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.
The ALDinHE website was previously used for a collective online journal by members of the LD community in 2010 and 2014. 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
IÂ am reflecting on 14 November 2024.
As I did not have any teaching in the morning, I was able to spend time doing some admin and planning things. I started to plan my tutorials for the next term and input them to the shared timetable. However, one issue I encountered was that a new expectation from the management about offering tutorials in a hybrid mode, i.e. a tutor should be on-site and provide tutorials either in-person or online subject to students’ preference. Since coming out of the pandemic, I have been offering one day of tutorials on site (with an option of online upon request) and one day online, and this seems to have been working well. While the new policy may lead to even more pressure in terms of space, which is always limited in my college, I am wondering whether this may further encourage students to opt for the online mode, resulting in tutors using the office space giving loads of online teaching, which could be done equally well at home (without the commute, and sometimes even without many blind spots of wifi on campus). Obviously, the current debate of ‘going back to office’ happens in HE.
In addition to the tutorial planning, I also drafted several emails to students of the courses I am supporting about the Black History Month talk the day before by Professor Layton Reid (architect, designer, author, and academic), and told the students what I learned there and some information that students may find interesting and useful. I even deliberately added a ‘quotation’ and ‘reference’ to one of the emails because I just had a referencing session with that particular cohort. At UAL, I have been actively engaged with courses I am assigned to from my capacity as an academic support lecturer. Sharing such information or reflection in an email is a simple way increase the visibility of Academic Support and enhance the rapport between students and me. This seems to be appreciated by the course teams. Just two days ago an MA course tutor came to thank me for sharing the information of an NLA’s (New London Architecture) evening event, which some of his students joined and found super interesting and useful.
In the afternoon, I offered a group drop-in session with Year 2 students of a BA course. Since students were actively engaged in their discussions, none actually approached me for questions or something. Therefore, I walked around the studio, listened to what they discussed (or argued about), and chipped in from time to time to offer questions or comments. Perhaps, this does not sound ‘structural’, but this may once again increased my visibility to the students.