This month the TELT Enhancement Manager Zaheer Daleel met with Jo Elliot from the faculty of Medicine and Dentistry to discuss her role, what she’s working on and to get to know her.
What is your role at QMUL?
I am the Reader in Learning Design in the new Digital Education Studio in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. This is a new team, set up last year with the arrival of Chie Adachi, to extend and advance digital education practice within the faculty.
My role is to collaborate with staff across the faculty, teaching staff and otherwise, on the learning design aspects, how we put our learning design principles into practice, and lots of capacity-building activities, to really consider how we make digital education as engaging, inclusive and accessible as possible within the faculty context.
What are you currently working on?
I am helping to develop what we are calling our ‘CARE package’, which is a capacity-building module about our digital education principles and how we can put them into practice. Our digital learning design approach in the faculty is underpinned by our CARE Agenda – that learning is Co-created, Active and Authentic, Relational, and Evidence-based. We’ll be looking at why this matters in terms of education generally, but specifically, why it matters in terms of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and providing a brilliant education to our students.
Alongside this, we’ve selected 6 programmes and courses that we’re going to be working with, one from each of the institutes within the faculty. We are going to be either redesigning existing programs and courses or designing new ones for the online environment. We will be kicking off the design process with those teaching teams, which is very exciting, and we have already started to run various learning design workshops.
How long have you been interested in this field and what do you like most about it?
I have always been interested in education from a social justice, equity, opportunity perspective, probably since I was in high school, although that wasn’t the path I went down straight away (I studied agricultural science).
In terms of digital education, since around 2016 when I started working at Deakin University and saw what they were doing in terms of online learning and digital education, I started understanding the impact that good digital education can have for improving access, inclusivity and really widening participation.
Can you describe learning design using only five words?
Fascinating / Creative / Collegial / Inter-disciplinary / Challenging
What are your interests outside of QMUL?
I am a massive bookworm! I will always have at least one book on the go, and I read just about anything I can get my hands on. I like running and I have just started climbing at a bouldering gym as well which is good fun.
I like to get outside and into nature, so I have been trying to do lots of hiking since I moved to London.
I am also a huge Aussie Rules fan. In Melbourne I spent many a weekend at the MCG but now you will find me yelling at the computer, cheering on my beloved Carlton Blues!
Quick-Fire Favourites (10 Seconds to Answer)
Favourite Actor, Movie or Genre?
Sophie Okonedo – I have just seen her on-stage, she was fabulous.
Favourite Musician, Song or Music?
Punk-Rock – I have never grown out of being a punk-rock kid.
Favourite Cuisine?
Thai Food
Favourite Dinner Guest (Past or Present)?
Gough Whitlam – A progressive ex-Australian PM, dismissed in a very famous incident during the 1970’s.
Favourite Holiday Destination?
Ireland / Belfast – I love going home.
Favourite Gadget/Tech you’ve owned/used?
I can be quite tech-critical but I do love my Bose noise-cancelling headphones (especially useful on the Victoria line!).
