tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post8328854086688293038..comments2023-03-05T08:16:43.198+00:00Comments on Tony Burke: MAKING CONNECTIONS: Implementing a university-wide change programme to promote blended learning: Where do we start?Tony Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135280259115553247noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-75672184561389418442014-02-20T19:26:42.903+00:002014-02-20T19:26:42.903+00:00Quite agree with you on point two, Peter. It doesn...Quite agree with you on point two, Peter. It doesn't necessarily follow that staff development in a particular technology will lead to a member of staff using it - there's more to it. From my own research I've found motivators to use e-learning stem from much more personal perspectives, for instance the desire to be available and approachable to students leads to decisions being made about how to be available and where to be available (e-platforms rather than just through office hours). [Edited OP as I'd written "point three"]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-60869050794647859532014-02-20T19:25:02.781+00:002014-02-20T19:25:02.781+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-67454822294489974662014-02-20T17:33:14.943+00:002014-02-20T17:33:14.943+00:00References
Ball, S.J. (2008), Performativity, priv...References<br />Ball, S.J. (2008), Performativity, privatisation, professionals and the state, In Cunningham B. (Ed.) Exploring Professionalism (pp. 190-208), London: Bedford Way Papers.<br />Barnett, R. (2008) Critical Professionalism in an Age of Super Complexity, In Cunningham B. (Ed.), Exploring Professionalism (pp. 190-208), London: Bedford Way Papers.<br />Barnett, R. and Middlehurst, R. (1993) THE LOST PROFESSION, Higher Education in Europe, vol. 18, no.2, pp. 110-128<br />Baxter, J. (2012) The impact of professional learning on the teaching identities of<br />higher education lecturers. EURODL (European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning), 2012(2) [online] Available from: http://www.eurodl.org/?article=527 [Accessed 01 December 2013]<br />Clegg (2009) Forms of knowing and academic development practice, Studies in Higher Education, vol. 34, no: 4, pp. 403-416 [online] Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070902771937 (Accessed 19 December 2013)<br />Garrison, D.R. & Vaughan, N.D., (2012) Institutional change and leadership associated with blended learning innovation: Two case studies, The Internet and Higher Education, vol. 18, July 2013 pp. 24–28 [online] Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751612000589 [Accessed 01 December 2013]<br />Hanrahan, M., Ryan, M. and Duncan, M. (2001) ‘The professional engagement model of academic induction into on-line teaching’, International Journal for Academic Development, vol.6, no.2, pp.130–42 <br />Hanson, J. (2009) Displaced but not replaced: the impact of e-learning on academic identities in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 14, no.5, pp. 553-564.<br />Kirkpatrick, D. (2001) ‘Staff development for flexible learning’, International Journal for Academic Development, vol.6, no.2, pp.168–76<br />Land, R. (2001) Agency, context and change in academic development, International Journal for Academic Development, vol. 6, no.1, pp. 4-20 [online] Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13601440110033715 (Accessed 19 December 2013)<br />Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge university press.<br />Lawless, K. A., & Pellegrino, J. W. (2007) Professional development in integrating technology into teaching and learning: knowns, unknowns, and ways to pursue better questions and answers, Review of Educational Research, vol.77, no.4, pp. 575-614<br />Nixon, J. (1996) Professional identity and the restructuring of higher education, Studies in Higher Education, vol. 21, no.1, pp. 5-16 [online] Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079612331381417 (Accessed 19 December 2013)<br />Rienties, B., Brouwer, N., & Lygo-Baker, S. (2013) The effects of online professional development on higher education teachers' beliefs and intentions towards learning facilitation and technology. Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 29, pp. 122-131.<br /><br />Taylor, P. (1997) Creating environments which nurture development: Messages from research<br />into academics ‘experiences, International Journal for Academic Development, vol.2, no. 2, p. 429<br /><br />Unwin, A. (2007) The professionalism of the higher education teacher: what's ICT got to do with it?, Teaching in Higher Education, vol.12, no. 3, pp. 295-308<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-81988045629525889282014-02-20T17:32:28.873+00:002014-02-20T17:32:28.873+00:00Garrison and Vaughan, (2012) suggests that in orde...Garrison and Vaughan, (2012) suggests that in order for technology and innovation to lead to genuine improvements, there must be strong collaborative leadership, sustained commitment, teaching recognition and an infrastructure which supports change. In this context it is important that the University offers adequate educational development in order ‘to increase academic awareness of the complex interplay between technology, pedagogy and the cognitive content of their discipline’ (Rienties et al 2012, p. 122). The challenge is to demonstrate the relevance and advantages of technological change. I think it is important to collect and disseminate examples of its effective practice and therefore the need to take an active role in a research community. <br />The effective utilisation of e-learning requires a ‘considerable shift both in skills and conception of learning and teaching’ (Hanson, 2009). Hanson suggests that the use of technologies threatens the intimacy of the interaction with the students that currently mostly takes place in the classroom. The loss of control over their teacher presence changes the balance of power and threatens their academic identity and self-efficacy. I believe that it is for this reason that the majority of academics are more likely to adopt an innovation if they are given incentives and substantial period of time to adapt (Lawless and Pellegrino, 2007), are supported by a professional community of practice (Unwin, 2007) and see that the effect of the innovation is to truly enhance the quality of the learning environment and outcomes.<br />Baxter (2012) conducted research into the impact of professional learning on the online teaching identities of higher education lecturers and concluded in order to permeate professional identities at a deep and transformational level, it is vital that academic development identifies resistance discourse and ‘encompasses the psychosocial, ethical and political dimensions of this mode of teaching including the facets of identity construction and development’ so that ‘learning affects not only the ways in which lecturers teach online but contributes positively to feelings of self -salience, personal efficacy and confidence concomitantly leading to high levels of academic and professional autonomy, motivation and job satisfaction.’ (p. 9)<br />I hope that through Learning Futures, we will be able to fulfil Kirkpatrick’s vision (2001) of an effective academic development programme which should ‘be supported by central policy and planning, address the development of technical and pedagogical skills, provide working models and examples of practice and provide opportunities for practice and reflection’ (p. 170)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-41693270319125265862014-02-20T17:31:24.018+00:002014-02-20T17:31:24.018+00:00Hi Tony, I think the Learning Future project is a ...Hi Tony, I think the Learning Future project is a positive step in the right direction but I agree with Nixon (1996) that we must come to term with the fact that any effective restructuring must take on board a key professional concern which involves ‘the recognition of teaching as an important area of professional expertise in its own right and of the need for structures of professional development and support to ensure the growth of that expertise’ (p. 14).<br />I think that we are dealing with a complex scenario. The Higher Education sector is currently affected by neoliberal policies and development of audit culture, away from the idea of public good (Clegg, 2009. Academics are now working in a ‘world of supercomplexity’ (Barnett, 2008) where the framework on which their profession is based is continually changing as it is progressively influenced both by the state and the market. Stephen Ball (2008) argues that performativity, privatisation and the state are profoundly changing teaching and the meaning of professionalism. The idea of being re-oriented in terms of goals and commitment leads to a feeling of professional identity that is being threatened, as we are making ‘ourselves calculable rather than memorable, where experience is nothing, productivity is everything’ (p. 56). I think these changing conditions have serious consequences on the HE academic sense of profession in that their role seems not to offer autonomy and status. Nevertheless autonomy and status are the very characteristics of occupations that lay claim to being professions (Nixon, 1996).<br />I agree with Barnett and Middlehurst, (1993) that we as academics are being increasingly asked to take on new commitments which results in the need to re-balance our professional activities. We have been asked to become more productive in our research and to be more entrepreneurial in relation to research, consultancy and teaching in order to attract third leg income but at the same time to become more effective as teachers seeking to raise the quality of our teaching, to be responsive to the perceptions of students, to take into account the views of employers in their curriculum and be willing to work in teams with regards to course design and delivery. Whilst we have to become more accountable to external constituencies for our actions and services, our sense of professional responsibility is also changing. I think all of this creates tensions and more barriers with engaging with changes in pedagogy. I think that people will naturally prioritise their time according to what we think will add more value to their professional life. Do academics feel that the University have a culture in which learning and teaching are valued in the same way as research?<br />Lecturers and students all have expectations and a wealth of experience of the face to face, traditional models of teaching and learning. Like you, I also feel that truly sustainable innovation is difficult to achieve and is frankly quite rare. I think that there is a natural inertia, people do not all want to be challenged, they do not all appreciate being ‘forced out’ of their comfort zone. As an academic developer I have learned that for a practitioner’s attitude to change is paramount and that the process of change needs to be negotiated, entered into and supported (Land, 2001). Hanson (2009) suggests that academics need to belong to a community which can act as a safe place in which to explore new practice based on principles that are pedagogically defensible (Taylor, 1997). I also learnt that course teams have extremely varied experiences and enthusiasms with regard to technology. I think it is important to establish a need based training and a ‘community of practice’ (Lave and Wenger, 1991). <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-40447922127259439782014-02-20T15:50:19.736+00:002014-02-20T15:50:19.736+00:00Thanks for taking the time to give such comprehens...Thanks for taking the time to give such comprehensive comments, Peter - it's much appreciated. Your suggestions are duly noted.<br /><br />With regard to your final point on the student voice - I'm pleased to say that we do indeed have a parallel strand of the project which will specifically seek to involve students, not just as participants but actually as co-creators. I didn't mention that in the blog simply because I wanted to focus on a specific set of issues.<br /><br />Cheers. Tony Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135280259115553247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-90487541359018191892014-02-20T15:45:50.967+00:002014-02-20T15:45:50.967+00:00Thanks for the comments, Steve. I'd always ass...Thanks for the comments, Steve. I'd always assumed that journal articles would have to be based on data rather than just personal reflections. Perhaps when the implementation is more advanced I might have a better basis for an article.Tony Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135280259115553247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-27926693931705497262014-02-20T14:19:35.967+00:002014-02-20T14:19:35.967+00:00Hi Tony,
Very useful and interesting post. It su...Hi Tony, <br /><br />Very useful and interesting post. It sure sounds more exciting there than my experience of large change programmes! <br /><br />As Steve said, you touch on a number of really interesting points, which I think tend to get addressed separately and in isolation. <br />1. Readiness for change. I think the answer is always 'no!'. People generally don't like change. I did do an audit of existing practice here at Liverpool which I found useful, but that was probably because I was a new member of staff. I suspect the results were nothing new to others. <br />I also conducted a little staff survey which aimed to capture more detail from colleagues about the various implementations (experience, skills, attitudes, etc), but also subliminally served as a tool for stakeholder engagement. I'm hoping it will ease the burden/shock/resistance come implementation.<br /><br />2. Staff development is a huge issue. Quite simply, the developments in technology move far quicker than the developments in staff digital literacies. How we address this is an obvious challenge, but I think curriculum reviews like this is a perfect opportunity, and naturally rest upon the way in which technologies are introduced into the curriculum. When staff see tight integration I think it's much easier.<br />I like to think back to Gilly Salmon's 5 stage model for CMC, but apply that more broadly to the introduction of technologies. Start basic and get more detailed.<br /><br />3. Mechanisms for change. I think this is more difficult. At Liverpool, we're having a strategic focus on Minimum Standards, Online Submission and Lecture Capture (the spine of my TEL Team), but these are also fairly feasible Institution-wide initiatives. I think a review like yours is a perfect opportunity to do these broad implementations.<br /><br />4. One thing I think you have missed off, is the student voice. I can't emphasise enough the importance of ensuring that TEL developments are in response to what students actually want. My TEL spine might not be the most exciting, but it is reflective of student feedback. And in world where NSS rules, it's definitely something to consider.<br /><br />Thanks for the post. keep 'em coming!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06660986766828836305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027215050392861168.post-62967582625367773012014-02-20T12:52:29.369+00:002014-02-20T12:52:29.369+00:00This is a very useful article because it encapsula...This is a very useful article because it encapsulates much of the current thinking around innovation and adoption of new practices and technologies. I wonder if this would also gain a wider audience if you submitted it to an open access peer reviewed journal such as Research in Learning Technology (formerly ALT-J) or similar?Steve Wheelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08782623154703147473noreply@blogger.com