Two cheers for one to onesMartin McMorrow

Centre for Teaching and LearningMassey University, New Zealand

Slides available at: http://tinyurl.com/twocheersforonetoones

m.s.mcmorrow@massey.ac.nz

So, two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism. (E M Forster, 1951)

Overview of Session

Remedial

Generic

Jeers Cheers

Disciplinary

Multidisciplinary

Expensive

I don’t know what you do or how you work with students. But you can’t mentor a thousand students. That’s the problem. So I’m guessing the university throws money at this role, but without a clear idea of what would be useful. And I think a one-off consultation is marginally useful . (NZU Senior Lecturer, Business)

My personal greatest challenge is getting academic staff past the notion that we provide a remedial service – we don’t. There is nothing wrong with the students when they enter their courses – all students have to become familiar with the expectations. (NZ LD)

Our view of learning development

I would think that the reality is that some of the work that’s done is remedial. It’s just as simple as that. Some is extension and developmental. And that’s probably unlikely to change. (NZU Senior Academic Policy-maker)

From the angle of student support, my role is to direct students there who need remedial work that I don’t have the time to commit, or the expertise to be quite honest with you, without having a full understanding of learning pedagogies that you guys do. So remedial work for students – that’s first and foremost what I see you guys doing – providing that valuable service.

(NZU Senior Lecturer, Business)

Some institutional views of learning development

I came and saw you once because I was just stuck on how to start. (BAH Y1 Focus Group)

Clarification of assignment task

I think the most helpful part was giving me strategies to attack the specific assignment. (BAH Y2 Student)

Student perceptions of benefits of consultations

It’s a huge benefit especially for first year students and for international students whose English is not their first language. (NZU student)

You don’t hand in and wait three weeks and then you get a grade with feedback that you can’t change any more. You get feedback and it’s like, ‘I could change all this and then it’ll be so much better’. I’ve really learnt from that. (BAH Focus Group)

Formative feedback on drafts

It was amazing, the feedback. there were just a couple of sentences there, but it did change the whole way I approached my research review section and to my thinking, it just flowed all of a sudden, whereas it was staccato before that, but I wouldn’t have been able to fix it. (BAH Y4 student)

Consultations with BAH students

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Total

2011 1 11 4 5 21

2012 36 0 26 6 68

2013 18 12 10 41 81

2014 40 6 6 18 70

Reasons for BAH students to come to consultations

We’ve known for a couple of years now, so I feel confident enough to come in here about my draft, which is not very good, and you’re aware that it’s not good, and get it critiqued, whereas earlier on in the course, if you haven’t got that, or if the relationship is not there, it’s quite a big thing .. I would feel more comfortable seeing you. (BAH Y4 Student)

You do have a really good grasp of what the lecturers expect from the type of writing. So I feel very confident in your advice on that. (BAH Y1 Focus Group).

Familiarity

Inside knowledge

I feel you’re part of our team, because you’ve developed so much knowledge and understanding about our programme, … So it’s developed my confidence in what you’re telling the students. I can talk to the student about the benefits of going to see you, and your knowledge, so it’s not a referral without weight. I am able to talk about the advantages of seeing you. And assuring the student that it’s about support, and not about a remediation of their work. (BAH Lecturer)

‘Embedded’ support enhances disciplinary knowledge, which adds to credibility of consultations

Can influence teachingI realised that what you’re doing with them is one on one attention, specific to their needs, and so I felt that that’s what teaching and learning is ... [consultations are ] a kind of my reliability check on self, that I’ve covered what needs to be covered in class. (BAH Lecturer)

Through consultations, LDs construct multidisciplinary expertise

The best way for me to become an effective learning consultant is through doing consultations; that’s absolutely crucial. That is how you learn. I know so much more now from years of doing learning consultations. When learning consultants first start, that should be their training, for at least a year, lots and lots of consultations, different subject areas. (NZ LD)

Over time, by close contact with the students, and by looking quite closely at their answers, we start to get an understanding of what underlies their problems, which lecturers don’t generally have. (NZ LD)

I think that’s one of the advantages that [LDs] bring, the interdisciplinarity. You can make those connections. And you’re not seen as affiliated with the science geeks, or the hopeless social workers. (NZU A/Prof Social Work)

Developmental framing of consultations is itself developmental

Initially, I probably thought, ‘only the lowest students, the people who are really struggling, go and see the writing support.’. And that was probably my perception. But by the fourth year, I was like, ‘Who cares?’ Everyone has room to improve, whether you’re at this level or that level, it didn’t bother me. But at the start, I definitely felt a little bit embarrassed at having to come. (BAH Y4 Student)

Most of us have never really struggled through school. Always probably been fairly academic. The whole Learning Support and Learning Centre equates in our minds to ‘low stream’. (BAH Y1 Focus Group)

Conclusion

Consultations are widely seen as a remedial service

They can be enhanced by disciplinary engagement

They are a source of multidisciplinary expertise and identity

Developmental framing of learning advice / consultations is itself developmental