I began this blog, in a different form in 2006 to improve my written English and stay sane during the trials and tribulations that is grad school. Unfortunately the archives of the first years were lost, when my hard-drive decided to die with a strange noise and even DiscWarrior could not help.
During the last ten years I began sharing about teaching practice, Didaktik, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), teaching methods, research methods, and writing and academic writing. There is the odd poem, and some photography, some posts about being an academic with ADHD–and how to survive this more or less unscathed.
Activities and Awards
Most of my activities are also related to awards so I am not having an individual awards page.
Fast forward (to 2020) about hundreds of gallons of coffee, countless chocolate bars, and several fix term contracts later, and I have been working as a lecturer in academic and digital development (faculty development, Hochschuldidaktik, Hochschulbildungsforschung) for some years. I won several (internal) grants, a best presentation price, and recently a Golden Tweeter Award, held some keynotes, and obtained my Senior Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy. I am currently leading a couple of master’s level courses (MEd in Academic Practice), and the dissertation projects, and trying to change attitudes around the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching in the institution; and translating my PhD topic of creative pedagogies into Higher Education Context. So far so chaotic.
Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Chat (LTHEchat)
It’s 2025 and I am, leading my first chat on Bluesky after the woeful demise of Twitter.
2025 People Make Research Nomination
2025 a colleague nominated me for the University of Glasgow People Make Research scheme under the leadership category: Creativity. The following is my nomination text:
Nathalie is an inspirational and hugely collegiate scholarship leader. Nathalie’s approach combines sustainable structural community support with attention to nurturing the scholarship identity and confidence of the individual. The range of initiatives that Nathalie develops and connects staff to demonstrates her commitment to providing support and inspiration in whatever format it is needed. Creative, playful and inclusive approaches underpin the support Nathalie provides and she is always keen to adapt and curate resources and training for discipline or cohort-specific needs. Warmth, regard for wellbeing and authenticity characterise Nathalie’s interactions with colleagues fostering explorative and creative scholarship inquiries.
People Make Research
We got snazzy mugs as thank you:
2024 Module Lead Award ALDESD & UNESCO IESALC
Association for Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development, and UNESCO IESALC. Bootcamp Module Leads, my partner in crime Dr Vicki Dale and I won module leader awards for our Creative Pedagogies module
2022 #creativeHE
With a passion for educational creativity, the #creativeHE team inspires the innovation, experimentation and disruption of teaching practices through an international, friendly and facilitative community. Founded on open scholarship and collaborative practice, the team are committed to continual personal, educational, institutional and sector transformation to enhance staff and student experience.
And we won a team Cate Award 2022
The National Teaching Repository
I am one of the directors (Engagement and Impact) and the Lead Curator for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:
unfortunately due to funding issues we are no longer able to accept submissions
The ‘National Teaching Repository’ was born out of the desire to facilitate a space for proven and successful teaching materials to be disseminated whilst ensuring that the original authors can evidence the reach and impact of their work in the process. The National Teaching Repository started out as a UK based resource, but very quickly it has proven that its reach and impact is truly global. It has established supporters, contributors, and users from around the world, and continues to expand on a weekly basis.
Visit the Repository
We won the OEGlobal Award 2023 Open Practice Category.
2015 Best Presentation Award
University of Glasgow Learning and Teaching Conference 2015
Things that haven’t changed
Run on sentences are still going strong. And my focus on creative pedagogies (creative learning and teaching) and thus implicitly active learning has not changed. I am trying to translate creative pedagogy and principles of Kulturpädagogik (culture education) into the higher education context. This has led to colleagues playing with Lego, balloons, play-dough, and my line manager putting the Incredible Hulk on top of their computer. I also have been accused or commended (I am really not sure) of pink fluffy unicorness.
Bottom line: taking education seriously does not equate to perpetuating teaching methods, and attitudes that one believes one ought to, rather than methods that are authentic to the individual educator, and their context.
Erziehungswissenschaften
Science of Education
One of the frustrations that still has not changed is that in the UK, my discipline (my profession) does not exist! Nobody knows what Erziehungswissenschaften (EzW) is! This was brought home recently, when I was invited to speak at a congress in Munich, and when I said my discipline is EzW people knew! If I try to translate this into English, I get confused and empty stares … *sigh*
Anyhow, if you want to know the serious and magical business of learning, and teaching, of educational theory that constitutes the foundation for anything from play-dough to unicorns, just browse the blog. I try to share practical things, teaching tools or strategies, reflective practice, and some theoretical musings. I also often share resources I have developed or created. There might be the odd recipe or coaching insights(or tip).
It’s not just all work and no play, I also run a creative writing blog: https://writingforhealing.blog/
And I published my first poetry chapbook: https://amzn.eu/d/7wAbozz
Nathalie Tasler, PhD, SFHEA, MPhil, PGDip CCM, PGCert LTHE 
A native of Germany in Scotland is part of a rare breed! Ich hoffe, daß Schottland gastfreundlich ist – in meinem Fall eindeutig!
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Auf jeden Fall—Glasgow ist trotz jedweder Gerüchte besonders gastfreundlich! Maybe a little rough around the edges, but that creates a unique charm. Danke für den Landesgruß!
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