Neumann, Tim; Havemann, Leo; Young, Clive; (2021) Advisor, Broker, Consultant: Distributed leadership roles that steer rapid learning technology adoption. Presented at: ALT Annual Conference 2021, Online conference.

Preview

Slideshow Neumann_ALTC21-AdvisorBrokerConsultant.pdf Download (275kB) | Preview

Abstract

The rapid response to the Coronavirus pandemic resulted in what one UCL professor described as the “biggest change in HE in two generations”. While universities were scrambling to pivot to fully online course provision and working from home, many new roles and reporting structures emerged from decisions that were perhaps more improvised than carefully planned. Yet once the initial panic had subsided, reviews of new structures demonstrated their success and general appreciation. In this session, we will take a nuanced look at newly configured distributed leadership roles at UCL that continue to facilitate the rapid uptake of learning technology and online learning – and whether they are here to stay. The presentation will start with a localised analysis of ten organisational and leadership issues relating to the use of learning technology in Higher Education, based on a modification of issues identified by Garrison & Kanuka (2004). This analysis was done in one faculty as well as organisation-wide, and the availability of a pre-pandemic analysis using the same methodology opened up a possibility for longitudinal tracking of change. Session participants may find the methodology useful for analysing the learning technology support and leadership landscape in their own contexts. The second part of the presentation focuses on portraits of newly established focused leadership roles in the area of online learning advice at different levels, from central university teams down to faculties and departments, and staffed by people with different backgrounds, such as academics, academic developers and learning technologists. The result is a nuanced insight into specific aspects of learning technology leadership, and how these aspects play out in a distributed structure where junior leaders need to supplement each other to co-ordinate their area of responsibility. The role portraits are based on group interviews with representatives of the key distributed leadership roles and on organisational reviews and evaluations. The overall feedback was highly positive across the board, raising expectations that these roles would continue beyond the pandemic. The roles examined for this presentation all have an advisory and facilitative focus, both in terms of pedagogy and technology use, and are therefore more rooted in policy and teaching practice rather than technical development or infrastructure maintenance. We conclude this presentation with an interpretation of what our analysis means for understanding the role of distributed leaders in learning technology and online learning in Higher Education, and the opportunity of such roles as a first step into leadership positions. At the very least, it sketches possible pathways for career advancement in our sector, but it can also inform a review or redesign of the learning technology provision of an organisation, or help sharpen role definitions in institutions that do not have the option to distribute tasks between multiple posts. Garrison, D. R., & Kanuka, H. (2004). Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. The internet and higher education, 7(2), 95-105.

Download activity - last month

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as JSONCSVXML

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as CSVXMLJSON

Archive Staff Only

View Item