Initial+thoughts

=Initial Thoughts of Agenda Activists=

Summary of Challenges Raised at Cafe Discussion

 * ====Time- allocation and will it materalise still needs to be negotiated with HOD====
 * ====How do we ensure Buy-In from colleagues, students and HODs? (need to find the "weak spots" of people that don't buy in and capitalise on these? Offer "incentives" for people reluctant to adopt change)====
 * ====How can we manage fear of technology and fear of change?====
 * ====Recognising and respecting culture- through story telling====
 * ====Will Unitec's infrastructure (hardware, software, IT support) be able to support e-Learning?====
 * ====How might we ensure that all parties are represented in this process?====
 * ====How can we "diagnose" the e-aptitude of students and staff?====
 * ====How will management clearly communicate their expectations to the Community Coordinators?====
 * ====How do we manage information overload?====
 * ====Will Moodle be out of date by the time we (as an institution) learn how to use it?====
 * ====How can we help students, lecturers and others participate fully and enthusiastically in this new model of learning?====
 * ====Will everyone have access?====
 * ====Can we improve reliability and speed of our technology resources?====

Here are the issues and benefits that arose from my table at the cafe session.
 * Issues and Benefits of the Communities of Practice (arising from discussion at the Cafe Discussion - 8 February 2010)**

With the whole concept**
 * ISSUES
 * Unitec staff feeling that this strategy has been imposed on us without consultation or discussion. There have been threats expressed that if departments don't get on board, they will be exposed. Most staff don't react well to a "stick" (although for some, it's the only way they will actually get involved).
 * Communities of Practice work best when all members of the community are passionate or are motivated to make the community a success. Yet, in our situation, the Community Co-ordinators have to try and make our colleagues participate in these communities We can't let them willingly come on board in their own time.
 * Lack of time for individual staff members to come to terms with the concepts and ideas of a Community of Practice.
 * Many people not liking change. There has been a lot of change at Unitec recently.
 * Colleagues feeling that their teaching is fine - they have no need of a community of practice. Others have the problem.
 * Concern that staff are already very busy with current duties such that they feel that they don't have time to be involved in a Community of Practice.
 * That a week's training is insufficient for the type of work we are expected to do as Community Co-ordinators.
 * That we are practicing forming a Community of Practice in training, but we will only get to know each other here on a superficial level.


 * That a Community of Practice might help with**
 * Unitec departments are quite fragmented. There is significant potential for multi-disciplinary and cross-department sharing of ideas etc. with Communities of Practice. Unitec talking to each other as one body, rather than separate departments.
 * That teaching staff don't have time to learn new skills. A Community of Practice could help with this if the members of each Community worked together to learn new skills together.
 * Some colleagues are remotely located (eg. not in Auckland). Through a Community of Practice, we can more easily discuss issues and other matters with our colleagues. An e-Community of Practice can facilitate Communities talking through digital means.


 * BENEFITS (to use to get buy-in from our colleagues)**
 * Ability to share good ideas and get new ideas for teaching practice. Ability to share teaching strategies.
 * Ability to seek guidance from peers on problems we are having.
 * Possibility of synergy of work. Taking away the need to 'recreate the wheel'.
 * That there is no one way to have a Community of Practice. Each department will likely have their own unique version of a community.
 * That they can be a catalyst for further discussion and for creating peer mentoring groups.
 * We owe it to our students to give them the best learning experience. If we can garner all the great ideas from staff across Unitec, we are more likely to be giving the students that great experience.
 * That through the Community of Practice concept, some of the formality in the department can go. For example, annual personal appraisals could be done in a more pleasant venue (coffee shop, bar) with more of an atmosphere of mentor-mentee discussion rather than boss-employee discussion.
 * Ability to reflectively evaluate our teaching and student service to see if there are things we could be doing better.

Summary

Adrian Jenkins, Library

**Discussion on Activities that could be implemented to resolve challenges with Infrastructure (Hware and Sware) and ICT support**
Notes from meeting hosted by Adrian and Phil

points raised;


 * There is no representatives from IT at the workshop?, were they invited? should they have been included?
 * We need to champion an IT dept person as a member of the COP and there insight into the processes involved.
 * Form a sub group within the COP to be an advocacy group to drive the implementation of IT resources to produce one voice for the group for IT demands
 * Awareness of 'Us and them" with IT and ways to work through this
 * Awareness of funding for necessary changes maybe being out of our control
 * Ways to identify Hware and Sware needs
 * Need for a well signposted timeline for rollouts of any infrastucture needed
 * Identify roadblocks early on to counter frustrations


 * Timeline developed:** ( feel free to place in a table for me, I struggled)


 * 0 Months**
 * Establish COP to meet ICT specialists and develop goals and guidelines


 * 3 Months**
 * quarterly meetings with; Stakeholders, LKS, IT, COP x2, Budgetholders


 * 6 Months**
 * review action plan


 * 9 Months**


 * revise strategy


 * 12 months**
 * Implement
 * review goals
 * progress report


 * Buy in by colleagues/students and us.... **

Adherence to strategies, goals, and success of Unitec Aim most programmes with e learning content by 2011. E-learning Is not an option
 * New Thinking about teaching and learning the fear of it... **


 * Indentify individuals ability and interest are they**

KEEN NOT SO DIFFICULT DIFFICULT

Support them they are not on their own E Learning Coordinator will help Heads of Department and Deans need to be committed


 * Identify the motivators for each tutor** --- Find the soft spot

New “tech” and software and connections -can people tempted? The end goal – why (How this adds value) What will they get out of it? Save time (in the long term) ????? Improve student learning outcomes Flexibility of learning times and modes (Asynchronous) Working from home etc Resources (Exemplars, best practice tips etc) Ease of contact, flexible teaching

Professional development paid up-skilling for for full and part time staff. Ensuring costs are covered; release time Extra-curricular benefits (Skype, I.T. skills etc) Ability to work where and when Social benefits of COP”S, sharing hopes and fears Celebrate people who successfully implement

Reassurance about fear Six year olds developing their own e- portfolios – students of tomorrow They will be digital natives from primary and secondary school Industry expectations TEC / MIN. Ed expectations
 * Student expectations of teaching and learning **

Ways to bring people on board Mini expo Individual support Find an issue that is a problem – identify solutions Give them a step up ... put a few thing into place for them

Adherence to strategies, goals, and success of Unitec Aim most courses with e learning content by 2011 - 12 month timeline E-learning Is not an option Indentify individuals ability and interest are they KEEN NOT SO DIFFICULT Start with the easiest DIFFICULT
 * New Thinking about teaching and learning the fear of it... **

Support them they are not on their own E Learning Coordinator will help Heads of Department and Deans need to be committed Identify the motivators for each tutor --- Find the soft spot

Change identify the change agent Find sticky message Change in context New “tech” and software and connections The end goal – why (How this adds value) Save time (in the long term) Improve student learning outcomes Flexibility of learning times and modes (Asynchronous) Resources (Exemplars, best practice tips etc) Ease of contact, flexible teaching Reassurance about fears Professional development paid up-skilling for staff for full and part time staff. Ensuring costs are covered; release time Extra-curricular benefits (Skype, I.T. skills etc) Ability to work where and when Social benefits of COP”S, sharing hopes and fears Celebrate people who successfully implement

Six year olds developing their own e- portfolios – students of tomorrow They will be digital natives from primary and secondary school Industry expectations TEC / MIN. Ed expectations
 * Student expectations of teaching and learning **

Ways to bring people on board Mini expo Individual support Find an issue that is a problem – identify solutions Give them a step up ... put a few thing into place for them

Link to the UPSKILLING TEACHERS IN ELEARNING Activities

Notes from Rob and Martins group on Successfull Case Sudies and Pacing the project.