Supporting the deployment of learning technologies
As an Online Learning Technologist with Staffordshire University’s Institute of Policing, my key responsibilities are to support academic staff in the development and use of technology to deliver a high-quality learning and teaching experience by providing support, training and technical administration. I also support student police officers and police trainers across Staffordshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police and Warwickshire Police.
Supporting University Lecturers
When new staff start, they self-enrol onto a Staff Digital Induction that I created. There is information such as video help guides about the systems we use, including Microsoft Office and our Blackboard VLE, and other information and resources relevant to their role. It introduces them to Microsoft Teams and give them a self-enrolment link to the ‘Institute of Policing Staffroom’ team which is the main communication hub.
During the pandemic, I decided to put something in place to allow staff to book a digital support session with me. I did this to avoid “email tennis”, with emails going backwards and forwards trying to arrange a date and time that was mutually convenient. I include a Microsoft booking link on the Staff Digital Induction for new staff to book a digital support session with me, which new staff they do in their first couple of weeks.
I also include the link in my email signature so that any other member of staff in the Institute of Policing can book a session. Now, lecturers and trainers can see immediately when I am free and book in a training/support session. The most common topics I deliver training on are the following, either one-to-one or in small groups:
- Blackboard Essentials
- Creating Blackboard Courses
- Turnitin
- Microsoft Teams Essentials
- How to use Microsoft Sway and Forms
- How to record video in PowerPoint
Providing technical support to partner police forces
I created an IoP Digital Support module to support police trainers across our four partner police forces. I set this up as a Communication and Information hub.
These are the different types of communication that the module offers:
- Announcements – for me to communicate important updates, any new features in Blackboard and Microsoft Teams, and anything else that maybe of interest.
- A Discussion Board – to allow trainers to have conversations with lecturers and police trainers in other forces.
- A Microsoft Booking link – for police trainers to book a session with me.
This is summarised in the following video:
I received some positive feedback about this video:
Providing support to West Mercia Police
I helped West Mercia Police training by creating Blackboard modules with Blackboard Collaborate rooms that they were able to use for one-to-one and group sessions as part of the students’ initial training, before their official start with the University. See email below.
Providing digital skills training and support to students
My online induction process has allowed student police officer training across four police forces to continue smoothly through the Covid-19 pandemic. This is explained in more detail in Core Area 1: Subsection a.
Evidence
Staffordshire University Celebrating Success Awards – Individual and Team Nominations
As a result of my innovative use of digital technology, I received both Individual and Team Nominations in the category of Talented People – Digital Pioneer at Staffordshire University’s Celebrating Success Awards in October 2020.
Evidence: Staffordshire University Celebrating Success Awards – Individual Nominations
Evidence: Staffordshire University Celebrating Success Awards – Team Nomination
This was written by the Director of the Institute of Policing:
This was submitted as part of the digital commentary for the Year 1 review of Policing delivery
Evidence: Email from West Mercia Police
In January 2021, I received positive feedback from West Mercia Police which referred to my logical problem solving and how, because of what I put in place, the impact on the learning was that “student officers are able to access learning without encountering problems“. Other key comments in the email were:
“Within a couple of days, you had helped us in setting up access and processes that we were then able to use with ease.”
“You have provided excellent support to my team, applied logical problem solving and most importantly, always reached a workable solution.”
Evidence: Student comments on Teams
As well as feedback on Microsoft Forms (Core Area 2: Subsection b), I have also received positive feedback from students on Microsoft Teams when I have asked them if there were any areas I could improve in the Digital Skills Induction.
“Instructions were great.”
“I personally (after graduating 14 years ago) found the digital skills induction really helpful and very user friendly in terms of navigating myself around.”
Reflection
Before the pandemic, support sessions and training would be face-to-face. One-to-one sessions were fairly easy to accommodate. However, when there was more than one person, I would often have to book a room which was sometimes problematic. Often, most rooms were already booked and those that were free were quite a distance away from our building, which meant a long walk there and back. Sometimes there were also double bookings.
What I’ve learnt is that staff are now much more confident using Microsoft Teams than they were before the pandemic, simply because they’ve had to use it more to communicate. All training is now done online on Microsoft Teams and staff are comfortable with that. Online training is an improvement over face-to-face training; it has increased efficiency because there is less “dead time” caused by travelling to different rooms and setting up laptops, projector and other equipment.
I had positive feedback for The IoP Digital Support module that I created for both lecturers and police trainers across our partner forces.
The announcements and Microsoft Booking link have been successful. However, the Discussion Board has been a disappointment and hasn’t been used much. What I have decided I will do differently is replace the Discussion Board with a link to a Microsoft Team that all police trainers will be able to access. With Teams, we could use channels to separate discussion topics, and tools such as ‘likes’ and emojis may improve engagement.
In order to train lecturers, police trainers and students, it is important that I keep my knowledge up-to-date. Now that I am an MIE Expert, I have access to the MIEE Microsoft Team and have found it a very good place to communicate with other people and keep up-to-date with learning technology. This is explained in more detail in Core Area 4: Communication.