Today we find ourselves in uncharted territory; disorientating and unfamiliar waters leaving many of us dealing with a new routine, on the hunt for novel solutions and new ways of working.

During these times of uncertainty some of these ‘new ways of working’ can be completely novel to us and can perturb our status quo.

The challenges should be familiar to us all.

You curse technology and this enforced move to remote online working as you enter your third two-hour long TEAMS meeting of the day. With your three-year-old climbing over your shoulder, and the dog continuing to bark at the postman, just another day at home at the office.

You say ‘hello’ and ‘sorry I’m late’, but you’re on mute….

As you attempt to salvage the situation, all you manage to do is raise your virtual hand and remove the Microsoft generated background to reveal the door you keep meaning to paint, and you die a little more inside. Or is this just me?

Well fear not, help is at hand!

The TEL team at Liverpool John Moores are delighted to announce the relaunch of their website. Backed by exciting partnerships and introducing new content and functionality this is a coming together. A strengthening of defenses and support for faculty during these unprecedented and challenging times.

We spoke to Chris Gillies (Learning Technology Manager) to get the inside track upon what’s new and what to expect.

Who is the website aimed at? 

Staff and students. Staff in the main looking for ideas and support when exploring health related technologies and practices. In the short term we will also offer support resources and guidance for students on this site, but we would like to develop a more distinct space for students eventually.

What has driven these changes? 

From a staff perspective we need to capture a broader range of Faculty practices and health related technologies. We have an awful lot of specialist practices, facilities and technologies that are used within the Faculty and across our health-related programmes. It made sense to try and share and support more of this going forward. From a student perspective we need somewhere that offers easy access to guidance and support materials related to these practices and technologies that can be easily updated. The website has also been re-designed from the ground up to be accessible to all.

What will the benefits be? 

We hope to provide one easy and accessible place for colleagues to find support, tips and, of course, ‘ideas’ for incorporating health specific practices and technologies.  This will support the embedding of good practice across Faculty, more efficient and better use of existing resources and knowledge and encourage innovation. Students in turn will have access to support resources that are easily maintained and updated. We will be able to tie these resources into the new clinical suites.

What’s next?  

More content, particularly once colleagues feel confident with the fundamentals of online delivery and they have the scope and time to explore other practices and technologies. We would also like to develop a more distinct student space for Faculty resources, news and guidance.

Chris Gillies (Learning Technology Manager)

In review, this then is a ‘one stop shop’ for accessing technological and simulation-based education support and advice. With new content such as a BLOG and news section inviting guest speakers and readership involvement, mixed media and rich informative content. The future looks bright and helpful!

IDEAS ‘Innovation in Digital Education, Assessment and Simulation’ is live now with new and exciting content up and coming in the very near future. 

So, keep in touch and get involved.