This was an excellent 90 minute workshop which built in interactivity from the start through discussion and then extended to the deployment of a collaborative wiki where each group contributed their own thoughts about technology’s role in staff development. (This required the provision of 4 ipads and laptops – 1 per group) There were also opportunities to comment on the session as it unfolded on a talk wall using SMS.
The focus was on how technology can (and should) support staff development and how this links into the wider changes affecting the HE sector, both nationally and internationally. The core of the Edinburgh Napier staff development programme centres on their MSc in Blended and Online Education. The philosophy supporting the programme is based on involving the staff (i.e. the students on the programme) in the co-construction of knowledge and assessment on the constituent modules. Students are also engaged in discussion of the challenges and changes affecting the HE landscape (where is this on our MAAP?). The case studies and projects which students produce on the programme are then shared more widely across the academic community as well as with future cohorts and all are invited to share and critique what has been produced as outputs on the programme. In passing the workshop facilitators also mentioned an online bite-size programme to support staff development using technologies which comprised of e.g. 10x15 minute sessions on how, why and when to use podcasts. Staff sign up for the sessions and by the end are expected to produce something they can use in their own practice. Is this a model we can use? Also they have a (Not Just For) Problems Forum where general questions and queries can be posted for the tutors and other students to respond to and help one another. Again this is perhaps something we could consider?
In all then this was a really interesting and exciting workshop.
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