Fridays

Where’s Pete been?

I’ve been at the

Disciplinary Commons

So what’s a Disciplinary Commons

when it’s at home|?

It’s a bunch of academics who practis/ce ITP

Introductory Teaching of Programming

Which academics?

A bunch of us from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and

Bolton

What’s the point?•To document and share knowledge about TEL practice in the UK.

•To establish practices for the scholarship of TEL by making it public, peer-reviewed, and amenable for future use and development by other educators..

Where’s “commons” come from?

Commons: a general term for shared resources in which each stakeholder has an equal interest.

Why?

A belief that by engaging in shared exploration of our teaching in this way, we will achieve:

•richer understanding of TEL within and between institutions

•a knowledgeable community of peers

•a core set of documents describing, cataloguing and assessing current TEL methods and methodologies, acting as a TEL repository and archive, charting and calibrating development over time

So what does it involve?• Attending both initial and capstone full-

day workshops

• attending all interim meetings, at 4-6 week interval

• completing a description/analysis of their ITP practice.

What documentation?

A course portfolio

So it’s just a resource centre

NO!the Commons does not: •Aim to generate a courseware repository,•Nor is it a workshop for developing materials.

So what have you got from it?

•I’ve met a bunch of people who, like me, care about ITP•I’ve seen many approaches to ITP•I’ve learnt a hell of a lot•I’ve been re-motivated•I’ve had fun•I’ve been challenged

Wow! Where Can I learn more?

• Sally Fincher’s website

• www.cs.kent.ac.uk/people/staff/saf/dc/