Digital Capabilities

The welcome page for new staff has information and guidance for new starters including the University’s induction checklist and dates of the University welcome event for new starters.  

Our Digital Essentials for Staff collection on LinkedIn Learning launched in 2021 to support staff to develop their digital skills as part of their personal and career development. 

The courses cover a range of subjects, including digital essentials for new staff, digital wellbeing, online meetings, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Microsoft Office Suite, Office 365 and accessibility. 

The courses will be particularly useful for new staff and any member of staff who wishes to improve their digital skills in line with the University’s Digital Literacy Framework, and can be used effectively as part of the Staff Review and Development Scheme (SRDS). Once you’ve completed a course, or collection, you can share your personal and professional development with colleagues and managers via links, certificates, or LinkedIn Profiles. 

Colleagues have free access to over 21,000 courses on LinkedIn Learning via their University of Leeds account. The online learning platform supports staff to develop their skills and personal and career development. 

Watch video-based, professional courses in a wide range of areas and subjects including digital, technology, business and professional, and creative subjects. Courses are led by experts and are broken down into bite-sized video modules. In addition, we have a number of colleagues using LinkedIn Learning as a curator, meaning they can create, share, and understand the impact of your learning programmes. 

Find out more about using LinkedIn Learning at Leeds 

We are currently in the process of developing a series of pathways for colleagues which brings together development and recognition opportunities based on the area of the University you work in. This provides a meaningful path for you to follow to develop your digital skills in line with the digital literacy framework, and ultimately gain professional recognition through a variety of accreditations. More information about these pathways will be available on this website soon.  

The Foundations in Teaching (FiT) course is designed to equip anyone new to teaching or new to teaching at Leeds with the necessary information to help them get started in teaching. FiT is an online self -paced online course that you can start at anytime and there is no time limit to complete it but as a guide the estimate on the time you may spend on reading core content is (3 hours) and on optional activities and exploring related links (2-4 hours). ​ 

Following FiT, participants will be further supported by being invited to optional focussed synchronous sessions to support teaching development in specific areas.  

Once signed up to the course, OD&PL will enrol participants onto the course in Minerva (please note this process may take upto 2 weeks so please factor this into your planning).

The Postgraduate Certficate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) will challenge your thinking, enhance your practice and connect with your peers. It is a post-induction programme for staff who make a significant contribution to Student Education at Leeds. The programme is accredited by the Higher Education Academy (HEA), and successful completion will result in the award of Fellowship of the HEA (FHEA). The course is studied over 3 semesters (18 months) and it is heavily grounded in participants’ current academic practice and it is strongly ‘work-based’ in its philosophy and approach. Participants’ own experience of student education forms the basis of the learning.  

 The PGCAP will support you to: 

• enhance your student education practice  
• network with colleagues and learn from your peers  
• apply practically the approaches you explore on the programme  
• develop your confidence and skills for online teaching  
• undertake an impactful research project to enhance ongoing practice  
• gain Fellowship of the HEA (FHEA) 

The Teaching Innovation and Practice in Student Education (TIPS) Community is a network for teaching and support staff with the aim of collecting and sharing examples of effective practice from across the University. ​ 

The TIPS Community provides a forum for teaching staff at Leeds to share tips and tricks and to provide mutual support, by colleagues, for colleagues. 

Find out more about the TIPS community  

PebblePad is an ePortfolio platform that is available to all staff and students at Leeds, and can be used effectively in your teaching and development. It provides a user-led, reflective environment that supports learning and development by bringing together teaching and learning evidence, reflection, discussions, planning and achievements all in a single online space.  

Visit our PebblePad page for more information which explores how PebblePad can be used for teaching and development.

There are also practical guides on how to use PebblePad on the DES Systems Help website.

Resources on inclusive marking and feedback are available on the Inclusive Teaching website, including a curated LinkedIn Learning pathway, the policy on inclusive marking and how to apply it, plus video advice from teaching colleagues and students.

You can find out more about your free access to LinkedIn Learning on the main OD&PL website.   

This resource is aimed at staff who can help facilitate module teams to redesign modules using the ABC method. The ABC method provides a useful framework by which module teams can break down and scaffold both digital and face-to-face learning to provide a balance across the whole process of learning for students.  

Redesign modules with the ABC method (Opens in Sway)  

The University provides three tools for delivering sessions in the virtual classroom: Microsoft Class Teams, Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. 

The design and deliver engaging sessions in the virtual classroom guide explores the basic and advanced functions of the three virtual classroom tools that the University offers. It also provides tips and guidance on how to design and deliver activities in the virtual classroom to promote student engagement. 

In addition, the resource, design and deliver engaging Collaborate Ultra sessions, will help you to familiarise yourself with the basic and advanced functions of Blackboard Collaborate Ultra specifically for synchronous teaching sessions. It also provides tips and guidance on how to design activities that use Collaborate Ultra to promote interaction and student engagement.  

For more information visit the Virtual Classrooms webpage on the Digital Practice website. 

Videos can be used to enhance your teaching , for example, you can film yourself demonstrating experiments or maths calculations, have a discussion with experts or show students how to use software. This resource will help you create an effective video without needing any previous video or technical experience. It provides simple tips which can support you to feel confident in producing straightforward videos to use in your teaching. 

Resource: Creating effective and engaging videos