Hello
CDN Update

We hope that you continue to be safe and well.

This week - CDN, in partnership with the British Esports Association, hosted the first ever Esports in Education Conference in Scotland. The hugely successful online conference attracted over 170 registrations and brought together key speakers from the education landscape, industry, and the world of esports.
The recording of the Esports conference will be made available shortly. Listen to BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland (15:30-18:30) and watch The Nine (48.38) which both covered the story - featuring CDN's Digital and Innovation Lead, Kenji Lamb.

We have received an incredible response to the call for session proposals for this year's Virtual College Expo, which will take place on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 June. Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals, it really does highlight the great work taking place across the sector - every day. We are currently finalising the programme, which promises to be the very best yet - watch this space!

We continue to offer a wide range of courses and events to support your professional development. Take a moment and have a look at what's on offer below and on our events section of the website.

As ever, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to talk about any aspect of our work, if you'd like to suggest new ways that we can support you, or share experiences and great practice that colleagues in the sector would find useful. You can email me at: jim.metcalfe@cdn.ac.uk

We hope you have a lovely Easter break when it comes.
Jim Metcalfe, Chief Executive, CDN
What Matters to Us Virtual Conference
Book your place today

The inspirational and thought provoking What Matters to Us Conference is designed to support final year HN students and staff in social care and early years at this important time.

The conference themes of human rights, human dignity and person-centred care will include reflection and learning from delivering services through the pandemic.

Keynote Speakers include:

  • Dr Donald MacAskill - Chief Executive of Scottish Care, who will discuss human rights in a pandemic.
  • Ryan McCuaig - Chair of Who Cares? Scotland, who will talk about his journey, starting out as a young person in care and then becoming a graduate and solicitor. Ryan will share what he thinks is needed to ensure that care experienced people in Scotland fulfil their potential.

We are also thrilled to be joined by Khadija Mohammed, co-founder and Chair of Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators. Khadija will lead a workshop discussing the importance of taking an anti-racist approach, beginning in the Early Years.

Check out the latest blog 'What Matters To Us Virtual Conference – Back for 2021' to find out more.
CDN Research Associates
Exciting opportunities at CDN

As part of CDN’s newly established Research and Enhancement Centre, we are looking to create a bank of researchers who have experience working in further and higher education.

The role will play an important part in meeting CDN’s strategic objective to drive the enhancement of college performance and student success through programmes of collaborative research and enquiry.
Scotland’s colleges collaborate on new national #ChooseCollege campaign
CDN are supporting the new national #ChooseCollege campaign to highlight the importance of Scotland’s colleges and encourage potential students to – Choose College.

Scotland’s 26 colleges have come together with one voice to support the new campaign and share positive stories of how vital colleges are to the educational, economic and community health of the country.
Organised by the CDN Marketing and Communications Network, the campaign has kicked off with a collaborative six-week social media campaign which launched on Monday 8 March, and runs until Friday 16 April.

The social media campaign will then be followed by the Choose College Virtual Event, which takes place on Wednesday 26 May. The interactive event will encourage potential students to explore what is on offer at colleges throughout Scotland. More event information coming soon...
CDN College Hall of Fame:
Nominations invited
We are looking for nominations for the CDN College Hall of Fame. The CDN College Hall of Fame recognises the outstanding achievement of a college graduate or member of staff who has made a notable contribution to society, education, the arts, science, sport, an industry sector, or the economy. Selection to the Hall of Fame will focus on individuals who act as role models in their own field and as an inspiration to current and future college students.

To submit a nomination, please provide a short (max 400 words) statement describing why your nominee/s should be considered, what they have achieved and the impact they have made in their field or area of expertise.

Please submit your nominations to marketing@cdn.ac.uk – using the subject line ‘CDN Hall of Fame’ by Friday 16 April.
CDN Governance and Leadership Summit 2021:
Preparing to Build Back Better –
Developing Our Vision for the Future
The Governance and Leadership Summit is aimed at College Chairs, Board Members and Senior Staff. The Summit will focus on how the sector is emerging from the twin challenges of the impact of COVID and Brexit.

The day will be an opportunity to focus on the potential for positive change offered by the ‘wicked issues’ emerging from these events rather than the negatives, and to do this in the context of the ongoing SFC Review.

There will be the opportunity to hear from key stakeholders and to discuss creative approaches for the future and inform the work of the CDN Research and Enhancement Centre in the coming years.
Let's Get Digital!

Over the past year, we have all adapted to the way we work. To support you, we have created a range of digital learning opportunities.

In partnership with Jisc, we continue to deliver the popular
Virtual Bridge Webinar Series. These 30-minute sessions have been designed to support college staff in delivering remote learning and teaching.

We now have a well-developed Podcast series - Pedagogy Matters. The series shines a light on key priorities and issues in learning and teaching. So far, we have released nine podcasts with many more on the way.

To keep up to date with all things digital learning, sign up to our Digital Education Newsletters here for a monthly update.
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