Bolstering my academic practice

My qualifications and direct teaching and assessment experience have taken me far in my learning technologist career, and have supported me well in internal and external educational developments and projects.  However, I wouldn't define myself as a typical teacher/lecturer, even though we all are to some extent.  I am more aligned to curriculum design/development, assessment and quality assurance.

As it currently stands, my knowledge, skills and scholarly activity related to teaching, learning and assessment processes are demonstrated and evidenced through the following qualifications.

• Level 5 Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (2014) 
• Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (2014)
• Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice (2015)
• Technology Enhanced Learning MSc (pass with merit 2016)
• Innovative Teaching in Higher Education (2023)

Additional to the above qualifications, I have sustained and deepened my learning, teaching and assessment knowledge by researching and disseminating my digital practice in my published pragmatic and accessible book; ‘Digital Learning, Teaching and Assessment for HE and FE Practitioners’ (2022).  As well as publishing other written anecdotal and research-based pieces, contributing to other’s publications, my own frequent reflecting here and my day-to-day engagement with academics and relevant academic healthcare literature in my current role.  Moreover, I have maintained my direct teaching, curriculum design/development, assessment and quality assurance experience throughout the following roles:

• Course tutor, assessor and internal verifier – Level 3 and 4 Diploma in Digital Learning Design (2014-2016) 
• Course tutor and assessor – Level 4 Certificate in Technology in Learning Delivery (2013-2014)
• Course tutor and assessor – Level 4 Award for Technology Enabled Educators (2016)
• External Quality Assurer – including various qualification development and scrutineer work (2019-2021)
• Assessment Associate (2023-2024)
• Guest teaching in HE:
• Nottingham Trent University:
• ‘Developing Digital Capabilities for Nurses and Healthcare Staff’ (2023-present) - delivering frequent sessions to multiple nursing and healthcare CPD courses on the importance of digital literacies and how it relates to healthcare professions.  With an invitation to complete a self-assessment to identify their development gaps and a starting point for their digital capabilities journey.
• ‘Planning and facilitating digital innovation - Snippets of practice’ (2022) – delivered guest teaching to two cohorts of healthcare students studying towards their BSc Leading and Innovating.  The topic focused on my pragmatic situated examples of initiating, planning and facilitating digital innovation in an educational context.  Whilst highlighting helpful processes and frameworks to support students develop their own digital innovation interventions in their contexts.
• ‘Learning approaches to inform Learning and Development opportunities’ (2019-2020) – delivered guest teaching to two cohorts of students studying towards their Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.  The topic focused on current digital technologies, learning design processes and a range of frameworks to support and implement digital learning interventions in their organisations.
• 5 peer observations of candidates undertaking their Postgraduate Certificate Academic Practice (PGCAP) at Nottingham Trent University (2019)
• LDN Apprenticeships:
• 'Frameworks for your digital learning design toolkit – inaugural masterclass for Level 5 Digital Learning Design apprentices' (2024)

Full external curriculum development and consultancy are located here, and my presentations, guest speaking and guest teaching are located here.

Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE)

I had pondered over teaching philosophies back in 2019 'Facilitating my teaching philosophy'.  Later developing plans to undertake the PGCLTHE ('Revisiting the teacher role' section, 2022) to update, upgrade and bolster my knowledge and practice in higher education teaching, as my teacher qualifications were undertaken during my time working in Further Education.  At the end of October, for my 7 year NTU anniversary, I will have been in HE longer than I have FE.  However there's also ambitions to deepen my pedagogical understanding, application and develop my teaching skills, and to further support and develop my academic leadership, credibility and scholarship aspects of my role.  As well as improving the scholarly articulation of my pedagogical approaches to underpin, inform design, evaluate and inspire innovation in our digital pedagogy practice.  Which is embedded within the Digital Curriculum Team remit and throughout the IHAP Digital Learning Strategy.  Of which is broadly achieved by engaging academics through curriculum redesign/enhancement-based conversations, work outputs (designs, processes and practice) and undertaking research.

Following completion of NTU’s 5-week short course ‘Innovative Teaching in Higher Education’ in March 2023.  It was previously agreed that I could do PGCLTHE after my colleague had settled for a February 2024 start.  However, as I stated at the bottom of that blog post I had a chat with Academic Practice Team at the end of 2023 and eventually we decided because I have SFHEA it might not be worth it.  So I began conversations with the course team to obtain the content I was interested in, but didn't end up receiving it.  I found I kept circling back to my learning objective for the content and I identified that the process is important to me and my role, therefore pursued it again.  So I looked for a September 2024 start.  Today I attended the joint induction first session.  I'm glad to be among a great cohort of existing and inspiring lecturers.  No doubt I'll be reflecting on my journey and capturing ideas throughout this course as I progress through it.  I have already been inspired by discussions from lecturers on revisiting what it means to teach and be a teacher/lecturer.  The live sessions and asynchronous content will be of most value to me as mentioned earlier, as I am naturally doing the practical aspects in my role.  Whilst not to sound egotistic, for once in my HE career I felt sufficiently experienced in academic practice amongst the audience.  I enrolled with my just about 7 years experience and holding SFHEA.  But the PGCLTHE, non-apprenticeship pathway, is for those with a little more expertise leading into higher fellowships.  I also found it warming that I get access to an actual mentor in academic practice.  As previously with my earlier teaching qualifications and SFHEA this was absent.

Achieving your Diploma in Teaching

In January 2024, I saw that Ann Gravells had come out of early retirement to take up the opportunity of producing a new book, in collaboration with Gavin Lumsden.  Given that I am a long-term fan/inspiration/adviser and have previously reviewed previous learning technology chapters of hers; 'Principles and Practices of Teaching and Training (2017)' and 'Principles and Practices of Assessment (4th edition, 2021)'.  I reached out to Ann to see if she wanted my expertise and input again.  She was delighted I had as she was thinking of contacting me, but was hesitant to ask for my services once more.  Throughout January I had the privilege to review, comment and contribute to Chapter 6 'Embracing digital and online technologies'.  I approached this in my critical commentary throughout the text as per previous occasions.  Giving Ann the freedom to take or leave as she wishes.

Ann - "You made some really valid points and I've taken them all on board - thank you!"

On 21 August 2024, she published 'Achieving your Diploma in Teaching (FE & Skills): Putting theory into practice for the qualification or apprenticeship'.  An absolute honour to support her once again.  I'm sure this book will be a huge seller as her previous ones continue to be.  I recommend her text to anyone new to the teaching profession, primarily in FE, but I still find her a great starting point in a HE context.

Here's some feedback I left on her book on Amazon, 26 September 2024, 'Essential text for your teaching toolkit'

"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Essential text for your teaching toolkit. For those studying the qualification or apprenticeship this text supports.  This is an excellent companion book that you'll find helpful during and post-completion of your learning.  Ann and Gavin's wealth of expertise and gifted accessible language, along with supporting examples, activities and tips make it a comprehensive and rich resource.  As a long-term reader of Ann's text books, I recommend this to get warmly acquainted and up to speed with grounding basics on this topic."

Voice

I realise how powerful having a voice is when using it, verbal and non-verbal, and it being heard.  However, from a young age I have seemed to struggle with using my voice verbally to express my views, opinions and even myself, but I often leaned into more the quiet and reserved.  I might want to speak but often it is often about how to articulate it, which links to my reflective, introvert and 'slow learner' qualities - though it doesn't help not having an extensive vocabulary either.  But there are also other reasons that affect this, such as whom I am with and how comfortable I am around them, trust, the number of people, location, the topic being discussed, lack of thinking on your feet skill and when and where I am actually able and sometimes enabled to contribute.  However, this contrasts with my nature when I speak openly and honestly like my blog writing.  So I do use my voice, but I guess it's more in synchronous verbal moments I need to work on.

On 6 January 2024 I had my chakras aligned and cleansed by my friend Lorna Taylor.  Whilst I have been aware and interested in this holistic therapy for years, this was my first experience, as part of another therapy I had at the same time.  One of the chakra points is the throat.  Despite feeling a growing confidence in being vocal in the last few months.  The morning after I felt a difference in my voice and the days ahead, especially in being more open and vocal.  Like a new surge of energy.  I felt a strong presence of power, ownership and responsibility of my voice.  Which I have never had before.  A shift in being more vocal, verbalising my thoughts and views, even if saying I am uncomfortable with something and steering away from people pleasing-type comments, and to some extent actions; the power of saying no to opportunities and challenges (battles).  There is a significant change here.  So at this point I knew my throat chakra had been cleansed and it worked.  A strange but fulfilling feeling.  However, this also follows the commitment and responsibility I made of my voice from my shamanic experience in 'Hold the man'.  Though a lot of this could be argued that I am now becoming more mature and adult and knowing how to use my voice better, as well as developing my leadership language in my full-time work.  I guess it comes with age as they say.  Perhaps it's a mixture of maturity and level of confidence I have grown into.  And maybe the hidden trauma of being talked over, undermined and people speaking for me without permission.  But I do feel more vocal, and more willing to be vocal on my opinions, views and issues where I haven't done so before.  I've even started to make my body language even more deliberate and visible, which I feel was open and accessible anyway, but now more noticeable.

But the challenge now is to manage and control it, not letting the emotion take over the way I deliver my voice and that might be interpreted as rude.  Not defaulting to 'I'm old enough to say what I want and how I want', a bit like our elders ha.  However I am conscious of not wanting to appear arrogant.  I want to remain true and authentic to me and that adheres to my values.  But that depends on the topic and audience that I am with!  I could draw some loose inspiration from John Farnham's song 'You're The Voice'; "You're the voice, try and understand it.  Make a noise and make it clear."

I have become aware recently I need to channel my organic vulnerability, as some blog posts may convey a slightly different picture of me, which I wouldn't want to confuse people of my character.  When really I am being brave in parking my modesty and championing myself.  Which is very rare for me to do and is often uncomfortable to express to people, but I will find it more comfortable to write it than say it verbally.  Professionally, this may be interpreted that I'm seeking importance, when I'm not, more so ensuring value.  I suffer deeply from imposter syndrome (truly, not as a modesty guard - I made a edit at the bottom on this) and by my biography; "All of this provides reasons of why I work and present myself in this way via my blog site, that derive from my poor educational and geographical beginnings/upbringings.  With a dash of workplace adversity.  However, I need to be very mindful of my tone, honesty (freedom of speech) and being weary of not becoming a victim archetype.  As an advocate of lifelong learning, this is yet another critical moment of learning.  I repeat, my blog is my own space about me, for me and to reflect, record and develop my personal development, thinking, articulation and promote my memory ('Slow learner?', 'Why openness is good', 'How to create an authentic blog', 'Pragmatism, criticality and d**ks', '10 years of blogging').  What I write I would say in-person and most likely in the same way.  I'm very open and honest, and as I've said some where before I'd rather be held up for my honesty than lying.  Yes some of my writing is framed, but the majority is not - just my open reflective style - my audience is me to for me to process my thoughts.  So it will of course sound self-indulging, which of course it is but for my own use and articulation as identified in my purpose to the left.

I am thankful of these situations that enable me to reflect and develop.  Though it does bring back the feelings I had in 'Pragmatism, criticality and d**ks'.  Revisiting my first blog post where I said "Because my full-time role is a learning technologist, you would think it's given that I have a blog and many other technologies to use and promote for myself.  But I am different, I don't and won't write in a egotistic way and be consumed by commercialism like other educators.  My posts are all positive, not negative. I am simply expressing and sharing my thoughts and journey with you (and hoping I am not alone in this lovely challenging career), and my reflective self.  I aim to express. Not to impress."  Reflecting on this and bearing in mind I have grown and developed exponentially since then, and I changed the focus to write for me not others.  It reminds me of my original intention of my writing, to express not impress.  And I can see a fair bit of my writing has become very matter of fact, which is a bit of personality, however I guess this is a side effect of working in higher education and obtaining accreditations.  Always looking for evidence of impact and perhaps I have let that professional aspect consume my focus slightly as of late.  So this is a hard reminder to take myself back to my glory days of my earlier writing.

EDIT.  Relating to my imposter syndrome.  While on the outside it looks like I'm doing lots of great things, and I talk strongly about them via my blogging.  On the inside there is presence of intrinsic struggles of self-belief.  And in general it is not often I talk good things about myself, I'm very modest.  I'm typically overlooked, educationally written-off and underestimated.  I resonate with the early days of the character Penelope Featherington in Bridgeton.  A moment of realisation came when in my appraisal on 15 July 2024 with my Head (line manager) when discussing an incoming IT system.  I talked about my views of the implementation rollout, communication and change management.  And somewhere in her response she said I am "very experienced" in this.  I was taken aback as I have never used this word to describe myself (possibly in application forms?!).  And boom, I realised that yes, well I am actually.  I do know my stuff and ways, despite any criticism from others.  It's just unfortunate that I had to hear it from someone else rather than listening to myself.  In September 2024, an external colleague also stated that a head position would be next role.  So my strategic work and ways must be recognisable outside the university.