A well rounded ed-techie’s mission should be to enable / enhance teaching and improve learning using available technologies. This broad mandate makes the potential scope of work vary wide and quite dynamic. Constantly changing tools and technologies regularly usher in change and create flux. Consequently, good ed techies are not always easily found, or they become difficult to identify.
Many times, the actual job description of an ed-techie will be vague and unclear. A lack of consistent terminology in the literature and among the profession contributes towards this haziness. If the ed techie is working in a higher ed setting, its likely that the locations will differ, according to each local need. You might find an ed techie within the vertical silos of academic departments, schools and faculties. Or somewhere within the horizontal layers services run by administration, the network or academic development. Ed techies appearance within different spaces also leads to certain reflexive behaviours. If located at the centre, the likelihood of top down command and control culture is likely and the ed techie will follow orders. Whereas if they are distributed across the institution and are closer to the target group, then needs are most apparent, because they are embeded within a context and agency and dialogue will be a feature of their working style. Maybe ed techies are on contract, remote and off campus entirely, and they can bring an external perspective that highlights how closed and insular campus can be to the part time student.
Three Expectations
The titles, roles and duties of an ed-techie can’t be abstracted and depend on the assigned responsibilities within the organization wherein they located. Whether the ed techie be in an administrator, support, training, instructional design or learning and development position, located in a central unit or working alongside departmental colleagues, there are at least three minimum expectations that you can have of them.
Expectation 1: An informed ed-techie must understand teaching, learning, assessment and administrative practices. He or she is comfortable interacting with subject matter experts (teachers, academics or professionals) and can guide them as they begin to apply their teaching practices to technology. If called on, they should be able to suggest a range of different patterns that might enable/enhance digital learning activities and make environment an active one.
Expectation 2: A knowledgeable ed-techie must be able to explain the rationale that lies behind their approach to technology. He or she can use one or several perspectives to explain or defend their approach. They can draw on dominant paradigms, such as behaviorism, constructivism and connectivism, and use these perspectives to unpack their own and other people’s use ed tech. They are also able to identify some of the theorists behind these traditions (from Skinner to Pappert to Siemens) and have read their work.
Expectation 3: A tech savvy ed-techie must be able to manage the use and support of current and new technology resources. He or she is often called into resolving complex issues, consult with vendors, identify ‘solutions’, make recommendations and liaise between all parties concerned. Sometimes they are given the authority and budget to reshape the typical practices of academics and students.
Seven Characteristics
You’ll find the informed, knowledgeable and tech savvy ed-techie in a variety of locations, called upon to do needs assessments, talking about change, designing training programmes, distributing “how to” recipes and developing and maintaining “why do we” explanations for colleagues. There are a range of titles to describe the functional roles associated with the work that they do. When hiring an ed techie to fill a role, instead of trying to match titles to responsibilities, check for common characteristics of a person involved in the intersection between teaching, learning and technology While the post has thus far highlighted the many differences, there are certain attributes or characteristics that seem common to well rounded ed-techies
- Practical. They are able to apply their knowledge about technology and pedagogy to address a particular challenge.
- Grounded. They can articulate (or at least point to) some of the theories or frameworks that inform their approach.
- Up to date & informed. They remain current and interested about a range of emerging and ongoing themes that pertain to digital capability and teaching excellence.
- Connected. They are either participating in or building their own personal learning network. They lurk within or contribute to a community of practice.
- Inclusive. They are aware of the digital divide and the make choices that promote inclusivity, diversity and equity.
- Reflective. They are critical about their own and others’ practices and processes and share their reflections with others.
- Busy. They are juggling multiple roles. From help desk to researcher, they have their thumbs in many pies
Educational technology is becoming ubiquitous. But ed-techies who are comfortable “working in a ‘third space’ that crosses complex boundaries – between the pedagogical and technological, and the academic and professional” (Mitchel, 2017) are not as frequent. The rapidly changing landscape of digital higher education compounds this problem. The result is a disconnect between ed-techies titles and the actual expertise, attributes, abilities and knowledge needed. This frequently results in confusion and tensions. Addressing this disconnect is necessary to improve the relationships and collaboration between ed techies and other people who they work with. If ed techies are to make significant contributions to technology and education, then they need to be valued, supported and empowered.
References
Intentional Futures (2016). Instructional design in higher education: A report on the role, workflow, and experience of instructional designers. Intentional Futures. Retrieved from https://intentionalfutures.com.
Mitchell, K., Simpson, C. & Adachi, C. (2017). What’s in a name: the ambiguity and complexity of technology enhanced learning roles. In H. Partridge, K. Davis, & J. Thomas. (Eds.), Me, Us, IT! Proceedings ASCILITE2017: 34th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education (pp. 147-151).