On the 15th of each month, we are inviting those working in the field of learning development to share their day. Write up what you have done on the 15th of the month (or your nearest working day to this date) (plus reflections) and share it with us via this short submission form. The entries will be shared here on the ALDinHE blog.
In 2010-11 and 2014-15, the ALDinHE website was previously used for a collective online journal by members of the LD community. The collective journal re-launched on the 15 May 2023. You can read the journal entries for each month. The shared experiences and ideas have helped shape CPD resources developed for new and experienced staff, and to identify other areas for future work.
A reminder will go out on the LDHEN list on the 15th of each month. Share your day by completing the short submission form for it to be added to the ALDinHE blog.
Robert Ping-Nan Chang – University of the Arts London
Surprise, surprise, it’s a very quiet day for me, especially after the hectic work in the last two months. No tutorials, no workshops, and hopefully no burning questions from students, when many of them have gone away for holiday. I have thus set part of the day to continue the planning and coordination of my embedded teaching next year, and part of day to work on a CeLP application which I have had in mind for quite a while. This mini retreat has been productive as I have written up the draft of my case study section based on my reviewing experience for JLDHE and my engagement with the ALDinHE Events Working Group over the past few years. I have found the experience valuable to me, whether it’s to do with upskilling or networking.
Kerith George-Briant – Abertay University
How is it Friday already?
I started the morning with an attempt to clear my inbox, followed by a 1-1 meeting with my line manager to prioritise what needs to be done over the summer. The list is long and time and resource is scarce as the team here at Abertay have some much needed holiday to enjoy. However, we have identified two main areas to focus on – our online self-study material, and our online microcredentials. So, that’s a good start.
Then, thanks to a colleague downloading a photo of Kate and adding text, we made posters to put up in the kitchen and the consultation room to celebrate Kate winning the ALDinHE Learning Developer Award. Hopefully, she’ll enjoy her moment in the spotlight on Monday when she’s back on campus.
Next up was a ‘development discussion’ – mine! I reflected on Abertay’s AI journey and my part in that, including my presentation of what we’ve done at ALDCon24. What an amazing day that was. I have notes galore and hope that next week I’ll be able to get in touch with the people I met and also consider how to improve our practice based on what I heard.
Then it was a complete switch of focus and a great 1-1 appointment to help a student prepare for a resit – listening and picking up on strategies tried and suggesting alternatives where those hadn’t worked.
After that, it was time to write final reports for the 9-week online pre-sessional we had just finished, checking in with a colleague who was writing them up with me. Happy with the tone and advice given, they were sent out to the students.
Lunch was brief but I did head away from my desk and changed one screen for another and played Squaredle.
A relaxed Teams chat after lunch discussed a variety of topics with a lecturer including remediation for students, gatekeeping and final projects. We have a good working partnership and keeping in touch, reflecting and solving issues collaboratively is working well for us.
The final hours of the day disappeared quickly, as I attempted to wrestle my notes, notebooks, and emails into some kind of order. Then it was time to water the plants on my desk and head out the door.