We had a shorter eCoffee programme this year but no less packed with useful content! The opportunity for colleagues to come together and discuss how technologies can enhance our teaching, learning and working practices is always appreciated. All are welcome to join these informal online sessions. Dates for the 2024-25 academic year will be shared via the eCoffee homepage.
Present your PowerPoint
Thurs 18 Jan 2024
Our first eCoffee of the year focused on a tool we encounter all the time in our day-to-day work and study. We invited attendees to share how they make the most of PowerPoint.
Mangala Kumari started us off with a series of brilliant tips, such as the 5x5x5 rule: no more than 5 bullet points on a slide; no more than 5 words in a bullet point; no more than 5 successive information-heavy slides. We also explored PowerPoint’s accessibility checker and the simple changes you can make to ensure all your audience can engage with your content.
The session rounded up with examples of PowerPoint beyond the slide show: an interactive learning package created by a student, and eye-catching posters used by LifeLab.
Access the recording: Present your PowerPoint
Ultra unpacked: Meet the new Blackboard
Weds 20 Mar 2024
The University’s virtual learning environment is being transformed to Blackboard Ultra, and this session was a chance to find out more. Kickstarting the process, a small group of ‘early adopters’ delivered their Semester 2 modules using Ultra, and we were really encouraged to hear from Medicine’s early adopters Luca di Gregorio and Bernadette Fernandez. Their insights into using Ultra for UG and PG students showcased some key features of this up-to-date, user-friendly platform, highlighting its real potential for improving the experience for both teachers and learners.
The Blackboard Ultra SharePoint has all the latest information.
Access the recording: Ultra unpacked: Meet the new Blackboard
Clinical AI: Enigma or fiction
Weds 15 May 2024
The impact of Artificial Intelligence has generated a lot of discussion in previous eCoffee sessions, so this was an opportunity to delve a bit deeper. Nick Fuggle led this fascinating session, giving a historical introduction to machine learning and discussing the application of GenAI in healthcare. Nick illustrated how the influence of AI stretches back much further than many of us imagine! We also learned some intriguing facts: ChatGPT is worst at Maths leading up to Christmas, for instance. The potential of AI in clinical contexts is huge and we considered examples such as AI-generated notes from consultations, that allow clinicians to focus more fully on the patient, but could require some random words thrown in to ensure the clinician reviews the notes afterwards.
If you would like to know more there is a Clinical AI Interest Group – you can sign up for the group via the Clinical AI section of The Alan Turing Institute website
Access the recording: Clinical AI: Enigma or fiction
Interactive Teams with Polls and Forms
Tues 9 Jul 2024
We rounded up the year with Alison Ormesher and Tamsyn Smith taking us through some of the improved features of Polls and Forms, making it increasingly straightforward to add simple interactive elements to online sessions. Offering a range of options to gauge your audience’s response, run short quizzes and engage attendees, these tools integrate well with Teams, allowing you to make the most of a familiar platform.
The slides are at Interactive Teams with Polls and Forms – eCoffee.pptx
Access the recording: Interactive Teams with Polls and Forms