It seems incredible that we are into summer already, the weather has been very changeable although I have found it consistently very warm even on the wettest days. July is an important month in the teaching and learning calendar of the professional programmes that I work on, as this is subject and exam board time. These are significant ‘milestones’ in terms of the development of my pedagogical work, but much more importantly these formal processes mark key progression points for individual students. This month, as always, the time immediately before the boards is characterized by frantic last-minute marking, checking and re-checking, so that the board meetings themselves are professional, accurate and can smoothly function to do the intended job. After the boards, I received some emails from successful students thanking me for my support; whilst not at all necessary, after all it is their hard work that enables them to succeed, their appreciation nonetheless is heartwarming.
A potentially significant ‘milestone’ for my own career development came about this month when the Dean of Faculty offered me the role of ‘Director of Teaching and Learning’ for the Faculty, which is the largest in the institution. Whilst not a promotion, or a post in itself, this is a considerable responsibility that encompasses much of the strategic work I already do, but formalizes and recognizes it within the Faculty management structure. I officially start the role next month, but effectively it will commence with the new academic year in September.
In the middle of the month I enjoyed three-days ‘out’ at the national, annual Joint Social Work Education conference (JSWEC) at the University of Hertfordshire. I participated in the conference as part of a group of colleagues and students; we all travelled together in a mini-bus-type vehicle that I drove (a real charabanc!) – see photo of the ‘mottly crew’ at the conference dinner, below. I gave one joint presentation on behalf of a colleague who was unable to attend, and also put up a poster presentation on the SCOTs project. The conference was excellent, well-organised and very informative. I really enjoyed meeting lots of colleagues ‘old’ and new, some of whom I hadn’t seen for some years, so a fabulous networking opportunity.
Finally, as I write this at the end of July, I am about to go on annual leave, starting with a holiday in Germany and Austria. Over the next two weeks, we will be cycling along the River Danube tow-path from Germany into Austria, from Passau to Vienna. Photographs to follow next month!
As well as being at conferences, I have been doing alot of preparation for teaching in January and February, when I will be working with employment-based part-time students on a number of undergraduate modules. Consequently, my thesis has not progress greatly during the past couple of weeks, although I have been doing some more reading and planning in preparation for a good ‘onslaught’ in the New Year – ever optimistic! I am also aware, as noted in last month’s blog, I still haven’t done more work on this website….the ‘to do’ list continues to be a ‘live document’, as they say! 
