News

Lord Dearing is keynote speaker at the Blackboard Conference.

(7 December 2004)

The University of Durham is hosting the fifth annual conference for UK users of the Blackboard e-learning software.

This year’s theme is ‘Interactive Blackboard’ and the conference will include papers on various aspects of e-learning delivered by speakers from the UK and Europe, as well as showcasing practice by Durham staff. It will attract around 100 national and international delegates.

The two-day conference takes place at the University Elvet Riverside location in Durham City on Thursday and Friday December 16th and 17th starting at 2.00 p.m. on the first day.

The keynote speaker this year is Lord Dearing, Chairman of the Higher Education Policy Institute. His keynote address on Friday afternoon (17th December) is entitled “The University: serving the Student and Society, and as Truth speaking to Power” will close the conference.

This lecture will explore the purpose of teaching and the changing role of the university in serving and shaping our society as anticipated by Lord Dearing over the next twenty years.

The University of Durham remains at the forefront of e-learning using Blackboard™, being the subject of two several major case studies, and regularly disseminating good practice at national and international events. This is the fifth year this event has been held. Further information can be found here: www.dur.ac.uk/ltteam/ or contact: Scott Miller, University of Durham, Head of e-Learning and Web Services, Information Technology Service, Science Laboratories South Road Durham. Tel. 0191 334 2785 or Fax. 0191 334 2701

Media enquiries to: Tom Fennelly, Public Relations Office, University of Durham, Tel 0191 334 6078 e-mail : t.p.fennelly@durham.ac.uk

Notes to editors :

The University of Durham was an early adopter of the Blackboard™ Virtual Learning Environment (VLE); creating Durham University Online (duo) in August 2000. Duo is developed and supported by the IT Service Learning Technologies Team, and is used by all Departments and Colleges across the University.

In December 2000, a hundred delegates gathered for a day conference examining factors for the successful implementation of a learning environment. This conference was such a success that there was a demand for an annual event.

Lord Dearing Kt CB (taken from http://www.hepi.ac.uk/) Lord Dearing has had three careers. For over 30 years he was in the British Civil Service, beginning at 16 as a clerk and leaving at 49 as a deputy head of a major government department.

His second career was for seven years as the chairman and chief executive of the British Post Office (which included a bank). Leaving the Post Office at age 57, he began a broadly based portfolio career of the kind commentators agree will be typical in the future. He is best known for his contribution to the development of education in this country.

He has chaired the Polytechnic and Colleges Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the University for Industry.

He has also been a member of National Council for Vocational Qualifications and has reported on the reform of the National Curriculum, as wel as chairing the Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education in 1996/7