Welcome to the CADI Connect newsletter
Your monthly update on all things learning, teaching and innovation at the University of Portsmouth
In this edition, we celebrate the progress, innovation and collaborative spirit shaping learning and teaching across the University community. From new developments in digital learning and assessment to expanded opportunities for professional development and sector-wide recognition of our teaching excellence, this month’s newsletter reflects the University’s continued commitment to creating inclusive, engaging and forward-thinking educational experiences.
We share updates on the expansion of the Learning and Teaching Conference for 2026, new CPD opportunities for colleagues across the University, and recent developments including the introduction of the AI acknowledgement form in Moodle, Mentimeter licences for staff and a new large-file submissions plugin designed to support multimedia assessment.
This edition also highlights the University’s successful Advance HE Fellowship re-accreditation, new guidance around micro-teach activities in recruitment and the launch of the new Digital Technologies section of the CADI website, showcasing the tools and innovations supporting teaching and learning across the institution.
We begin with a reflection from Professor Alejandro Armellini, Dean of Education and Digital Innovation, who looks back on a year of significant progress across learning, teaching and digital innovation, and considers the importance of collaboration, professional development and connected teaching culture in shaping the future of education at Portsmouth.
In this month's edition
- CADI update: strengthening a connected teaching culture
- Learning and Teaching Conference 2026
- Book on a CPD session
- Celebrating Advance HE Fellowship re-accreditation success
- Micro-Teach to become standard in recruitment for teaching roles
- AI Acknowledgement Form
- New Large file submissions plugin for Moodle assignments
- Mentimeter licences now available for staff
- Digital Technologies
- Keep up-to-date with CADI
A Reflection on Learning, Teaching and Digital Innovation
CADI update: strengthening a connected teaching culture
Professor Alejandro Armellini, Dean of Education and Digital Innovation, reflects on a year of significant progress across learning, teaching and digital innovation at the University. Highlights include the Advance HE reaccreditation of APEX, accreditation of Teach Well: Principles to Practice as part of the PGCert, the successful migration of Moodle to the cloud and continued work to advance inclusive, evidence-informed teaching and assessment practices.
The message also emphasises the importance of peer observation, collaborative partnerships across the University and CPD as a strategic driver for enhancing student learning and teaching quality.
Training and events
Learning and Teaching Conference expands to two days following high demand
Due to overwhelming interest in this year’s Learning and Teaching Conference, we are delighted to announce an additional online conference day for 2026.
Hosted online on Monday 29 June, Teach Well: Academic Innovation in Practice will shine a spotlight on the innovative and creative teaching practices emerging across our academic community. The new online event will provide even more opportunities for colleagues to explore forward-thinking approaches to learning and teaching, hear from sector-leading speakers and continue important conversations around the future of higher education.
There is still time to register for both the in-person conference on Thursday 25 June and the new online conference day. Colleagues can also view the full conference schedules for both events via the Learning and Teaching Conference page.
Book on a CPD session
Discover our programme of tailored CPD sessions designed to support and inspire staff across the University. Covering topics such as AI in education, assessment and feedback, closing awarding gaps, learning design, student engagement and the Connected Curriculum, our workshops focus on the themes that matter most to teaching and learning today.
These interactive sessions offer practical tools, fresh ideas and opportunities to connect with colleagues.
Our CPD sessions are open to internal University staff and can be booked via Docebo.
Please see a full list of sessions including new workshops and dates below ...
AI in the Classroom: Foundations and First Steps
The pace in which AI is developing is faster than most could have projected and it’s easy to feel left behind. Focused on those new to AI, this interactive and collaborative session will explore what AI is and identify the AI tools that are available to you.
Next session(s): 15th June, 13th July, 4th August.
Harnessing AI: Enhance Teaching, Empower Learning
In this session you will explore how generative AI tools can be meaningfully integrated into teaching practice to enhance engagement, personalise learning and streamline tasks.
Next session(s): 16th June, 14th July, 5th August
AI and Assessment - Academic Integrity and Innovation
In this session, you will explore how generative AI tools can be meaningfully integrated into assessment tasks to enhance student assessment literacy and alignment.
Next session(s): 17th June, 22nd July, 5th August
NEW - From Outputs to Insight: Building Ethical and Critical AI Practice
As AI tools become increasingly embedded in higher education, the need to engage critically and ethically with their use has never been greater.
In this session, you will explore how to evaluate AI outputs, question their reliability, and understand the ethical principles that underpin responsible use in teaching, learning, and assessment. Drawing on current sector guidance and research, we will unpack issues of fairness, transparency, privacy, and academic integrity through collaborative activities.
Next session(s): 17th June, 22nd July, 6th August
NEW - Beyond Words: AI, Creativity, and Multimodal Learning Design
As generative AI tools make it easier to create images, video, audio, and visual learning materials, academic staff are increasingly faced with questions about how to use these tools purposefully, inclusively, and responsibly.
In this session, you will explore how AI can support the design of multimodal teaching activities and resources that enhance student engagement, accessibility, and understanding. Through hands-on activities and examples from across higher education, you will consider how creative AI tools can be used to redesign learning tasks, support diverse learners, and offer students meaningful choices in how they engage with content and demonstrate learning.
Next session(s): 16th June, 16th July, 6th August
APEX Orientation
The starting point for both the written route and professional conversation is attendance at an APEX orientation event. Orientation events run every two months to provide an overview of the APEX programme and to guide colleagues to the appropriate pathway for Fellowship. They provide an introduction to the UKPSF and detail the written and professional conversation routes to Fellowship.
Next session(s): 1st June, 8th July
Discover your Teaching Identity: Professional Values & Personal Pedagogies
Are you considering applying for Fellowship or struggling to articulate your approach to Professional Values in your APEX claim? This interactive and collaborative workshop is designed to guide you through reflecting on your teaching identity and aligning it with the Professional Standards Framework 2023.
Next session(s): 8th June, 7th July
Feedback That Clicks: Empowering Students to Engage and Act
Tired of feeling like your carefully crafted feedback goes unnoticed or unused? Do students seem to treat feedback as a box to tick rather than a tool for growth? Join this collaborative and interactive workshop to explore how to write feedback that resonates with your students, inspires reflection and drives meaningful action.
Next session(s): 11th June
Revitalising Assessment and Feedback
If you’re looking to breathe new life into your assessment design and craft purposeful feedback while enhancing student engagement and success, this is the workshop for you. Have you ever wondered if your students even read your feedback or if your assessments truly enhance the student experience and prepare them up for the world of work.
Next session(s): 8th June
Marking with Confidence: Using Categorical Marking and Assessment Criteria
Are you looking to enhance the transparency, consistency and fairness of your assessment processes? This interactive and practical workshop will equip you with strategies to apply categorical marking while linking to effective assessment criteria and rubrics. Whether you’re aiming to refine your marking practices, ensure alignment with the categorical scale, or better support student success, this session offers valuable insights and tools to elevate your approach.
Next session(s): 3rd June
Mind the Gap - Supporting Change to Reduce Awarding Gaps
Do you want to ensure your students have an equitable opportunity to succeed? This practical workshop explores awarding gaps and what you can do in your day-to-day teaching to create a more inclusive learning environment.
Next session(s): 2nd June, 3rd September, 3rd December
Access All Areas: Incorporating Inclusive Learning Design
Want to make your teaching more accessible and engaging for all students? Join our interactive CPD workshop where we’ll explore practical ways to create more equitable learning experiences that support the diverse needs of your learners.
Next session(s): 4th June
Fair, Flexible and Feasible: Inclusive Approaches to Assessment
How can we ensure that our assessments are fair, flexible, and feasible, both for our students and for us as educators? Join us for a hands-on, practical session on inclusive assessment, where we’ll explore how to design fair and supportive assessment experiences for all students.
Next session(s): 3rd June
NEW - Mentimeter: an interactive tool to enhance engagement and interactive participation
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll experience the functionality of Mentimeter from both sides of the screen: first as a student, then as a creator/presenter. You’ll explore a wide range of interactive features, such as live polls, word clouds, quizzes, Q&A, and slide design tools including the PowerPoint add-in, and see how its AI features, such as grouping text responses, can enhance your sessions. We’ll also look at how Vevox question types can be recreated in Mentimeter to support transition between the two systems.
Next session(s): 11th June
NEW - Introduction to Mentimeter
In this online workshop led by our Mentimeter representative, you'll explore how to use Mentimeter to support active learning, participation and formative feedback in lectures, seminars and tutorials.
Next session(s): 8th June
The Enterprise Programme
This interactive workshop will explore what we mean by ‘being enterprising’ and put this into action. The research and academic environment offers many opportunities for enterprising individuals. You might be contemplating how you can build a business from your research using your researcher capabilities or perhaps you have never contemplated this. Whatever stage you are at, this workshop will help you analyse and develop your enterprising capabilities through self reflection and practical activities.
Next session(s): tbc
Let's be reasonable: anticipating and integrating reasonable adjustments
This session will explore the statutory requirements for University of Portsmouth staff regarding reasonable adjustments, the role of anticipatory duties, and practical strategies for supporting diverse student needs.
Next session(s): tbc
NEW - Global Mindsets Academic Programme 1
The Global Mindsets Programme provides an informative and reflective space for participants to learn more about internationalisation, what that means for the University and how we can each contribute to creating a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our students and each other.
Please note this is a set of 3 sessions that are required to be completed to achieve programme 1:
- Global mindsets academic - Session 1: Introduction to Internationalisation - tbc
- Global mindset academic - Session 2: Internationalising teaching and learning - tbc
- Global mindsets academic - Session 3: Global Mindsets in International Research Collaboration - tbc
Getting the Basics Right: Teaching Well, Consistently Well at Portsmouth
Are you new to Portsmouth or looking to refresh your approach to teaching and learning? Whether you’ve inherited a module, are navigating blended learning for the first time, or simply want a chance to review your learning and teaching strategy, this interactive and collaborative workshop is your starting point.
Next session(s): 18th June
Engage to Learn: Design Context-Rich Activities for Active Blended Learning
Do you find it challenging to get students to engage in the classroom or participate in asynchronous activities? Are your teaching strategies feeling a bit stale, or are you unsure how to design learning experiences that truly resonate? This interactive and collaborative workshop is your chance to refresh your approach and create context-rich, sense-making activities that inspire engagement, foster belonging and enhance student understanding.
Next session(s): tbc
How to Teach Well in Challenging Learning Environments
Teaching in higher education can sometimes involve moments where engagement drops, expectations feel unclear, or the learning environment becomes harder to navigate. This workshop explores how these situations can be understood and responded to through a more relational and contextual lens.
Next session(s): tbc
NEW - The Art of Noticing: Awareness, Capacity and Everyday Resilience
This session introduces a practical and relational approach to resilience in teaching by focusing on awareness, nervous-system literacy and presence. Instead of viewing resilience as “coping harder”, the workshop explores how teachers can notice their internal states, understand common stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn), and recognise how these influence their capacity to engage with students.
Next session(s): tbc
NEW - The Art of Collaboration: Awareness & Contribution in University Teams
This interactive, device free workshop explores how individual behaviours shape team culture within university settings. Drawing on the Prosocial Matrix as a practical reflective scaffold, the session examines how stress, internal narratives and institutional pressures influence collaboration.
Next session(s): 26th June
Celebrating Advance HE Fellowship re-accreditation success
The University of Portsmouth has successfully secured re-accreditation from Advance HE for its Academic Professional Excellence Framework (APEX), recognising the quality, innovation and impact of our approach to professional development and teaching excellence. Delivered through CADI, the accreditation covers Descriptors 1–3 and Module M34674: Teach Well: Principles to Practice, and runs until 2031. The panel praised the University’s commitment to educational excellence, inclusive practice and collaborative curriculum design, as well as the accessibility and quality of APEX resources.
Teaching Excellence
Micro-Teach to become standard in recruitment for teaching roles
The University has introduced a mandatory micro-teach as part of recruitment for all roles with teaching responsibilities, reinforcing its commitment to excellent, inclusive and engaging learning experiences. Developed by the Centre for Academic and Digital Innovation (CADI), the initiative supports fairer and more authentic assessment of teaching practice by enabling candidates to demonstrate how they facilitate learning in practice. New guidance is now available to support Schools and Faculties in implementing the process as part of recruitment activity.
Moodle
AI Acknowledgement Form
A new AI acknowledgement form is now live in Moodle for all summative assessment submissions, giving students a consistent way to confirm whether and how AI has contributed to their work. Staff should now use this process in place of any local AI declaration methods, while students are also directed to MyPort guidance on using AI at university.
New Large file submissions plugin for Moodle assignments
CADI’s Digital Innovation team is testing a new Moodle plugin developed by UCL to support large file assignment submissions up to 10GB, providing a replacement for current Wiseflow functionality used by courses with multimedia-heavy projects. The plugin is planned for release in September ahead of the new academic year, with further guidance to follow once testing is complete.
Mentimeter
Mentimeter licences now available for staff
Following a successful pilot in 2025, full Mentimeter licences are now available for all staff, making it easier to create interactive and engaging teaching sessions. Staff can access Mentimeter now using SSO, with webinars, training sessions and guidance resources available to support getting started ahead of the formal launch at the Learning and Teaching Conference in June 2026.
New website features
Digital Technologies
The new Digital Technologies section on the CADI website brings together the tools and platforms that support teaching and learning at the University of Portsmouth, including Moodle, Mentimeter, Panopto, Explore, Media Production and the SCULPT Accessibility Guide. The site also features new Project Spotlight showcasing how UoP colleagues are using digital technologies to create engaging learning experiences.
Keep up-to-date with CADI
Latest news
For all the latest news from the CADI team please follow us on LinkedIn and here on the CADI website - CADI News.
Contact us
Do you have a question or need some support with your teaching?
If you do, then please contact the CADI team who will be happy to advise you.
- For technical queries relating to digital learning tools, please email: cadi-digital@port.ac.uk.
- For questions relating to teaching practice or for one-to-one support, please email: cadi@port.ac.uk.