Reflecting on the Little Things at the 24th Durham Blackboard Users’ Conference
In late April we had the opportunity to attend the 24th annual Durham Blackboard Users’ Conference, affectionately known as #durbbu, hosted in historic Durham. This year’s theme, Little Things that Make a Big Difference, was a pleasant shift in focus, moving away from (seemingly never-ending) AI discourse to the subtle yet impactful changes that we can make to enhance learning and teaching. Put simply, the conference served to highlight that even with all the digital tools and technological development, at its core education is a human endeavour.
Many of the sessions stood out not least of which for how similar a journey universities are currently on even if they are at different stages of that journey. For example, one of the sessions shared findings of their recent VLE upgrade project and their work in supporting users to a more streamlined and accessible experience, while another shared their template journey and the importance of a standard university template to help create a consistent experience for students, and both were sessions that resonated deeply with us here in EDE.
Speaking of which, it was then our turn – Andrew Ishak and Alan Hamilton – sharing the findings of the LOUISA Project so far with its aims of providing a consistent student and staff approach to assessment and feedback when using learning technology. It would be fair to say the session was well received, as it sparked several further conversations post-session, and we were only too happy to oblige. What’s great about these discussions is that it allows you to reflect on how far you’ve come, and if sharing our journey (both the successes and the challenges!) is able to help others in some way, then that in itself is a small thing that can help to make a difference.
Being a Blackboard user conference, Blackboard themselves showcased a preview of what’s in store, and it was fitting to see some improvements with user experience at the heart of these changes. This was especially evident with their road map feedback sessions, where small groups had the chance to sit with members of Blackboard’s design team to co-design and feedback on these future features. Blackboard, while keen to share these proposed features, were happier still taking a back seat and listening intently as others shared feedback be it concerns, impressions and generally any other engagement.
And that probably best captures the mood of the conference as a whole. For most it was about sharing good practices, about consistency and transparency in all that they do, and about lessons learned and how they could improve in their processes. From our virtual learning environment perspective it’s clear that technology will continue to play a transformative role in education, but it’s the people working together taking small, thoughtful actions that create a more user-friendly experience, that lead to higher levels of inclusivity, and to more equitable outcomes. These are the little things that make a big difference.
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