Learning technologists: here to engage and inspire you in your teaching
Hannah Watts and Edd Bolton are learning technologists and part of Solent’s Instructional Design team. You might have spoken to them before, popped up to the office or emailed. Equally, this may be the first you’ve heard of them. Either way, you might be wondering: what does a learning technologist do, and how can Edd and Hannah help you?
In a way the name ‘learning technology’ is a bit misleading, as it is driven by the pedagogy. As Prof. Peter Lloyd says, it can be empowering for staff to engage with technology and find different ways of teaching, just as it can be for students discovering new ways of learning online.
Learning technology isn’t about using the latest gadgets. As the Association for Learning Technology puts it, the goal of learning technology is to understand, manage, research, support or enable learning. At Solent, it’s about having a great idea for teaching, and then discovering the right tools to help you achieve it.
And we do have a lot of tools! It’s easy to feel swamped by lecture capture, online portfolios and, not least, all of the activities available in SOL, and easy to lose sight of your goals when you’re worrying about using unfamiliar technology or pressed for time.
If you want to create learning materials, record lectures, build an online community and develop meaningful learning activities, Hannah and Edd can help you out, even if you’re not sure what you want to do.
They offer a one to one consultation, and are also keen to work with course teams, taking a collaborative approach to achieving great course design. The new nursing degree’s unit pages were developed in this way and have so far been very well received by the students. The staff were pretty happy too!
Whether it’s looking at best practice, tools and ideas, or problem-solving, Edd and Hannah will be able to provide expert guidance and connect you with colleagues who are doing similar things.
Your experience of working with one of our brilliant learning technologists should engage, inspire and prepare you to create an excellent learning and teaching experience for your students. Get in touch!
ML318 (top floor of the Mountbatten library)
Email Edd: edd.bolton@solent.ac.uk – x3187
Email Hannah: hannah.watts@solent.ac.uk – x6978
For the learning technologies advisors, who can help with all technical issues, drop in at the help desk on the second floor of the library, email ltu@solent.ac.uk or phone x5100.