InStePPPartnerships for Digital Literacy Development: Lessons Learned

Richard FrancisStudents as Change Agents WorkshopNottingham University 20 March 2014

ePioneers

and Future Consultants

Engagement

Recognition

• Carry out two or more commissions

• Keep reflective log of activities, experiences and lessons learnt

• Build portfolio to gain professional recognition and/or academic credit

ILM endorsed Future

Consultants certificate

Credit for Work-based

Independent Study Module

CMALT

Commission 1 Commission 2 Commission 3

Partnership Roles

Student ePioneer

Development partner

Coach/Mentor

Staff partner

• Commissions DL development project

• Negotiates achievable objectives with ePioneer

• Assesses outcomes and provides feedback

• Provides digital skills training

• Relationship-focused skills

• Self-awareness enhancement

• Volunteers for two or more staff commissions singly or with other ePioneers

• Performs one or more of four roles: trainer, mentor resource creator, researcher

• Manages consultancy

• Develops ePioneer consultancy skills

• Monitors commission progress

• Encourages logging, reflection and feedback

Roles and schedule

Lessons learned

Entrepreneur role inappropriate for a voluntary scheme whose incentives and rewards are intended to be academic and employability-related.

Researcher role should be actively promoted to dissertation and independent study module leaders in the relevant faculties. Support such students with mentorship by experienced technology-enhanced learning researchers. Provide possible investigation topics.

Lessons learned

ePioneers should choose a commission at their very first Future Consultants session. Will avoiding hiatus between recruitment and initial training and finding a partnership to work on.

Ensure large and varied pool of possible commissions to provide ePioneers with sufficient choice of varied and interesting projects. Possible drawback of unfulfilled demand, i.e. commissions not taken up. Risk of loss of enthusiasm by staff, frustration with commissioning process and fewer new commissions over time. Mitigate by proactive filtering and approval process. Quickly notify staff whose commissions are not taken up, offer advice about other means to address their goal or suggest ways to make commission more attractive or suitable for ePioneers.

Lessons learned

Commissions should be achievable within the tempo of normal student life: should have explicit objectives that are achievable within a single semester, or if longer, must specify achievable milestones that fit within the academic calendar.

Promote option of doing InStePP commissions within the structure of Work-based Independent Study Modules. Multiple benefits: added incentive of academic credit for completing a commission; framework of academic module structure may add discipline; failure to conclude commission could threaten academic achievement on the module; academic structure means ePioneer has rigid timetable and objectives that must be translated into outcomes for their commission; module leader can provide additional support.

Lessons learned

Facilitate better communication about ePioneer projects to DMeLDs through Learning Technologists Forum. ePioneers doing a commission should be put in contact with the relevant faculty DMeLDs and should discuss their project plan with them. Ensures that ePioneers have access to development opportunities from skilled learning technologists and disseminates knowledge and learning from digital literacy development projects.

Provide feedback form, activity record and eportfolio only on request to ePioneers to avoid wasting administrative resources. Moodle Community site by far the most important and widely used site by ePioneers. Commissions form is the most important tool for establishing partnerships and functionality should be enhanced.

Lessons learned

ePioneer mentor should be maintained; important to commissioning process and induction of new ePioneers. Role can be fulfilled by ePioneers wishing to maintain involvement for more than one semester. Should be minimal selection and recruitment process to ensure transparency and fairness.

ePioneer Coordinator role essntial if InStePP is to step up its intensity by effectively doubling its number of regular active Pioneers.

Lessons learned

‘Development lead role’ intended for faculty academics (PL SEs) can be scrapped. PL SEs’ role limited to promoting InStePP among staff and students in their faculties and helping initial recruitment of ePioneers.

Replace with role of ePioneer Coach, provided by a staff developer. Will support ePioneers though regular, structured briefing and feedback meetings designed to facilitate ePioneers in evaluating progress with their commissions and helping them maintain adequate records of their work and their own development.

ePioneer coach should ensure that ePioneers implement a commission closure event with their staff partner(s). This would evaluate the project, provide the parties opportunities to offer feedback, and formally close it or hand it over.