Progressing online asynchronous learning

I saw the question below a while ago on a call for blog posts to spark ideas for types of content to publish.  Inspired by this question, I thought I'd attempt to answer it and pull in a couple related pieces of work I am doing in this space.

"How do you structure an asynchronous learning session for your subject?"

Firstly, online asynchronous learning design is one of my specialist areas identified in my SCMALT and demonstrated further work through my SFHEA.  Also, in December 2021 I delivered a session ‘Creating and improving asynchronous learning opportunities’.

In brief, to get started on developing asynchronous learning, I prefer to have an initial conversation with Subject Matter Experts, in my context lecturers.  To explore what the learning objectives/outcomes are, what ideas they have they'd like to achieve, and then to discuss and recommend possible digital solutions, or no digital in some cases.

The following theories are what I often use to underpin conversations and inform the design of asynchronous online activities, to structure the material and present in an appropriate scaffolded format to encourage effective engagement.

• Forms of activity - Conole, G., Dyke, M., Oliver, M. and Seale, J. (2004) 'Mapping pedagogy and tools for effective learning design', Computers and Education, vol. 43, nos.1–2, pp.17–33.
• Synchronous online, synchronous offline, asynchronous online or asynchronous offline - Cornock, M (2020) Blended Hybrid Online Digital Dual Delivery Learning and Teaching – Will Students Get Lost in the Design? [online] Available at: https://mattcornock.co.uk/technology-enhanced-learning/blended-hybrid-online-digital-dual-delivery-learning-and-teaching-will-students-get-lost-in-the-design
• Learning types - Laurillard, D (2012) Teaching as a Design Science: Building Pedagogical Patterns for Learning and Technology. London: Routledge.
• Etivities invitation - Salmon, G (2013) E- Tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning. 2nd ed. Routledge.
• Five-Stage Model - Salmon, G (2011) E- Moderating: The Key to Online Teaching and Learning. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge.
• I have come to learn these other types of scaffolding to support online instruction, which I am in the process of developing my understanding and application of: procedural scaffolding; conceptual scaffolding; strategic scaffolding; metacognitive scaffolding. Jumaat, Nurul & Tasir, Zaidatun. (2014). Instructional Scaffolding in Online Learning Environment: A Meta-analysis. Proceedings of the IEEE. 74-77. 10.1109/LaTiCE.2014.22.

If there are interactive learning objects to be created as part of this type of learning experience.  Drawing on other literature such as instructional design for what I call 'wrap around instruction' and multimedia literature to support visual design production.  However, if the content is more complex and needs to be analysed at course/module level, then I would lean more towards a full learning design framework such as Laurillard's ABC framework, Salmon's Carpe Diem to be more effective to develop the bigger picture/vision.

A successful example

My objective for developing online asynchronous learning is well embedded into my Digital Learning Strategy.  To increase and improve the quality of our online asynchronous learning (and formative assessment) opportunities.  The following project presented an ideal opportunity to scale up this stream of work.  Which I viewed as ideal for a first iteration to create an exemplar us and lecturers to build on and develop through other modules.  I decided to start with exemplars as my approach is not auditing and beating with a stick kind, but supportive and encouraging.  I find this a better way to engage people and model best practices.  I tend to focus on those that are interested and want to work with me and innovate.  Those that need more support are not forgotten, as eventually they are inspired or supported by their peers to explore further.  Which is effectively sustained in the longer term and doesn't drain our two-person team resource.  And in the end this work did just that, spreading like wildfire across the department through showcasing of it - and this is just the start of more work on this objective.

A bit of background context.  In February 2024, two Senior Lecturers from nursing reached out to discuss and explore opportunities on how they could make a two hour in-person lecture for engaging.  I arranged an initial meeting on 29 February to discuss and understand the situation and what is required, and for the Digital Curriculum Team to inspire content redesign and digital practices via NOW learning room web pages and H5P objects, as well as other possible digital tools.  The main reasons for this lecture redesign is as follows.

Senior Lecturer - "The main reasons for adapting the Learning Strategies content was to make it more accessible to the students and also a more appropriate format for learning about learning.  I wanted to move it from a 2 hour lecture where I felt was a bit contradictory, if we are teaching people about learning strategies it should be more engaging and accessible.

Module specifications for Introduction to Nursing stated that there would be blended learning activities on the NOW learning room and that the Learning Strategies aligned more with that than with a lecture format - especially since the Introduction to Nursing module had no NOW learning room activities previous to this!"

In the meeting we confirmed the following where we would meet on 4 April 2024 to discuss progress and further actions.

1. Senior Lecturers to curate learning strategies content, to then start to translate into a kind of storyboard to map out the theoretical content and structure, and identify appropriate H5P content types.  The Microsoft PowerPoint provided the storyboard with the confirmed content.
2. Use of Padlet as a online social collaborative activity and/or students to produce an educational resource and then annotate with a justification of underpinning learning theories.  Potential for students to evaluate/reflect on this whole online learning experience and how it met their own preferred learning needs e.g. what learning types are present and how it effective it was to them as a mixture.
3. Use of Salmon’s E-tivity invitation framework to underpin the structure of this activity.
4. Consideration for communication strategy as some students won’t be used of this way of learning online – effective scaffolding.
5. Consideration for online learning principles.
6. Decide and agree milestones and next steps leading to the goal of launching for September 2024.

Some feedback on the outcomes of this:

Senior Lecturer - "I want the learning strategies session to be quite comprehensive, and because we are using more and more learning technology now I think this would be a really important/useful thing to include in the content for sure!"

Me - "...what I talked through yesterday regarding the asynch approach, does it sound suitable/appropriate for you?"

Senior Lecturer - "It honestly sounds really good!  And definitely what we need in the module!!"

My colleague and I went away and analysed the Microsoft PowerPoint material and during this process I developed a 'Asynchronous learning specification and action plan'.  Highlighting what content and interactive activities are going on which designated web pages.  With the following milestones:

• Set up NOW Unit and web page structure – by mid-May
• Write draft activity instructions and redevelop/Build all content including H5P parts – by end of June
• Including any required collaboration with Senior Lecturers
• Digital Curriculum Team mid-review/reality check
• Communicate mock-up of the structure and content, with opportunity to give feedback, early July
• Review/reality check whole content – by early August 

This provided a structure and action plan for redesigning the lecturer material into a timebound and sequenced online asynchronous activity.  I took lead on developing the scaffold and structure of the whole activity and writing interactive activities using the existing content, proactively redesigning the material from wat was quite passive to more interactive.  My colleague created the learning room web pages based on my outlined structure and created the identified H5P activities, and prettied up the web pages using styling and attributes (icons) and a progress bar to make it more readable and visually engaging.

Time passed and we met our milestones and had a final review on 11 July 2024.  What we produced was a unit of learning that had sub web pages of scaffolded online learning material including formative assessment H5P activities and opportunities for students to share responses to support knowledge development.  Minor changes were made and a short video from one of the Senior Lecturers was produced to introduce the series of activities, the benefits, required engagement and links to the main module were explained.  We concluded by transferring the content to the live learning room and inducted the new Lecturer implementing this, on how they should introduce and facilitate it.  Students are yet to complete this and therefore no feedback obtained yet.

This approach worked well as it utilises existing content, not requiring the lecturer to create new content, and bundles up other resources in a web page that might otherwise have been uploaded as 'static files' - which is still commonplace and much variety is still desired.  Though using web pages is generally more accessible for students as they access NOW via their mobile devices and renders nice, plus web pages have unique URLs to signpost students to.  My colleague and I have been showcasing this as an exemplar throughout the department, of which it spurred on other similar projects such as the following.  My colleague leads the redesign and production of the associated digital learning activities and resources, whilst I guide the online asynchronous learning design scaffold and wider digital and academic strategic leadership aspects.

• Senior Lecturer in nursing - redesigning PDF-based workbooks into a series of online asynchronous activities.
• Senior Lecturer in paramedicine - redesigning of external speaker content in the above format.
• Senior Lecturer in paramedicine - redesign of apprenticeship bridging module as per above, with another Lecturer requesting the web page templates to redesign some of their content.
• Senior Lecturer in nursing - online immersive decision-making H5P Branching Scenarios in the format above.
• Senior Lecturer nursing- asynchronous learning materials to support achieving clinical proficiencies.
• Lecturer in paramedicine - H5P Branching Scenarios.

I know that many of our other lecturers are already taking this approach.  However, when showcasing this many lecturers have not seen this and are therefore impressed by it.  Even those that are from the same team as those already doing it.  As I oversee digital practices across the department, this tells me that sharing digital practice is not as common as I thought.  So that will be something I will try to facilitate in our management committee meetings.

The success of this collaboration also led to an invitation to the PG Cert Clinical Education committee meetings to improve the online teaching and learning experience to address recent student feedback of wanting more interactivity in their online teaching sessions.

With all of this occurring, I set myself a new appraisal objective, below that aligns to the Digital Learning Strategy objectives in continuing this work for this forthcoming year.

• Utilising the exemplar model developed last year, continue to promote the affordances online asynchronous learning to increase uptake in course and module content.  To better deliver self-directed learning, meet wider learning needs of students and offer variety in content and delivery modality.  Developing more examples to implement, evaluate and gradually scale up.
• Implement and evaluate the learning strategies material with students and module leads.
• Develop further exemplars through the PG Certificate in Clinical Education committee feedback.
• Develop change in lecturer perception of online teaching via Teams, by exploring the exemplar approach above and with current, new and future digital technologies. Aligning these tools and methods with our learning objectives and curriculum. Fostering a culture of innovation, encouraging course teams to continuously learn and experiment.
• Identify how this can be achieved and modelled as good practice within course teams. I.e. as I do currently working with or developing ‘champions’, updating in new governance structure, discussing with Deputy Head to help promote, sharing via professional development café etc.
• Links to Digital Curriculum Support and Developer appraisal outcomes on modelling H5P healthcare exemplars. I.e. the work with learning disabilities and paramedic apprenticeship content.
• Links to outcomes of a H5P content type creation report on our department.
• Plan and distribute a second digital curriculum questionnaire for June/July 2025. To determine how far changes have gone – have we moved massively since last report.

What's on the menu?

Whilst the Digital Curriculum Team (my colleague and I) deliver various bits and pieces of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)-type sessions.  I have finally put together a ‘menu’ that illustrates and details what we are actually able to offer (with the opportunity to request other things).  Which are

centered around our curriculum context and the project-based nature of our team.  Hopefully the document below clearly explains the aims and how to best engage with this.  These sessions will be incrementally developed and announced as we progress through the year, depending on attendee needs and our own staff resource.  A couple of them have already been distributed, such as the staple 'Virtual Reality wall introduction (or refresher)' and the new 'How to create an online immersive learning experience' - which I am finalising and excited to deliver this with my colleague.  I'll update this document as new sessions are developed and feedback is collected.

Bolstering my academic practice

My qualifications and direct teaching, assessing, assessment and lead internal verification 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, assessing and quality assurance.  Though I will give my due and say that I am a great and personable facilitator in enabling people to feel included and safe, and empowering them to contribute and share.

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.  But to also join up all my academic threads since being in HE, as I feel it has been somewhat a disjointed experience getting involved in these academic topics, activities taught content and being part of an academic community.  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, criticality 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.  I guess another sub-driver was that it is a beneficial free qualification to hold that wouldn't be too hard for me to achieve; causing me more work than it might be worth - I'm already doing aspects as part of my full-time role and have covered similar ground before.  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 synchronous 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 a course mentor in academic practice and also a mentor from my department, Deputy Head.  As previously with my earlier teaching qualifications and SFHEA this was absent.

This is also a good to remind myself of the reality of my educational beginnings to what I am about to undertake.  A similar feeling to I had when I started my MSc where I felt I somewhat belong, but I have every right to be here, because I worked and chose to be.  A huge achievement and commitment to my lifelong learning.

P.S. It has been good to create a little tradition for myself when making my way into the city for the monthly live synchronous sessions - a saffron milk cake from Heavenly Desserts!  My absolute favourite.  Always the little things in life hey.

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.

Finding my joys

Now I have the full-time role and career is at a comfortable and stable place, I am now able to give focus and divide my time to other priorities of my life that are not just full-time work-related.  Something I previously and deeply shared at the bottom of a blog post back in November 2021 - it's took a while but I am now at that place.  Further reinforced by what I said in my blog post 'Triggered values' and 'What working class means to me':

"I know I still need to set some boundaries and learn to say no to things, in the effort to avoid burnout...It will come when I am ready to quieten/narrow down and when I let my full-time job just be - but I want to enjoy that too...To help minimise burnout, I have finally took the decision to step down from some volunteering opportunities...I've finally let go of doing those additional side things."

"I am wrestling with the thought of setting boundaries and learning to say no work-related things.  To avoid burnout and give space for other personal interests and developments to flourish.  Which gives me a sense of relief that I can just be, and have any nagging goals and chasing capitalistic tendencies.  I need to remember that I am rich with my life and experience - it's not always about financial and ego status."

I am now pondering what actually brings me joy.  As I feel sometimes don't know what that means to me anymore.  Things that just make me happy and blissful.  I have a professional purpose, but when that's over I find myself a bit lost.  I don't seem to have much personal purpose - which I know I do but full-time work consumes me.  However I've always struggled with a hobby or the ability to commit to one.  As I feel it needs to have meaning and long-term use - has to be related to a career or earning money, or having the feeling that I have to lead (just because I can/people please, might be no real need) which ends up making it a work-like endeavour.  It doesn't and shouldn't have to be about   The sense of commitment feels like it may add additional pressure (I must do...) when I want to feel more free and spontaneous.  But that could be a negative view from me.  I usually am self motivated, especially throughout my career but when it comes to things outside my comfort zone like practical creativity things.  I need to be with other like minded interested people to work and share experience with, and be led my someone, for motivation.  There's lots out there to Do It Yourself but again self motivated and can do with a break from leading myself.  I like having plans and going out to see people.  But on most Saturdays I spend most of the day working out what I want to do with my day or doing nothing - which is equally great as I feel I take a lot longer to decompress from a busy week and work mindset.  Which is why a four day week might be beneficial.  The weekends are usually over very quickly.  I wondered when I'd get these feelings as I have lots of good experiences and achievements.  But sometimes I feel somewhat depressed.

I think a lot of this anxiety is a result of me stepping back from extra work stuff (beyond my full-time job), that I mentioned way back here, and now that space is becoming more available.  I am feeling a bit like a fish out of water.  Most of my life I have been career and professional development driven.  Now that focus has changed and now going back into a state of self-discovery and playfulness in a sense.  Doings for me not to excel my career, but I have conflict over the balance of that as I want both.  My career has been a goal and passion which is deep rooted in my being.  So reducing this will take time and come with the anxiety and withdrawals.  I often have to say to myself this is best day ever, last day that I'm alive, a gift to be alive here today, bringing myself to the now etc to jolt myself into a state of energetic appreciation and motivation.  There is a consideration for burnout and digital overload that might make me feel like this too.

So in an effort to rediscover some basic joys in my life, and do more for me, inspired by a external colleague Sarah Copeland's 50 by 50 structure in PebblePad.  I wanted to start thinking about some goals and challenges myself in general.  But could see them as early development for my own 50 by 50 by way of stimulating personal hobbies which I have listed below - which is an active developing list.  As a grounding starter, I have come to realisation that I don't need a lot to make me happy (I don't live beyond my means anyway).  My cats, garden, friends and family, all regular stuff.  All small things, which is good I think.  As I often ponder if my happiness should be bigger, if that at all makes sense.

Wellbeing and health

• Continue my local ad hoc 5k runs
• Develop a daily/weekly routine for Movement Medicine and yoga

Family and friends

• Train or coach journey with mum/dad somewhere

Culture

• A focus on more wilderness travels than cities and towns.

Passions

• Animal related - volunteer at a cats protection/adoption
• Garden related - visit national gardens
• Natural history:
• I really liked taking the photos of squirrels and birds today.  Maybe revisiting my Neighbourhood Nature course material and recording sightings on iSpot again

Ambitions/challenges

• Sunrise and stargazing on a mountain in Peak District
• Wild swimming, day and night
• Tough mudder and support a charity
• Off-roading
• Long bike ride

PebblePad university-wide implementation

As mentioned at the end of Achieving SFHEA and SCMALT, I am now very much in the refinement stage of developing my Principal Fellowship material.  With the aim of submitting for February 2025.  I've a lot of strategic examples to use, which was a challenge to narrow these down.  In that process I had realised I have never documented my strategic work on implementing the university-wide application of PebblePad.  However, as I have already selected my three examples for my case studies, I thought I'd write the draft piece below to recall my role and contribution in this and publish here along with my previous PebblePad work.  Therefore this will remain an outtake, unless I change my view and use it as a base should I want to replace one of my current case studies.

Case study: Supporting the strategic implementation of PebblePad for university-wide application

When I commenced my previous role as a Digital Practice Adviser in Organisational Development from 2017-2021.  I was immediately involved in the piloting of PebblePad to support the strategic response, of the remit to explore a new digital technology that would enable wider opportunities to support formative, summative and synoptic assessment as well as continuing CPD and Degree Apprenticeships.  I assisted in the institutional implementation of PebblePad and lead on staff pedagogical support (Scott, 2020).  The aim was for to scope purchasing the system and having the appropriate infrastructure in place.  From October 2017 and throughout 2018 I assisted a one-year university-wide pilot to full scale implementation of PebblePad.  With the overall aim to ensure that the system is understood, used effectively with staff and students for the intended purpose and has ongoing effective pedagogical and technical support.  Agreed at a senior level, this involved working with pilot academic staff groups such as Nottingham Business School (NBS) and Art and Design.  I later conducted stakeholder analysis of current/previous and super PebblePad users, to bring people together to share practice as part of a steering group.  It was at this point I earned membership to the PebblePad Operations Group that consisted of membership of business owner colleagues (Library) and product owner (Digital Technologies).  I went onto reviewing and commenting on key documentation such as '18-19 Service Overview', 'Benefits for Academic Staff ' and 'Business Continuity Plan December 2019', I specifically contributed and was acknowledged to 'Summative Assessment Guidelines using PebblePad (July 2018)'.  Providing further direction on the utility of PebblePad from my own knowledge and insights.  As with H5P, I remain a key advisor of our PebblePad business account through my long-term advocacy of the system.

I predominantly led on the design of staff pedagogical support utilising evidence-based frameworks such as 'Introducing PebblePad to students with the 5 Stage Model - December 2017' and 'Pedagogical support for PebblePad: a map of learning and teaching approaches in using PebblePad - April 2019' (Scott, 2019c).  Both used and well-evaluated by academic staff.  I was later asked to do a ad hoc presentation on both of these at the PebblePad Super User Academy in May 2019 (Scott, 2019d).

Sarah Chesney - "I recommend following @_Daniel_Scott - he shared his version of Salmon's 5 stage model applied to #eportfolio & #pebblepad @PebblePad super user academy today - really useful & I'll reshare when he publishes a copy for wider distribution. Big Thx"

The Library are the business owner, and agreed to pick up technical issues and provide student support.  Myself and my colleague picked up staff development and pedagogical support.  I designed and delivered a range of introductory and advanced PebblePad workshops on the system, learning design, assessment and CPD, including a self-service central pedagogical and technical guidance repository NOW learning room.  My colleague and I also designed and delivered a bespoke workshop for the East Midlands Ambulance Service partnership in August 2018.  Later offering a PebblePad breakfast 28th March 2019 with my colleague, a librarian and a technician.  A main output from the activity was to collate ideas and good practice and to help us inform future staff development opportunities, the direction and structure these could take.  There were four tables with four individual themes, each facilitated by one of us.

Throughout this process, the NTU PebblePad user community was largely built by myself and my then colleague.  This was supported by a community of practice through the online group Yammer.  Later evolving to a Teams group in 2021.  A TILT group was also formed as a way to share practice and inform future initiatives and direction.  Around the pandemic time this fell quiet, however in 2022 I initiated discussion to reboot this.  To be recognised and invited to chair it via Rachel Challen (Learning and Teaching Manager) and Sanjay Gupta (Product Owner).  However, I had to decline to my own TILT group previously mentioned.

By April 2018, it was clear that PebblePad was the preferred tool to support NTU’s innovative learning and teaching ambitions and it was announced that NTU would move from pilot to service.  From September 2018 onwards, PebblePad has been rolled out institution-wide, offering a self-service option for all NTU staff and students to access via the Virtual Learning Environment.

On the 12 December 2018, me and my colleague delivered the following webinar for the Association for Learning Technology Winter Conference 2018; ‘PebblePad - pedagogy, positives and pitfalls: A DIY approach to creating Workbooks’ (Scott, 2018).  We shared our journey and included an overview of three case studies focusing on NTU colleagues who created three very different PebblePad Workbooks for their students.  We explained what worked well, what didn’t and what could be improved as a result of positive experimentation.

Overall, I made a positive strategic contribution and influence to ensuring effective system integration and developing appropriate pedagogical, technical and community infrastructure and support.  To support and enhance the experience of ePortfolio-using students. PebblePad was implemented to support and improve the student experience.  I have remained a key practitioner, advisor and stakeholder in PebblePad, up to my present role.  Therefore, adhering and fulfilling strategic objectives.

Following my promotion to the role of Digital Curriculum Support and Developer in IHAP (2021), I took initiative and created a IHAP Region to own and better manage and support our specific digital curriculum.  Supported through the creation of a digital curriculum design and quality assurance process (Scott, 2022a) for PebblePad workbook design and design of VLE online learning materials in the VLE.  That promotes effective digital, academic and learning design practices.  The student comment below reflects my strategic approach of this.

Learning Disabilities Nurse Apprentice - "I have to say you’ve got a glowing reputation amongst my nursing colleagues for your prompt attention to our issues and the positive way you resolve them. We can’t believe somebody working with PP could be this happy!!"

At the end of 2020 my colleague who supported PebblePad with me left.  I invited my then team to support PebblePad with me.  I didn't received any uptake which was disappointing as this is important to the success of the system and is at least a two person job to adequately cover.  Further to this, changing priorities in Organisational Development were evolving to a traditional Learning and Development department.  Therefore it was decided to discontinue our support for PebblePad and pushed back to the business owner, the Library.  I progressed on from my central role in August 2021 and into my current department.

It became clear that PebblePad had no central staff support other than the self-service central learning room, and limited one to one support from a key Learning and Teaching librarian.  Therefore, staff development, pedagogical support and community building has not been maintained.  This notable absence has negatively impacted on the system's organisational maturity implementation and the start of a critical decline in staff support and eventually contributed to downscale the system.  At present, this is still the case resulting in little or no staff support infrastructure - a fragmented experience to say the least, however it highlights the my significant role and contribution in the implementation and shows that this is still required.  I know this to be true from our Operational Group discussions and I am still identified as a key advisor and receive occasional emails from staff across the university asking for support.  In Summer 2021 I agreed to collaborate with a key Learning and Teaching librarian to co-deliver two recorded sessions on introducing PebblePad and ATLAS.

I remain a member of the PebblePad Operations Group and a key advisor and stakeholder on decisions related to the success and licence maintenance of the system, as well as contributing to the overall roadmap led by the Product Manager.  To help mitigate exceeding our license users, which I suggested, circa 2022/2023 that PebblePad now needs to become curriculum specialist, and not widely accessible to all, and wider considerations of the systems maturity in the university.  Eventually this led to a PebblePad renewal review, which was initially due to commence in 2022, then gained traction in 2024.  In October 2024, I was contacted by a Digital Technologies Business Analyst for two meetings 1) provide an introductory overview session of the system or how it works and its uses. 2) me and my Head to discuss our department uses and requirements to help build understanding of  the School’s perspective.

[Quotes to be used]

Adrian Clark, Learning and Teaching Librarian – "I had the pleasure of working with Dan Scott for several years at Nottingham Trent University.  Dan and I principally worked together on the implementation and roll out of an eportfolio solution that the university procured to support degree apprenticeships.  Dan is a natural collaborator and worked with me on a staff training program.  Dan’s initiative and sensitivity to the needs of the teaching community was evident in his setting up and curation of a staff training and communication channel: designing and delivering bespoke training to faculty both online and in person, as well as being instrumental in a launch and feedback event for the eportfolio system.  Throughout, Dan was not only an incredible colleague to work with but a consummate professional.

Teaching colleagues at NTU mentioned how informative and insightful they found the sessions.  In terms of Dan’s contribution, many attendees cited how he made the new system feel like something that was already a part of what they do rather than another thing they had to think about.  In terms of uptake we saw up to 500 new accounts created in the platform with little impact on support.  Dan went in to consult with various academic departments around the specific e-pedagogies related to their curricula, and Dan played a crucial role in not only the delivery of apprenticeships at NTU; but, digital transformation as a whole."

Sarah Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Continuous Professional Development Course Lead - "Delivering the student inductions together with the digital curriculum team works very well in supporting students on the CPD course."

Paula Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Student Nursing Associates Course Lead - "The use of PebblePad and support offered at the institute (IHAP) is more advanced than what is obtainable in contemporary institutions."

Reference List

Scott, D (2018) PebblePad - pedagogy, positives and pitfalls: A DIY approach to creating Workbooks [Online]. Available from: https://danielscott86.blogspot.com/2018/12/pebblepad-pedagogy-positives-and-pitfalls.html [Accessed 18 February 2024].

Scott, D (2019c) A quartette of PebblePad conceptual developments [Online]. Available from: https://danielscott86.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-quartette-of-pebblepad-conceptual-developments.html [Accessed 18 February 2024].

Scott, D (2019d) PebblePad Super User Academy May 2019 [Online]. Available from: https://danielscott86.blogspot.com/2019/05/pebblepad-super-user-academy-may-2019.html [Accessed 18 February 2024].

Scott, D (2020) PebblePad Review [Online]. Available from: https://danielscott86.blogspot.com/2020/06/pebblepad-review.html [Accessed 18 February 2024].

Scott, D (2022a) Digital curriculum - engaging colleagues in the process [Online]. Available from: https://danielscott86.blogspot.com/2022/08/digital-curriculum-engaging-colleagues-in-the-process.html [Accessed 18 February 2024].

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Technical Practice 2024

Following a string of celebrations in our department recently, such as two lecturers winning Award for Outstanding Teaching Staff - School of Social Sciences.  To which I said to Anne Felton Head of Department, "Great news, it’s great to hear about all these celebrations coming in.  The department is developing and maturing in a great direction!"  With that in mind, I was hoping that I had won the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Technical Practice 2024.  But unfortunately not this time.

Panel - "On behalf of the panel for the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award, thank you for your submission to this year’s Awards.  We have carefully reviewed all the nominations which have been of an exceptionally high standard. 

While the panel felt that your nomination had much to recommend it, on this occasion it is not being put forward for an award.  Although your submission is not receiving a formal accolade this year, this does not take away your achievements, nor the effort and impact of your work. 

Thank you again for participating in the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards which are an important way for us to recognise the importance and impact of NTU’s work.  I hope it has been a positive experience and will not discourage you from your endeavours going forward."

This single award recognises and celebrates endeavours that demonstrate excellence in the delivery of technical practice and the impact of this.  Nominations are assessed against three criteria: excellence, engagement and impact.  NTU - "Successful applicants will be able to evidence a consistent, yet upward trajectory of excellence in technical practice."  I am a dedicated and committed learning technologist bringing about digital transformation in a supportive and encouraging way that creates and promotes an excellence culture.  Winning this would have provided more evidence to further justify that I am doing exactly that.  It would have endorsed my high quality learning technologist abilities that puts a spotlight on my proactivity, perpetual enthusiasm and energy and impactful outcomes.  And this is not just limited to this stream of work, but how I work my role across the department.  Whilst I didn't win it this time round, what brings me real joy and satisfaction is connecting and collaborating with my lecturers and clinical skills technicians, in the effort to make a positive difference in the use of educational technologies.  Fully embracing what is means to be a learning technologist.  Reinforced by my strapline on my profiles; "Making a local difference to UK healthcare HE by leading, enabling and improving our digital learning experiences."  I'll be sure to try again next year and/or maybe in another excellence category.  I am disappointed on the outcome, but I am proud of myself for attempting this though.  I know how much proactive hard work I put in and the positive impact I am making, and that's enough for me knowing I do this.  I'm not just talking about things, I am doing them and making progress.  Next time I need to ensure that I am more clearer and specific of the evidence of my individual contribution and leadership in this work.

I made the self-nomination November 2023 for my overall work in adopting, integrating and supporting the technical and pedagogical practice of our Virtual Reality walls in our department.  Including establishing the TILT® Virtual Reality and Immersive Learning practice and scholarship group and hosting visits to internal and external colleagues showcasing our VR suites.  None of this was in place previously, and therefore needed such interest, care, passion and diligence from someone like me to lead on.  A reason I made a self-nomination is that I wanted my work and IHAP to be more widely recognised internally and externally to the university; the efforts being made in our healthcare HE context.  With the hope to further build my working relationships, credibility and trust with my lecturers and clinical skills technicians staff.  I am deeply passionate about the department and my role within it.  But I like to think it is all for positive outcomes for whom I work with - though I would prefer more of the WE than I, moving forwards.  However, I do find that staff contracted as professional services, like myself, often have to make such self-nominated efforts themselves.  It would have also been good to add another nice accolade alongside my others.  Moreover, this is a great thing for me to do in addition to the appraisal process - another way to celebrate and evidence my work and development.  Which I'll naturally do as I personally think this is exceptional, despite it may have informally contributed to my promotion.  I went above and beyond my originally intended role.

Nomination materials consisted of a 500 word statement written by the nominee or nominator that describes how the nominations meets the award criterion.  Along with a up-to-date CV.  It was a challenge to squeeze all this in around 500 words.  Luckily I can expand on this in my Principal Fellowship application.  Below is what I submitted, ambitiously adding appendices to further support my submission.

Since making my self-nomination, the team project that is mentioned in my submission went onto being shortlisted for the Student Nursing Times Awards 2024, Teaching Innovation of the Year.  It was an honour to be involved in help enable this.  My role in this was enabling the pedagogical and technical success of it.  It is essential that the pedagogy, hardware and digital content is considered at the outset, and in a collaborative way.  There's much more to come in this space.  Again, we are still a young department and early in our journey and there is much more progress and innovation to be made here.  More on my immersive learning and VR work documented below:

• Virtual Reality wall
• Exploring a pedagogical rationale for VR and immersive learning
• Enabling positive Virtual Reality and immersive learning adoption: a journey of integrating VR walls
• TILT Virtual Reality and Immersive Learning practice and scholarship group
• What is Immersive Learning and VR?
• Assessing the current position of the IHAP VR walls

Teaching Innovation of the Year, Student Nursing Times Awards 2024

This afternoon I and some colleagues, Lucian Milasan, Andy Farr and Isabel Turnbull, arrived in London at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, to celebrate and reflect at the Student Nursing Times Awards 2024.  900+ people were in attendance.  We were shortlisted for our team project on 'Behind the creative canvas: An innovative trauma-informed art-based educational approach using an immersive learning pedagogy'  Developing innovative excellence and cross-disciplinary work that extends the original purpose of our virtual reality wall rooms.  As well as providing other creative ways of using the space.  I/we found this such a privilege to be shortlisted and attend such prestigious event.  I was certainly ready to be inspired and empowered by the sector.  Hopefully a win too, but we're against very strong competition.  But I feel being shortlisted is an achievement in itself.

Anne Felton, Head of Department - "It is an incredible achievement to be shortlisted...And you guys did it simply by a connection, commitment and passionate to develop a creative and powerful learning experience.  I’m in awe 😊.  Have a wonderful time!"

We didn't win unfortunately.  However, out of 722 submissions entered, 200+ whittled down and to be selected into one of the 24 categories, we were honoured to be shortlisted.  A proud moment to represent our department and be nationally recognised as a finalist, where we were all worthy of being winners.  Throughout the day we certainly reflected on how we could progress and evaluate the scalability of this project even further, as well as new ones.  We will emphasise this success when we present this project at Nottingham Trent University's Annual Learning and Learning Conference (ALTC) 2024 on 18 June.

Me - "Inspirational day with Lucian Milasan, Andy Farr and Isabel Turnbull. Proud of being shortlisted for Teaching Innovation of the Year Nursing Times #STNA 2024, for our team project on our unique #immersivelearning Igloo Vision experience: https://lnkd.in/eXYArGND.

"

Andy Farr - "It is a great honour and to be working with these guys at NTU to use Art and lived experience narratives to inform MH Nurse training." 

Colette Fuller - "Excellent, well done Dan! 👏"

Roy Scott - "Well done Son & Team great achievement"

Lucian's update to the department:

"Dear All,

We thought we would share with you a taster of our experience at the Student Nursing Times Awards in London last Friday, before we reveal the full story in our next IHAP newsletter.

It was an amazing celebration and the atmosphere was simply exquisite. We were very proud (as you can tell from the pictures!) to represent NTU at this prestigious event. There were 200+ finalist shortlisted from 700+ nominations across the UK, which was a recognition of the high quality of the project we submitted for the “Teaching Innovation of the Year” category (“Behind the creative canvas: An innovative trauma-informed art-based educational approach using an immersive learning pedagogy”). We were indeed gutted not to win the award this year, but we all agreed that it was an invaluable experience on which we reflected constructively and already started baking some new ideas for next year – watch that space! Until then, you will find us at the TILT conference on 18th June where we plan to celebrate one more time the success of our project!

A huge thank you to our colleagues who nominated us for this award (and to those of you who kept their fingers crossed for us), and also to Anne Felton for supporting us throughout this journey!

Best wishes,

Lucian, Dan, Izzy & Andy"

Whilst it is great to be recognised nationally, the following pointers are also important to me:

• Collaborating with academics and making a positive difference with technology.  Cross-discipline working that derives from openness and willingness to innovate.
• Getting the department on the map internally and externally; the efforts being made in our context.
• Developing excellence – I see that excellence is achieved through good practice. And good practice is achieved through piloting and iterating. And to do that it requires low and high stakes projects.

Inspired and empowered from attending the event, I am now seeking learning technology-type groups specifically for and relevant to healthcare?  As I’m looking to get more connected in those communities and spaces.

In my role and context, I see that excellence is achieved through good practice.  And to me good practice is achieved through piloting and iterating - you have to start somewhere!  And to do that it requires low and high stakes projects.  Low stakes include the use of 360° imagery and videos for virtual tour type activities.  High stakes include intensive time and resource planning to create meaningful multimedia, pre-record situations and simulations unfold.  The latter is relevant to the work we did here and has paid off.

More on my immersive learning and VR work documented below:

• Virtual Reality wall
• Exploring a pedagogical rationale for VR and immersive learning
• Enabling positive Virtual Reality and immersive learning adoption: a journey of integrating VR walls
• TILT Virtual Reality and Immersive Learning practice and scholarship group
• What is Immersive Learning and VR?
• Assessing the current position of the IHAP VR walls

IHAP Digital Learning Strategy

Following on from my early 'digital strategy/operational plan' that I first mentioned in my blog post 'Learning technology manager - a celebration'.  Which later contributed to a successful promotion and formation of a small team.  I have now been able to complete writing my digital learning strategy and five-year operational plan for our institute.  Which I independently created despite my job specification stating to work alongside Principal Lecturers and the Head to develop.  However, this was welcomed and approved.  It provides a clear vision and direction, to enable and progress our staff and students' digital literacies, practices and learning experience outcomes, and pedagogically sound application of curriculum-specific learning technologies.  According to my Head of Department, at the time of publishing this, I have produced the first strategy in the department!  A side benefit of this strategy is that I also plan to use it to incrementally develop my role, such as the academic and scholarship aspects, and refine my leadership and management abilities.

As my Head once said; I am good had holding my long-term visions of what is to be achieved and how I can bring people with me to get there.  I'm really glad and proud that I stuck with my gut on taking the initiative and leadership to make this come to fruition and have the staff resource to begin to deliver it.  It was a big challenge starting off writing this from nothing and building it up over time.  There was no use of Artificial Intelligence, just me and my own ambitions an insights.  It is a good balance of my ambitions, growth, current ideas/needs and informed by data collected from students; addressing issues and priorities as identified in the Digital Curriculum Questionnaire.  It includes other ideas that I had to park due to timeliness' and resource; there was only me at the time.  Technology is often the easiest bit, now the big challenges will be around establishing the relationships, partnerships and infrastructures to support and fulfil the strategy - communicating, supporting and developing change and culture.

Revisiting my original attention when I first started in our institute in 2021, I seem to be well on my way to achieving this overall goal.

Me - "My overall goal in the role is not to make a seismic change, but making sure that everything is about enabling and improving the most effective digital and online learning, teaching and assessment offer, in the healthcare context.  However, I have wider ambitions to make a difference specifically at an institute, subject and course level."

Below are the first five pages of my strategy to show that it is real and to outline it's purpose.  I'm not sharing the full thing here in the effort to protect the integrity of its contents.  I'm proud and excited to start progressing towards the objectives in this and taking our institute further.  I reviewed and adjusted this in December 2024.

I sent the strategy for review to my team colleague, my Head and Deputy Head before discussing it further in a March Senior Leadership Team meeting.  Besides the following feedback from my Head, I received minor textual changes and mentions, meaning that I am on the right track.

Dr Anne Felton, Head of Department – “Thank you for the significant work that has gone into this document.   It sets out an ambitious strategy for the department that really drives forward our digital focus.  I like the key areas that are reflected in the focus of the strategy signified by the diagram and can see how it scaffolds each year. 

There is opportunity to emphasise upskilling staff at an earlier point as Nikki [Deputy Head of Department] has identified.  I think this would be achieved through a goal in the strategic objectives as it comes across well in the operational plan.

I’d also suggest that these strategic objectives include the achievement of all of our NOW rooms meeting NTU minimum standards – ambitious in a different way. 

The operational plan for 2023/24 is quite ambitious and I wonder whether some of the timelines might need extending to keep this achievable? 

Finally it needs to be approached as to what will be achievable within current resources...(which may also need some consideration as to whether anything needs scaling back if its focused on existing resources)...With this in mind I’d also consider whether there are any commercial or income generation opportunities that would fund the VR simulation headsets?

Thank you for the time and effort that’s gone into this.  It’s an ambitious and exciting vision that will help you/us communicate the focus for digital and give us a path to follow moving forwards.”

On 28th March, on the last day before Easter break, I presented my strategy to the Senior Leadership Team.  Organised well in advance last year with a 30-minute slot for us to discuss the draft.  Ahead of this and to prepare for the discussion, I asked SLT to review the strategy and answer the questions on a Padlet, that will provide us with a discussion base on the morning.  I was a bit nervous. But it went as well as I thought it would in terms of conversation and SLT being happy with it.  There was discussion around staff buy-in which I confirmed would be a result of working collaboratively with Principal Lecturers to understand needs and opportunities.  Where and when the ongoing reviewing of the strategy will take place, and the visibility and promotion of it to the wider department.  It was recommended by SLT to review frequently if any problems and issues are foreseen, we can adapt and pivot.  I asked about wider consultation with staff and students, but my Head is satisfied with it being formally approved here.  I guess this depends how big we want it to be and what more information we require - which is not a lot at this stage.  I also asked if is it realistic in terms of staffing resource and where IHAP department growth is?  E.g. not going big too soon.  However, prior to this I already planned on pacing out some of objectives from years 2 and 3 to years 4 and 5.  On reflection, I designated years 4 and 5 as contingency capacity for naturally unfolding objectives and depending on staff resource and unforeseen issues.  Overall, this now formally starts the process of conversations on what changes SLT will need to put in place to accommodate my strategy.

A reason I think it has been so well received is that it is ambitions, realistic, accessible and speaks to issues as much as it does innovation.  It is workable and doable is reflective of my pragmatic nature.  The Padlet responses below further indicate this.

On 22nd April, I communicated this publicly across the department.

Me:

"Hello,

I have the pleasure of sharing with you the IHAP Digital Learning Strategy. This was agreed by the Senior Leadership Team on 28th March following their review and discussion of it.  It is now available for you to view the vision and direction of travel we are taking in this space.  The strategy is a working document and will therefore be subject to minor changes as we progress through it.  If you would like to be a key collaborator on any objectives, please get in touch. You can expect possible updates on progress via the department and relevant course team meetings.  I welcome any anonymous feedback you have via this Padlet.  As always, any queries please don’t hesitate to reach out to me."

Claire Wilson, Senior Lecturer, Adult Nursing – "Brilliant news Dan!  Happy to help where I can."

July 2024.  Farai Pfende, Senior Lecturer in Learning Disabilities Nursing – "What the (IHAP) Digital Learning Strategy and Operational Plan means to me is – we have guaranteed strategic support to digitally elevate our teaching and more importantly the vision and how we get there is transparent and inclusive."