iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Intern: So you're sure this is completely safe? Manager: Of course! All you have to do is lie still and take the pic the moment we open the door. Intern: Can I see the Risk Assessment please.....?

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Reducing the interest paid on the loans would be a start!

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

We would like to invite you to this meeting around Integrated Programme Assessment. The conference intends to bring together HE practitioners to participate in workshops/discussions about the benefits & practical ways of implementing IPA in HEIs. To book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/integrated...

eventbrite.co.uk

Integrated Programme Assessment in practice

Join HE practitioners to explore integrated programme assessment through workshops, shared learning and sector-wide good practice.

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A6 I love this analogy!! You're awesome, Sally!!

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Thanks everyone!! I really enjoyed the chat, and thank you @suebecks.bsky.social for the kind invitation to submit a blog. Love everyone's responses!! Thank you. Thanks also to Claire for her support before hand and manning the LTHEchat during this!!!

120

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Thank you everyone for the wonderful replies and insights to the questions! Really inspiring to see people's underpinning thoughts that inclusion and partnershp are so important!

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A6 #LTHEchat That's a really good example of a practice that can help this. Thanks!!

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A6 #LTHEchat Love this. The importance of Reflection is fundamental!!

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A6 #LTHEchat YEah that element of trust from above is a key, I agree. Often the lack of apparent trust is linked to a fear response of losing control, I think. But good communities are based on trust and the undestanding that life can be scary! :-)

021

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A6 That element of 'we are all learning here' is fundamental, I agree. It's not just about setting something up for 'other people' to engage with. Everyone needs to be a co-creator

130

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A^ #LTHEchat Thanks for this insight, Danielle (and I LOVE the cake analogy!). Yeah, there needs to be buy-in and energy, as well as resources (time and support) from the top. But also enthusiasm/buy-in from the bottom.Without that bottom-up engagement, the LC just becomes another imposed structure

030

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A6 #LTHEchat Succinct and clear, thanks @nigelfrancis.bsky.social It needs to be from both directions, and the two sides of the interaction need to actively encourage engagement from the other side

110

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A5 Absolutely!! There needs to be openness to innovation, and also a certain amount of courage to allow staff to take risks and be supported for those risks. Knowing someone will have your back if things don't quite work out is essential! (and often lacking, sadly)

120

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat This is great. Authentic environments for the learning and/or assessment help build that sense of community within the discipline. :-)

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Excited to hear people's thought's here. Thanks for the chat so far!!

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A5 #LTHEchat SOme great ideas, thanks. In research I have done, the academic environment is a key factor. If the learning activities encourage discussion, peer interaction, and openness then LCs thrive. Where there is no interactive activities in a pedagogy, LCs struggle, as they don't always form

130

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A5 #LTHEchat This is an interesting idea. Slowly building the envirnment where students (and staff) perceive it as normal to engage in these kinds of interactions and dialogues. Once it becomes the norm, it is much more likely to be sustained

110

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A5 #LTHEchat LOVE these so much!! Making them actually meaningful, and promoting discussion and thinking about the discipline as well as the person. Banal icebreakers can often have a negative effect!

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat YEah, relinquishing that 'control' that we, as academics have (and often cling to), is a very important factor, but also quite a scary one. Especially in an environment of metrics and student satisfaction. How do we encourage and support this 'letting go' to provide the courage to do so

120

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A3 Love this perspective. The plurality of LCs in their forms and the people who are found within them is very important to maintain

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A5 This is a very challenging question. Any community or partnership lives or dies by the environment in which it is embedded. So how do we develop learning environments that support the idea of a LC, but also retain the learning gain that we, as experts, hopefully provide

120

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A4 Really loving the ideas of 'ownership' of the LC by the very participants in the LC that are coming out from these posts. Awesome.

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Creating that open 'safe space' is important. Encouraging all participants to share their ideas and perspectives without fear of judgement or ridicule. "No such thing as a stupid question" is an important rule to embed and a culture to encourage

020

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Lovely point. LCs can have subcommunities within them. Provided that these are not exclusive or divisive. But helping people to find their own 'tribe' within that community is very useful

130

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A4 #LTHEchat LOVE this. Building the community according to the needs of the users and what THEY want. Especially with the students' side of the LC. What would most benefit them from this relationship? To know this we need to actually ASK THEM :-)

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A4 #LTHEchat A key element of this has to be the language used. For example, I try to encourage people not to address emails/posts to students with "Dear Students", as this automaticall sets us a 'them-and-us' ambiance to the message.

240

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A4 #LTHEchat Co-design is essential, yeah. Thanks for flagging that. Unforunately the co-design doesn't always happen, and what people brand as 'student engagement' is just "we did it then asked the students what they thought". Proper co-design, as you say, is MASSIVELY powerful for all involved!

120

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Having top-down 'buy-in' that this is a worthy activity has a lot of impact

100

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Yeah, the 'Workload' issue is the killer! :-(

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A3 #LTHEchat Love this idea. Reaching out to engage informally. Perfect!

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A3 #LTHEchat Yeah, the "water-cooler conversations" are a sad loss post-Covid. Much less of this casual interaction happening. I think it's also a problem for a lot of courses reducing the amount of small-group teaching, and therefore making the learning more impersonal for the students :-(

110

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A3 #LTHEchat Yes, absolutely!! One of the ke elements is "how do we embed students in the 'culture' of our discipline?" so they learn what it means to be a bilogist, mathematican, doctor, engineer etc

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A3 #LTHEchat I guess a major issue is convincing colleagues to spend precious time and potnetially equally precious time on a module, developing LCs with the students. It's a big ask to make for people who are pushed for time and squeezed for contact tiem as well

030

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A3 #LTHEchat Love this idea of leading from the front. It relates back to the point I made at the end of my blog of this not being just a 'tick box' exercise done for superficial PR reasons. It needs to be authentic and have role models leading it

120

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A3 in seeing the benefits of having a LC that involves students. So partly promotng the idea, partly helping them set up LCs (or promote them)

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A1 Love the idea of finding solutions to problems together

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A3 #LTHEchat Really interested to hear people's ideas on this one! :-)

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A2. Love this point, providing structured enviornments for collaboration through assessments and structured team activities is a good way to do what @nigelfrancis.bsky.social suggested of 'showing them the benefits' of LCs. The teamwork needs to be facilitated though :-)

030

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A2 Love that concept of "Meeting them where they are". YES! Don't force them into spaces they don't have experience being. But I guess equally we need to be authentic to ourselves and not try to occupy spaces where we don't natually belong either. A challenging balancing act!

110

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A2 That's a really good point, Brenda. I'd argue that we don't need to actually use the term 'Learning Community', the fact it exists is more important. What we call it doesn't really matter I think. Different people will engage with the concept in different ways, so whatever works works!

130

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A2 I love this. I think it is essential that there is buy in to the LC from the community itself, rather than it being imposed from above. Partnership and dialogue with students is key here, as you say!

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A2 #LTHEchat What would you say were the major benefits we could flag to them that would have the biggest impact in encouraging engagement?

210

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Love that perspective. It involves the important element of dialogue and challenging ideas/rethinking perspectives, as well as learning. Very much aligned with Neil Mercer's ideas about two-way learning interactions

020

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A1 #LTHEchat That's awesome. I absolutely agree - taking the learning experience beyond just getting a grade on a transcript. So many opportunities for informal learning in HE environments that we often don't recognise

000

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat Love that idea that we are all students!! :-)

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat A1 I love that idea of the two-way learning involved. I think this is an important point that is often overlooked b academics - the degree to which we learn from students as well as they from us

010

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A1 #LTHEchat An interesting point, NIgel. Is it just students, or are others potentially involved as well?

110

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A1 - Interested to hear people's perspectives of this. You get slightly different responses if you ask this to staff or students #LTHEchat

230

Steve Rutherford @cardiffrutherford.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#LTHEchat I have been told that I failed to include my crippling fear of spiders in the Bio, so I hope it's OK to include that here... :-)

020