Toolkit overview and use

How to use the Toolkit

The toolkit is not designed as a ‘cover to cover’ read! Navigate to the section(s) that are of most interest or use to you – such as Cardiff University’s cross-cutting education themes (inclusivity, sustainability and employability), key education principles (e.g. engaging learning experiences, assessment and feedback and effective learning environments) or to pages that focus on the four phases of programme (re)design in which the themes and principles are fully embedded and represented using unique icons.

Toolkit approach

The format with short texts, text boxes, lists, and links is intended to enable you to access the topics and resources you need quickly and easily, to synthesise key messages and takeaways whilst supporting you to make connections between the topics and themes covered within the resource. The concepts, ideas, models and discussion questions presented within the toolkit are indicative, and not in any way intended to be prescriptive or comprehensive. The ‘top tips’, key questions and ‘callouts’ can be used as a stimulus for reflection and as a means of highlighting effective practices that you might wish to adapt or adopt.

Top tips for using the Toolkit

Top Tips

Consider what your 'why' is for looking at the toolkit. Perhaps you have a specific task to undertake , an area of interest you'd like to read about more, or perhaps you are just taking some time out to consider your professional developement.
Bookmark the toolkit to come back to it later.
Keep an eye out for patterns in the visual language of this toolkit- colours, codes and concepts are repeated to help you.
Deeper dive sections are 'click and reveal' - this means you can get more detail when it suits you.
Look out for the red 'Top' buttons - these will take you back to the top of the page to see the main navigation.

Toolkit persona

A series of cartoon faces in bright colours representing various ways of using the toolkit. The text reads as follows: HOW MIGHT I USE THE TOOLKIT? ERIN IS DEVELOPING A NEW PROGRAMME Erin could bookmark this page. She could read the themes and principles before beginning. Later, she could refer to the process pages as a guide to boost her confidence. ALI IS WANTING TO IMPROVE HIS TEACHING PRACTICE Ali could explore the principles of education development, or the theme page, to consider where he might like to focus his efforts. He could then have a look at the Learning Design and Learning Enhancement pages to consider where to get started. DYLAN IS REVIEWING HIS PROGRAMME'S INCLUSIVITY Dylan could read the inclusivity pages. Once he has done this, he might like to skim-read the process pages to see how inclusivity can be embedded across a programme to reflect on his own. This could also be done for sustainability and employability. FRANKIE IS COMPLETING THEIR FELLOWSHIP Frankie could refer to this in their Fellowship portfolio as a CPD resource they have interacted with. They either read at their leisure or explore the code matrix to develop areas of interest or that they feel require development.

Future iterations of the Toolkit

The toolkit is not a static resource: it will be developed and enhanced over time. You can help with this by sharing your thoughts about what works well, what could be improved, and what other areas you would like to see in the toolkit via the form embedded at the bottom of every page. This will help us make improvements that will benefit everybody.