Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Promoting Learner Autonomy

1. The role of a Centre for Excellence in developing a scholarship of teaching based on pedagogical research around learner autonomy Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Promoting Learner Autonomy Kenisha Garnett and Ivan Moore

2. What do we know about teaching, learning and scholarship and how they are connected? • What ideas and concepts come to mind when you think about the word ‘scholarship’? • Definition of scholarship ...the body of knowledge accrued by study or research in a certain field • Distinctions between the knowledge base of the scholar and the knowledge base of the scholarly teacher (Rice 1992; Paulsen 2001)

3. Scholarly teaching and learning • Scholarly teaching aims to make transparent the process of enabling student learning (Prosser, Trigwell and Benjamin 1998) • Questions related to the larger learning experiences of students are important in scholarship (Kreber 2005)

4. Teaching, learning and scholarship • Scholarship of teaching includes ongoing learning about teaching and the demonstration of teaching knowledge (Kreber and Cranton 2000) • Improvements in teaching and learning depend upon the development of scholarship, which necessitates reflection, inquiry, evaluating, documenting and communicating good practice (Healey 2000)

5. A model of the scholarship of teaching How can I foster student learning? Teaching Learning What actions do I take in teaching? Why do I teach this way? Adapted from Trigwell and Shale 2004; Kreber and Cranton 2000

6. Teaching scholarship and learner development • We surmise that the scholarship of teaching includes a combination of factors: • identifying the characteristics of excellent and scholarly teaching • communicating and discussing the successes and challenges of teaching and learning • evaluating the effects and impacts of teaching practice on learner development • reflecting on the outcomes to improve future practice

7. Teaching scholarship and learner development • The CPLA CETL promotes and innovates learning and teaching practice across the institution through a scholarly approach to learner autonomy • CPLA learner autonomy agenda aims to enable students to construct their own knowledge in partnership with tutors and other students

8. Centre for Promoting Learner Autonomy Independence or autonomy • What do we mean by Learner Autonomy? Inter-dependence Relative dependence • An autonomous learner takes responsibility for his/her own learning. They can identify: • their learning goals (what they need to learn) • their learning processes (how they will learn it) • how they will evaluate and use their learning

9. Transforming teaching practice A student-centred approach to teaching and learning (staff readiness) Readiness Openness and flexibility Enabling environment Changing perceptions around learner autonomy (reflective practice) Trigger An enabling environment that fosters learner autonomy (trigger for staff engagement)

10. Fostering a scholarship of teaching Entitlement funding 2.5 years strategic Faculty Development Initiatives Competitive bidding 1 year innovative Small Scale Projects

11. How we supported scholarship • Workshops and at-elbow support • Literature • staff and student conceptions • project planning, action learning • evaluation* • Dissemination • seminars, symposiums, case studies • conferences / publications • *....the impacts of innovations in teaching and learning practice are continuously evaluated, communicated and shared within the learning community (Moore, Elfving-Hwang and Garnett 2009)

12. Emerging learning communities… • Fostered through cross-institutional project schemes (ad-hoc) • CPLA provides leadership and focus (energises communities) • Factors that encourage communities of practice • non-hierarchical • informal • group (community) interests are closely aligned with personal interests (pre-existing work) • shared domain of interest (learner autonomy) is clearly defined and shared between participants

13. Why are our learning communities important? • members learn fast and learn complex concepts • 'working as a community of practice increases the level of knowledge of the participants and the quality of their working practice' (concurring with Cremer and Valkenburg 2008on communities of practice)

14. The learning communities and their 'scholarly activities' • Staff communities • engage with principles for active, student centred teaching and learning (discipline specific) • boundaries of interest define domain (some overlap) • Student communities • social and dialogic learning specific to subject • collaborative and interdisciplinary learning • Staff-student communities • staff-student projects (enquiry or research led) • collaborative and interdisciplinary learning

15. How have we connected teaching, learning and scholarship? An enabling environment to foster learner autonomy Changing perceptions around learner autonomy A student-centred approach to teaching and learning Fostered learning communities Sharing and dissemination How can I foster student learning? What actions do I take in teaching? Why do I teach this way?

16. Key messages from staff Regular meetings (or workshops) helped to keep us focused… we knew a case study was needed and on that basis we had to do some evaluation… Create the right environment and both staff and students can become more autonomous… Great insights on how students learn…I am surprised we were blind to these aspects before… We were worried about getting buy-in at the beginning but then we started to talk about the project, talk to the students and develop our ideas…it quickly got exciting; made me want to follow up in greater depth…

17. Concerns for development • Scholarly teaching practice • How do we turn our scholarly approach into common practice? • How do we use 'grass-root' experiences of scholarship to effect institutional change? • Learning (scholarly) communities: • How can we encourage greater numbers in scholarly communities? • How do we break down hierarchies and maintain informality whilst also providing leadership and focus?

18. The role of a Centre for Excellence in developing a scholarship of teaching based on pedagogical research around learner autonomy Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Promoting Learner Autonomy For information www.shu.ac.uk/cetl/cpla/cplahome.html (Contact me - k.garnett@shu.ac.uk)