In Search of Lost Space

In this reflection, I discuss the changing affordances of physical and virtual spaces in PGR seminar teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. I start by reviewing how physical space has been conceptualised in the pedagogical literature in terms of its material aspects, affordances, and interactions with users. I then translate the above concepts to virtual teaching spaces. I discuss how the affordances of both physical and virtual spaces have evolved throughout the different stages of the pandemic, exemplifying the process through my personal experience of seminar teaching. I conclude with a personal reflection on the challenges and unexpectedly positive consequences of having to dynamically adapt one’s pedagogy to changing affordances and constraints.

Experiencing Masculinity in the Classroom

In this piece, I reflect upon my experiences of masculinities in different teaching and learning spaces. I draw upon existing literature concerned with laddism and compare how masculinity is performed differently in different spaces.

Afterword

In this afterword, I reflect on my involvement in one element of Warwick’s pandemic contingency work and how PGR tutors made a significant contribution. I consider this in light of the pieces in this inaugural JPPP issue, looking at what this tells us about the value of working with postgraduate researchers who teach, with reference to recent activities, events and surveys and through the lens of persistence in learning.

Comparison of University and School Tutorial Teaching

In the Spring term of 2021, I performed two online tutorial-based teaching roles. One was with groups of second year university Statistics students; the other was with groups of Year 11 GCSE Mathematics students. In this essay I aim to compare those experiences and draw out some learnings for PGR teaching practice.

Online Teaching and Digital Inequalities

In this brief piece, I look back at the experience of teaching logic seminars in a fully online setting during the past winter, reasoning on the strategies I adopted to adapt to the situation and to mitigate difficulties emerging from digital inequalities. I highlight how, in some cases, overcoming practical difficulties generated by the online environment led to unexpected positive outcomes and how, in others, the issues persistently affected the students’ experience in a way that was difficult to attenuate.

Teaching Beyond Timetable

This article explores the use of PhD research at the forefront of technology to manufacture lifesaving PPE items such as face shields and how this University based research enabled face-to-face teaching to resume in the School of Engineering.

Problem-Based Learning in a Virtual Environment

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted teaching and learning in higher education institutions, presenting novel challenges for both staff and students alike. These challenges have had an immense impact in the way postgraduate research (PGR) teachers perform their dual responsibilities as both students and teachers. Achieving a seamless transition from in-person to virtual learning was an arduous task. To this end, pedagogies evolved to accommodate the use of remote conferencing, video capture and other real time communication tools that facilitate virtual collaboration between staff and students. In this paper, I highlight the challenges of integrating online learning with a problem-based learning (PBL), a signature pedagogy employed by law and business schools. I draw on my personal experiences as a student and PGR teacher during the pandemic, and suggest proactive mitigation responses.

3 Minutes: From Zero to Hero

A reflection on the trial of three-minute student showreel video presentations, in place of a virtual rendition of a traditional academic poster session, in an interdisciplinary conference held online during the Covid-19 pandemic. I revisit the motivation for suggesting this pedagogical approach and reflect on the different learning stakeholders which contributed to the learning strategy’s success.

Journal of PGR Pedagogic Practice and the Warwick PGR Teaching Community

In this editorial, I introduce our pilot launch issue on postgraduate pandemic pedagogies. I explain our rationale for our experimental dialogic journal and outline our ambition through the wider project the journal is a part of. We hope to bring together an organic and self-sustaining community of practice of postgraduate researchers who teach.

Filling the Void

This reflective piece records my experience of switching to online seminars during the pandemic with small groups of first year English literature undergraduates. I reflect on issues I experienced promoting student interaction in small group seminars and how professional development opportunities available through the Warwick Academic Development Centre helped with my use of technology and improving the level of engagement. I hope that it contains some ideas which may be useful starting points for PGRs looking to develop flipped or blended learning environments in the future. Perhaps it will also shed light on the way the current cohort of students reacted to online learning which may help in supporting them when returning to more traditional, or, more likely, hybrid pedagogies.