a case study of an innovative professional learning ... · development methodology •developed and...
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A case study of an innovative professional learning platform developed for Educators in Higher Education
Introductions
Project Manger , Learning Futures, Griffith [email protected]@SimonePoulsen18
Simone Poulsen
Deputy Director, Design and Development, Learning Futures, Griffith University
Heidi Blair, PhD
Megan DuffyPreviously Project Manager, Learning Futures, Griffith University
Daniel TedmanPreviously Web Application Developer, Learning Futures, Griffith University
Other team members
• Project Leadership limited to a few was restrictive• Needed common language between all members of the unit• Adapted and adopted an Agile approach for managing the
development of a wide variety of learning products and tools• Affords development teams the opportunity to co-construct resources
or products with user groups, whilst also allowing for flexibility in design
• Effective approach to enhance the self-efficacy of staff • Develop productive working relationships with stakeholders (e.g.,
academics, learning and teaching professionals, informational technology staff and library staff)
Background:
Development methodology • Developed and implemented a bespoke model of Agile
methodology • Working group explored and discussed options• Bespoke Principles and processes were written that honoured
the spirit of the Agile Manifesto and Scrum framework• Culture in which project leadership was distributed across
multi-disciplinary teams; members of project teams self-nominated, as opposed to being assigned to projects; stakeholders were co-constructors of resources, as opposed to clients; and project leaders were stewards, as opposed to managers
1. Any person in any role can lead a project.2. Project Leads are stewards of the project, not task managers.3. Collection of insights/needs (i.e., User Stories) regarding the use of a
project’s deliverables are gathered from a broad representation of potential user groups.
4. All Development Team Members (i.e., staff who dedicate the most hours on each project to create and refine the materials, resources and other outcomes) recognise that flexibility is required during the lifecycle of a project.
5. The project embraces iterative development in short development periods (i.e., Sprints) with deliverables at the end of each Sprint.
Bespoke Principles 1-5:
6. Scheduled meetings will be held for viewing the completed work (i.e., Sprint Reviews), through collaborative presentations made by multiple stakeholders and including large-group feedback.
7. Transparency across projects enables synergy between projects and project teams.
8. Common language for roles, processes and tools is critical.
9. Development Team Members will be empowered to determine the tasks to be completed during a given Sprint (i.e., Sprint Planning Meetings).
10. Development Teams are formed not only on skills and knowledge needed for a specific project, but also personal interest in the project.
11. Stakeholders should be included from each academic group and other central entities as appropriate. A variety of roles should be represented including academics, learning and teaching professionals, support personnel, and other key stakeholders
Bespoke Principles 6-11:
• 12 different entry types covering professional development, workshops and IRU Case Studies
• 345 published entries (to date)
• 1/3 contributed from the various Academic Groups and Elements
• Almost 100 individual staff have contributed to entries
Implementation:
Implementation:
Implementation:• 132 countries
• Evidence of PL for Griffith Learning and Teaching Community
• Referenced in ASCD (Academic Staff Career Development)
• Grants, awards and citations
• Higher Education Academy
• Academic Group based programs
• Promotions, and research funding
Implications (The Tipping Point)
Motivation: ‘I have a very strong interest in giving back to the teaching profession and I saw this as one way of achieving that goal. It also was a powerful reflective tool to refocus on my practice.’
Impact: ‘A lot of us are just spinning around in circles redoing stuff that's been done ... Collectively we can improve our quality of teaching which then benefits students.’
Impact: ‘There are aspects of teaching that are, you know, universal… so we thought this [Faculty Spark] was something that can help people of all persuasions around the world.’
Value: ‘Faculty Stories reminded me of the importance of reflection. I mean, I do it already and it’s deeply ingrained, but the whole process allowed me to take it to a whole other level which was great.’
Quotes from Participants
What is the future? Where to from here…
• Serving as the single database for professional learning materials and experiences
• Integrated into Strategic Initiative Websites via custom API• Main repository for Tier 0 pedagogical support resources, Course
Design Standards• Collaboration with Academic Groups for further additions• Distributed content creation• Marketing
