Are we giving lecturers enough?

Derek Bruff - http://flic.kr/p/dfYsNB

I've noticed something here at work, witness to an imbalance of available resources. We provide a lot here at our institution for students, student inductions talking about all types of technology, inside and outside of the institution to help their learning. We provide drop-ins for students in a dedicated area within the library, a large support network and the introduction of more effective informal learning spaces.

Now don't get me wrong, we provide staff with a lot of resources, hub and spoke, which is used with varying success where we are placed in specific divisions or schools. Staff, and students for that matter can access our blogs which detail projects and pilots. We also get a lot of traffic through word of mouth. We have had some great progress with 'some' staff who walk away and run with what they have learnt, dedicate the time and succeed. 

The rest... 'I don't have time", the complaint I'm sure most of us hear echoed down the corridors of our HEIs from academic staff. No time indeed, let alone be creative and conjure up new learning activities using these new and exciting tools.
Yes the Learning Technologists are here shining a guiding light as to what's new and showing effective use of these tools, however where's the time to practically implement such tools/processes. The only lecturing staff I have witnessed dive in with such gusto adopting these technologies have missed the picture and have ended up not using the tool effectively, one of the things our teams harps on about constantly.

Is there enough time? Or is it something deeper, and not having time is an easy barrier to erect quickly in the face of change. The flip classroom and refocusing on small low stake formative assessments have been driven from our team recently, bringing in the ability to record self narrative video and using that as pre-session material has been both a great introduction but, a resource burden. 

In an open plan office environment, where would a lecturer go to record such a thing? An attempt was made at dedicating a room to such an activity, however this from has to be booked.. ugh, another hurdle, not only that but the kit in the room is different.. ugh, another hurdle. Here's the process, here's how it will help your students, these are the benefits to you, you need to structure your module on the VLE appropriately.. ugh.. you get the idea. Err 'I don't have enough time'. 

So what can we do about this? We've recently had a chat about creating an informal learning space dedicated to lecturing staff, manned by our team. A quiet space staff can come and quickly and simply complete tasks. Sit in a pod and using the gear you're familiar with to record over a presentation away from your desk, whenever you want with support just outside, not across the other side of the building. 

We have quite a lot of chats over coffee with staff members (when they have time of course) to discuss what's available, but it's the walking away after and mulling over the 'list' of things that need to be done is where I think the problem is. If there was an area where we could go 'Ok, let me quickly show you' right there and then, a lecturer in essence could come for a quick chat and a coffee and walk away with the job either complete or half done, with enough interest and motivation to carry on with the process. 

You always hear 'students are our customers', thats fine and dandy, chuck resource at supporting them, but what happens when the lecturing staff can't teach them with the tools the students are now and will expect to be using more in the near future? So let's start understanding what the lecturers reservations are, and start providing a safe and easy atmosphere for them to do 'their' learning.