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.
Reflection from the 15th October 2024
My working days have all taken on a strange quality recently. Over the summer my partner was diagnosed with lung cancer and brain lesions – this came out of the blue – the most terrible shock and awful circumstance. Fortunately (!) this happened during our vacation so the whole round of hospital visits and diagnoses and prognoses and even the initial stages of treatment (brain surgery and radiotherapy – prior to chemo for the lungs – which starts soon – but not soon enough) took place then. Strangely perhaps I returned to work in September. We decided to risk it – knowing it would give us something to think and talk about and do apart from the cancer. I know I am also privileged – I can work from home! Otherwise I would have had to give up work… So today, the 15th October, we juggle the terror of the phone ringing to give us another fear-ful appointment – with the normal round of LD/ED work: Checking the email in-box – deleting quite a few without even reading them! Arranging meetings or accepting them. Checking the PPT slides for the teaching that begins tomorrow, Wednesday afternoon – that once-protected time for staff and student development activities. Trying to produce food that will tempt us both to eat. Getting some exercises done to recover from the muscle-wasting impact of steroids. Thinking, did we send in the proposal for that book chapter? Re-reading a draft article upon receiving positive feedback from the editors – with an invitation to make some revisions now before they even send it out to the reviewers.
Why am I even writing this? I am sharing this anonymously – and writing it at all because now I really know the complex lives we all live. The things we do to survive. Every day.
Robert Ping-Nan Chang – University of the Arts London
It’s a day when I was inundated with tutorials due to the looming deadline of a course I am supporting. Despite concerns about tutorials in terms of parity, efficiency and effectiveness ‘all’ students at an institution, I love them and find them the best way to really connect with students and offer something really bespoke and relatable. However, all day tutorials completely drained me.
Other than doing tutorials, I also did some communications with a librarian to plan teaching sessions about referencing. While I am confident about doing this on my own, the collaboration allows my library services colleague and I (learning developer) to offer different but complementary perspectives and methods of approaching an area that we both advise students on.
Helena Beeson – University of Northampton
I started the day with our usual team meeting, but left this early to attend my last ever LearnHigher meeting (slightly emotional!) where we talked about marketing and the AI policy, and shared updates on recent resources.
A couple of student tutorials were cancelled at the last minute which freed up some time for a data detox. I purged a large number of files which was rather liberating! A Faculty colleague bought me lunch where we discussed current LD provision and staff updates which appears to change on a regular basis at the moment.
During the afternoon a few of us from the team were teaching APA referencing to Psychology students concurrently, with a satisfying debrief at the end!
Some final admin jobs and prep, and Tuesday 15th was done.