaching and learning for my MSc IT students. We met and discussed what a wiki can offer and how it might be used in the context of a module for group collaboration in preparation for a presentation.

We discussed some technical options around control and monitoring, design and choice of software – namely whether to choose the in-built Blackboard tool or use the public domain PB Works. As a result we developed and implemented an approach that began with a student workshop and guidance sheet. The students immediately took up the initiative and have used it beyond its original intentions to support other collaborative work on other modules.

Ollie retained an interest in the work and helped in evaluating it use. The wiki is now an established part of the module teaching and learning approach.”

Morris Williams, Module Leader and Director of International Leaderships

Two

“The MSc Urban and Rural Planning is a programme delivered entirely online. As such, it is essential that teaching and learning, including the opportunities for remote student interactions, is effectively enabled virtually. This is a challenge in a context where students can be anywhere in the world pursuing their studies and the importance of addressing common online learning barriers, such as learner isolation, is an important priority within this context.

Oli has led in the development and execution of a strategy to overcome these barriers and deliver an innovative and effective learning environment online. Oli played a vital role in the programme design team, leading not only on the effective use of the Virtual Learning Environments (Blackboard, Piazza etc) for this programme, but also providing important direction, guidance and direct support in relation to the creation of an interactive and engaging virtual learning experience embracing video, audio, interactive tools, visual aids and appropriate structural, format and style techniques to deliver online text content to support desktop learning.

Oli demonstrated clear knowledge and understanding of the potential use of innovative learning technologies, but also showed awareness of the limitations, ensuring packages have been employed to best effect.

Importantly, Oli has also provided ongoing support to the academic members of the team to support content delivery and online interaction between students, making key interventions to improve engagement and participation. Oli continues to be an important member of the programme and module teams, maximising the student experience.”

Adam Sheppard, Programme Leader

Three

“I went to Oli with an idea and a ‘wish list’ in my head about the idea of using blogs for assessment. He explained a number of options in careful detail and pointed out the constraints and the benefits of using a variety of programmes, helping me to eventually make an informed decision about what to use.

I was very impressed with how quickly Oli managed to set up Pebbelpad and students blogs to support my module. He is able to explain technical content clearly and accessibly.

In the setting up of students blogs to accompany a final year module Oli produced technical guidance through a series of short accessible online videos. He was was thorough and clear providing guidance and instruction to me and to the students both in the classroom and via BB. Oli has dealt with every query or question that I or students had about Pebblepad resulting in flawless administration of the blog assessment and good feedback from students.

Oli shared my passion in treating students as independent learners and we have worked together to produce a novel assessment. Oli was able to advise about what and when students needed certain information, staggering it so that it was not too overwhelming. He is approachable, friendly and supportive with colleagues and students.

Oli listened to me and brought my vision and ideas to life. He spent valuable time explaining things so that I could understand.

I have enjoyed working with Oli because he is a good listener, he understands, asks thought-provoking questions and is passionate about students learning experience. He is brave, willing to take risks and try new things and able to evaluate and develop them. Without Oli my ideas would have stayed inside my head, he was able to bring them to life for me and help me understand new technology and gain confidence while feeling constantly supported.”

Sara-Jayne Williams, Module Leader

Four

“I write as a colleague who works in an office adjacent to that of Oliver Haslam, and also as someone who has benefited both from his training in relation to educational technology and from his ad hoc support with small technical issues.

Oliver always displays the utmost patience when dealing with staff. It does not matter how small or how easily solved the issue, no one is made to feel that they have wasted his time, or that they should have known better. This is a key skill for someone in his position, as it ensures that staff will ask him questions when they need to, as they will not fear being embarrassed by their limited knowledge or understanding.

Oliver is very good at explaining complex tasks in a clear, simple, but non patronising manner. He goes at the pace of the learner, yet still expects the learner to achieve high standards. He is always prepared to go back over something to ensure that key principles have been assimilated and reads his tutees well, so that he notices when something has not been fully understood.

He is very good at picking up on, and therefore starting from the threshold of understanding of the learner, and consequently pitches explanations at the right level.

He has a very calm and reassuring manner, that enables him to gain the confidence of the under confident, and ensures that he obtains a clear and full explanation of their problem. This is essential, as staff can sometimes be quite panicked about their IT problem if they are under pressure to deliver, and this, as Oliver so clearly understands, is a barrier to understanding.

Overall, he is excellent at what he does, and shares his knowledge and understanding of the power of technology to enhance learning with enthusiasm and sensitivity.”

Judith Ritchie, Director of Postgraduate Studies

Five

“Oli is a very willing member of the Learning and Innovation Unit and is always very happy to discuss ideas concerning the application of technology to my teaching.

He is a very good at teasing out the objectives to be pursued and advising on the best possible options available.

He was particularly helpful in ensuring the successful application of Turning Point in a recent large-group teaching scenario. He took the time to look through my teaching resources, advised on where Turning Point could be best applied , and undertook a practical demonstration of the technology which helped to reassure me in advance of the class. On the day Oli was on hand and came to view how the students were engaging with the experience; it was a very positive one and the students have provided some excellent feedback.

Oli is personable, patient and an excellent communicator and is in tune with the pressures and challenges faced by staff in a busy HE environment.

While Oli is very willing to develop one to one solutions, he has also helped with the faculty’s Shared Approaches to Learning and Teaching seminar series where new ideas and practices can be discussed with colleagues. In addition to being knowledgeable about the different technologies on the market, he possesses an excellent understanding of effective teaching and learning, steps to enhance the student experience, and related KPIs in this area.”

Nick Smith, Associate Head of Department

Six

“Oli has a unique skill in being able to present seemingly complex technologies in accessible way. This enables the lecturer to explore a range of possible technologies and make appropriate choices in a range of contexts.

Oli provided the TEL technical knowledge and support to enable me to develop a novel pedagogical approach to simulating professional engineering practice through the engineering curriculum. Together we explored a range of possible technologies and worked together to develop this new approach under tight timescales. Where novel TEL approaches were explored, Oli provided the technical guidance enabling me to ‘right-size’ the technology choices. We are currently developing this approach into an original research article for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

Oli continuously proves to be a comprehensive source of knowledge and guidance in the development of my teaching methods. I have used Oli’s technical expertise to explore a range of TEL technologies for example Panopto, Kaltura and the wider functionality of our our VLE, most of which I have subsequently chosen to incorporate on the Programmes I lead.”

Lisa Brodie, Programme Leader