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Connecting Transitions and Independent Learning Richard Hall (rhall1@dmu.ac.uk, @hallymk1)

Connecting Transitions and Independent Learning Richard Hall (rhall1@dmu.ac.uk, @hallymk1) Heather Conboy (hconboy@dmu.ac.uk, @heaths123). Some context. In terms of your learners: Describe the types of journeys that they make into HE

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Connecting Transitions and Independent Learning Richard Hall (rhall1@dmu.ac.uk, @hallymk1)

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  1. Connecting Transitions and Independent Learning Richard Hall (rhall1@dmu.ac.uk, @hallymk1) Heather Conboy (hconboy@dmu.ac.uk, @heaths123)

  2. Some context In terms of your learners: • Describe the types of journeys that they make into HE • Describe the types of issues that impact their transition into HE • Describe how you manage these issues Do technologies have a role in these descriptions?

  3. CoTIL project: headlines HEA e-Learning Research Observatory project looking at: • Challenges of transitions: adapting to cultural and academic expectations; socialisation; contact with significant others; moments in time • The impact of read/write web technologies • Expand pedagogic borders beyond the classroom, campus and VLEs; radical or progressive pedagogies • Two strands: peer-mentoring managed by students; level 1 Historians using social media for reflection

  4. Hall, 2009; after Ravensbourne, 2008 Ravensbourne, 2008

  5. Peer-mentoring:institutional or social tools? • VLE = familiarity; ‘legitimate’ activity; administrative convenience. • This preference related more to the mentors' intentions • Social tools = chatty and informal; can be more critical. • “it was important that the mentees did not feel intimidated by the scheme, which was why we decided to use Facebook” • No greater engagement from mentees using social tools. • “as time went by without contact we resorted to any methods available”

  6. Peer-mentoring: matters arising • Social engagement and affective learning "it has been very rewarding for me, knowing that I have eased other peoples fears with regard to all aspects of the course.” • Boundaries: mentors as stakeholders in an “institutional” scheme impacts participation, and the selection of technologies. • Mentors have to ‘push’ services and expertise. There are critical moments in time – assessments – that need to be seized. • More structured and earlier training, including on creating and maintaining communities, and emphasising the benefits for mentees.

  7. The use of learning logs in History An embryonic taxonomy, which defines four types of engagement with reflection by apprentice historians emerged from the logs.

  8. The use of learning logs in History • Engaging the affective side of learning with apprentice learners; understanding how cognition and emotion are mutually-reinforcing • Logs demonstrated how the transition into working as a historian in HE was seen to be personal, but located as a social activity. • The nurturing role of tutors as mentors in a collective endeavour aimed at subject mastery framed by personal, student ownership of engagements within an institutionally-provided space.

  9. Recommendations Mentors: engagement impacted by perceptions of: the 'institution' and its role; available technologies; and of the efficacy of peer communication. Mentors need to engage their mentees in a discussion about these issues. Programme teams: should develop coherent approaches for transitions that include the development of the whole person. Support staff: need to give advice about the available technologies and guidance around building communities of practice for self-managing students. Institutional managers: must consider the ability of learners to plug-in/manage their own technologies, networks and content.

  10. One final issue Do staff turn technologies into an unnecessary boundary for students to cross?

  11. Some references: 1 • Anagnostopoulou, K. and Parmar, D. (2008) Practical Guide: bringing together e-learning and student retention, Middlesex University & University of Ulster, http://www.ulster.ac.uk/star/ • Broad, J. (2006) ‘Interpretations of independent learning in further education’, Journal of Further and Higher Education 30(2), 119-43. • Glasgow Caledonian University (2008) Learning from Digital Natives Project, HEA, http://www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/ldn/ • Hall, R. (2009), Towards a fusion of formal and informal learning environments: the impact of the read/write web, EJEL 7(1), 29 – 40

  12. Some references: 2 • HEA Evidence Net: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/evidencenet • Ravensbourne (2008), Learner Integration : http://bit.ly/7o84r • University of Ulster (2008) Student Transition And Retention Project.http://www.ulster.ac.uk/star/index.htm • Yorke, M and Longden, B. (2008) The first-year experience of higher education in the UK (Phase 2), HEA. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/FYEFinalReport.pdf

  13. Licensing This presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons, Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales license See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

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