1. Exploring the Emerging Role of the
Learning Technologist in HE
Lessons Learned from Practitioner Research in Developing eLearning Support
Calum Thomson, Hannah Crumbleholme and Dr Sam Fox

2. What we’re here to talk about:
1. Who we are
2. Our research experiences
3. Our use of critical dialogues
4. Inter-professional space for learning technologists
5. Moving forward

3. Why we’re here today
 Present questions
 Promote discussion
 No answers or solutions
 Looking to drive dialogue

4. Who we are?
 ‘form a diverse group
with varied skill sets
and backgrounds’
(Beetham 2001)
 ‘can make significant
contributions to…
…information and
communications
technology ICT and TEL’
Shurville (2008)

5. Who we are?
 ‘people who are actively involved in managing, researching, supporting or enabling
learning with the use of technology’ (Association of Learning Technology at
http://www.alt.ac.uk/about-alt/what-learning-technology )
 A new body of professionals who come with their own professional values:
 ‘A commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between technology and learning.
 A commitment to keep up to date with new technologies.
 An empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues from different backgrounds and
specialisms.
 A commitment to communicate and disseminate effective practice.’
(http://www.alt.ac.uk/sites/default/files/assets_editor_uploads/documents/prospectusA4_v5_web.pdf)

6. Our Role in the Institution?
 Part of a central team at MMU
 Part of different faculties
communities & culture
 Work with a set of sub-
communities & cultures
 Work with autonomy within
faculties

7. Our Role in the Institution?
 Learning technology focused
 Role based around face to face
interaction with teaching staff
 Relationship akin to clients rather
than customers
 Accepted as part of faculty culture
but still often seen as IT

8. ‘Tech Stewards’
‘While knowledge of technology is a key asset,
tech stewards pay attention to how technology is
used to achieve community ends. This alignment
of tech stewards with the values and direction of
a community makes them able to contribute in
ways that technical experts might not.’
Wenger (2010)

9. So What?
Newcomers being inducted to the field need to
know the parameters of the field and it’s
knowledge base. Members of the research and
professional community need to agree where
their shared areas of interest, focus, approach
and projects lie.
Czerniewicz (2008)

10. Gaining New Insights
Calum
Barriers with technology
for teachers
Time, timeliness, context &
language
Barrier with training rather
than technology
Hannah
New ways of working as
part of a community with an
academic member of staff
Tensions arising from role
as a technologist and
responsibilities as a
technologist
Questions
Arising
What are
we
accountable
for?
Who is our
responsibilit
y to?
Which
community
do we sit
within?
Critical Dialogues
• Role
• Responsibility
• Relationships
‘self-reflection and
self-analysis are not
common features of
the educational
technology literature’
(Selwyn,2010)

11. What are our shared values as
technologists?
Charted Member of Association of Learning Technology (C-MALT)
Professional Values
1. ‘A commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between
technology and learning.
2. A commitment to keep up to date with new technologies.
3. An empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues from different
backgrounds and specialisms.
4. A commitment to communicate and disseminate effective practice.’
(http://www.alt.ac.uk/sites/default/files/assets_editor_uploads/documents/prospectusA4_v5_web.pdf)

12. What are our shared values as
technologists?
Professional Values of the wider communities within which
we operate
1. Respect individual learners and diverse learning
communities (Higher Education Academy
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/ukpsf/ukpsf.p
df)
2. Working and developing learning communities (Staff and
Educational Development Association
http://www.seda.ac.uk/about.html?p=2_1)

13. A new inter-professional space?
 Social Space
 Community of
Knowledge
 Experience Sharing
 Critical Dialogue

14. Summary
1. Our perspective of the learning technologist and their
position within a Higher Education institution
2. How our research experiences and critical dialogues
have benefited us as professionals
3. The inter-professional space in which this research and
dialogue has taken place
4. The importance of moving forward towards further
dialogue

15. Questions and Discussion