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.
Dr Maeve O’Regan – Trinity College Dublin
Today I was working online – I work part-time and on Wednesday I work afternoons until 7pm. From 4pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays we offer a protected writing space called ‘Write Here – Write Now’ – which is similar to a writing model called ‘Shut Up and Write’ where students set their own writing goal and work in silence. After a period of time, usually 50 minutes the student shares what progress they have made and they work on their writing again. I check in with the students about 5.25pm, I also share what writing or reading goal I have achieved during the time too. The ‘Write Here -Write Now’ sessions help students to avoid procrastination by providing a structured time and supported space to work on academic assignments. It is particularly popular with UG and PG students who are writing up a thesis, who often connect with us from different locations in the world, over the summer months to seek a connection and source of motivation to help them to write up and complete the thesis.
Also this week is Academic Integrity week and I have jointly run a workshop with a member of staff from another department on different aspects of avoiding plagiarism from the student perspective, and also the college process for promoting academic integrity and addressing plagiarism. I like the collaborative nature of our work, both in terms of co-delivering workshops with staff in other departments and, personally, for using the ‘Write Here – Write Now’ session to work on my own academic commitments, alongside the students who are working on their academic assignments. I think it helps to build a sense of belonging with the wider community of staff and students across college.
Sandie Donnelly
Spent too much of morning trying to get “Teams” fixed so that I could hear people/speak. Luckily, sorted just in time to join great EDI webinar: “Supporting student carers: inclusive LD in HE”. Dr Marina de Almeida McLoughlin and Dr Fabiana Fausto McCracken from Queen’s Belfast shared their practice and experience in the development and impact of the Carers Achieving Resilience in Education (C.A.R.E.) programme, which is designed to support student carers (particularly female careers) within HE. Powerful reminders of challenges faced by these students and inspiring to hear about a fantastic, holistic programme to help them navigate university, whilst juggling lots of other factors. Some of you may have attended Marina’s and Fabiana’s session at ALDCON25 and they have an entry in JLDHE Special Issue 37: https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi37.1697.
Part of the CARE programme includes digital skills development and this reminded me of a phrase I heard last week: “Digital Shock”. It was used by someone talking to describe the experience of international students arriving at UK universities and being overwhelmed by new and different digital systems and tools; it struck me that lots of students experience “digital shock”. Drafting an email this afternoon to explain why my team of library and academic advisors don’t have capacity to deliver “basic IT sessions”, I wondered what might be offered to international students, student carers and lots of other students to mitigate this aspect of university life. Fired up by Marina and Fabiana’s session and proactive approach, I’ve asked our Digital Capabilities Group for an item on the next meeting’s agenda. Would be great to hear from anyone else grappling with digital skills support for students and anyone with suggestions.
Martin McMorrow
October 15th was one of those typical atypical days in the life of a learning developer. On the typical side, I had a one to one consultation with a student who is doing her Master of Counselling. It was one of those where I felt I was learning as much, if not more, than the student: partly the content of what she was writing about (e.g., countertransference) and partly about the discourse of the discipline – the delicate balance between the personal and the impersonal. I also presented an online workshop for Education students who are preparing to take a national literacy test (LANTITE) which is a requirement of graduation and registration. I’ve become pretty familiar with the exam over the last three years, so this was straightforward. Between those, I did a bit of work on an online vocabulary resource that I’m making (using H5P) for Business students. OK, so far, so typical. As for the atypical elements, I was involved in two sessions for the international day of action for international integrity, co-ordinated by Mary Davis from Oxford Brookes University. In one session on everyday integrity, I was with staff from five other Australian universities and each of us described an ethical dilemma and the online audience voted on what should be done (using mentimeter). It was fun and, I think, went well. In the second session, together with the academic integrity manager from another Australian university, I facilitated some student presentations about how they upheld academic integrity in the face of various challenges. What was interesting was that the students I’d brought into this presentation are in Gaza – and we also had three students from Australia. The session had a few technical issues – e.g., we couldn’t play some videos which students had produced – but I think the audience appreciated hearing from these students who have been displaced and are having to overcome extreme levels of adversity to complete their studies – not to mention to present at this event. One had walked for over two hours to reach an internet cafe so that she could take part. And one student recited a very moving poem she had written especially for the occasion. The students were happy to have taken part. I was also pleased that today our national association (AALL) has set up a working group of those of us who are interested in supporting students in Gaza – three or four have already given online presentations. So it will be interesting to see how this develops – I’ll be presenting on it at the AALL conference in December, so I’d better start working on my slides. I’ll include the student videos that couldn’t be played today – so that their voices are heard.
Robert Ping-Nan Chang – University of the Arts London
15th October was another crazy day of the busiest term of a year in my role as an academic support lecturer. I started the day with a catch-up with my line manager, in which we were keen to recognise the perennial situation of disproportionally much heavier workload in Term 1 and exchanged ideas about possible ways to address this next year. I then had a 2-hour embedded workshop with a MA course. Since this was my first time to meet them, it was fantastic to have the perfect attendance and high level of engagement from the cohort. In this Introduction to Academic Support workshop, I incorporated a zine making activity for students to acknowledge their academic capital and need of learning skills. Students seemed to like this hands-on activity where they could fold and cut something. I had a very quick lunch break, which is followed by a tutorial with a PhD student. It’s a very long 1-2-1 covering the student’s experience with supervision, student’s revised Confirmation document and exhibition poster. It’s always a surprise how much learning developers can offer because the tutorial covers not only academic literacy and study skills but also pastoral support/wellbeing, students’ content area and some ‘occluded genres’ (I believe it’s coined by John Swales) in the academia, for example, in terms of writing, how to correspondence with people higher up in the research degree system beyond supervisory team about some concerns. My office day ended with a quick catch-up with an international student of a course I am supporting. He just transferred from a partner institution abroad and he looked a bit at lost in the Student Centre area where my office is located. The day finished with catch-up emails to the PhD student and the international MA student after I went home. It’s a tiresome day but remains fruitful.
Sandra Sinfield – London Metropolitan University
This is a strange time of year: we have such a lot of marking to do – with two of our PGCert modules submitting assignments in late September (normally it would only be one – but we had to delay our Curriculum module last year cos of losing our wonderful Tom Burns)… Of course all marking should be turned around in three weeks – but two of our three person team (me being one of them) has had that three to four week virus – and there is a lot you can still do with a dreadful virus – but coherent marking on your own is not really one of them. However – I love the marking! Yes of course it is hard work – and of course there is the emotional labour – but it is the final piece of the teaching jigsaw. You get to learn from your participants – from what they choose to investigate – and how they are developing their thinking and their practices… and about how you taught last time – and where the tweaks might need to be. So – yes – there was a lot of marking on the 15th.
I am also a series editor for Routledge – overseeing their Study Skills Series – so there was communication with the Routledge series editor – there was looking at some collated reviews on a draft proposal – there was receiving a new proposal to think about. All this is also very exciting! (AND – BTW – it you think you have an original idea for a study skills book in you – do get in touch!)
In the afternoon my colleague and I then taught the second session in that Curriculum module – with a great cohort full of exciting ideas and so much energy. We place a lot of emphasis on active and interactive learning – and model that differently across the three modules of our PGCert – and in the Curriculum one the focus is one peer to peer teaching and peer review of emergent work. So yesterday one group led a session on curriculum models and applications – and another led a discussion on the purposes of HE – and whether humane education is still possible in a marketised system. This led to lively debate and a question: are we impotent idealists or radical hopers?
I finished the day by joining in with the #LTHEchat on Blue Sky. Phew!