The Team
The BLE (Bloomsbury Learning Exchange) is a truly shared service. As partners, the Bloomsbury institutions and the University of London collaborate and assist each other in the provision of online learning and teaching.
BLE Executive Team
Sarah Sherman, Director
@BLE1
Sarah began her career working as a primary school teacher and educational researcher. She has since worked in the field of digital learning for over 20 years and has headed up the BLE since 2007. Sarah is responsible for supporting the coordination, implementation and development of Technology Enhanced Learning activity across the BLE partners, helping to develop institutional digital learning strategies. Sarah is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Centre for Online & Distance Education, a former Trustee of the Association for Learning Technology and coordinates a number of regional and national digital education user groups in the UK.
@BLE1
Sarah began her career working as a primary school teacher and educational researcher. She has since worked in the field of digital learning for over 20 years and has headed up the BLE since 2007. Sarah is responsible for supporting the coordination, implementation and development of Technology Enhanced Learning activity across the BLE partners, helping to develop institutional digital learning strategies. Sarah is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Centre for Online & Distance Education, a former Trustee of the Association for Learning Technology and coordinates a number of regional and national digital education user groups in the UK.
Julian Bream, Digital Learning Coach
@BLE_tweets @julian_bream
Julian coaches digital transformation for academic, professional and leadership staff across London’s HE, FE and Adult Learning sectors. His career started with studying Soft Systems Methodology in the 1980s, in NHS systems, then with University of London Computer Centre in the 1990s. From 2002, he worked at the Jisc Regional Support Centre for London, helping to find common motivation and understanding between IT and academic perspectives. Retraining since 2015 as a professional coach, he runs the Digital Innovation Roundtable communities of practice.
@BLE_tweets @julian_bream
Julian coaches digital transformation for academic, professional and leadership staff across London’s HE, FE and Adult Learning sectors. His career started with studying Soft Systems Methodology in the 1980s, in NHS systems, then with University of London Computer Centre in the 1990s. From 2002, he worked at the Jisc Regional Support Centre for London, helping to find common motivation and understanding between IT and academic perspectives. Retraining since 2015 as a professional coach, he runs the Digital Innovation Roundtable communities of practice.
Nancy Weitz, Digital Learning Specialist
@architela
Nancy has nearly 30 years of professional experience in education and has worked with digital and online technologies from the very beginning. Having been an E-Learning Specialist, Digital Designer, Head of ICT, Online Facilitator, Web Designer, Lecturer in Technology and Assistant Professor of English has allowed her to develop both a strategic overview and hands-on expertise, as well as establishing connections between learning, design, technology, writing and communication. Nancy has worked with universities, government agencies, schools, voluntary organisations and small businesses, giving her a valuable insight into the needs of a wide variety of learners.
@architela
Nancy has nearly 30 years of professional experience in education and has worked with digital and online technologies from the very beginning. Having been an E-Learning Specialist, Digital Designer, Head of ICT, Online Facilitator, Web Designer, Lecturer in Technology and Assistant Professor of English has allowed her to develop both a strategic overview and hands-on expertise, as well as establishing connections between learning, design, technology, writing and communication. Nancy has worked with universities, government agencies, schools, voluntary organisations and small businesses, giving her a valuable insight into the needs of a wide variety of learners.
Tom Graham, Online Course Moderator
Tom is currently engaged in a PhD at Birkbeck in which he is conducting an Adornoian critique of the social history of the concept of Satan. He is very interested indeed in supporting and encouraging those who, like him, had long since written off ever being able to engage in high-level academic study because of their background. Tom has worked as an author, scriptwriter, art director and animator. Tom is working with the BLE to keep an eye on our growing portfolio of MOOCs and online courses.
Tom is currently engaged in a PhD at Birkbeck in which he is conducting an Adornoian critique of the social history of the concept of Satan. He is very interested indeed in supporting and encouraging those who, like him, had long since written off ever being able to engage in high-level academic study because of their background. Tom has worked as an author, scriptwriter, art director and animator. Tom is working with the BLE to keep an eye on our growing portfolio of MOOCs and online courses.
Steering Group
The Steering Group comprises senior management representatives from each of the Partners, and serves to provide governance, strategic direction and guidance for the BLE and its development.
The Steering Group comprises senior management representatives from each of the Partners, and serves to provide governance, strategic direction and guidance for the BLE and its development.
Digital Education Support Team
The BLE Digital Education Support Team comprises the learning technology staff from each of the Partners, and meets and communicates regularly to troubleshoot technical issues, and share training materials and good practice thus supporting institutional digital learning development.
The BLE Digital Education Support Team comprises the learning technology staff from each of the Partners, and meets and communicates regularly to troubleshoot technical issues, and share training materials and good practice thus supporting institutional digital learning development.
Project Advisory Boards
BLE Project Advisory Boards are responsible for assisting the BLE Director to shape and execute specific areas of work, providing operational oversight for the development of projects, and serving to ensure that all Partners and stakeholders are represented, meeting their respective needs and requirements
BLE Project Advisory Boards are responsible for assisting the BLE Director to shape and execute specific areas of work, providing operational oversight for the development of projects, and serving to ensure that all Partners and stakeholders are represented, meeting their respective needs and requirements
The BLE has and continues to provide Birkbeck with a number of benefits that would be extremely difficult if not impossible to arrange independently. In particular the opportunity to support the development of staff who are critical to our work in the learning technology field is invaluable.
James Smith, Director of IT, Birkbeck University of London
BLE Specialist Interest Groups
BLESS (Bloomsbury Library E-Services & Systems) Group
The Group brings about greater collaboration between the Libraries of the BLE partner institutions and TEL colleagues by sharing, designing and developing future projects where technology is used to support online pedagogical offerings and associated information systems.
BLE MOOC Group
For current MOOC developers, designers and authors to come together and share experiences and expertise to strengthen individual institutional practice.
BARDG (Bloomsbury Academic & Research Developers Group)
A termly meeting of staff in the BLE partnership involved in developing academic and research staff. The aim of the Group is to share practice and examine opportunities for collaboration e.g. joint workshops and training offers.
University of London User Experience Group (UXG)
The BLE coordinates the termly meeting of the UX Group, which involves the instituiton members of the University of London. The Group seeks to examine how UX principles are (or should be) applied in a number of institutional constituent areas including learning technology, library, acdemic course content and web design, external relations.
The Group brings about greater collaboration between the Libraries of the BLE partner institutions and TEL colleagues by sharing, designing and developing future projects where technology is used to support online pedagogical offerings and associated information systems.
BLE MOOC Group
For current MOOC developers, designers and authors to come together and share experiences and expertise to strengthen individual institutional practice.
BARDG (Bloomsbury Academic & Research Developers Group)
A termly meeting of staff in the BLE partnership involved in developing academic and research staff. The aim of the Group is to share practice and examine opportunities for collaboration e.g. joint workshops and training offers.
University of London User Experience Group (UXG)
The BLE coordinates the termly meeting of the UX Group, which involves the instituiton members of the University of London. The Group seeks to examine how UX principles are (or should be) applied in a number of institutional constituent areas including learning technology, library, acdemic course content and web design, external relations.