Abstract
With the inception of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs), the demand for learning developers has increased in many institutions across the UK. Operating largely in small teams, yet within the remit of facilitating large-scale institutional change, CETLs often find themselves outside established institutional structures, with developers fulfilling newly defined roles and responsibilities. This short paper focuses on the way learning development support has been integrated in one particular CETL, in order to explore issues, challenges and experiences that are part of the role.
Highlights
The CILASS contextCILASS, the Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences, based at the University of Sheffield, is one of 74 'Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning' funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2005 as part of a 5 year programme of learning and teaching enhancement at UK HE institutions
CILASS adopts a definition of Networked Learning which largely corresponds with that reported by Jones (2004): Networked learning is learning in which information and communication technology (C&IT) is used to promote connections: between one learner and other learners, between learners and tutors; between a learning community and its learning resources. (p. 89)
The generic Learning Development and Research Associates' (LDRAs) role involves providing a wide variety of support for project leaders and a significant degree of support for each other so that the pedagogical and strategic aims of CILASS can be achieved
Summary
CILASS, the Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences, based at the University of Sheffield, is one of 74 'Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning' funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2005 as part of a 5 year programme of learning and teaching enhancement at UK HE institutions. The CETL programme recognised existing excellence in teaching practice; in the case of CILASS this related to the use of inquiry-based pedagogies at the University of Sheffield, in the faculties of Arts and Social Sciences. CILASS funding is currently employed to finance two main streams of curriculum development activity and associated evaluation, research and dissemination: departmental programmes of curriculum development in the faculties of Arts and Social Sciences; and IBL grant projects that are smaller scale curriculum development, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning or inquiry projects taken forward by individuals or small teams of academic staff (and, in one case, students) from across the University. Whilst many CETLs have created additional posts for learning developers and learning technologists, only a fraction of these operate within one particular pedagogical approach. This article briefly outlines the pedagogical and professional context, describes the roles of the three LDRAs, before exploring how cross-brokering of knowledge and skills helps to provide coherent development support for IBL at the institution
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