Chris Thompson

How have you have supported others to develop their practice?

As a learning designer, I have mentored many academic colleagues in designing innovative learner journeys through digital learning activities. I have substantial experience supporting multimedia, instructional designers, and learning technology professionals to develop their practice in creating effective educational video and meaningful learner interactions supported by digital technology. I am particularly interested in supporting academics in engaging with team-based learning design environments and digital transformation. In 2018, I conducted a research project through the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) to investigate the perceptions of digital education by academic staff across Leeds. One output from this project was Adapt Your Teaching for Online Delivery, a fully online training course designed to rapidly support teaching staff in developing their digital learning and teaching practice, which was deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through leading the Enhancement team in the Digital Education Service, I have experience in evaluation and continuous improvement of digital education, drawing from quantitative data from learning analytic systems and qualitative data from staff, students, and other users to help others in developing their practice. I lead the Online Educators Network supported by LITE, a community of practice with the aims of fostering discussion about online learning, sharing digital learning and teaching practices, and supporting research and scholarship into digital education: https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/community/networks/online-educators-network/

What are your current student education interests/new developments?

I have broad interests in digital education and technology enhanced learning, having designed a variety of fully online postgraduate modules, transition to university courses and online induction programmes for taught postgraduates and postgraduate researchers. I am a specialist in Arena-Blended-Connected rapid learning design. I have experience and interest in supporting others in designing formative and summative assessment for fully online education. I value social learning to empower groups of students to support one another in communities of inquiry and have experience in supporting staff in how they can foster and support students in building these relationships. Digital transformation presents opportunities to challenge social and institutional biases and inequalities but also presents risks of reinforcing and entrenching them. I am interested in how inclusive practices in digital education can help surface and challenge inequalities to make education accessible to all, I have experience running focus groups with students, using feedback and advice to inform the development of digital learning. As a leader in digital education and digital transformation, I am interested in how different approaches to leadership and change management can support student education and institutional growth. I also oversee the Student Champions for Digital Education initiative supported by the Digital Education Service in collaboration with Digital Education Academic Leads (DEALs) and ODPL. Through this initiative, I am interested in embedding student voice in digital education practices across Schools and Faculties, and the Digital Education Service.