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Building Subject Communities & Student Support

Building Subject Communities & Student Support. R05 Forty-fying AL Conference 24/05/09. Communities. Activity 1. One your own: 1. What communities do you belong to (education, social) -what do you value about your communities?. With a neighbour:

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Building Subject Communities & Student Support

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  1. Building Subject Communities & Student Support R05 Forty-fying AL Conference 24/05/09

  2. Communities Activity 1 One your own: 1. What communities do you belong to (education, social) -what do you value about your communities? With a neighbour: 2. What communities do students already use in the OU? Time: 4 mins Existing OU Student Communities Tutorial & Days School OUSA Chat Rooms Course Forums Residential Schools TG Forums Facebook, Second Life, YouTube

  3. SYSTEMIC SUPPORT Motivation Confidence Learning & Skills Identity Employability Affective Support Reflective Support Cognitive Support Student Support is Changing in the OU (SSR Implementation) • Some thoughts on Student (Learning) Support* Affective (emotional development) Reflective (motivational support) Cognitive (academic /skills support) Systemic (practical) * Pat Aitkins & Jo Beard, PILS, 2009

  4. Subject Communities Offer PERMANENT academic home for student (& staff) Learn through participation with others Recognise the relevance of CONTEXT of their interests Develop sense of COMMITMENT MOTIVATION & IDENTITY Encounter STUDY & EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS & practices in the context of relevant concepts COMMITMENT Experience perspective of PEERS & experts Subject e-community – more than a website!

  5. Communities of Practice • Allowed to evolve rather than be prescribed. • Go through phases of IDENTITY: • BELONGING (Engagement, imagination, alignment) • IDENTIFICATION & OWNERSHIP (power & different levels of ownership). • Education communities of practice – must be recognised, supported encouraged& nurtured (cannot be designed or reified!) Selected Views of Wenger (Communities ‘academic guru’.)

  6. COLMSCT ProjectEngaging Students in an Engineering Community 1. Engineering (Technology) students historical poor participation in communities / e-communities. Why? (Communities transient during student experience) (Engineers have common professional objectives (ECuk recognition)) 2. Define a substantive model for an engineering e-community, taking into account community stakeholder views, academic theories and experiences of others!

  7. COLMSCT Project • Hold Associate Teaching Fellowship (approx 1 day / week over 2 years). REQUIRE AL (AND OU STAFF) STAKEHOLDER INPUT INTO MODEL. • Have own ideas but request your thoughts and input (via this session). • ANY subsequent thoughts, interest or input, please contact me! Widening scope of next activity! • Group into Engineering courses ALs and others: same questions but for either general Technology of other subject groupings.

  8. Community Brainstorming • Initially e-community: subject community moving towards CofP model. (More than existing website) Activity 2. • What are your views on the benefits of an ENGINEERING / SUBJECT community? • What needs would such a community fulfil? • Suggestions for content / themes for an ENGINEERING / SUBJECT community? Time: 15mins

  9. Community FEEDBACK 1. What are your views on the benefits of an ENGINEERING / SUBJECT community? 2. What needs would such a community fulfil? 3. Suggestions for content / themes for an ENGINEERING / SUBJECT community? THANK-YOU

  10. Benefits / Needs Ideas (to date) • 1. Opportunity to meet other students, OU staff and others with an interest in Engineering. • 2. Learning and updating beyond formal course boundaries. • 3. Establishing a larger network of contacts. • 4. Obtaining experience and knowledge opportunities aligned to the Engineering Institutes’ Professional Development and Competency requirements. • 5. Maintaining contacts beyond course presentations. • 6. Source of help for engineering related study skills. • 7. Useful source of career’s advice. • 8. Sense of faculty group membership. • 9. Exposure and contributing to general engineering themed debates. • 10. A source of help during transition between different levels of study. • 11. Links to news on Engineering developments. COLMSCT PROJECT K CLAY May 09

  11. Content & Theme Ideas (to date) • 1. Careers information and links. • 2. Updates on engineering course and program developments. • 3. Professional Institute News & course approval developments. • 4. Student experiences of dealing with professional institutes. • 5. Advice on generic professional competencies. • 6. Advice on gathering evidence for professional development • 7. Professional ethics. • 8. Experiences of OU alumni. • 9. Interest group forums for defined engineering sectors. • 10. ‘Current affairs’ in engineering. • 11. Engineering study skills and hints. COLMSCT PROJECT K CLAY May 09

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