Chrissi Nerantzi, Manchester Metropolitan University - Sue Beckingham, Sheffield Hallam UniversityDr Diogo Casanova, Kingston University - Dr Catherine Hack, Ulster University - Sheila MacNeill, Glasgow Caledonian University

The power of open cross-institutional collaboration for connected professional development

in higher education#ALTC 2015

Overview

Our understanding of open cross-institutional development

BYOD4L: January 2015 iteration

Exploring opportunities and challenges of open cross-institutional professional development

BYOD4L the open eventadd existing bits

Site http://byod4learning.wordpress.com/ Related research and BYOD4L iterations, including January 2015 https://byod4learning.wordpress.com/about/research/

BYOD4L January 2015 (3rd iteration)9 participating institutions + 2 further partners

Snowballing approach (Nerantzi & Beckingham, 2015b)

5C Framework (Nerantzi & Beckingham, 2015a)

The BYOD4L January 2015 Team2 organisers21 facilitators (without organisers)9 institutions2 additional partners (US, Germany)7 mentors1 peer reviewer1 artist

Overview of our research projectAims

Explore perceived benefits and challenges for participating institutions for open cross-institutional initiatives and recommendations for sustainable professional

development solutions

MethodologyAction research

MethodsSurvey instrument, web analytics

Findings: WordPress views and Twitter

Data created using @mhawksey's TAGS Tool by Peter Reed460 twitter users across the week

Data created from wordpress statistics by Kay Hack 1553 unique visitors across the week

MethodSurvey: Google formSent to: all 23 BYOD4L facilitators and organisersResponses received: 9 (39 %)

Profiling

Initial expectations: 👤👤👤👤 Share best practices 👤👤👤👤 Enhance the use of TEL in their practice

👤👤 Evaluate new CPD opportunities👤👤 Networking

👤 Being part of something innovative👤 Involve colleagues in something innovative

Expectations met: 👤👤👤👤 Networking

👤👤👤 Learn about TEL and its use in Learning and Teaching

👤👤👤 Level of openness and collegiality (sense of community)

👤 Innovativeness 👤 Usefulness of the course 👤 Personal realisation 👤 Buzz around the course 👤 Disengagement from my institution 👤 Easiness or not of course design

Strengths👤👤👤👤👤 Share practices👤👤👤👤👤 Networking👤👤👤👤 Activities and course design👤👤👤👤 Flexibility👤👤👤 Sense of community👤 Find expertise elsewhere👤 Diversity👤 Safe environment

- “To create opportunities for colleagues and students to learn more about how they can use their smart devices for learning and teaching with peers from other institutions as this would widen their horizons and could

potentially extent their network.”

Weaknesses👤👤 Level of institutional support👤👤 Too many tools/spaces👤👤 Lack of recognition👤👤 Monitor engagement👤👤 Confidence👤👤 Overwhelming👤 Time👤 Lack of structure👤 Level of institutional engagement👤 Course design (last synchronous activity)

“Because it is so flexible it’s not clear how to get the best out of it”

Opportunities👤👤👤👤 new internal CPD opportunities👤👤👤 personal development👤👤👤 building networks and collaborations👤👤👤 new cross-institutional CPD opportunities👤 new approaches for professional development👤 research opportunities👤 extend recognition opportunities👤 flexibility

“Create sustainable solutions through joined development and sharing of expertise with cross-institutional teams that can experiment with new approaches to professional

development”

Threats👤👤👤 recognition by institutions and management👤👤👤 learning design paradigm👤👤 monitoring quality and recognition👤 alignment with professional frameworks👤 level of commitment👤 marketing👤 lack of institutional support👤 unclear👤 data protection and intellectual property

”Some may struggle with the flexible approach to learning and seek the structured approach a traditional course may take”

What was valued

“It has been a great experience for us and one that will participate on again.”

“Open CPD is the future, provided a great opportunity to engage with like minded and inspirational colleagues across the UK.”

“I enjoyed developing this course with my colleague from another institution. Together, we created something for others and this helped us all develop and create new professional relationships, push our own thinking and practice into new directions and carry out research together.”

Benefits and challenges of using open courses for CPD

BENEFITSDevelop new shared CPD provision

through collaboration with other institutions could provide an effective/ efficient use of time and resources for staff development teams

Potential to develop new CPD offers in areas where there is limited local knowledge.

Use these resources to provide local F2F provision

Enables colleagues to experience a 'course' in an free open and time limited as a learner.

CHALLENGES● Need for local support to supplement

online opportunities● Breadth of activities can be daunting for

novice online learners● Need a lot of confidence to take part● Because it's is so flexible it's not clear

how to get the best out if it● Uses many optional social media and it

can feel like you're in the wrong place or other things are happening elsewhere

● Participation is rewarded with badges but is this recognised?

BYOD4L in January 2016: What will be different as a result of this project?

- Recruiting facilitators: more balanced representation by support staff (Ac. Dev and TEL) and academics in the disciplines.

- Recruiting student facilitators- Improve institutional engagement and support, work more effectively within our own

institutions, also communication and marketing of BYOD4L- Identify opportunities within collaborating institutions to link BYOD4L with CPD

schemes, institutional teaching qualifications and informal offers to gain recognition locally and more widely (MMU example)

- Improve engagement monitoring, consider registrations at least at institutional level.- Identify further non-UK based collaborating institutions to enrich the learning

experience.- Continue the research we started to further improve BYOD4L and similar activities...

Recommendationsstart smallcollaborate with colleagues and students across your institution and

elsewhereuse expertise and resources already available, including OER, repurpose

and reuseidentify effective ways to integrate cross-institutional CPD offers within your

institution, collaborate with the L & T teams, including TELsecure buy-in and support from managementmake explicit connections to UK PSF or other institutional CPD programmes

and initiatives

Join us for the next learning adventureBYOD4L January 11-16 2016

We are looking for institutional partners, staff and student facilitators

Follow @BYOD4L and https://byod4learning.wordpress.com/ for updates

What I will do within my institution in preparation for BYOD4L in Jan 16

Make more explicit links to existing CPD opportunities to gain credits and work towards professional recognition within MMU while participating/facilitating in BYOD4L.

Review MMU marketing of BYOD4L.Review MMU BYOD4L registration process.Review face-to-face event and find a more

effective way to attract more participants.Connect with the Student Union at MMU and

identify students who are interested in participating and facilitating BYOD4L.

Chrissi NerantziManchester Metropolitan University, Principal Lecturer Academic CPD, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

What I will do within my institution in preparation for BYOD4L in Jan 16

Work with our Head of Innovation and Professional Development on a parallel face to face programme at SHU

Develop a communication strategy with a wider reach to include email and social media

Build a local team of mentors to support face to face as well as online during #BYOD4L

Create further multimedia ‘getting started’ resources (e.g. Twitter, a blog) plus a virtual tour of the #BYOD4L website

Sue BeckinghamSheffield Hallam University, Educational Developer and Senior Lecturer, Department of Computing

What I will do within my institution in preparation for BYOD4L in Jan 16

expand the provision of CPD including more social media workshops

include one hour in-house workshops to complement the online week

work towards the accreditation from our CPD framework

disseminate throughout the university and inviting individually members of staff and students

Dr Diogo Casanova, Kingston University London, Centre for Higher Education Research and Practice

What I will do within my institution in preparation for BYOD4L in Jan 16

I have identified additional facilitators Planned a drop in session in the preceding

weekEstablish a ‘local’ social spacePlan post course event to share best

practiceWork with Faculty PSF reps to promote

course and make explicit links to PSF framework

Dr Kay Hack, University of Ulster, Partnership Manager, Faculty of Life & Health Science

add photo here

What I will do within my institution in preparation for BYOD4L in Jan 16

Encourage more participation from staff.Build into CPD workshops focussing on fully

online delivery. Encourage more staff to lead and participate

in f2f sessions during the event.Promote through formal CPD

networks/activities.Make Students Association aware of event

(but it is exam week)

Sheila MacNeill, Glasgow Caledonian University, Senior Lecturer, GCU LEAD (Learning Enhancement & Academic Development)

add photo here

ReferencesNerantzi, C. & Beckingham, S. (2015b) Scaling-up open CPD for teachers in higher education using a snowballing approach , in: Rennie, F. (ed.) The distributed university, JPAAP Special Issue, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 109-121, available athttp://jpaap.napier.ac.uk/index.php/JPAAP/article/view/148Nerantzi, C. & Beckingham, S. (2015a) BYOD4L: Learning to use own smart devices for learning and teaching through the 5C framework, in Middleton, A. (ed.) (2015): Smart learning: teaching and learning with smartphones and tablets in post-compulsory education, pp. 108-126, Sheffield: MELSIG publication

AcknowledgementsBYOD4L artwork created by artist Ellie Livermore @ellielivermore

The SWOT analysis image can be found at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/SWOT_en.svg/1000px-SWOT_en.svg.png > available under a creative commons licence