Cottom (2019) discussed some of the successes and challenges I encounter working as a Learning Technologist. In my job title, learning is front and center with technology being the secondary modality in which I primarily support learning. A common question we frequently ask within my team is “how will this impact our learners?” Technology use is particularly prominent in my context as many programs I support are online or hybrid delivery which currently relies on various systems such as our learning management system (LMS).
One of the successes in my context has been the ability to routinely collaborate between our academic and edtech professionals. There are a few strategies we’ve employed to help create a practice of consistent communication and collaboration:
- Learning Technologists are assigned to specific program areas as liaisons to help build familiarity and trust, understand contexts and be a consistent point of contact for communication
- Instructors and Subject Matter Experts (SME) along with the program are the owners of the course. Learning Technologists still have the authority to ensure critical requirements are met, such as privacy or accessibility requirements
- Workshops and individual training is available to academic professionals covering foundational technical skills to advanced use of specific features
- Just-in-time support is available for live courses during regular office hours to ensure any questions or unforeseen issues can be addressed quickly
I’ve found these strategies help mitigate some of the challenges describes by Cottom (2019) in crossing work unit silos and combining expertise to produce better learning. I believe there is always room for improvement, but these steps have helped cultivate a culture of collaboration which is both pleasant and effective to work with.
The challenges of cost and practicality/usability are highlighted by Cottom (2019) in using technologies to support learning. As capabilities and access to these technologies continue to grow, so can their complexity in implementation and use. A strategy used in my team to help constantly challenge our assumptions is having dedicated research time to explore practices, technologies, innovations in educational technologies every week. This helps us keep up to date and inspires potential strategies we could employ or adapt in the future. I’ve tested many proposed “one-click solutions” as termed by Cottom (2019), but had the shared of experience that it is rarely as simple as initially thought and then encountering additional restraints such as cost, accessibility and scalability. Continual reflection in our practice as Learning Technologists helps our expertise stay current, improves our ability to utilize and guide others on learning development and ensure we don’t lose focus on supporting the learning first, not the technology.
References:
Cottom,T. (2019, August 16) Rethinking the Context of Edtec. Educause. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2019/8/rethinking-the-context-of-edtech
By: Zac MacDonald