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Welcome to the Caledonian AcademyWelcome to the Caledonian Academy located in the heart of Glasgow in the UK. The Academy is the focus of Glasgow Caledonian University’s aim to develop and research innovative forms of learning and teaching for a wide range of students - not only at our Glasgow base but also at outreach campuses abroad. Learning and teaching is central to the existence of most universities. But few institutions around the world share Glasgow Caledonian University’s ambitious aim of using action research to improve learning and teaching practice across the whole organisation. The Academy is founded on contemporary thinking in educational development, moving the university away from support-based staff development practices towards evidence-based, educational development in partnership with organizations around the world. Working in partnership with these external partners and academic schools we are researching, developing and embedding innovative approaches to learning and teaching. Examples of learning innovations include rethinking how to prepare students for the workplace, based on years of research into principles of effective work related learning. Redesigning blended learning programmes in partnership our School of Built and Natural Environment which is informed by our research into students' use of mobile technologies to integrate informal learning with formal teaching programmes. Improving student progression based on our understanding of the ways communities of learners and teachers build and share information and knowledge. The Academy is leading action research across key areas of Glasgow Caledonian’s learning, teaching and assessment strategy to prepare students for the workplace through effective work-related learning; to build students’ ability to learn independently, thereby improving progression; and to implement the sorts of technology-enhanced learning that are fundamental to a knowledge based society. Academy staff work closely with the university’s academic schools to contextualize and embed these new ideas through professional development and a range of strategic partnership initiatives. The RealWoRLD employability initiative is building on the university’s existing success in preparing graduates for the working world by developing strategies to improve the effectiveness of work-related learning and enhancing graduate employability still further. Moving Forward, Glasgow Caledonian’s progression initiative, is bringing together all the university’s activities - in the academic schools and centrally - to help students progress and achieve their full potential during their time at university. The resulting framework will help schools to develop their action plans and will enable the university to monitor the impact of these new strategies. Graduate attributes have an increasingly high profile and Glasgow Caledonian is leading the way in the UK through I-Learn, an initiative which aims to develop independent learners by building on existing good practice to embed academic, information and digital literacy skills in the curriculum. Another key focus of the Caledonian Academy’s activities is an emphasis on effective and innovative use of new technologies in learning and teaching. The Emergent Technologies for Learning initiative is exploring how Web 2.0 technologies and online, three dimensional collaborative environments such as Second Life can help students to become more effective learners. Staff and students are already ‘building’ the university on Second Life, complete with a perfect representation of our award-winning Saltire Centre. Caledonian Academy will lead a competition to explore how we can exploit the potential of 3D environments for learning, but in the meantime construction of the university’s Second Life site is proving to be a valuable learning experience for students in itself. The Academy has been working closely with the Higher Education Academy to ensure Glasgow Caledonian University’s Continuing Professional Development in learning and teaching is amongst the most advanced in the UK. All staff with a teaching role at GCU can choose from a range of first-rate professional development opportunities, taking forward distributive leadership. Activities include the Caledonian Scholars and Associates Initiative, the Horizons Reading Group, Caledonian Learning Community events alongside Masters and Doctoral level study. International research not only extends expertise in learning and teaching across the university, but provides evidence for future directions in learning and teaching. Through externally funded research we have learned how Caledonian students use mobile technologies to study outside the classroom, providing insight on how we should implement technology enhanced learning in future. We are aware of the ways teaching staff share ideas on course design, helping us to develop solutions that could speed up diffusion of innovative ideas in teaching. We have insight into how we can extend our academic communities to capitalizing on collective knowledge and work in partnership with industry. View some of the recent academic publications by staff of the Caledonian Academy External partnerships are a key element of Glasgow Caledonian's innovative approach to learning and teaching. The university has won a prestigious action research partnership with Shell International BV to help Shell to address key challenges. These include improving learning productivity during an individual's transition from university to the workplace, focusing on sharing collective knowledge and using emerging technologies that can significantly improve knowledge flow between novices and experts within the organisation. New approaches to learning developed to help Shell employees learn quickly and effectively will be integrated into Glasgow Caledonian University's learning and teaching strategies to give graduates a flying start as they move into the world of work. If you would like more information about the Caledonian Academy, contact us. Our Academy News Blog also offers our latest news items. Some other Academy resources are at: Flickr; Slideshare; Scribd. Professor Allison Littlejohn, |
