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
With the new term to start shortly, things have been getting busier this week. This morning I was updating my ‘AI and Academy Padlet’ (a collection of relevant policies, debates, resources, etc.) I have made to be shared amongst colleagues in the Academic Support team at my university. I came across an interesting article called ‘AI and culture: Culturally dependent to AI systems’ (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2024.101838), where the authors argue about higher resistance to AI from individualists (more associated with ‘western’ countries) and higher acceptance to AI from collectivists (more prevalent in Asian countries, with China, India and Korea being mentioned in this article). While I sometimes find that culture appears to become a convenient culprit or explanation of phenomena, what the authors discussed in the paper corresponds to my personal observation. From my conversations with some friends and colleagues in East Asia, despite initial concerns about plagiarism, it seems that many academics and teachers there tend to embrace AI and advocate its benefits to learning/teaching without considering much about ethics, privacy and integrity. This could be policy driven to some teachers because AI is a hot topic for to get fundings (project, experiment teaching…). This paper certainly provides an interesting and plausible explanation.
Raghda Zahran – Newcastle University
A Day in my Life as a Programme Manager in Higher Education
Engaging with Diverse Voices
My day began with an engaging meeting with members of the AldinHE conference committee. Coming together with colleagues from different institutions, we laid the groundwork for a prominent gathering focused on enhancing the learning experience for our peers and students. The exchange of ideas and perspectives was invigorating, reminding me of the collaborative spirit that drives innovation in education.
Transforming Learning for Postgraduates and Researchers
Next, I joined a core team dedicated to streamlining learning for postgraduate students and researchers. A significant part of our discussion revolved around defining success measures for our initiatives. We recognised that clear metrics are essential for assessing the impact of our programmes and ensuring that we meet the needs of our students.
By collaboratively outlining these success measures, we aim to create a framework that not only tracks progress but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement. It was exciting to see everyone’s passion for enhancing the academic journey of our students, and I felt a strong sense of purpose in our discussions.
Connecting with Students
Later, I visited our student union building to connect with students directly. Hearing their reflections on university life offered invaluable insights into their experiences and challenges. These conversations reaffirmed my commitment to supporting both students and colleagues in their academic roles. One of the discussions centred around a postgraduate student working on a similar project who expressed a desire to learn more. It is extremely interesting to see how learning intersects with the university’s operations and services.
Balancing Roles
Throughout the day, I felt a blend of my inner learner and my role as a supporter of learning. This dual perspective enriched my interactions and fuelled my motivation to create an impactful educational environment.
Sarah Parkes – Newman University
On Friday 13 September, we held our annual learning and teaching conference that aimed to discuss how we might embed partnership and co-creation in our HE practices, that take us beyond merely project work. For the first time, I was leading this event having organised for Prof. Cathy Bovill to come speak to staff about her work. I feel mixed about the day and the engagement from my colleagues. An admin colleague of mine and I worked incredibly hard on the programme, trying to balance out where parallel sessions sat and to organise a day where as many people who could, attended something of interest to them. The sessions I Chaired were great and I am so very grateful that those colleagues wanted to share their work with the wider university. My mixed feelings come from the limited engagement from staff in attending sessions that colleagues had worked hard to prepare and has made me think that for a small university, maybe a one day conference at a busy time of year is the wrong approach. I need to think further about what might be the best way to bring everyone together to talk about our practices as this is really important, especially for new staff who need to be exposed to the work their colleagues are doing. Also: what do you do when organising such an event and you receive limited proposals for parallel sessions? How do you engage colleagues so that they come together rather than prioritising other things?
Zara Hooley – De Montfort University
I started the day with a meeting about what data we need to pull together for a feedback report on student engagement with our service for our colleagues in Faculty. I am then attending a meeting with a colleague to plan for the Welcome Weekend induction day which welcomes freshers to the University. 12 – 1pm I will be working in a student facing assignment drop-in session. Tutoring students on academic writing. Quick lunch. 1 – 2pm I am running a staff facing session on AI resilient assignment design. 3pm – 6pm I am taking leave to work on some of my own academic writing.
This is a typical day for me, a mixture of meetings and student facing work, and a certain amount of admin. I rarely get time in my working day for academic writing, but I do try to fit this into my week by using my days off/freelance RA contacts and some toil or leave. As a 0.6FTE member of LD staff, I find the distinction between by free time, my academic interests and my work is blurry.. I try to balance my family and my ‘work’, but I am flexible in the approach to how I use my 0.4FTE.