#LTHEchat A6 Sadly most SLTs do not come from LD backgrounds, they do not understand LD & its values nor what it can do for students & for their HEI - this means that different people have different conceptualisations even when in disussion w each other. Shared understanding of the field would help.

This is terrifying, and I’m not sure I’ve seen this dimension reflected in the any of the work and guidance on AI and assessment. In Ed Dev and LD we need to see our students holistically not just as learners.

Although there is no professional progression in LD elsewhere either. You might luck into one of the few institutions which pay more, contract better or there’s a head of LD role going but you haven’t “gone” anywhere in career terms. You lose staff from the profession as well as the institution.

The recognition model of FHEA, ALDINHE, SEDA etc doesn’t have the same clout as, say, GMC or even trade union like BMA. Even with CILIP now, unis can just opt to not care if a librarian is not registered and current and working in line with professional standards

Absolutely. LDers and other 3rd space professionals, but also to some extent academics too, don’t have the strong external professional body that might also have a role in determining what the job is. It’s what the uni says it is, w/o power to assert “this is also my profession as well as job”

One cause is a very flat and crude understanding of the knowledge and skills that go into such work, how they build from entry level to skilled practitioner. I’ve done some work around differentiating this and ALDinHE’s distinction between practitioner and senior practitioner goes some way

It’s been so lovely to participate again- I’ve missed the community on Twitter and #LTHEChat especially, but this is the topic to draw me out again! Thank you!

I’ve also found that LD is often located and subordinated under another profession- eap, librarians or ed dev, and this makes it hard to operate in our own right or be heard. #LTHEChat

A6 it’s important to bear in mind that a lot of extra “help” can sometimes be heaped on those least able to take time to engage with it. And a decolonised approach which invites open discussion of culturally privileged norms rather than assuming them or expecting uncritical adoption. #LTHEChat

That’s interesting…. Every location for LD has pros and cons, but also trends over the years. It was all alongside counselling when I started, then libraries was all the rage, back into student services, alongside ed dev… #LTHEChat

A5 One thing that’s been an absolute joy to me has been learning more about how related professions work and think and figuring out how we can riff off each other fruitfully. I’ve worked with amazing colleagues in other professions on collaborative sessions #LTHEChat

A VERY SHOUTY CROSS ONE 😫#LTHEChat

I could rant about this too. I’m no longer in an LD role.

A5 Respectful and interprofessional ones- recognising we all have slightly different conceptualisation of what these “skills” are and different pedagogies, between the professions. #LTHEChat

A2 I’d love to see students given the chance to do a commentary on their own work. Like a DVD extra, talking through the choices and rationale and uncertainties behind the finished product #LTHEChat

Hartley et al (2011)….. 😂😩

Will do!

There’s no progression either- the loss of experience and expertise as people find there’s nowhere to go is so sad. #LTHEChat

There’s more literature being done on this (ive externaled for 2 PhDs on the topic recently and written about it myself) but it’s often not read by those with clout. #LTHEChat

A3 More resourcing for LD units! And more influence - LDers find it hard to make the case for high quality provision as they are often perceived as just support staff rather than collaborators. Ability to say no to bolt on makes space for the good collaborations and builds the case #LTHEChat

Bane of my professional existence…. #LTHEChat

I’d love to accompany this with some personas work- plotting from the perspective of e.g an international student, a disabled student, a first generation student and see how we can build flexibility in #LTHEChat

Important to be holistic and factor freshers flu into any academic literacies *nods* #LTHEChat

Tom was a lovely person and a passionate LDer #LoveLD

A2 scaffolded assignments are great, tho not all students have the same linear path through their work. TBH, dialogue with students, getting them to identify the need, own it and ask questions rather than telling them #LTHEChat

And the more fine grained you can make it, the better- not just think like a uni student, but a second year uni student of x subject who’s in their second semester and has y energy levels and motivation 🤣 #LTHEChat

Gosh yes- and also to summon the LDers to come deliver a bolt-on session in some otherwise unfilled lecture slot with no opportunity to discuss or share authentic examples. #LTHEChat

A1 #LTHEChat the other dimension, as well as discipline embedding, is student lifecycle embedding- at what point does the curriculum AND the student experience of learning give rise to a particular AcLits need so they can engage with it? That varies a bit between students but we can narrow it down.

A1 #LTHEChat I think we mustn’t conflate embedded with tailored and central with bespoke- as an LDer, it’s perfectly possible to do a very generic session “embedded” in the timetable and a very student-centred one centrally. It’s a collaboration between LDers and subject academics

Very much looking forward to discussing the embedding of academic skills in the curriculum in this week’s #LTHEchat