Travelling to #durbbu today? Enjoy our 80s playlist - a taste of things to come! open.spotify.com/playlist/1OH...

DURBBU conference 24 April 2026

open.spotify.com

The final programme for the 24th Annual Durham Blackboard User’ Conference #durbbu is now available from stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

At long last the call for papers & registration are now available for an 80’s themed Durham Blackboard Users Conference. Hope to see you at No 24! #durbbu #blackboard #anthology #teaching #glitterball stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

Delighted to share the confirmed dates for the 24th Durham #Blackboard Users’ Conference: #durbbu. Pre-conference workshops on the 22nd April, Main event 23rd and 24th April. Dinner in the castle! More detail soon.

Who says #genAI doesn’t have a sense of humour? When opening Darvishi et al.’s 2024 paper on the Impact of AI assistance in student agency, the publisher’s AI bot couldn’t help but offer its services. QED. doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Although I wish the concept of “wicked” problems had a better name, this is a great paper highlighting the issues facing staff confronting #genAI Corbin, Bearman, Boud & Dawson (2025) The wicked problem of AI and assessment, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, DOI: doi.org/10.1080/0260...

Today at #playlearn25 I learnt about the power of things, told people about washing a snake in a sink and helped develop the game Flock Off! Playful learning is a truly remarkable conference. Thanks to everyone involved in the organisation

I have been totally out-played by @drbethp.bsky.social ending with not a bear hunt but a manhunt at #playlearn25. Congratulations!

First day without @juliemulvey.bsky.social as a member of my team for over 20 years! Feels very much the end of an era. Wishing her a happy retirement. For a small person she has left a very large pair of boots behind to fill. One of the nicest, most caring people I have ever worked with.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone in #NELE today. Meeting in Newcastle in one of their unashamedly modern buildings!

Julie Mulvey gets the first #Anthology Hall of Fame award at #durbbu

Glad to see that the cakes at #durbbu are up to the usual high standard!

An early start for me today as I head for #durbbu. Safe travels everyone look forward to catching up with you all soon!

Heading for #durbbu this year? You can now download the final programme from the conference website: stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

Delighted to see the paper that @rachelleeobrien.bsky.social and I wrote about cats, escape bus stops and student transition courses has finally been published. jpaap.ac.uk/JPAAP/articl... We’d never have written it if we hadn’t met @nicwhitton.bsky.social and been given a (dog) license to play :-)

Great opening @jisc.bsky.social #digifest2025 keynote from Chief Failure Office Paul Iske and his equation: NT + EE = E00. New technology and old organisation = expensive old organisation. Stressing the importance of changing the culture, not just bring in a new shiny tool. Resonated with the room.

Interested to hear of HEIs have using @adobeexpress.adobe.com working with @jisc.bsky.social in their teaching. Some big wins on assessment diversity. Got me thinking about our responsibility to students once they graduate. Are we an unintended sales funnel? Getting into murky ground. #digifest2025

All set for the @FeedbackFruits UK and Ireland event tomorrow and then @jisc.bsky.social #Digifest #Digifest2025 afterward. Case seems strangely heavy and wriggly. #catinthebag

A thought-provoking very human post about the UK government’s #AI plans from @helenbeetham.bsky.social helenbeetham.substack.com/p/automatic-... that I hope lots of people will read. My favourite line is “…to be read only when you have a strong antidote to despair close by”.

Automatic for the people?

A prescription for AI 'mainlined into the veins' of government is a bad metaphor for a dangerous policy

helenbeetham.substack.com

Seeing far too many documents that are #stratGPT or perhaps #CHATegy things that pass a casual glance but are devoid of nuance, compassion or insight, that are created using predictions of how we got here not where we need to be or how to get there. We need to be more critical in our use of #genAI

Delighted to announce that we have opened registration and the call for papers for our annual #blackboard conference #durbbu. We are back in the Castle! stories.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/

23rd Annual Durham Blackboard Users' Conference

Join us in Durham from the 2nd to 4th of April 2025. Meet friends old and new friends, to talk about pedagogy and learning..

stories.durham.ac.uk

Very proud day - attending the @Anthology Ethical #AI World Tour in Leeds today with my son! Some great discussion about who controls what we can ask and get out of genAI tools.

Grabbing a coffee from #Greggs before my meeting with #Turnitin today to talk about #genAI and #education. Slightly concerned about the concept of fair trade “flavour”

Delighted to announce that the draft programme for #durbbu 2024 is now available at dcad.awh.durham.ac.uk/durbbu/2024_... AI - will it make or break the VLE?

Delighted to share #DCAD’s new Student guide to generative AI which we hope will help students (and staff) develop an informed critical approach to #AI tools such as #ChatGPT, #Claude & #Bard. dcad.awh.durham.ac.uk/generativeai/