Tendai Dube

January 13, 2023, by Helen Whitehead

Five minutes with… Dr Tendai Dube

We asked Tendai Dube: what is your job role?

Learning Technology Consultant (Apprenticeships), Faculty and School Support, Learning Technology, University of Nottingham Libraries

I mainly help academic staff make efficient use of technology to support learning, teaching and assessment practices, especially for Apprenticeship Programmes.

What 3 words describe you?

Ambitious, Positive, Inquisitive

Tell us something ‘unusual’ about yourself

I started playing tennis for the first time ever last year 2022 having been inspired by our daughter’s tennis training sessions. I am very pleased with the progress I have made so far and so is my coach 😊 It’s a fun away to exercise and stay fit.

What excites you about learning technology?

Learning technology can easily enhance learning and teaching. It provides variety in the way learning materials can be disseminated to the learners. By the same token, it can help improve learners’ engagement with learning resources which may in turn result in attainment of good grades. Learning technology is even more exciting because of the anytime, anywhere availability of learning resources making learning quite flexible. Learning technology has sneakily shaped my career over the past 16 years.

Do you have any top tips for our users?

For academic staff: Use technology purposefully, for pedagogic benefits rather than as an end in itself. It is advisable to consider the selection of learning technologies to use early on during curriculum or similar planning sessions. Do not be afraid to try out new technologies if they provide pedagogic value – make use of your Learning Technology Consultants to help explore things.
For students: we want you to have the best experience so if any learning technology system/tool is not working, please report it as soon as you can so it gets sorted for you in good time.

What is crucial for learning technology at the University of Nottingham?

Learning technology systems must be robust and modern, plus they should be motivating and easy to use for all types of learners. It’s always useful to take stock of what’s working well and what can be improved, plus what’s missing.

What have you learned recently?

I attended a Mandarin for Beginners Course and learnt that father in Chinese is written bába which is like baba in Shona (my first language), also meaning father. The pronunciation differs, though.

More in this series

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