Write a brief summary of any work-related activities undertaken on 15th January 2015 and/or your nearest working day . In posting your reply, you consent to the potential use of anonymised extracts from this material in resources that may in future be published by the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE), for educational and professional development purposes only.
It was a day of meetings meetings meetings!
I won’t go through all of them in detail but each meeting gives an insight into the things I am doing in the near future:
- Met with 2 colleagues who I am working with to deliver some academic writing sessions to business students. The focus is on report writing and critical analysis and is split into 3 sessions. There’s 3 of us working on it as each session falls on specific days and there is no 1 person that is avaiable to run them all. We need to ensure that each session flows even though we are all delivering them separately.
- I am delivering a Digital Date with my colleague Angela to share how we use apps to organise ourselves. We met to discuss what we are going to focus on.
- Met with an academic from Design. I am delivering a session for 2nd year design students who are starting to think about their dissertation and have to put together a proposal. The session used to be run by the subject librarian but the role of the subject librarian and learning advisors got combined into one so I am now delivering this session. Rather than stick to the usual “here are sources that might help you from the library…” we are going to look at how to use information for inspiration. I am going to get them to consider where they currently find information (not necessarily academic info) and how their usual sources could help them (as well as the stuff we have in the Library such as the Vogue Archive, journal collections etc.). I am also going to get them to start thinking about how they can engage with reading material critically.
That was pretty much my day! I look forward to hearing about yours!
Wednesday 21st was busy teaching day for me too. I began the day with a swim before work (as is my custom!) and then ran an action learning set as part of our PGCert in Learning & Teaching in HE course, with 5 new(ish) lecturers. This finished at 12.30, when I had lunch with the PGCert group and informally answered a number of course-related questions, and was followed at 1 by a workshop supporting one of our modules on the PGCert, Educational Enquiry. the workshop was on gathering and using quantitative data and was run by one of my colleagues, but I went along too as module (and course) leader, to participate and add my thoughts where appropriate. It was nice to be on the other side of the table – i.e. as a ‘student’ – for the afternoon though. After the workshop, I answered emails and then had a meeting with a potential PGCert applicant new to the University: talked her through the course and sorted out an appropriate route for her. Followed this up by emailing her relevant documentation and forms.
Had a chat with my colleague who had run the workshop and whom I share an office with and then home.
The 21st January fell on a Wednesday and this Wednesday was a very busy teaching day.
From 09.00-12.00 I was supporting a colleague delivering the module: Becoming an educationalist: reading, writing and enquiry. This is a 30-week module that would previously have been seen as a Higher Education Orientation module – that is – one where students are being prepared for successful university engagement and study. Lea & Street (1998) argued that there is a 3-tier typology to this sort of work: study skills (deficit model); socialisation (passive model); academic literacies (action model) – we always thought that students needed strategies to empower their learning which did not depend on their tutors being good teachers – and that the best ‘learning development’ work could be called Critical Pedagogy in action: it is about dialogue, shared power, voice… But the joy is that now we have those 30 weeks to fill – and have the space and time to foster belonging, friendships, communities of practice, dialogue, creativity and play! So – this is a joyful part of the week. In particular in this session we discussed Moral Dilemmas – and linked these to underlying philosophical perspectives… We considered research Method – and whether it is ever possible to gather authentic student voices (comparing that to the zig-zag method of collaborative writing as a method of enquiry that we discussed and practised last week). the final part of the session was a Farewell party – concluding the formal Peer Mentoring relationship that our students have had with second year students for the last 14 weeks. Everybody brought in food and drink to share – we played music and games – and the mentoring relationship ended happily – and hopefully our first years will sign up for that second year module next year and become mentors in their turn.
Lunch over emails included correspondence about a notemaking project that Stuart Isaacs from our Social Science Faculty has organised as part of his University Teaching Fellowship. He is exploring the efficacy of different reading/notemaking strategies – and we have four groups of students developing their reading of one key text – for one-hour per week for nine weeks – with a quick test in week ten. The four groups include: tutor-led seminar; peer-led seminar; Twitter informed discussion group; visual practices group. I am leading the latter group – and we are trying to change the key text into a visual text. The first session on Tuesday went well – with the students absorbed in the task of trying to illustrate the first chapter…
In the afternoon, 13.30-16.30, it was the Group Presentation part of our Managing the Assessment and Feedback Process module (part of our MA in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education – MALTHE). Here staff had to devise their own criteria and marking sheets – relating to selected overall MAFP module Learning Outcomes – for their group project presentations. These are tutor/peer/self-assessed – and the experience is exhilarating and informative. All the presentations were fascinating – looking at feed forward – helping students to self-assess – using Freirean process to develop Freirean practice in real university settings – setting up creative student case study groups to help re-design assessment and feedback. As good as a Conference!! I crept away exhausted but happy…
Yesterday was a busy day but a good one. I decided to go to the regular Wednesday morning library training session – I don’t usually, because they’re rarely relevant and I don’t need that much library in my life. However this one was on our new email system in Outlook, and its associated instant messenger facility. So that could be fun.
I had to duck out early to be back in my office, with tea, in time for my first student of the day. However, she had emailed to say that she was terribly sorry, she thought we were meeting at 11 and she wouldn’t be able to get to me on time. Never mind though, because the student due at 11 had also emailed, to cancel! So it all worked out fine and I had a surprise half hour to myself in which to drink tea.
My student at 10.30 needed a tissue (due to a cold, not tears) but otherwise his was just a case of throwing a load of words at the page and hoping some of them would stick. My 10 o’clock student came at 11, happily, and I enjoyed looking at her dissertation all about illusion. She should do really well I think. She was followed up by a bright-eyed mature student who, it turned out, had just been on night shift, so she was feeling a bit wired with the adrenaline of staying awake. However, I could assure her that her report was definitely going in the right direction and that she had nothing to worry about on that score.
So ended the morning. I had booked in a nice long lunch break with my sister, which alas did not involve a nice hot chocolate taster at Whittards as they hadn’t put any of the little cups out. We debated taking a mug off the shelf instead, but reluctantly rejected the idea.
Back at work, I had cunningly not booked anyone in for 2, so had time to catch up on emails before my next customer at 2.30. This guy was new to me but keen to do well, and happily I could reassure him that he was doing all the right things. I can now explain a PESTLE analysis to someone confused about what it is. I think this is good, but at the same time a piece of my soul has died. Oh well.
My 3pm guy didn’t show up, which wasn’t a massive surprise as he has previous form, so I carried on with analysing some responses from a questionnaire I sent out before Christmas. I’m really enjoying this, and I try to do a bit whenever I have some free time. Finally my 3.30 girl arrived and we had a nice chat about her dissertation for just over half an hour. She’s still got a bit to write (hand-in is on Friday) but she’s confident, and I think she should get a good mark for it if she gets it all done. I think she will, she seems very motivated.
The last 45 minutes before I leave are spent reading questionnaires, having another cup of tea and generally winding down. I’ve been happy with today, it’s been good.
Hi folks. I’m a learning developer in spirit but my role is now pretty much all about management. I am head of ‘Learning Support and Wellbeing’ and oversee Plymouth University’s counselling, disability, learning development and peer learning and chaplaincy services. I have some 40 staff and 6 team leaders – all of whom are brilliant. I try to bring a leaning developer’s perspective to my work as much as possible – and in my view that means a commitment to learning as participation on equal terms as far as is possible in the business of the university.
Today (like most days) began with an attempt to deal with the most urgent emails. I have almost two thousand messages unfiled in my inbox – every couple of months I cull them but gone are the days when I could realistically expect to deal with all my messages. I just don’t have time – and I really regret that.
Prominent among today’s emails was one relating to how we meet the cost of modifying accommodation for students with disabilities once the changes in Disabled Students Allowances come into force and the government will no longer reimburse such spending. It meant some strong words on my part, pointing out to senior colleagues the importance of our obligation to all students under the Equalities legislation. Several other messages related to the need to set up counselling support and legal advice for a student and friends who allege a sexual assault. Heavy drinking was part of the picture here and there are blurred boundaries as well as blurred memories. Another issue linked to a student who may not be fit to study and about whom I will need to chair a case conference to hear medical evidence; the views of the student themselves as well as those of their personal tutor. By 10am I was already late for my first meeting of the day but needed to complete a diarising job before I could leave the office – I find this takes a very large amount of time in itself – i.e. finding time for meetings and booking those who need to be present. I do have an administrator and she often does these tasks for me – but she too is rushed off her feet so I frequently do these things myself. She is currently on leave. I arrived late to a meeting with a colleague to discuss our strategy to train up some staff who can act as chairs of Fitness to Study meetings – we are devising a shadowing and on-the-job-training. At present only two of us can take this role and the demand for these meetings is escalating …
At 11am I had my fortnightly team-leader meeting with the heads of counselling, LD, PALS and Disability. We talked about how we can support our staff during what is the most stressful time of year – though stress levels are high pretty much of the time as a result of demand for our services far outstripping our ability to respond. Among other things, we talked about how our peer learning leaders, writing mentors and peer listeners could have their achievements included in the HE Achievement Record.
It then lunchtime and I had a quick walk with Fletcher, an almost 20 year old collie – my constant companion and friend since 2002. He shambles around very slowly these days but is incredibly cheerful and likes to talk to anyone and everyone. He’s well-known on campus – much more so than am I! … I have to stop there – the rest of the day has been jam packed and I’ll be working this evening in another role at our local hospital – but I’m now due to be at a meeting with our chaplain where faith spaces and the fallout from the Paris atrocities are on the agenda. Thanks Michelle and others who suggested this activity – it’s a great chance to reflect, albeit briefly …
Michelle Schneider (shelldaynight)
Posted on behalf of Dr Debbie Holley:
Yesterday was a ‘marking at home’ day – and looking back I am surprised how much I did ‘out there’ from home! So marking my PGCert 5000 patchwork texts – these are new staff, reflecting on different aspects of their L&T – a real joy to read how much they have come on. A real thank you to our observers who sit on on their lessons, and offer feedback afterwards – makes such a difference – one comment was as ‘a wonderful opportunity to really discuss my practice with a passionate, knowledgeable and engaged observer’. We have moved to online submission and it is remarkable that, as with any student group, someone ALWAYS leaves it too late and messes up their submission.
In between marking I was helping to finalise our Research-led teaching: partnerships for changing education futures conference, confirming the workshop topics, tweeting the information and arranging the catering and chasing a budget code. I had a student with an urgent issue with her undergraduate major project – all of our students go through our ethics panel this year, and they can find the detail complex (as indeed can us supervisors!) and during our phone conversation was able to recommend the Learn Higher website for her (www.learnhigher.ac.uk) it looks very slick after its recent update.
Marking completed, I was able to make a start on preparing PhD ‘mock viva’ questions for one of our Professional Doctorate students, I was the critical reader so only have to read the update version of thesis (!) Dr Andrew Broad has a website that I regularly use for this purpose: http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~saul/wiki/uploads/Chapter1/NastyPhDQuestions.html and I recommend Vernon Trafford’s chapter on Vivas. A quick whiz through my email deluge deleting the ‘non-essentials and cc’s I don’t need to know about and finished for the day!