Video from Tara Brabazon

Tara Brabazon, University of Brighton

Report on Tara Brabazon's workshop

Podcasting postgraduates
Tara Brabazon

Dr Maureen Spencer, Middlesex University Business School and Professor Tara Brabazon

Tara Brabazon of Brighton University passionately conveyed her enthusiasm for podcasts for teaching and learning. Podcasts are easy to create and easy to access. Moreover, her main argument was that audio resources defamiliarise students’ learning environment in a constructive manner. Tara, together with colleagues, explored the various roles and functions of podcasting in postgraduate education. She presented brief audio accounts of her students’ work at Masters' and doctoral level and emphasised how important it is to keep podcasts brief and to the point. Following that, participants created their own podcast by introducing themselves and sharing their thoughts and experiences on podcasting. Many colleagues across different Schools mentioned improving formative feedback as an important objective, whilst others centred on affective aspects of learning. Other areas, such as students’ individual preferences regarding visual vs. audio media appeared to be more troublesome. But, quite often, so is learning.

Mike Mimirinis
e-Learning Academic Adviser
Middlesex University

Feedback on Tara Brabazon's keynote address

Patrick Phillips, Middlesex University


Earle Abrahamson, Middlesex University

PGCHE Award Winners

Tara Brabazon awarded Ellie Franklin (Accounting and Finance Department) and Michela Vecchi (Economics and Statistics Department) prizes for outstanding work on the Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education.

Ellie Franklin and Tara Brabazon

Carole Davis (Programme Leader), Tara Brabazon, Michela Vecchi

Report on Tara Brabazon's keynote address

What an electrifying start of the day! Tara Brabazon has introduced us to the concept of electronic dieting and challenged our lazy habits of googling.

She threaded the metaphor of healthy eating through her talk - ‘we all know there’s better food, just like better information’

Tara argued that Google steers us to search for information that we already know and that it delivers information on the level the searcher is comfortable processing. While this may be an excellent way of finding the perfect pair of shoes on the internet, is this good enough for academia? Learning happens when we are tipped out of our comfort zones and are presented with new, provocative ideas or as she put it ‘Challenge builds learning, conformity builds ignorance’.

She also posed us the question ‘What if we gain more meaning from fewer media?’
Reducing the sensory environment and the choices learners are presented with can create a different sort of learning. She celebrated librarians for the crucial role they play in educating students (and all of us) in academic literacy.

Watch her presentation and decide whether you need to go an an electronic diet too :)
Full video to follow.
Agi Ryder
Research and Innovation Team
Middlesex University


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Tara Brabazon keynote address - FULL VIDEO

Tara Brabazon's keynote address

A lively, thought-provoking, keynote focussing on moving away from the easy option to consider more appropriate options for tracking down information. Process must include level 1 students.

Registration and welcome

Welcome from Professor Margaret House, Middlesex University

The quad filling up with conference delegates

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Registered, got my goody bag and badge... Now? Relax...
Ready for Tara Brabazon's Keynote "Digital Dieting: a guide through information obesity"

Final preparations

Expecting the Middlesex University Quad to be over-flowing with eager delegates tomorrow for the 10th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference - Engaging the Digital Generation In Academic Literacy.

It's going to be hot but we will have the air-conditioned heaven of HG19 to escape to for the keynote speakers - Tara Brabazon, Steve Wheeler (@timbuckteeth) and William Wong.

Registration and coffee will be from 9.25am