Institute of Continuing Education (ICE)
Submitted by Amy Kingham on Mon, 10/05/2021 - 11:50
From 28 June to 30 July this summer, the ICE Virtual Festival of Learning is back, with more than 85 one-week courses and over 60 talks giving people all over the world the chance to follow their existing passions – or find new ones. Summer Festival courses are open to adults of all ages and backgrounds, so we talked to students on opposite sides of the globe to find out a bit more about their lives and what motivates them to keep joining the Festival of Learning.
Nelson McMillan: Bedford, UK. My wife and I recently bought our first home together, and we share it with our standard poodle, Rosie.
Jenni Wearne: Martin and I live in a terraced house in Melbourne, Australia with our 11-year-old border collie-whippet cross.
NM: I get up at 5am, plan the day ahead and run with the dog before breakfast. I work for the Government, and I like to be at my desk by 8am. Afterwards, I volunteer as a Board Member for a not-for-profit organisation. If I’m not doing that, I like to read, or my wife and I might enjoy a film after dinner.
JW: Martin’s a lawyer with days filled with Zoom meetings and deadlines. I’m a retired teacher who still coaches the school’s senior debating teams and who loves to read. In the evening, I watch a bit of TV or embroider and crochet. Martin falls asleep in front of the TV!
NM: This winter, I studied International Human Rights: war, conflict and the responsibility to protect.
JW: So many! From English Houses and Gardens to The Iliad and from Shakespeare’s Sonnets to Ancient Rome.
NM: I can apply the subject matter to my work, and I’m keen to learn more about global human rights.
JW: Literature has always been our passion. As a lawyer, Martin didn’t really have the chance to study it during his academic qualifications. I have a PhD in that field, but being exposed to new ideas, enthusiasms and texts is exciting to me.
NM: I tend to study after dinner for an hour or two. Once, that wasn’t possible, so I adjusted my schedule to study first thing in the morning instead and was surprised by how much more productive I was.
JW: It isn’t difficult for me as I’m retired, but Martin is still busy with his legal practice. We do one class together at lunchtime and another in the evening. This was great for us as the ICE academics are so good that it sometimes feels like we’re getting the most exciting bedtime story!
NM: It’s been of professional benefit and personally enriching. A fundamental understanding of the international system and its legal basis helps me take a strategic perspective on my government research work.
JW: There’s no utility as such – we don’t need certificates. It’s just a joy to get up each morning and know that we have a day’s worth of ideas, discussion and learning to look forward to. It’s great to have the opportunity to study remotely, especially right now. Learning at your dining table is a wonderful thing!
JW: We love the warm enthusiasm for the subject matter that comes through the teachers. They’re very generous with the ideas they share in lectures and through their responses on the student discussion forums. We’ve never finished a subject without thinking new thoughts, seeing new things and planning new plans.
NM: The quality of the content is of the highest order. What really reinforces the learning is the effort the Course Directors make in the forums and follow-on webinars. They push your thinking to the next level.
Find out more and register for the Virtual Summer Festival of Learning.