In anticipation of the ALT Winter Summit, our next profile series post delves into ‘Future Leadership in Learning Technology’ through an interview with an Honorary Life Member of the Association.

Dr. Julie Voce (PFHEA SCMALT) was awarded Honorary Life Membership at the ALT Annual Conference in Manchester on 4 September 2024, in recognition of her leadership and contributions to the sector. With over 20 years of experience, she has become a highly respected leader with a reputation for advancing learning technology.

Join us in the latest edition of the #altc blog profile series as we explore Julie’s journey, and gather her insights and advice for future leaders in the learning technology sector.

What aspects of your career do you think contributed to you being awarded Honorary Life Membership of ALT?

I have been in the sector for over 20 years now, which makes me sound very old, but it seems I have had an impact! I started as one of the two first Learning Technologists at UCL, and have worked at Imperial College London and City St George’s so I have a lot of experience across a range of areas and have worked with a lot of people during that time. I think a key aspect of the nomination was my contribution to the community, including ALT and other organisations such as UCISA, Heads of E-Learning Forum and the University of London Centre for Online and Distance Education. Being an active member of the community has enabled me to develop a core network of peers, many of whom I would count as good friends, and I have taken on leadership roles that have enabled me to positively influence things both within my institution and beyond.

How has ALT been important to your career?

ALT has always been an important part of my career, providing connections with others through the mailing lists and events that have helped to shape my own work and experiences. I first became involved with ALT when I took on the role of Deputy Editor for the ALT newsletter and this opened up a range of experiences for me, leading to sitting on ALT committees, co-chairing the annual conference and becoming a CMALT assessor. ALT has enabled me to develop skills and experience that feed back into my day job and this has contributed to being successful in my applications for both Senior CMALT and Principal Fellow.

What do you find exciting about working with learning technology?

I like the variety of the work, the ability to try new things and to see the impact of what we do not only on the staff we support, but also the students. On a typical day, I could go from talking about digital accessibility to delivering a session on generative AI and then contributing to a paper on learning spaces. Having a broad remit keeps things interesting, but I do sometimes feel like a “jack of all trades”. What helps is having an amazing (and award-winning!) team whose knowledge, innovative ideas and passion help to keep the job interesting.

Can you share how emerging and established leaders will benefit from the Winter Summit?

I am looking forward to participating in this year’s Winter Summit and having conversations with others about leadership. The sessions will provide both emerging and established leaders the opportunity to reflect on their own leadership in terms of authenticity, building your personal brand and considering strategies for leading digital transformation. I’m particularly looking forward to the panel session that I am participating in, facilitated by Puiyin Wong (University of Birmingham and ALT Trustee), that is aimed at emerging leaders. It will help participants identify with being a leader and provide some useful tips on how to develop your leadership.

What advice would you give to leaders who aspire to make a significant impact in learning technology?

Anyone can be a leader. You don’t have to be in a senior or management role to make an impact, and impact doesn’t need to be on a large scale. For every person you train or support, you are leading them on a journey and making an impact; that impact is helping staff and students to succeed. It’s often tricky for us to see the real impact of what we do, so it’s important to try and gather evidence when you can, even if it’s informal feedback.

I would also recommend getting involved with the community through associations like ALT, as it can enable you to take on leadership roles that you might not have the opportunity to do within your own institution. This experience can then feedback into your day job and build that confidence to take on more leadership responsibility. ALT issues an annual call to get involved and they are always looking for people to write blog posts. Leadership takes many forms, so writing a blog post can have just as much impact as chairing a committee.

What trends in learning technology do you think will most influence future leadership roles?

With digital transformation beyond learning technology becoming a key focus, I think we will see more roles across educational institutions and other organisations with a more direct remit for digital transformation, for example the new Director of Digital Transformation role at City St George’s who will be leading a new Digital Innovation and Transformation Office.

Generative AI, and AI more broadly, will of course have a role to play in influencing future leadership roles and leaders will need to understand how to take advantage of these tools to support the core activities of their organisation. At City St George’s we are realising the importance of having key academic staff in Schools with digital leadership as part of their portfolio, for example an Associate Dean (Digital) within our Law School, and this has really helped to support the awareness-raising and roll out of guidance around AI within our institution.

I think we will also see more roles focussed on digital accessibility and digital literacies as core areas that underpin digital transformation. At City St George’s we introduced a new Principal Educational Technologist role leading on digital accessibility and we are seeing similar Head of Digital Accessibility roles in other institutions. Likewise we introduced a Digital Skills Co-ordinator role to focus on supporting student digital skills. With both of these areas, it has taken time to build up, but we are now having real impact across the institution.

What was the last thing you read or watched?

I am mid-way through two epic journeys. For the past couple of years I have been working my way through the Agatha Christie novels in order, and this year alone I have listened to around 30 Agatha Christie audiobooks. I’m currently on the Hercule Poirot story ‘After the Funeral’.

In parallel, since October last year, my family have been working our way through the Star Trek series in release order. We started with Star Trek: the original series and are currently approaching the end of Voyager, which was always one of my favourite series. In some respects, working in learning technology is a little like Star Trek. We regularly have to make first contact with alien species (new academics), we explore new technologies (including holograms!), we often have to push technology further or fix things when they go wrong (“the VLE cannae take it, Captain!”), collaboration is core to what we do, and there’s always an ethical conundrum to resolve (how can students use AI in assessment?). Now, how do I convince my institution we need a holodeck and some transporters?

If you were on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would take?

It would depend on the island and why I was there! If I’m stranded on an island in an equatorial region, then probably suncream as I’m a redhead and burn very easily, but having a fully charged mobile phone with signal would also be handy so I can call for rescue.

If I have chosen a trip to a deserted island then probably a good book. I’m still to read the latest Richard Osman novel.

We hope you enjoyed hearing from one of our Honorary Life Members. If Julie has inspired you to take your leadership journey to the next level, come along to the ALT Winter Summit and be part of the conversation shaping future leadership in learning technology.

If you are a current member of ALT and would be interested in featuring in an upcoming post or want to recommend someone members would be interested in hearing from, please contact us at blog@alt.ac.uk.

The ALT Anti-racism and Learning Technology Special Interest Group was established in Nov 2021.  ARLT SIG will provide a platform for tackling sectorial racism. Outside ALT, members have been active as a group since Nov 2020. Anti-Racism and Learning Technology (ARLT) Special Interest Group (SIG) seeks to be the voice of antiracism within the learning technology space. We seek to promote the design and deployment of learning technology through anti-racism lenses and to provide equitable ‘access’ and ‘use’ of learning technologies to all student and staff groups within the education sector. As a SIG, we are a community of practice, whose activities are members-led.

We are looking for nominations for co-chair, internal engagement officer, events officer and project officer roles for the ARLT SIG.

Remit

We aim to build our capacity by:

• The group operates as a community of practice to empower and connect all members to be allies in creating an anti-racist community by sharing best practices, testing new ways of influencing learning technology and sharing lived experiences within a safe space.
• The group advocates for anti-racism within the wider learning technology community by recognising the diversity of voices and experiences in learning technology, building a sense of belonging within the community, and influencing anti-racist teaching practice with a variety of activities.
• The group provides a forum for members to discuss and progress anti-racist activities. This includes work focused on recruitment, developing staff, research, creating guidance for the community, and raising the learning technology community’s awareness of issues such as bias in technologies.

Expectations

• Attend and actively participate in committee meetings, whether in-person or virtual.
• Contribute to discussions, initiatives, and projects that further the SIG’s anti-racism objectives.
• Contribute to the development and execution of SIG initiatives and events.
• Timely complete assigned tasks, projects, and responsibilities.
• Collaborate with fellow committee members, promoting a culture of teamwork and inclusion.
• Promote anti-racist principles and values in all SIG activities.
• Uphold the goals and objectives of the Anti-Racism and Learning Technology SIG.
• The committee will record decisions and provide members with regular updates.
• Familiarise themselves with the Members and Special Interest Groups policies.
• Officers should review their ability to contribute to the Group annually using this Review Template

In common with ALT Members Groups and SIGs this group will also:

• Support activities in line with ALT’s strategic aims
• Share ALT’s values of being participative, open, collaborative, innovative, inclusive and transparent

All our webinars are recorded and made available via the ALT YouTube channel. The new members can help us shape ALT ARLT SIG activities going forward. 

Nominations for Officer roles

Nominations are invited for the following Officers of the Organising Committee:

• Co-Chair
• Internal Engagement Officer
• Events Officer
• Project Officer

We encourage representation from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

As per its Constitution, Committee Officers of ALT ARLT SIG are unpaid posts and will be appointed for 3 years.

Individuals may nominate for more than one role and should submit separate nominations for each. Committee Officers need to hold a membership within ALT (either individual or work at an organisation with an institutional ALT membership). These roles provide great opportunity for developing and evidencing leadership for Advance HE Fellowships and other CPD avenues. 

Expressions of interest

Expressions of interest should include:

• A statement of interest, experience and envisaged contribution in relation to the Role of the Organising Committee as outlined in the Constitution, and willingness/ability to attend ALT ARLT SIG meetings. Maximum 200 words.
• Proof of ALT membership (individual or institutional).
• Submit expressions of interest to the form by 12:00 noon GMT 06 January 2025

By Dr Ioannis Glinavos, Senior Lecturer at the Westminster Law School

In a first for the #altc blog, Dr Ioannis Glinavos, Senior Lecturer at the Westminster Law School has created a short video using the HeyGen AI Video Generator.  ‘Ioannis’ (the reason for the speech marks will become apparent if you watch the video) talks about how he believes that artificial intelligence is reshaping education and learning technology. 

We’ve structured this blog a bit like an interview.  Ioannis gives a brief written introduction to the topic before the video and then we asked Ioannis to answer some of the questions that the post editor had when watching the video to start the Q&A process.  We would encourage readers to continue the Q&A in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Introduction

Universities should not be afraid of AI. We have been handed a wonderful new tool. Think of it as a mechanical digger. Instead of a group of people with shovels trying to dig a hole, we now have a fast and efficient way to achieve the end product. I do not think of AI as a scythe that will ravage jobs and eliminate creativity. Innovations lead to opportunities (the automation paradox). Should universities be resistant to innovation?

Q&A

Q: You mentioned using Notebook LM to create an audio overview based on your YouTube videos, LinkedIn articles and an AI justice paper – how long did this take initially?  And then how much subsequent editing did you have to do?

A: Using tools like Notebook LM and ChatGPT Canvas is intuitive and takes no time at all. Feeding in one’s own content and working on the results requires very little editing.

Q: You say that AI is making research information more accessible – do you have any examples of this that you can share?

A: ChatGPT, Gemini, Co-pilot and other AI tools make research much more efficient than searches on Google Scholar or looking at publisher curated databases. AI Assistants, like Notebook LM can then work through the results quickly and efficiently at zero cost.

Q: How do you know that your students have found your lectures more engaging since the introduction of AI generated voices?  Do you have examples of student feedback you could share, perhaps before and after?

A: Students in real-time experiments with AI tools (like streaming avatars) do not seem very enthusiastic. However asynchronous content produced with AI (voices, visuals, content) is getting superior usage to wholly human generated content.

Q: Did you provide AI with the data to develop the practice questions and scenarios?  If not, how are you managing the accuracy of these outputs?  This is a concern within the wider sector.

A: All AI output needs to be checked for accuracy. However, checking by experts takes a lot less time than generating the content manually.

Q: Do you have examples of the types of interactive practice questions you are using, that you could share?

A: I have been running a successful newsletter for more than a year with MCQs generated by ChatGPT. See https://glintiss.co.uk/sqe-newsletter/

Q: Have you any thoughts on how AI might be used ethically? Again, this is a concern withing the wider sector.

A: Transparency is the key to ethical AI use. For example, here is the methodology I share which explains how I generate my MCQs https://youtu.be/b71oeaKoDZE?si=wsgHZgx7ZxJTuFf4

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

To celebrate Trustee’s Week, 4-8 November, we are kicking off our new profile series by interviewing one of our trustees, Puiyin Wong. ALT’s Board of Trustees are responsible for ALT’s strategy, governance, and overall performance of the Association. The Trustees are an integral part of ALT. 

Puiyin Wong has been an ALT Trustee since 2022. She is currently Head of Digital Education at the University of Birmingham, as well as a PhD candidate with the Educational Research Department at Lancaster University.

Puiyin and Patch

Puiyin, you have been a trustee for over two years now. How did you decide to become a trustee and what have you learned that you have taken into your day to day job?

It was actually a happy coincidence! I had encountered an issue with my session proposal for the ALT Annual Conference 2022, so I asked Maren Deepwell (ALT’s previous CEO) if we could have a quick chat about it. At the end of our conversation, Maren asked if I was aware of an upcoming Trustee election and whether I might be interested in standing. I replied with a surprised “No”, I didn’t even know Trustees existed! Maren and I then had an open discussion about the commitment and responsibilities involved, and I was convinced in a heartbeat. That same afternoon, I wrote my election statement, ran a shameless campaign in the following weeks, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since becoming a Trustee, I have valued every opportunity that has come my way. Each Board meeting offers a chance to learn, especially during strategic decision-making discussions. My first few meetings were truly eye-opening; at the time, I was still a learning technologist, so being in the same room with fellow Trustees, many of whom are senior leaders in higher education, felt like a master class in leadership and management. Watching them in action has been an incredible learning experience.

How has ALT been important to your career?

Massively! I have only worked directly in learning technology for about 5 years. Before that, I didn’t even know ALT existed! Over the past five years, I have progressed from a junior learning technologist to Head of Digital Education at a Russell Group university; something I would never have dared to dream of. Before discovering ALT, my goal was simply a mid-level, full-time role in education. ALT and its incredible community of people have taught me to dream big, to pursue my ambitions without holding back. All you need is the willingness to try, to persevere, to ask for help, and sometimes to take a leap of faith. The generosity I have received from so many ALT members and the friendships we have built along the way has been the most important thing for me.

In addition, the opportunities I have gained through ALT have directly contributed to my career progression. Attending and presenting at its conferences and events, earning my CMALT and now SCMALT accreditation, serving as an assessor, participating in Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and contributing to various committees have all been invaluable CPD experiences. These opportunities have exposed me to new insights and experiences that I wouldn’t have encountered in my day-to-day role.

A strong presence in the ALT community is also something that employers value, as standing in front of peers represents not only yourself but also your employer. After all, who wouldn’t want their organisation represented in a positive light? Whilst I cannot quantify exactly how much this has boosted my career, I know that as my reach and visibility have grown, so has my confidence. This is particularly true in how I conduct myself publicly and presentation skills, which are essential for most roles in learning technology, especially at senior levels. 

What do you find exciting about working with learning technology?

The most exciting part is seeing people who are genuinely enthusiastic about using learning technology in their teaching. Their eagerness to innovate and their drive to make learning more engaging for students through technology is truly inspiring.

Many people resist using learning technology, viewing it as too technical and a hindrance to their teaching. I understand this perspective; many colleagues are under pressure to work more, teach larger cohorts, and manage increasing responsibilities. Why would they want to learn yet another piece of technology? That’s why I find it most exciting when I can convince them that learning technology is not about the technology itself. Instead, it is in response to their existing pedagogical practices, enhancing their teaching to make it more effective, innovative, and engaging.

What was the last thing you read or watched?

Some trashy Chinese TV drama. I go through phases of wanting to watch a lot of Chinese movies and TV shows. I guess they remind me of home in Hong Kong, which has not really been my home for over 20 years now, but a root is a root. It will never change.

If you were on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would take?

PATCH!  I think anyone who knows anything about me would know the answer to this! I cannot imagine life without her now, she is the most important, loving and loyal companion in my life. I adopted Patch from Battersea Dogs and Cats home in summer 2013. Not long before that, she’d become a young mother of 3 kittens. It has been a regret of mine that I never got a chance to meet her babies, otherwise, I would have taken the whole family home with me! Fast forward to 11 years later, Patch is now enjoying her well-earned retirement in our new home away from busy London. Some fortunate people have had the pleasure of befriending her through our online meetings, including some fellow ALT Trustees.

We hope you enjoyed hearing from one of our trustees. If Puiyin has inspired you to investigate becoming a trustee, there will be vacancies coming up in 2025. We’ll be in touch with information about trustee roles and how to get involved next year.

Future profiles will feature colleagues involved with Special Interest and Members Groups, CMALT holders and assessors, apprentices and ALT staff. 

If you are a current member of ALT and would be interested in featuring in an upcoming post or want to recommend someone members would be interested in hearing from, please contact us at blog@alt.ac.uk.

By Deb Millar, Executive Director of Digital Transformation, Hull College

“This has been the most powerful, most emotive project that I’ve ever worked on. Learners that I don’t teach approach me in the corridor and ‘High 5’ me. They tell me about their lives, how and where they’ve travelled to reach the UK. They can now tell us their stories.”

Deb Millar, Executive Director of Digital Transformation, Hull College

Put yourself in the position of someone arriving in the UK, perhaps separated from your friends and family. You’re seeking a home and employment with minimal knowledge of English and little awareness of norms in society, the workplace or education. Hull College’s ‘AI Translate’ project, led by Deb Millar, set out to provide that perspective, not just for teachers working directly with those learners, but for all staff across the whole campus.

At Hull College, around 20% of learners don’t have English as a first language. This has led to a growing demand for ESOL education, a trend mirrored across the UK. ESOL classes often comprise over 20 learners with more than a dozen different languages typically spoken in one group making it a challenging learning environment.

AI Translate began as a talk-teach CPD session for ESOL teachers which introduced some AI-powered translation tools including Microsoft’s Immersive Reader, PowerPoint Live, Translator and Reading Coach. The following day 2 ESOL teachers rushed over to Deb as she walked across campus, eager to stop her and tell her important news. They’d used the translation tools immediately in a challenging learning space where there was frequent disruptive behaviour and lack of focus. The result was a ‘silent classroom’, all learners totally engaged, a hugely significant change in behaviour. Learners worked quietly on tasks and contributed far more deeply to the session than they had in the past. 

The translation tools made an immediate, transformative impact, helping learners access and use College resources and facilities. They were able to have debates on topics such as British Values, expressing themselves freely in their own language. 

An ESOL learner uses MS Translator: Image courtesy of Jisc

The removal of the language barrier stopped their academic performance from being affected and also ensured that essential information about wider topics such as safeguarding and wellbeing were clearly understood. Many ESOL educators reported going home and teaching friends and family members how to use the translation tools. Deb comments that you have ‘hit the right mark’ in learning when a colleague leaves a session and then voluntarily teaches someone else. This ripple effect of the learning spreading to the wider community was profound and powerful. 

Students viewing a live translation of a lecture: Image Courtesy of Ufi

One learner who was repeating the year was disengaged and could exhibit challenging behaviours. He had never been able to find the words to express his frustration that he was not literate in his first language. He had never used a computer and had missed a significant amount of school time while travelling for 3 years to find a country in which he felt safe and welcome. His entire attitude to learning changed when he could use the translation tools to express himself, tell the story of his journey and his challenges and be understood.

Deb quickly realised that the impacts of AI Translate ESOL sessions were so important that the CPD programme needed to be expanded to all college staff. An initial pilot included over 50 Customer service colleagues working around a big office round table with 6 or 7 people per session. By using resources such as cafe menus in Italian or Spanish they were put into the situation of being outside the UK and unable to complete common challenges such as reading a menu or understanding directions or medication instructions. They were ‘in the shoes’ of ESOL learners. What if you need medication? What if you don’t know how to ask for assistance to buy food or find the place you’re going to?

Vocational case study: 

Microsoft’s Immersive Reader was used with ESOL Motor Vehicle learners to assist in the preparation for their exams. Use of the Reader helped them in learning, understanding and using specialist industry terms fluently.

Tutors also made a glossary of common industry specialist terms and used Microsoft Translate to provide translations for ESOL learners in their first language before the exam to doubly ensure that they were confident in their meaning and use.

Funding from Ufi VocTech Trust allowed AI Translate to expand significantly with supporting resources being put in place on how to use the tools. All Customer Service colleagues in the organisation were trained in the use of MS Translator then given at least 1 device with the tool plus training on how to use it as many were not confident users of technology.

What made the key impact was taking a whole organisation approach to this important training, supported and championed by College leaders. All staff could now assist learners wherever they found themselves on campus needing help or advice.

Staff and students communicate using MS Translator Image courtesy of Jisc

Staff were encouraged to have the confidence to ask learners to help them use the tools (e.g. finding the correct language to translate into) and work together to achieve a result which proved very powerful in building relationships. Students really appreciated the staff trying to help them wherever they were.

Statistics charting the success of the AI Translate initiative: Image courtesy of Hull College. Overall Project Impacts

Attendance for ESOL classes is up from 65% to over 91%

ESOL achievement is up from 77% to 90%

20% of ESOL learners report receiving a pay rise as a result of success in their courses

55% of ESOL learners have moved into paid work

80% reported improved skills performance and 92% improved social skills

94% saw improvements in their physical or mental health.

Some ESOL learners had moved through over 15 different countries seeking work and a safe place to live but had been unsuccessful due to not speaking the language. Translation tools empowered them to talk about their experiences in ways which they would never have been able to express before. Deb explains that they are using storytelling to purge their tragedy and trauma. They can not only excel academically, they can express themselves and heal themselves, as talking is a cathartic, healing process.

The learners’ narratives have been useful in helping the college community understand what a refugee or an asylum seeker may be going through and has already been through before coming to College. Deb holds that an important part of our role in education is to counter prejudice and enable all learners to succeed and feel welcome in the College, to become whatever they want to be.

‘It [use of the language tool] has not just helped me at College and at home. I feel much less isolated and alone.’
‘Esam’, an ESOL learner at Hull College

Learners’ improved communication skills have had a much wider impact than just enabling fluent conversation. An art exhibition documenting the journeys they have taken called ‘Silent Voices, Vivid Stories’ is now in development. Each piece of art will have a QR code linked to a video in which the learner speaks about their journey, their family, what they miss most from home. This has only been possible due to their increased confidence. 

So what’s next for this important project? Deb’s view is if you can extend the project’s impact why would you not do this? “What leader would not encourage it? You already have the tools, they’re free, or in use already and easy to use”. Something this impactful locally has the possibility to be extended nationally and even internationally in scope via an ESOL hub. Resources are in place to enable teachers and support staff to easily use the translation tools in their own context and these can be made freely available to share across the FE and Skills sector and beyond.

Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines.

The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.

Written by Matt Cornock, Julie Voce, Puiyin Wong and Jade Kimberley

In this blog, Matt Cornock, Julie Voce, Puiyin Wong and Jade Kimberley share reasons why they became CMALT assessors and their advice for those starting out as new assessors reviewing their first portfolios. This post captures some points from our panel discussion on being a CMALT assessor, at the ALT Annual Conference in Manchester, 3-5 September 2024. CMALT (Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology) is the industry recognised accreditation for professionals within learning technology and digital education. CMALT candidates submit a portfolio showcasing their individual professional practice, which is reviewed by two peer Assessors. Assessors are CMALT holders who review against set criteria, providing feedback to support the development of candidates.

“I find it inspiring to read about the commitment and passion candidates have about the work they do.” – Jade

Why did we become assessors?

We all agree that being a CMALT assessor allows us to keep up to date with what is happening in digital education in the broadest sense and to find out about other learning technology professionals’ practice. CMALT portfolios cover a very wide range of roles across many educational and training sectors and this exposure to different contexts and experiences beyond those we work in is incredibly valuable. 

“There are so many sectors out there, higher education, further education, schools, adult learning, private sector. You can assess portfolios from any of them and so it’s very interesting to see the range of roles, take lessons learned and, where things are openly available, share good practice with colleagues.” – Julie 

Assessing portfolios enables reflection on our own practice, prompted by comparison to other institutions and examples of innovation demonstrated by CMALT candidates. Many of us have similar challenges and being able to draw upon the use of learning technology and leadership of digital education demonstrated by others helps to find solutions in our own contexts. Through reviewing CMALT portfolios, there have been many occasions where we have come across something new and have been able to follow that up in our own work or suggested to our colleagues where they may find new resources. Of course, portfolios are treated confidentially by assessors, but many candidates openly share their practice online via blogs, articles, conferences and video.

“For me it’s about giving back to the community.” – Puiyin

As CMALT is assessed by volunteer peer assessors, we appreciate the time that peers spent reviewing our own portfolios and so it’s one way that we can give back to the community and ensure that others have the same opportunity that we had.

Development for candidates and assessors

We each have the values of CMALT at the heart of our professional practice, so being able to contribute to the ALT community and the professional growth of individual members is important to us.

CMALT is for reflection and professional development as much as for accreditation, so it is not uncommon to ask candidates to rework sections. Our approach to giving feedback for development is a key reason for our ongoing engagement as assessors, particularly when we see candidates’ depth of reflection and appreciation of their impact improve when they resubmit. There’s a real sense that as an assessor you are leading on professional standards and developing individuals in their career. 

The process of assessment also allows us to practise our feedback skills. Each of us support colleagues in our own teams and through other leadership responsibilities. If you are looking to complete Fellowship of AdvanceHE or Fellowship of SEDA, being an assessor allows you to evidence engagement with assessment and feedback processes and opportunities to reflect on your practice of developing others. Both Julie and Jade drew on their experience as an assessor for PFHEA and SFSEDA respectively.

How we assess

We’re quite methodical about our assessment approach and follow the guidance for the level of CMALT portfolio submitted. For each section we look for description, evidence and reflection. All three need to be present and meet the criteria for the section to be assessed as adequate or strong. We also take a holistic view of the candidate against the core values of CMALT. For Senior CMALT there is the added criteria of leadership and impact to be evidenced and reflected on throughout. 

“The context statements are really useful. As an assessor you’ll be coming to it from your own background, but you need to understand the context of the candidate as a lens through which you view the portfolio. It’s not about whether the candidate is performing at a level you want them to be performing at, but how they’ve implemented practice and reflected on practice in their own context.” – Matt

If you are a new assessor you will normally be paired with an experienced assessor. In Matt’s experience, he has always preferred having a call with his co-assessors, particularly if there is a difference of opinion. This is really important to ensure that both assessors have agreement over how the criteria have been met, or what areas of improvement are to be prioritised for resubmission. This is a great opportunity for professional dialogue with someone else in the sector. Whether you are paired with a more, or less, experienced assessor, both views count. Often the other assessor you work with can spot something you’ve missed or interprets something in a different way. If you have opposite views, it’s definitely worth revisiting the guidelines and section criteria, then discussing your reasons to find a compromise. What’s most important is that the candidates are given clear feedback that is consistent from both assessors.

Writing feedback 

Jade’s approach to feedback is to write a sentence or two on each area highlighting good practice, as well as areas to improve or to consider. This is a good way of not getting lost in the portfolio. At the end, she then writes a general comment to thank the candidate and highlight positive aspects of the portfolio in general. 

If it’s a portfolio requiring resubmission we try to add an encouraging comment so the candidate knows there is light at the end of the tunnel. Portfolios do take an immense amount of effort for candidates to create and as assessors we are very respectful of the commitment shown. Sometimes it can be disconcerting not to pass the first time, so it’s important that the candidate feels supported to re-work and resubmit.

“I tend to write feedback section by section with clear guidance to follow. Feedback that I would want to receive… Critical, fair: This section is missing a bit of reflection, I’d like you to add X, Y and Z, in order to pass this section.” – Puiyin

We also sometimes review portfolios that may need to be resubmitted into a different level, for example a candidate for Senior CMALT who isn’t able to evidence leadership, but otherwise has a strong submission. In that case we liaise with ALT to see if the candidate wants to submit to the standard CMALT. Similarly, we’ve seen excellent portfolios at Associate level recently that we can see candidates rapidly progressing to standard CMALT. Our approach is always to support candidates and encourage recognition for their professional practice.

How to get involved 

As soon as you have successfully completed your CMALT, you’ll be invited to become an assessor. If you have been a CMALT holder for a while or missed the original invitation you can register your interest to be an assessor via the ALT website. 

We highly recommend attending a CMALT Assessors webinar as it gives an opportunity to talk through the process and how to benchmark your assessment. 

Every quarter you will get an email from ALT asking your availability to assess portfolios over the next few months. You can opt in to as many or as few portfolios you have time for. Usually you will also be allocated any resubmitted portfolios that you have reviewed previously, so that the same assessors can review amendments. 

We hope we’ve inspired you to become a CMALT assessor and look forward to welcoming you to the community of assessors soon.

About the authors

Matt Cornock, SCMALT, is Head of Online Learning at the University of Leeds and a Trustee of ALT, and has been an assessor since 2012. 

Dr Julie Voce, SCMALT PFHEA, is Head of Digital Education at City St. George’s, University of London, and has been an assessor since 2016. 

Puiyin Wong, SCMALT SFHEA, is Head of Digital Education (EPS) at the University of Birmingham and a Trustee of ALT, and has been an assessor since 2022. 

Jade Kimberley, SCMALT SFHEA SFSEDA FAHEP, is Learning and Teaching Director, University of Nottingham International College, Kaplan International Pathways, and has been an assessor since 2022.

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

Written by Zoe Tierney, Learning Technologist for AmplifyFE

I am incredibly honoured and excited to share that Burton and South Derbyshire College has won the inaugural Association for Learning Technology (ALT) Award for Use of Technology in Vocational Education, in partnership with UFI VocTech Trust. This achievement is the result of our work integrating the Crdl device into our Health and Social Care programmes—an innovative technology that has truly transformed how we approach teaching and learning.

Curious about Crdl

My journey with the Crdl began when I first discovered its potential to create interactive soundscapes through touch. Designed originally for therapeutic settings, I realised its incredible versatility, not only within dementia care but across a range of vocational and educational contexts. Through touch, we adopt invisible threads of care and healing, creating a bridge between isolation and connection. This technology has become much more than a tool for teaching about dementia—it has sparked curiosity and conversation around well-being, team building, and sensory engagement in our immersive suite.

The joy I’ve found in exploring the multi-faceted uses of the Crdl throughout the college has been immense. It’s been adopted not just in healthcare but in other areas like childcare, and we’re currently investigating how it can support our well-being programme and team-building activities. The feedback from students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive, and watching learners adopt empathy and understanding through such an interactive device has been rewarding beyond measure.

  Winning the UFI VocTech award at ALTc 2024

I believe we won this award because the Crdl represents innovation at its core. It’s a technology still being explored, but its potential to enhance learning is already evident. We’ve only scratched the surface of what it can do. Winning this award validates our commitment to adopting cutting-edge technology to make learning more engaging and meaningful. It’s also a celebration of collaboration, as this project wouldn’t have succeeded without the input of local care homes and the creativity of our students and staff.

What’s next for our Crdl journey?

As we move forward, we have met with carers and nurses from the care homes we work closely with, and they’ve shared incredible ideas for soundscapes derived from their patients’ memories and stories. I’ve set up a Crdl working group to collaborate on bringing these memories to life, with soundscapes including street market sounds, classical fairground melodies, and 1930s swing music. These soundscapes will enhance the therapeutic impact of the Crdl for residents, while continuing to deepen our learners’ understanding of sensory care.

Additionally, we’ve paired the Crdl with our immersive suite, where we combine scene and sound to create a fully immersive experience. Learners can immerse themselves in various locations while using the Crdl as a therapeutic device, making it a valuable part of our well-being programme. We also intend to bring residents from the care homes into the immersive suite to experience both the Crdl and these environments. This will allow us to observe the differences in their reactions when engaging with the Crdl in immersive settings—an exciting ongoing research project. The Crdl enables us to explore new opportunities, allowing our learners to see residents in different environments and observe their reactions, emotions, and effects when the two elements are brought together.

I’m excited about the future of Crdl in education and the potential it holds to reshape how we think about learning—not just in vocational education but across many sectors. This award is just the beginning of what I hope will be an ongoing journey of discovery and innovation.

Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines.

The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.

By Katie Stripe, Imperial College London.

This post is the third of a series based on the Animated Inclusive Personae (AIP) project which, at is heart, is about creating digital personae that genuinely represent the diversity of our students. The first post was about generating inclusive images and the second about the language that is used in the EDI space, both with more of a slant towards representing visible racial, and ethnic diversity. This post will focus on disabilities and how the personae we have created can be used to highlight areas of diversity that may be less visible such as neurodiversity or sexuality and gender identity. This post will also introduce you to some of the new artwork for the project and the growing bank of content that will accompany them.

Artwork by Ekaterina Kirina

Let me introduce you Callum (Artwork by Ekaterina Kirina). The eagle eyed of you may notice that he is wearing hearing aids. This is a small detail, but quite powerful if that is something that you are looking for in terms of representation for people ‘like you’. Callum also has a biography which gives details on the programme he is studying, he previous education and the motivations and frustrations that he encounters during the course of his studies. Some related to his hearing, some not.
These details run through all the AIP characters to enable us to tell stories about them and how the personal, the cultural, and the social interact with their studies and their plans for the future. Visible adaptations like Callum’s hearing aids can be shown, even in a subtle way but other health issues or things which may need adaptations cannot.

Artwork by Ksenia Ivanova

Tony (artwork by Ksenia Ivanova) is an undergraduate student who was diagnosed with Long Covid after suffering from the virus when he was still at school.

The majority of information about Tony is delivered through the Attributes and Aspirations programme where he acts as a ‘peer’ to the students taking the online course. His health condition is not highlighted overtly but it is used to help students new to Imperial discover what resources are available to them should they be in a similar situation. Tony is also linked to the Disability Advisory Service (DAS) where he offers students information on what they can expect from the service and how they can access what they need.

The idea behind these personae has always been subtlety of representation and this is almost more important for the areas of hidden diversity like Tony. Not only do they give representation to those with hidden conditions but they highlight these unseen differences and difficulties to a wider audience. They show that this diversity is normal and does not reflect at all on their studies or their ability to participate in academic or social life at university. This is perhaps more important for neurodiversity, which in many areas carries stigma and is often still approached with a deficit model. The final student I would like to introduce is Cat (artwork by Mingke Wang).

Artwork by Mingke Wang

Cat is a postgraduate student who has always thought she might be dyslexic but since starting her master’s programme has begun to struggle. It is not uncommon for high achieving students with good coping mechanisms to run into struggles later in their academic careers. The AIP project has been able to use Cat in two ways. To both normalise neurodiversity and to help provide information. She is participating in the Imperial Award, which requires students to prepare a reflective portfolio. This award allows different types of submission and Cat is able to present her reflections via multimedia and explore some of the frustrations raised by her dyslexia but also, and importantly, allows her to explore areas where her dyslexia can be a benefit. Cat’s personae, the first of the cohort to be animated, is also being used by the disability advisory service to promote the work they do. However, one of the main benefits of the Cat personae is that she is not a real student and therefore she can advocate for the service, and for neurodiversity, in a way that captures elements of real student experience but without putting any real students under pressure to share their stories. This poses a different set of challenges relating to how students respond differently to lived experience stories vs those storied that are contrived by a project such as this, but that is a discussion for another post. Here the message is that subtlety of representation and the normalisation of difference is important to those who need to see themselves in the university but it is also important for others to see those characteristics being treated as part of the normal everyday diversity that is what makes our institutions unique and interesting.

References

Imperial College London (2024a) AA – Undergraduate, Imperial College London. Available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/students/attributes-and-aspirations/ug (Accessed: 13 September 2024).

Imperial College London (no date) Animated Inclusive Personae, Imperial College London. Available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/about/education/get-involved/funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/funded-projects-funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/personae.

Imperial College London (2024b) Callum MacNab (he/him), Imperial College London. Available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/about/education/get-involved/funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/funded-projects-funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/personae/animations/callum (Accessed: 13 September 2024).

Imperial College London (2024c) Katheryn Foxton (She/Her), Imperial College London. Available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/about/education/get-involved/funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/funded-projects-funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/personae/animations/cat (Accessed: 13 September 2024).

Imperial College London (2024d) Tony Chen, Imperial College London. Available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/about/education/get-involved/funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/funded-projects-funding-opportunities-for-learning-and-teaching-innovation/personae/animations/tony (Accessed: 13 September 2024).

Stripe, K. (2024a) Generating inclusive images to represent students – Animated Inclusive Personae (Part 1), #ALTC Blog. Available at: https://altc.alt.ac.uk/blog/2024/01/generating-inclusive-images-to-represent-students-animated-inclusive-personae-part-1.

Stripe, K. (2024b) We need to think about language – Animated Inclusive Personae (Part 2), #ALTC Blog. Available at: https://altc.alt.ac.uk/blog/2024/07/we-need-to-think-about-language-animated-inclusive-personae-part-2 (Accessed: 13 September 2024).

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https://www.alt.ac.uk/membership

Written by Jamie Wood, Professor of History and Education, University of Lincoln

While social annotation can be an effective means of engaging students in reading collaboratively, I have noticed that they can be reluctant to discuss readings with one another. Instead, there is a tendency to interact more indirectly, for which I propose a number of reasons. I close by observing that the discursive practices of students in social annotation are not unlike those that are observable in face-to-face classes and suggest that more explicit training is a potential means of increasing direct interaction. 

Introduction: what’s social about social annotation?

In common with many others who have tried it, I have found that social annotation, an approach to teaching and learning in which students post comments on readings in a shared space, can have a positive impact on engagement and learning (Clinton-Lissell, 2023). Social annotation encourages peer learning (Kalir et al., 2020), active reading, and is well adapted to asynchronous working. Because social annotation platforms enable students to share their comments with one another (and with tutors), they create a space for different interactions to take place. 

Over the past few years, I have conducted research with colleagues into student reading habits in online spaces, particularly into student and lecturer perceptions and experiences of social annotation. Yet, we haven’t devoted as much attention to looking at what students actually do in online spaces when they engage with texts.  

When we asked academics in one of our surveys what they thought students were doing when they engaged in reading tasks during social annotation activities, they said that very little discussion went on. Similarly, some of the educational technologists with whom I have spoken have expressed disappointment at the low levels of discussion in platforms that seem to be tailor made for collective knowledge construction. 

What is indirect discussion?

The more I’ve thought about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that something more complicated is going on. Looking at how students engage in discussion on social annotation platforms reveals a phenomenon that I can only describe as indirect discussion. Students cluster comments around particular points of interest in a text rather than engaging in direct discussion with one another by responding to each other’s comments. This is perhaps best illustrated by an (anonymised) screenshot taken from a reading uploaded to the Talis Elevate platform (one among many social annotation tools) on a final-year undergraduate module.    

As you can see from the highlighting and comments above, attention is focused on the same part of the text, with student M referring back to student S’s comment, then student T seeming to expand on what student M had written. This sort of activity is quite frequent and, I think, deserves consideration for what it reveals about social annotation platforms, and, more importantly, about students’ engagement with their reading and with each other. 

Why do students discuss indirectly? 

There are a number of potential (and potentially overlapping) reasons why students do not always engage in direct discussion when engaging in social annotation. 

• Functionality: the platform may not clearly signal to students that they can reply to earlier comments on text that has been highlighted. Similarly, the use of pin-drops on mobile devices can militate against direct interaction because the comments are not directly connected to the text (e.g. by highlighting). 
• Assessment: in the module from which the screenshot above was taken, the fact that I was assessing students’ engagement with the activity probably motivated them to ensure that their posts were distinct from each other’s in order to make their contributions easily identifiable. 
• Pedagogy: the students may not have been taught to engage directly with one another or were not told by the tutor that this is what they are expected to do. It is also possible that task instructions or questions encourage the dispersal of comments rather than concentrating them, thereby closing off opportunities for discussion. 

I’m sure this list could be extended further without much difficulty, but it seems to me that these are some key issues. 

What’s the value of social annotation?

When we asked students, they said that they learnt a great deal and gained in confidence from being able to see one another’s annotations. They saw social annotation as a valuable means of building knowledge together because it simultaneously had the potential to reinforce their learning (if their peers had written something similar) or to open their eyes to alternative interpretations (if they differed). 

Students’ positivity about being able to see the comments of others is reflected in the following table, which also indicates that they are somewhat less comfortable sharing their thoughts with others. Put bluntly, students like to see what other people think about readings, but are less keen on sharing their own views. 

Figure: Students’ rating of the value of sharing their thoughts about reading compared to being able to see the thoughts of others (Chandler et al., 2022)

Why might students be reluctant to discuss directly? 

Students are acutely aware that they are in a “public” space when engaging in social annotation. This makes students reluctant to engage and a minority reported ongoing anxiety about posting comments that their peers could see (even when given the opportunity to do so anonymously). In one interview, we were surprised to discover that a very strong student who was an active annotator felt continued anxiety (East, Warriner-Wood and Wood, 2022). This leads me to wonder if indirect discussion is one way of alleviating some of the anxiety caused by operating in a shared space – it perhaps feels less high stakes than responding directly to a fellow student, especially if you don’t agree with them. 

Conclusion: what is indirect discussion? 

Finally, my colleagues and I have reflected that indirect discussion is in many ways more like what goes on in many in-person classes, where students develop their understanding in response to questions or activities posed by tutors by taking turns rather than by responding directly to one another (Barrett, Fitzgibbons, Vescovi and Wood, 2023). Certainly, direct interaction between students is much less common in whole class scenarios than it is in small group work (which is less public). 

Perhaps, therefore, we should be much more deliberate in how we prepare students to engage in online discussion of readings, for instance by providing examples of good practice, modelling desired behaviours for them, and/or emphasising the importance of active engagement. The provision of specific guidance, advice and training would be useful starting points for encouraging students to engage productively with activities that can provide a boost to learning. In doing so, we can hopefully enhance not only our students’ discussion literacy, but also our own. 

————–

Further resources:

My colleagues and I produced a series of advice sheets for students which might be of interest. For example, “How collaborative reading can work for you”, outlines 5 benefits of reading together online  and offers students some tips on how to do so effectively (https://makingdigitalhistory.co.uk/files/2022/08/QAA_poster_How_collaborative_reading.pdf).  

————–

References:

Barrett, Graham, Matt East, Jonathan Fitzgibbons, Michele Vescovi, and Jamie Wood (2022). “Reading through the Pandemic: Promoting Active Digital Engagement with Text-Based Resources.” IMPact: e-Journal of Higher Education Research 6, 2, 1-30. Online: https://repository.lincoln.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Reading_through_the_Pandemic_Promoting_Active_Digital_Engagement_with_Text-Based_Resources/24876483 

Jon Chandler, Matt East, Anna Rich-Abad, and Jamie Wood (2022). Active Online Reading – Final Report. Online: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/membership/collaborative-enhancement-projects/learning-and-teaching/active-online-reading# 

Clinton-Lisell, Virginia (2023). “Social annotation: what are students’ perceptions and how does social annotation relate to grades?.” Research in Learning Technology 31. Online: http://dx.doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v31.3050 

East, Matt, Leah Warriner-Wood, and Jamie Wood (2022). “Reading online during lockdown: insights from History and Heritage’. In: M. G. Jamil and D. Morley, eds., Agile Learning Environments amid Disruption: Evaluating Academic innovations in Higher Education during Covid-19 (Palgrave-Macmillan), 461-78.
Kalir, J. H., Morales, E., Fleerackers, A. and Alperin, J. P. (2020). “‘When I saw my peers annotating’: Student perceptions of social annotation for learning in multiple courses”. Information and Learning Sciences 121, 3/4, 207-30. Online: https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-12-2019-0128

A key purpose of the ALT Annual Survey is to identify emerging trends in current and future practice with the results providing an important insight into how professional practice within the field of Learning Technology is developing. The subject of careers in Learning Technology is an integral part of this insight.

The 2024 Annual Survey results showed that more respondents will be looking for new roles this year. Over the years, we have had a lot of helpful advice shared by our Members via the #altc blog. In this post, we take a look back at all the Member posts we have published on careers in Learning Technology between 2016 and 2021.

We would love to hear from you on this subject. Do these posts reflect your experience? Are they still relevant in today’s employment market? How has the career of ‘Learning Technologist’ changed in recent years? Email blog@alt.ac.uk to share your thoughts in a future blog post. 

2016

Editor’s Choice – the multifaceted role of a Learning Technologist by Santanu Vasant

Duties of the Learning Technologist continue to provide much debate in the Learning Technology community.

 (Vasant, 2016)

In this post, Santanu looks at the diversity of the role of Learning Technologist. He features three blogs from ALT Members that each describe the potential responsibilities of a Learning Technologist as a developer, an adviser and an architect. Links to additional blog posts and surveys on the topic are then provided to widen the debate.

2017  

Who am I? Reflections on the identity of a learning technologist by Chrissi Nerantzi

I read somewhere that increased specialisation is what generates boundaries and that cross-boundary working is therefore needed more than ever. This observation makes me think about where I sit… am I a learning technologist in disguise, a sort of secret learning technologist? A chameleon technologist? Do I work at the intersection of academic development and learning technology? Who am I? Can I be a learning technologist and an academic developer? Am I both or is the definition of a learning technologist far more wide reaching?

(Nerantzi, 2017)

In this post, Chrissi reflects on applying for and winning the Individual ALT Award in 2017 and how the process of applying for the award led her to think about her career and where she ‘sits’ in her organisation.

If Chrissi’s post inspires you, why not consider submitting an application for next year’s ALT Awards? The 2024 Awards Ceremony will take place as part of the ALT Annual Conference on Wednesday 4 September 2024 and will provide an excellent overview of the award categories to help shape your thoughts.

2019 

“What makes a Learning Technologist?” – Part 1 of 4: Job titles by Daniel Scott-Purdy

Overall, respondents state that they understand the role of a Learning Technologist and regularly carry out the duties of one. However, it remains an ambiguous role in how it should be labelled and packaged, both internally and externally to an organisation. Whilst the purpose and context of the Learning Technologist role remains broadly unchanged, individuals are now calling for further autonomy of their identity that better reflects their work and values.

(Scott-Purdy, 2019)

In the first post of the series “What makes a Learning Technologist?” Daniel explores the results of a survey sent to the ALT community. In particular, he features responses to the questions ‘What is your current job title?’ and ‘What would your ideal job title be?’.

“What makes a Learning Technologist?” – Part 2 of 4: Career paths by Karoline Nanfeldt

It never ceases to amaze me how people get into learning technology, and how the diversity of their backgrounds benefits the wider community.

(Nanfeldt, 2019)

In this post, Karoline explores the different career paths Learning Technologists have taken. Finding that there is no one clear-cut or direct route to becoming a Learning Technologist, she explores the multitude of different paths taken as well as the more formal vocational routes.

2020

“What makes a Learning Technologist?” – Part 3 of 4: Roles and duties by Simon Thomson 

Another surprise for me was the prevalence of the ‘content development’ aspect of the role. In all of my own experiences of writing job specs, recruiting and working with learning technologists I have often avoided including the ‘content developer’ role within the duties.

 (Thomson, 2020)

In this post, Simon explores the different roles and duties Learning Technologists undertake as part of their roles, including systems support, content development, training, leadership, and pedagogical support.

“What makes a Learning Technologist?” – Part 4 of 4: Best-part challenges by Daniel Scott? 

The Learning Technologist role is far from simple and one-dimensional.  It consists of intricate and multiple layers of specialisms, knowledge, skills and behaviours in order to engage academics and stakeholders and [in] ensuring the purpose and success of digital technology.

(Daniel Scott, 2020)

In this summary post written by Daniel Scott, the challenges and best parts about being a Learning Technologist are considered as a conclusion to the “What makes a Learning Technologist” series.

Learning Technologist…and what is next? The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the opportunities for career progression by Mari Cruz Garcia Vallejo

There is not a clear successful route when it comes to further career progression for a learning technologist and the future looks very uncertain. When choosing your next move, you really need to explore your motivation and interests in the long term as well as the pros and cons of each progression route. 

(Garcia Vallejo, 2020)

In this post, Mari considers how career progression changed for Learning Technologists during and following the Covid-19 pandemic and the ‘summer of love’. Mari explores the pros and cons of contracting, remote working and stepping into management roles. 

2021 

Learning Technologist: You’re Hired! Part 1 – Prepare to apply by Julie Voce and Mimi Weiss Johnson

Over the years we have been involved in many recruitment rounds for Learning Technologist roles at several universities and have picked up quite a few tips for how to write a good application and how to do well in interviews.

(Voce and Weiss Johnson, 2021)

In the first of the “You’re Hired” series, Julie and Mimi share how to prepare for an application with advice on identifying your skills and experience, as well as the importance of compiling examples.

Learning Technologist: You’re Hired! Part 2 – Your application by Julie Voce and Mimi Weiss 

These tips will help you get your application arranged in a way that fulfils the recruiting panel’s needs, and hopefully show you to be the recruiter’s dream candidate.

(Voce and Weiss Johnson, 2021)

In this post, Julie and Mimi give their tips for completing the job application form, including what to include, how to structure it, and how to make sure you address what the recruiters are looking for.

Learning Technologist: You’re Hired! Part 3 – Interview preparation by Julie Voce and Mimi Weiss Johnson 

Preparation is key to a successful interview, and it can be tricky to do this well with often just a week’s notice. You can start some things now though.

 (Voce and Weiss Johnson, 2021)

In this post, Julie and Mimi share their guidance on interview preparation and technique. Considerations include the common questions you could be asked, how to prepare for interview tasks, and questions to ask the selection panel.

Learning Technologist: You’re Hired! Part 4 – The interview by Julie Voce and Mimi Weiss Johnson 

Remember, the interview is your opportunity to demonstrate why we should employ you, so make the most of the time you have and by following these steps you will have maximised your chances of showing the panel that you are suitable for the role.

 (Voce and Weiss Johnson, 2021)

In this post, Julie and Mimi focus on some considerations for the interview itself. These include how to answer the panel’s questions, how to phrase your answers, use of notes, and language and tone.

Learning Technologist: You’re Hired! Part 5 – Post interview and advice by Julie Voce and Mimi Weiss Johnson

We hope this series on how to get hired as a learning technologist has been useful and provides you with a useful checklist for future applications.

(Voce and Weiss Johnson, 2021)

In the final post of the series, Julie and Mimi share their advice on the post-interview part of the process including getting feedback from the panel, considering job offers and preparing to start in your new role.

Summary

We hope you’ve enjoyed a look back at these posts and that they have given you some useful guidance for your own career journey. Now, we would like to hear from you: 

• Do you have career-related advice you can share? 
• Did any of these posts help you to secure your role?
• How did you come to work with Learning Technology? What was your own journey?
• How do you think recruitment has changed since these posts were written? 
• How has the role of a Learning Technologist changed in your opinion?

Share your thoughts for a future blog by sending a draft to blogs@alt.ac.uk. Take a look at our Submission guidelines to help get you started. We look forward to hearing from you!

We would like to thank everyone for contributing to and taking part in ALT’s Annual Conference 2024. It was a delight to have so many of you joining us in person and online. As we do every year, we are collecting links to blog posts and resources for and about the conference. If you’d like to add yours, please share it on social media with #ALTC24 or email enquiries@alt.ac.uk.

We also encourage you to share your conference feedback.

Catch up on all things ALTC24 

We will email all delegates when the recordings from each day are available to watch. In the meantime you can explore the following resources;

• Catchup with our Keynote Recordings
• Explore the Impact Report launched at the AGM
• Meet our 2024 Award Winners
• Explore the shared presentations
• Explore resources shared via Discord (login required) – The #ALTC24 social space on Discord will continue to be available until mid-October 2024 to allow you to explore the resources shared by our presenters and chat to other delegates. After which, the social space will remain available to view until December.

ALTC24 Guest Posts

• Amplifying your network at ALTC24
• ALTC24: Supporting each other through conference anxiety
• Insights from Award-Winning Collaborators
• Writing a proposal for #ALTC24
• Writing a business case to attend ALTC24
• ALTC24: an update from our Co-Chairs

Shared Blog Posts and Resources

• Visions of the future: ALT Annual Conference 2024 – Day 1
  Shared by Matt Cornock
• CMALT Course Introduction
  Shared by ‪Alex Spiers‬

Photos and Artwork

[Photos will be added here]

Written by NCFE

We know that educators in the further education sector are always seeking new ways to engage their students and prepare them for the future. The Assessment Innovator Learner Competition, in partnership with Ufi Voctech Trust, offers a unique opportunity for learners to showcase their creativity by designing AI-driven ideas that could positively impact the way assessments and exams are conducted in the future.

Why encourage your students to participate?
Engaging your students in this competition is more than just a chance to win prizes. It’s an opportunity to spark their interest in how learning is evidenced and assessed. Here are a few reasons why you should consider integrating this competition into your teaching:

The ideas your students generate could shape the future of FE assessments, making them more relevant, efficient, and inclusive. Who better to reimagine assessment methods than the learners themselves?

This competition encourages students to think critically about the role of AI in education, giving them hands-on experience in problem-solving and innovation: skills that are increasingly valuable in today’s job market.

The winning learning provider will receive £750, and the winning learner or team will receive £250, with more prizes for second and third place. These funds could provide much needed resources for your classroom, supporting further innovative projects and enhancing the learning experience.

What we’re looking for
Entrants will need to consider a range of factors, including the potential benefits and challenges of using emerging AI technologies within the assessment space. They will need to present their ideas in either a 6-minute video presentation or a 6-slide presentation which effectively communicates the features, functionality, and benefits of their proposed solution. By participating, learners will have the chance to influence how their own education and that of their peers might be evaluated in the future.

How you can provide support
With no one set approach for supporting learners with this competition, there are a number of ways you can tailor your level of support to fit around your workload:

Integrate into lesson plans: use the competition as a project within your curriculum. Encourage students to explore how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to improve assessment methods relevant to their courses. This not only enriches their learning experience but also ties in with their ongoing studies.

Encourage collaboration: foster a sense of healthy competition by encouraging students to work in teams. This will allow them to build on each other’s strengths, leading to more comprehensive and innovative solutions.

Flexible participation: if class time is tight, consider assigning the task as a homework project. This way, students can choose to engage with the competition without feeling pressured by time constraints during lessons, while also being empowered to work independently.

Important dates and how to enter
The competition will be open for entries from 2 September to 31 October 2024. Encourage your students to start thinking about their ideas now and visit the NCFE website for more information on how to enter.

Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines.

The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.

Written by Lynne Taylerson for the AmplifyFE Team

I really value attending ALTC – I’ve actually lost count of the times that I’ve been over the last decade or so! I think I particularly value visiting for 2 reasons, meeting up with the practitioner research community and promoting the work of everything we do in FE and Skills.

As a practitioner researcher myself with a focus on digital skills and pedagogy, and now AI for education, it’s always fascinating for me to engage with the latest research. The thing I most like about ALTC is that at the research sharing sessions, there is always a dialogue, rather than a formal ‘paper presentation’ which is sometimes the format at other conferences. There are real opportunities to discuss emerging research with other delegates and I’ve learned so much about such a wide range of areas relevant to my practice.

The other research focused reason that I value the conference is the opportunities it has given me to share and discuss my own research and I’ve done this for several projects I’ve been involved with over the last decade. For the last couple of years I’ve been sharing and discussing the ‘Insights’ research I’ve been conducting for ALT/Ufi as part of the #AmplifyFE project. The research is focused on how we best design and deploy learning technology to have positive impacts on learners most affected by the digital divide. As well as having opportunities to disseminate and discuss completed research it’s been brilliant to share interim findings and get the perspectives of delegates at the conference on them. After ALTC22, I recorded a podcast with Chloë Hynes reflecting on attending the conference and that was the very first AmplifyFE podcast.

The reason that I’ve been particularly enthusiastic to come along to ALTC in the past few years is again related to the #AmplifyFE project which has put a strong focus on the work of the FE and Skills sector. I (and the rest of the team!) work in such a vibrant and important sector which goes beyond large colleges and includes Adult and Community Learning, prison learning, work-based learning, third sector organisations and many more scenarios. 

Despite its importance, FE is not called the ‘Cinderella sector’ for no reason and is often overlooked with schools and universities having more of the educational spotlight. It’s been fantastic that ALT and Ufi VocTech Trust have worked together to create AmplifyFE. I particularly enjoy being with the team in the exhibitors’ hall on our stand where we promote the value and work of the sector and meet up with the many and growing number of FE friends who attend the conference. I’d encourage anyone from FE and Skills (and beyond!) who has a focus on digital learning to take a look at the ALTC programme, to join us in Manchester this year so that together we can AmplifyFE and all the wonderful work that we do in the sector.

Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines.

The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.

By Neil Dixon, Uwe Richter (Anglia Ruskin University), Rob Howe (University of Northampton)

This is a report of our recent ALT East England (ALT EE) event on 4 July 2024. The blog starts with a brief summary of digital badges, and reports on the three presentations: Peter Harrison (Cranfield University), Bernadette Martin (The Open University) and Cory Saarinen (Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), University of Cambridge).

Attendees in the session were asked how many were considering or have used badges, and most had either tried badges or were considering investigating them. The polling results showed that there is an increasing recognition of the importance of reward and recognition within institutions. Therefore, this event was a timely way to share case studies and examples of how universities in the region are using digital badges and certifications.

Introduction: What are digital badges? (Uwe Richter, Associate Professor: Digital Pedagogic Innovation)

Digital badges are verifiable digital tokens and certificates that represent a skill or competency learned, an accomplishment achieved, or a program completed. Compared to traditional paper certificates, they offer greater accessibility and shareability.

In the education context, digital badges can be used to supplement traditional transcripts and certificates. They certify and showcase a student’s activities and accomplishments in curricular,  co-curricular or extra-curricular activities. These badges are highly motivating for students and a way to maintain a record of achievements and evidence for applying for jobs on graduation. However, badges may also be used to motivate progression within a module or course (gamification) using badging tools embedded in a virtual learning environment and these may not always  be shared externally.

Uwe also differentiated between digital certification and micro-credentialing, the latter being credit-bearing and, therefore, subject to quality assurance similar to academic modules and courses.

Using digital badges and credentials to enhance UX in learning and teaching (Peter Harrison, Head of Academic Practice and Education Excellence)

Cranfield University introduced badges originally  as a good way to encourage students to undertake activities that supported employability. From this the portfolio has expanded to more than sixty badges. Examples of badges included showcasing industry skills, personal growth and development, and self-evaluation and success. The most popular platform to share these badges is LinkedIn. 

Some of the learnings from implementing badges included the importance of metadata, which makes the badges easier to verify, and allows for portability. Another important factor is the design of the badges, using different templates and colours for core badges and short courses. Students can progress to different levels of badge within each area, so it is key that each badge theme remains consistent. To retain the integrity of the badge rewards, it is advisable to have awarded badges approved centrally.  

One takeaway from the project was to have a clear and transparent system from the outset, rather than making changes later on. By having such a system, the benefit is that badges can be changed and updated, so they can be used for different purposes as required.

Badged digital and information literacy course – the journey so far (Bernadette Martin, Learning & Teaching Librarian)

The Open University (OU) has a long history with badges and is increasingly offering digital badges within undergraduate modules to improve student engagement, motivation, well-being, and retention. Bernadette highlighted research from their curriculum design student panel indicating that 75% of students would be motivated by the prospect of earning a digital badge and 73% would be inclined to finish an activity if a digital badge were on offer. 

To capitalise on the potential usefulness of badges, the OU library is working towards offering badges for digital and information literacy skills, which is expected to launch in September 2024. The primary motivation for creating the badged course is to provide a “shop front” for the OU’s skills activities, increase engagement with these activities, and provide equity of access to all students. The badge courses will be aligned with the OU’s Digital and Information Literacy (DIL) framework and will cover all the DIL skills expected of students at each level. The benefits of the awarded badges are that they will give students opportunities to share evidence of their skills externally, such as to enhance their employability (like through LinkedIn, or their CVs).

Digital certificates and badging: our story so far (Cory Saarinen, Assistant Director – Technology Enhanced Learning )

A digital certificate and badge pilot project for non award-bearing courses at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) aims to prepare for a flexible, modular future in higher education, where students may customise their learning paths. Previously, students received paper certificates of participation, which had limited utility and were time-consuming to produce. The digital certificates and badges aim to enhance student achievement recognition, improve shareability, increase utility, and ensure security.

Again, the most popular mode of sharing was either LinkedIn or email. Cory also talked about many of the benefits and values of digital badges such as automating processes, the ease of sharing, and the role in marketing. He also noted issues such as the security of the badges, for example, the risk of certificate alteration.

Concluding remarks

In summary, the main themes that came out of the discussion were that students value badges and find them useful. From a university perspective, they are useful for tracking learning and helping to motivate students to engage. However, there are still concerns raised regarding the value of badges to employers or how employers regard badges. With the amount of badge sharing on LinkedIn, it is clear that most badge holders value them. The impact on employability and the value to employers still needs further investigation. 

We thank Uwe, Peter, Bernadette, and Cory for such a fascinating session, and everyone who attended and contributed to the lively chat discussion. 

By Alice Chapman, ALTC24 Conference Committee Member

Picture this.

You arrive at a conference event that your manager has suggested you attend to meet your CPD objectives. Your train was delayed, and you didn’t have a seat for the duration of the journey. Despite your efforts to arrive early, you ended up rushing from the train station to find the venue, where you’re greeted by a busy person who thrusts a lanyard in your hand, telling you that the keynote is about to start, proceeding to give you lots of directions to the room.You try to spot somewhere to get some water, but you’re ushered up the corridor and reminded that there will be no seats left. You walk in the door which is located at the front of the room, and you scan the seats for a spare place to sit but everyone appears to be there with people they already know, and any other spare seats are occupied by bags. You notice a gap up the stairs, and it feels like your every move is being watched as you arrive next to someone who is frantically typing on their laptop, trying to get that extra email done before the event begins. And when the keynote speaker walks on to the stage, you find you are shaking, so much so that you can’t concentrate anyway and take none of the keynote session in.

Does that sound familiar?

We are all often reminded that conferences are good for professional development, providing networking opportunities, helping you in building your confidence, and a good chance to see different places. And whilst this may be true, and some people are natural at enjoying the experience of it all, for others it can be stressful and even cause high levels of anxiety.

Remember that you’re not on your own in feeling this way! Research shows us that in the UK, a little over 1 in 10 people will be living with an anxiety disorder at any one time which is over 8 million people (Mental Health UK).

What can we do if we experience anxiety around attending conferences?

Decide on the sessions you don’t want to miss in the programme ahead of arrival, including additional breaks if you know they would be beneficial for you.

Give yourself extra time for travel to and from the venue. Where possible, try and travel at quieter times.

Remember, it’s okay if you miss something! You don’t have to go to everything and sometimes, things are out of your control. It’s more important to take a moment for your wellbeing than try to fit everything in.

Make use of the quiet spaces. Step away if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

What can we do as delegates to help make people feel that they belong?

Be mindful of others while you’re at the conference. If you see someone that is on their own, say hello and give them a smile. Don’t be offended if they don’t want to chat, but your welcoming gestures may have helped them to feel more at ease.

Invite others to join you at lunch. This can be one of the most daunting times of the day so try and spot people who are on their own.

Only use the designated quiet space as somewhere to take a break from the conference, not as a workspace as some people really appreciate having a separate space to step away.

So, what is the main takeaway?

Be kind to yourself and be kind to others. Let’s make ALTC24 our most welcoming conference yet!

This year, #ALTC24 is heading back to Manchester on 3-5 September 2024 and we are looking forward to once again convening the Learning Technology community at this unmissable event.
Learn more and register here – altc.alt.ac.uk/2024.