The Team
The BLE (Bloomsbury Learning Exchange) provides a fantastic example of true shared service. As partners, the Bloomsbury Colleges and the University of London collaborate and assist each other in the application 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 managing the coordination, implementation and development of Technology Enhanced Learning activity across the BLE partners, helping to support institutional digital learning strategies. Sarah is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Centre for 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. |
Nancy Weitz
Digital Learning Specialist @architela Nancy has over 25 years of experience working 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, Facilitator, Web Designer and Developer, Lecturer in Technology and Assistant Professor of English has allowed her to develop 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. |
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. Funded to set up with other experts in 2002, the Jisc Regional Support Centre for London has been central to sharing grassroots understanding and practice between IT and academic perspectives, helping to find common motivation and understanding. Retraining since 2015 as a professional coach, he runs the Digital Innovation Roundtable communities of practice.
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. Funded to set up with other experts in 2002, the Jisc Regional Support Centre for London has been central to sharing grassroots understanding and practice between IT and academic perspectives, helping to find common motivation and understanding. Retraining since 2015 as a professional coach, he runs the Digital Innovation Roundtable communities of practice.
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.
Project Advisory Board
Established in 2014, the BLE Projects Advisory Board is responsible for assisting the BLE Service Manager to shape and execute the BLE’s enhancement theme of work over a fixed period of time (on average, 36 months). It provides operational oversight for the development of the theme, and serves to ensure that all Partners and stakeholders are represented, meeting their respective needs and requirements
Established in 2014, the BLE Projects Advisory Board is responsible for assisting the BLE Service Manager to shape and execute the BLE’s enhancement theme of work over a fixed period of time (on average, 36 months). It provides operational oversight for the development of the theme, and serves to ensure that all Partners and stakeholders are represented, meeting their respective needs and requirements
TEL Support Team
The BLE Technology Enhanced Learning 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 Technology Enhanced Learning 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 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.