LAST FEW places for LITE International Collaborative Writing Project

AN EXCITING opportunity to collaborate with international colleagues at a two-day writing retreat in the Spanish city of Bilbao has been created by the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) as part of a programme of work.

Expression of interest are now being invited for the LITE International Collaborative Writing Project, which begins in Bilbao on the 11th and 12th of June this year.

It is the first part of a collaborative research and writing project that brings together scholars from around the world to co-author SoTL publications.

The event is timed to take place immediately before the EuroSOTL 2019 conference on 13th-14th June at the University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, in northern Spain, which is hoped will aid booking and travel for those wanting to attend.

Organiser, Dr Kelvin Tapley, said:

This is an exciting opportunity to develop  your publication profile and build collaborations with international colleagues, with the ultimate goal to create a manuscript suitable for publication in a high profile SoTL journal.

"Higher education staff and students who wish to co-author articles on learning and teaching on topics of shared interest from an international perspective are particularly welcome, including those whose first language is not English.

"Whilst the Retreat is almost full, we are still expecting some places to become available so do get in touch if you're interested.

"It's a great chance to develop professional skills, such as academic writing and research skills in the area of SoTL, to develop international networks and to exchange ideas with international colleagues."

Download the initial group themes which are subject to change here.

Following the Retreat, the International Collaborative Writing Project will continue with teams collaborating remotely on their joint publications.

It is anticipated that there will be the opportunity in early January 2020 for a further meeting at Leeds to help finalise manuscripts, timed to coincide with the University of Leeds Student Education Conference.  

Professor Tina Overton, Director at LITE, said

"We don't always manage to find quality time among our busy schedules for writing and thinking, both of which are central tenets of any successful research. 

This writing retreat will give both space and time to reflect on different aspects of learning and teaching as well as the exciting opportunity to collaborate with international colleagues.

Provisional retreat timetable

Day 1, 11th June 2019, 14:00 start	Welcome   Networking and Team Introductions  Group Paper Development  Research Methods Workshop  Evening Meal together
Day 2, 12th June 2019	Group Paper Development/ Writing  Group Project Planning

The delegate fee is in between 130 euros and will include refreshments, an evening meal on day one and lunch on day two.

Any further expressions of interest should be submitted under the following bullet points (below), with no more than 150 words for each reply, to: LITE@leeds.ac.uk.

• Your major areas of interest in SoTL - especially any preferences for a group theme;
• Your level of experience of writing and being published with respect to SoTL;
• Your motivation(s) for wanting to take part in this International Collaborative Writing Retreat