I’m now 15 weeks into my new position as Learning Technology Support Officer for Educational Design and Engagement – and I’m seeing a lot of similarities from my previous position in Learning Spaces Technology. Both teams look after services, providing user advice and support, contribute to service improvement and course design. EDE mostly supports the Virtual Learning Environment and LST supports physical teaching spaces on campus.

Designing and supporting teaching spaces, whether it’s in a physical or an online digital space, is very much the same thing. I find it has a lot to do with user awareness, knowledge of the technology and the reliance on it.

Yes, technology fails. So we do regular maintenance – such as testing of services and updating software and equipment. We can put in place a work-around to make sure we minimise the disruption of teaching and services, but other issues occur due to user error and lack of technical knowledge of systems and tools.

Therefore it’s up to Learning Technologists to educate the user and help design a course that works well, both in the physical and online teaching spaces to make sure tools are used correctly and effectively to enhance the student experience. After all – hybrid teaching, blended learning and flipped classrooms are certainly not a new concept.

Providing training sessions, workshops, user guides, training videos, drop-in sessions and one to one training sometimes just isn’t enough. Users don’t seem to know where to find the materials or know what support is available. Some might not feel the need to engage until they have a problem.

This was highlighted more so due to the current Covid-19 pandemic forcing users to teach in different ways and using technology they may not have used before. We have evidence of this with the sheer number of support calls coming through Unidesk, with the volume of calls increasing by approx. 400 percent on last year. I do understand it can be quite frustrating and time consuming for the user at times and the “why doesn’t it just work” approach to an issue could be avoided by adding a bit of knowledge.

So how do you educate the educator and make them aware of all the help and support that is provided that would prevent them for putting in so many support calls?

Should we be introducing training during course design, during on-boarding or should certain training be mandatory?

Communication on a university level is definitely key and users do need to fully engage for it to be a success. That way we all can help provide the best possible student and user experience.

I’m now continuing my career progression into supporting virtual learning environments with my new role as Learning Technology Support Officer with Education Design and Engagement (EDE).

The new position is an ideal opportunity for me to apply my digital and practical skills as well as my technical knowledge in supporting users and technology within teaching and learning environments at the University.

Having only started on Monday I feel I will fit in very well as I’m already seeing similarities to the role from my previous secondment with Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM). I’m pleased also to find out that I will still have some interaction with my DLAM colleagues – working with them on certain virtual tools that are in use.

I’m joined, as a newbie to EDE, with four other new colleagues who all come from very different professional backgrounds. I find this quite exciting as it shows how diverse the position is going to be in the ever-changing world of learning technology.

It’s great to go through the induction and training process as a group, where we are able to support each other and work through tasks. As we aren’t in the office, our regular Team catch-ups are a great sanity check and a place to decompress after all the information that is being presented to us. We have also been made to feel very welcome and are gradually being introduced to new services and training.

I have just recently started the “23 Things List” – this is the University’s digital knowledge program that is self-directed with the purpose of exposing me to a range of digital tools to help with my personal and professional development. Similar to Linkedin Learning, I like how you are able to take the training and tasks at your own pace. By joining this program I’m hoping to strengthen my digital skills and even learn some new ones! I’ve just completed ‘Thing 1 – Introduction’ and ‘Thing 2 – Blogging’ (hence the new post).

Having not much of a presence on social media (something I’m working on – see shameless plug: my Linkedin profile) I wasn’t aware of the University’s ‘Social Media Guidelines for Staff and Researchers’. I do however find it useful to reference as there is a lot more to a social media presence than you might think!

“Thing 3” and “Thing 4” will cover Digital Footprint and Security – a couple of great topics to add to my skill set!

I have recently been looking to make the leap from working and supporting teaching in physical learning spaces to the virtual learning environment (VLE).

Due to the current pandemic forcing the university to close the campus and moving teaching and events online – I have seen a large reduction in my workload given the fact my department Learning Spaces Technology supports 400 physical teaching spaces, over 2000 open access PCs, on site conferences and events alongside the equipment loans service. Therefore, I have taken this less-than-ideal situation as an opportunity to utilise my existing digital knowledge and learn new skills within online technology enhanced learning by helping-out colleagues in other LTW departments.

I have recently started a secondment assisting the Technology Enhanced Learning Service and Media Team within DLAM who look after the University’s VLE and all its tools.

I have found the experience of starting with the new team very surreal having not physically met my new colleagues, although we are on regular video calls and instant message chat, I have still been made to feel very welcome and part of the team. After a lot of online sessions and a couple of weeks of shadowing (very much online support for the online support) I believe I’m now pretty much up and running and have gained a lot more knowledge in using and supporting the following:

• VLE Blackboard Learn
• Virtual classroom and meeting tool Blackboard Collaborate
• Turnitin assignment submission tool
• Online portfolio PebblePad
• Blogging services (which helped me start this blog)
• Lecture recording tool Media Hopper Replay and Create
• Kaltura Capture desktop recording tool

I have also taken the opportunity to complete online LinkedIn Learning courses on Learning Technologies such as Teaching with Technology, Flipping Classrooms, Teaching Techniques: Blended Learning and Creating Multimedia Learning. I am also in the process of completing courses on WordPress, HTML Essential Training and Python programming fundamentals. So much learning!

I do feel my skills have transferred well as I am still helping to look after services, providing user support and contribute to service improvement. In a way a lot of it feels very familiar. When you feel that dread as you read that unidesk call for the first time and think oh no!!! To the satisfaction of closing that same call after working through the problem or issue with a “thank you for all your help” from a grateful end user or colleague. I do still have a lot to learn but I’m really enjoying the experience and new challenges so far and look forward to what the coming weeks will bring.