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Sue Watling

University of Hull, Learning and Teaching Enhancement, Faculty Member

University of Lincoln, Educational Development and Enhancement Unit, Faculty Member

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Currently Teaching Enhancement Advisor at the University of Hull, UK Previously Senior Lecturer in Educational Development in the Educational Development and Enhancement Unit (EDEU) at the University of Lincoln, UK. Doctoral research into digital shifts in attitudes and practices of staff who teach and support learning in UK higher education. https://digitalacademicblog.wordpress.com/

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Papers by Sue Watling

Recentering open for those at the margins: three lenses on lurking

Session Description: The group presenting this session was formed through a serendipitous partici... more Session Description: The group presenting this session was formed through a serendipitous participation in a ‘slow chat’ (#HEdigID) on the topic of OEP. The chat went on long beyond its official end, and we realized that the #HEdigID network was larger than we had observed. It included ‘invisible’ participants who were simply listening, or tuning in once in a while. We began to discuss the practice of ‘lurking’ and the idea of ‘the lurker’. The group conversation which followed revealed some of the complexities of lurking behaviours. What (or who) is a “lurker”? Do we need to rethink what participation means? Why some learners are visible, and others less visible or maybe invisible, remaining on the margins of online and networked learning? Do we need to recenter participation in open spaces – to bring in those who appear to choose to stay on the periphery? It seems there is a need to turn a critical lens onto our assumptions, and think about how ‘privileging the visible’ may constr...

Digital landscapes: Inclusive potential versus exclusive practice

ASCILITE - Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Annual Conference, Dec 1, 2010

Designing for Diverse Learners Poster [3.2.2]

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2021

The Designing for Diverse Learners Poster is a resource developed to help educators (teachers, ac... more The Designing for Diverse Learners Poster is a resource developed to help educators (teachers, academics and professional services) create inclusive and accessible content for learners. The poster distils advice on how to support learners that fall into one of the following categories: blind, colour blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, dyslexic, visual stress, motor disability, autistic spectrum and screen reader user. The practices outlined in our poster will benefit every learner, not just those who many require specific adjustments. ur poster does not claim to support every single learner or requirement an educator may come across, but we are certain that resources developed along these principles will meet the vast majority of needs. We are also keen to frame this as a working document. We are keen to get as much feedback as we can to help us make this resource event better. We’ve already had some feedback about including some text line spacing and would welcome any further...

3 Digital C's Competency, Capability and Confidence An Action Research approach to digital development

Capability, Competence and Confidence with virtual learning environments are essential components... more Capability, Competence and Confidence with virtual learning environments are essential components of successful online education but not everyone who teaches in the classroom also feels comfortable teaching online. Working with reluctant digital users is an essential skills for educational developers and learning technologists. Learning through experience can be key to success. As the Chinese proverb says 'Show me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I understand.' An Action Research methodology has proved successful in encouraging staff who teach and support learning at the UK University of Lincoln to engage with a range of Blackboard tools and to reflect on how they might be used within their own teaching practice. This presentation looks at how applying the principles of action research to staff development is successfully reducing barriers and encouraging the three C's with regard to Blackboard adoption.

Making Research Count Conference Keynote: the social impact of the internet

e-teaching: from digitally shy to digitally confident with Blackboard Learn

E-teaching as companion to e-learning; supporting digital pedagogies and practice in higher education

Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2016

This paper seeks to shed light on the hitherto under-researched area of the relationships academi... more This paper seeks to shed light on the hitherto under-researched area of the relationships academics have with their VLE, in particular with regard to reluctance or resistance to move from face-to-face to online practice. While the sector has invested into inquiry around the aspirations and motivations of the digital student (JISC, 2009), the day-to-day digital interactions of staff who teach and support learning, in particular those without technology expertise or natural digital inclinations, have largely gone unrecorded. This paper offers some preliminary findings of a three year action research project investigating attitudes towards virtual learning though a teacher-education lens rather than a traditional technology-training one. Findings have been converted into advice for academics looking to make the shift from face-to-face to e-teaching practice and can be usefully positioned alongside what is already known about the student experience of e-learning.

Digital Exclusion: Potential Implications for Social Work Education

Social Work Education, 2012

Please find attached a copy of the proofs of your article. These have been copyedited and now req... more Please find attached a copy of the proofs of your article. These have been copyedited and now require your attention. When reviewing your proofs you should: • Answer all queries raised during the editing of your manuscript (see below). • Check for any other factual corrections (NB -only minor changes can be made at this stage; major revisions cannot be accepted).

Digital Exclusion: Implications for Human Services Practitioners

Journal of Technology in Human Services, 2010

Issues around digital exclusion may be in their infancy but they are developing fast. The Interne... more Issues around digital exclusion may be in their infancy but they are developing fast. The Internet has the potential to offer equity of digital access for enabling individual independence and empowerment in an increasingly digital society. However, for many users of assistive technologies, this remains a problematic scenario. Citizens, who already experience disablement through social failure to recognize difference and diversity of need, may be doubly disabled by exclusive digital policy and practice. There is an urgent need to research the implications of this exclusion for human service educators and practitioners

SCOTs: Students Consulting On Teaching

... Subjects: L Social studies > L500 Social Work. Divisions: Centre for Educational Research ... more

‘Getting Started’: Pre-Induction Access to Higher Education

Abstract: The transition to higher education poses challenges on many levels. One UK University h... more Abstract: The transition to higher education poses challenges on many levels. One UK University has piloted a scheme that is designed to prepare prospective students for academic study. ‘Getting Started ’ gives prospective students access to the university’s virtual learning environment, prior to induction where they are invited to post queries to a discussion board moderated by a team of support staff and tutors. In 2008 the decision was made to extend the project to include a suite of learning development materials. ‘Snapshot’ contains bite sized chunks, or ‘snapshots’, of academic practice including academic thinking, reading and writing. Each chunk of information includes an activity designed to encourage early independent, self motivated learning. These combined projects tackle the challenges of entrance into higher education for students from both traditional and non-traditional backgrounds and offer a model of good practice designed to convert offers to places and improve ret...

E-Teaching Craft and Practice

Staff at the University of Lincoln, UK, are repositioned as students on the virtual learning envi... more Staff at the University of Lincoln, UK, are repositioned as students on the virtual learning environment (VLE) for the teacher education programme 'Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age' (TELEDA). Modules explore the social relations of virtual learning through a community approach to sharing practice, and using tools like wikis, journals and forums to demonstrate the challenges of digital scholarship enables 'insider' knowledge of the craft of e-teaching to be gained through experiential learning. As sector-wide shifts to flexible design and delivery increase, greater attention to the digital confidence and capabilities of staff who teach and support learning is required. Investigating the uncertain spaces between the rhetoric and the reality of teaching online has shaped the author's doctoral research into digital education. This paper offers emerging research findings which include how experiential approaches like TELEDA are worthy investments of time an...

1 Cats, Dogs and Pheromones: researching the student experience

Abstract. Pheromone Therapy is a unique online course pioneered by the University of Lincoln and ... more Abstract. Pheromone Therapy is a unique online course pioneered by the University of Lincoln and delivered through the university's virtual learning environment. The course adopted innovative practices such as induction activities designed to embed the skills required for successful online learning, a range of interactions with content and focus on opportunities for socialisation including ‘café ’ forums and a student gallery. Retention is a key issue with distance delivery (Simpson, 2003) but listening to the student voice is only a comparatively recent initiative. Past studies have focussed on non-completion (Yorke & Longden, 2008) or the student experience on campus (JISC, 2007). Pheromone Therapy was an opportunity to capture data about distance learner’s experience of learning in isolation and collect individual responses to the course design. Findings provided a rich source of information for the construction and delivery of online courses in the future. Social aspects of...

Social media and personal identity: the presentation of self online

There is increased evidence of blurred boundaries between the personal and the professional when ... more There is increased evidence of blurred boundaries between the personal and the professional when presenting the self online. This has resulted in rising numbers of inappropriate digital identities on social media sites. Often inadvertently created, these can have serious professional consequences for those involved. Using social media effectively requires appropriate digital literacies. The misuse of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as careless comments in personal emails and blogs, have potential implications for those in professional practice. Using social media requires careful management of online identity. This needs to be addressed by social work educators as well as within social work placement and practice. This presentation offers guidance to social work students and practitioners about adopting digitally literate ways of working and ensuring individual online identities are appropriate for professional practice. Using a case study approach, it will raise awarene...

Invisible publics: higher education and digital exclusion

Teaching in public involves reducing barriers to access and nowhere is this more appropriate than... more Teaching in public involves reducing barriers to access and nowhere is this more appropriate than with the subject of electronic resources and the delivery of virtual learning opportunities. The future of the university, in a time of resurgence of neo-liberal values, the primacy of market forces and an increasing emphasis on private rather than public provision, has become the subject of much debate. Insufficient attention, however, is being paid to the possibility of exclusion, which is the inevitable result of increasing digital pedagogies and practices. This chapter focuses on the role of the university in ensuring equitable access to digital technology. Over the last decade, the possibilities of virtual learning have included pportunities for widening participation, increasing student numbers and opening up world trades in professional and academic expertise, thereby sustaining the globalization of education. This chapter addresses the limitations to these opportunities, in part...

Hitting the ground running; using Blackboard to provide transition support for new students

Hitting the ground running; using Blackboard to provide transition support for new students

Pre registration opportunities for social work degree students

Opportunity for potential students, with an offer of a place, to access a site on Blackboard PRIO... more Opportunity for potential students, with an offer of a place, to access a site on Blackboard PRIOR to induction week with aim to ease the transition process. Site offers preparatory content for academic, social and practical challenges of Higher Education and includes discussion board for contact with staff and existing students for queries, support and reassurance. Project is an example of proactive management of transition to higher education, seen as key to student retention and success.

Embedding OER practice

Final Report from the Embedding OER Practice project; a HEFCE/JISC/Higher Education Academy Open ... more

‘Getting started’: using technology to enhance student transition into university

Identification of the benefits of transition support for students entering higher education. Revi... more Identification of the benefits of transition support for students entering higher education. Reviewing the value of the early development of ‘research-mindedness’ and ‘preparation for academic practice’ through pre-induction activities. Describing alternative technologies for providing pre-entry support. Considering the effectiveness of early preparation for academic practices

Getting Started': beginning the postgraduate research journey [presentation]

If the postgraduate research experience is to be successful, attention to transition from undergr... more If the postgraduate research experience is to be successful, attention to transition from undergraduate to postgraduate education may be worth consideration. Research shows many first year students who withdraw cite lack of preparation for study (Yorke and Longden, 2008). At Lincoln, experience of supporting students new to higher education through the Getting Started project shows pre-enrolment access to preparatory materials can ease the transition process and support the early development of the skills necessary for effective academic practice. This presentation will ask if lessons learned with undergraduate students are worth considering for postgraduate transition as well. Yorke, M & Longden B (2008) The first year experience of Higher Education in the UK: final report, York, Higher Education Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/research/surveys/FYE/FYEFinalReport.pdf This poster accompanies the presentation Getting Started: Beginning the Postgraduat...

Recentering open for those at the margins: three lenses on lurking

Session Description: The group presenting this session was formed through a serendipitous partici... more Session Description: The group presenting this session was formed through a serendipitous participation in a ‘slow chat’ (#HEdigID) on the topic of OEP. The chat went on long beyond its official end, and we realized that the #HEdigID network was larger than we had observed. It included ‘invisible’ participants who were simply listening, or tuning in once in a while. We began to discuss the practice of ‘lurking’ and the idea of ‘the lurker’. The group conversation which followed revealed some of the complexities of lurking behaviours. What (or who) is a “lurker”? Do we need to rethink what participation means? Why some learners are visible, and others less visible or maybe invisible, remaining on the margins of online and networked learning? Do we need to recenter participation in open spaces – to bring in those who appear to choose to stay on the periphery? It seems there is a need to turn a critical lens onto our assumptions, and think about how ‘privileging the visible’ may constr...

Digital landscapes: Inclusive potential versus exclusive practice

ASCILITE - Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education Annual Conference, Dec 1, 2010

Designing for Diverse Learners Poster [3.2.2]

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2021

The Designing for Diverse Learners Poster is a resource developed to help educators (teachers, ac... more The Designing for Diverse Learners Poster is a resource developed to help educators (teachers, academics and professional services) create inclusive and accessible content for learners. The poster distils advice on how to support learners that fall into one of the following categories: blind, colour blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, dyslexic, visual stress, motor disability, autistic spectrum and screen reader user. The practices outlined in our poster will benefit every learner, not just those who many require specific adjustments. ur poster does not claim to support every single learner or requirement an educator may come across, but we are certain that resources developed along these principles will meet the vast majority of needs. We are also keen to frame this as a working document. We are keen to get as much feedback as we can to help us make this resource event better. We’ve already had some feedback about including some text line spacing and would welcome any further...

3 Digital C's Competency, Capability and Confidence An Action Research approach to digital development

Capability, Competence and Confidence with virtual learning environments are essential components... more Capability, Competence and Confidence with virtual learning environments are essential components of successful online education but not everyone who teaches in the classroom also feels comfortable teaching online. Working with reluctant digital users is an essential skills for educational developers and learning technologists. Learning through experience can be key to success. As the Chinese proverb says 'Show me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I understand.' An Action Research methodology has proved successful in encouraging staff who teach and support learning at the UK University of Lincoln to engage with a range of Blackboard tools and to reflect on how they might be used within their own teaching practice. This presentation looks at how applying the principles of action research to staff development is successfully reducing barriers and encouraging the three C's with regard to Blackboard adoption.

Making Research Count Conference Keynote: the social impact of the internet

e-teaching: from digitally shy to digitally confident with Blackboard Learn

E-teaching as companion to e-learning; supporting digital pedagogies and practice in higher education

Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2016

This paper seeks to shed light on the hitherto under-researched area of the relationships academi... more This paper seeks to shed light on the hitherto under-researched area of the relationships academics have with their VLE, in particular with regard to reluctance or resistance to move from face-to-face to online practice. While the sector has invested into inquiry around the aspirations and motivations of the digital student (JISC, 2009), the day-to-day digital interactions of staff who teach and support learning, in particular those without technology expertise or natural digital inclinations, have largely gone unrecorded. This paper offers some preliminary findings of a three year action research project investigating attitudes towards virtual learning though a teacher-education lens rather than a traditional technology-training one. Findings have been converted into advice for academics looking to make the shift from face-to-face to e-teaching practice and can be usefully positioned alongside what is already known about the student experience of e-learning.

Digital Exclusion: Potential Implications for Social Work Education

Social Work Education, 2012

Please find attached a copy of the proofs of your article. These have been copyedited and now req... more Please find attached a copy of the proofs of your article. These have been copyedited and now require your attention. When reviewing your proofs you should: • Answer all queries raised during the editing of your manuscript (see below). • Check for any other factual corrections (NB -only minor changes can be made at this stage; major revisions cannot be accepted).

Digital Exclusion: Implications for Human Services Practitioners

Journal of Technology in Human Services, 2010

Issues around digital exclusion may be in their infancy but they are developing fast. The Interne... more Issues around digital exclusion may be in their infancy but they are developing fast. The Internet has the potential to offer equity of digital access for enabling individual independence and empowerment in an increasingly digital society. However, for many users of assistive technologies, this remains a problematic scenario. Citizens, who already experience disablement through social failure to recognize difference and diversity of need, may be doubly disabled by exclusive digital policy and practice. There is an urgent need to research the implications of this exclusion for human service educators and practitioners

SCOTs: Students Consulting On Teaching

... Subjects: L Social studies > L500 Social Work. Divisions: Centre for Educational Research ... more

‘Getting Started’: Pre-Induction Access to Higher Education

Abstract: The transition to higher education poses challenges on many levels. One UK University h... more Abstract: The transition to higher education poses challenges on many levels. One UK University has piloted a scheme that is designed to prepare prospective students for academic study. ‘Getting Started ’ gives prospective students access to the university’s virtual learning environment, prior to induction where they are invited to post queries to a discussion board moderated by a team of support staff and tutors. In 2008 the decision was made to extend the project to include a suite of learning development materials. ‘Snapshot’ contains bite sized chunks, or ‘snapshots’, of academic practice including academic thinking, reading and writing. Each chunk of information includes an activity designed to encourage early independent, self motivated learning. These combined projects tackle the challenges of entrance into higher education for students from both traditional and non-traditional backgrounds and offer a model of good practice designed to convert offers to places and improve ret...

E-Teaching Craft and Practice

Staff at the University of Lincoln, UK, are repositioned as students on the virtual learning envi... more Staff at the University of Lincoln, UK, are repositioned as students on the virtual learning environment (VLE) for the teacher education programme 'Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age' (TELEDA). Modules explore the social relations of virtual learning through a community approach to sharing practice, and using tools like wikis, journals and forums to demonstrate the challenges of digital scholarship enables 'insider' knowledge of the craft of e-teaching to be gained through experiential learning. As sector-wide shifts to flexible design and delivery increase, greater attention to the digital confidence and capabilities of staff who teach and support learning is required. Investigating the uncertain spaces between the rhetoric and the reality of teaching online has shaped the author's doctoral research into digital education. This paper offers emerging research findings which include how experiential approaches like TELEDA are worthy investments of time an...

1 Cats, Dogs and Pheromones: researching the student experience

Abstract. Pheromone Therapy is a unique online course pioneered by the University of Lincoln and ... more Abstract. Pheromone Therapy is a unique online course pioneered by the University of Lincoln and delivered through the university's virtual learning environment. The course adopted innovative practices such as induction activities designed to embed the skills required for successful online learning, a range of interactions with content and focus on opportunities for socialisation including ‘café ’ forums and a student gallery. Retention is a key issue with distance delivery (Simpson, 2003) but listening to the student voice is only a comparatively recent initiative. Past studies have focussed on non-completion (Yorke & Longden, 2008) or the student experience on campus (JISC, 2007). Pheromone Therapy was an opportunity to capture data about distance learner’s experience of learning in isolation and collect individual responses to the course design. Findings provided a rich source of information for the construction and delivery of online courses in the future. Social aspects of...

Social media and personal identity: the presentation of self online

There is increased evidence of blurred boundaries between the personal and the professional when ... more There is increased evidence of blurred boundaries between the personal and the professional when presenting the self online. This has resulted in rising numbers of inappropriate digital identities on social media sites. Often inadvertently created, these can have serious professional consequences for those involved. Using social media effectively requires appropriate digital literacies. The misuse of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as careless comments in personal emails and blogs, have potential implications for those in professional practice. Using social media requires careful management of online identity. This needs to be addressed by social work educators as well as within social work placement and practice. This presentation offers guidance to social work students and practitioners about adopting digitally literate ways of working and ensuring individual online identities are appropriate for professional practice. Using a case study approach, it will raise awarene...

Invisible publics: higher education and digital exclusion

Teaching in public involves reducing barriers to access and nowhere is this more appropriate than... more Teaching in public involves reducing barriers to access and nowhere is this more appropriate than with the subject of electronic resources and the delivery of virtual learning opportunities. The future of the university, in a time of resurgence of neo-liberal values, the primacy of market forces and an increasing emphasis on private rather than public provision, has become the subject of much debate. Insufficient attention, however, is being paid to the possibility of exclusion, which is the inevitable result of increasing digital pedagogies and practices. This chapter focuses on the role of the university in ensuring equitable access to digital technology. Over the last decade, the possibilities of virtual learning have included pportunities for widening participation, increasing student numbers and opening up world trades in professional and academic expertise, thereby sustaining the globalization of education. This chapter addresses the limitations to these opportunities, in part...

Hitting the ground running; using Blackboard to provide transition support for new students

Hitting the ground running; using Blackboard to provide transition support for new students

Pre registration opportunities for social work degree students

Opportunity for potential students, with an offer of a place, to access a site on Blackboard PRIO... more Opportunity for potential students, with an offer of a place, to access a site on Blackboard PRIOR to induction week with aim to ease the transition process. Site offers preparatory content for academic, social and practical challenges of Higher Education and includes discussion board for contact with staff and existing students for queries, support and reassurance. Project is an example of proactive management of transition to higher education, seen as key to student retention and success.

Embedding OER practice

Final Report from the Embedding OER Practice project; a HEFCE/JISC/Higher Education Academy Open ... more

‘Getting started’: using technology to enhance student transition into university

Identification of the benefits of transition support for students entering higher education. Revi... more Identification of the benefits of transition support for students entering higher education. Reviewing the value of the early development of ‘research-mindedness’ and ‘preparation for academic practice’ through pre-induction activities. Describing alternative technologies for providing pre-entry support. Considering the effectiveness of early preparation for academic practices

Getting Started': beginning the postgraduate research journey [presentation]

If the postgraduate research experience is to be successful, attention to transition from undergr... more If the postgraduate research experience is to be successful, attention to transition from undergraduate to postgraduate education may be worth consideration. Research shows many first year students who withdraw cite lack of preparation for study (Yorke and Longden, 2008). At Lincoln, experience of supporting students new to higher education through the Getting Started project shows pre-enrolment access to preparatory materials can ease the transition process and support the early development of the skills necessary for effective academic practice. This presentation will ask if lessons learned with undergraduate students are worth considering for postgraduate transition as well. Yorke, M & Longden B (2008) The first year experience of Higher Education in the UK: final report, York, Higher Education Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/research/surveys/FYE/FYEFinalReport.pdf This poster accompanies the presentation Getting Started: Beginning the Postgraduat...

Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age; Myths and Realities presentation at University of Lincoln Festival of Teaching and Learning 2014

E-teaching; from digitally shy to confident with Blackboard Learn; presentation at Blackboard World International Conference 2014