A reflection at 12 months in a 3 year change agenda

From “training” to “learning in a digital age”in an HDR Supervision Enhancement Program

Presentation to HDR Team Peers, 29/8/2016Dr Merilyn ChildsAssociate Professor & ConvenorSupervision Enhancement ProgramMerilyn.Childs@mq.edu.au

About this presentationProposition: “Training” and “registration” dominateHDR Supervision Enhancement in Australian Universities.This is a problem.

Prequel

No studies have been done that test the assumption that a causal relationship

exists between Supervision Enhancement Programs/the registration of HDR Supervisors/

and institution-wide quality HDR supervision practice.

It’s highly doubtful such a study could be successfullyconceived or conducted.

Even useful developments, such as Luca’s (2014) Good Practice Framework; the ACOLA Review (2016); James & Baldwin’s (1999

) 11 Practices, lack connectedness tothe broad life of an academic’s work; theories

of cross-institutional cultural change; and thinking aboutauthentic spaces & places that sustain academic development.

This presentation is hopeful, but understands the limitations ofprogram level innovation.

The training discourse

Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards 2015, p.9

Eg Ongoing dominance of “first generation” thinking in Higher Education academic development.

Lack of funding to do anything differently.

The training discourse

Content

Didactic, teacher-centred

Process

Dialogic, learner-centred

Directed training (we want you tobe good at supervising, so we’ll tell you how in mandatory workshops. And register you)

Normal:

Melbourne

Sydney

Office of LT funded

But – we actually know quite a bit about academic development, institutional change, and best practice in CPD

For example – we know that an academic’s stage of career is important to meaningful CPD

Making Evidence Count

We know that academic work is changing

We know that signature & discipline pedagogies shape practice

Examples 1 & 2

We know what good practice in induction looks like

We know that academics can learn from many in complex, networked ways (Ling 2009, Childs et al 2013)

We know we are supervising in a digital age…

..and that HDR supervisors need to develop digital literacies in “next generation” spaces.

Goodfellow et alNext Generation

We know that academics have strong professional viewpoints – good! it’s their job!

..and we have known for some time that transfer of learning is a problem in off-the-job formal training, especially without purposeful “learning ties”

We know what good induction looks likeSo, what else is possible?

A balance of connectedstrategies

Content

Didactic, teacher-centred

Process

Dialogic, learner-centred

Directed learning:• Mental Health First Aid• Supervisor’s Toolkit• Some Faculty based workshops• Popup (incl peer review and

promotions)

• Annual Forum• Cultural Competence Module

(case-based learning)

• Self-directed learning• Social learning (Faculty strategy)

• Problem based learning (Initial SEP)• Case based learning (Adjuncts)• Social and interest-based learning

(Faculty strategy)• Peer support (Faculty Champion)

A balance of connected strategies by December 2018:

Introduce self-directed, ubiquitous “interest-driven” learning, 2016

Stage 1, 2016

RebuildArchitecture

Stage 1, 2016

So far, feedback has been positive*

*There will be a report at the end of 2016

2017Stage 2, 2017: Redesign learning, policy & practice

There will be a report of progress & evaluation mid-2017)

Thankyou.

No Wookie was hurt in the transformation of the Supervision Enhancement Program

Thanks to the creative genius of DocChewbacca for all images in thispresentation

Creative commons license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Things I said @MerilynChilds during 2016 about #HDR Supervision

For great examples of CPD scroll on

https://www.deakindigital.com/

http://www.acmhn.org/

http://www.sybaacademy.com.au/learning/academy-home