Transcript Document

Developing Support Staff
in GEES Departments
Carolyn Roberts
Centre for Active Learning
University of Gloucestershire, UK
Supporting the Supporters II,
21st January 2008,
University of Gloucestershire, UK
‘I work in the University..’
An invisible army?
Departmental
Administrators and ICT
Technicians
An invisible army?
Field and Laboratory
Technicians
An invisible army?
Cartographers and Map
Curators
An invisible army?
Resource Centre
Managers and Librarians
‘As universities move away from ‘the
curriculum’ in a fixed sense, and closer
to meeting the learning needs of
diverse individuals and groups who are
lifelong learners but not usually fulltime students, they find almost every
aspect of designing and supporting
learning opportunities alters earlier
pedagogic assumptions and
relationships.’
(Duke, 2002)
Diverse Support Staff
roles
• Assisting students with basic information
• Assisting staff with specific administrative tasks relating to core
functions such as teaching and research
• Providing guidance to students in technical areas e.g. GIS, maps,
laboratories, fieldwork
• Undertaking analyses for research and knowledge transfer activities
• Producing or presenting technical information
• Keeping Departments running smoothly, brokering information
• Teaching?
‘The organisation of work can be such
as to give it meaning, make it
learningful, and mobilise or liberate the
energies and talents of those at all
levels of the job. Its full flowering
requires the recognition that those
closest to and more familiar with a
particular task are quite likely to have
unique understanding and expertise –
whether they be Bangladeshi or Thai
peasants or technical and clerical staff
in a western university.’
(Duke, 2002)
Project Goals..to establish
• What roles do GEES support staff
actually play in the learning process?
• To what extent are they supported in
these roles, and part of academic
communities of practice?
• To what extent do support staff have
opportunity to influence academic
policy?
• Are there potential improvements which
could be made?
Data Collection
• Semi-structured telephone interviews
with senior Support Staff in 25
contrasting UK GEES
Departments/Schools/Faculties
• Anonymous feedback from individual
participants in first UK GEES Support
Staff conference
• In-depth focus groups with 7 additional
GEES Departments, conducted by a
trained member of a Support Staff team
Organisational structures – example 1
Dean of Faculty
Departm e nt of Environm e ntal M anage m e nt
Cartography Technician
Head of Faculty Support Services
2 x Administrators
Clerical Assistant
Organisational structures – example 2
Head of School
Ge ography, Earth and
Environm entalScience s
School Manager
Laboratory Manager
Head of Technical Services
10 x Secretaries
Admission Officer
Accounts Clerk
PA to Head of School
3 x Technicians
Earth Sciences Accounts
5 x Technicians
Media & Services Manager
Organisational structures – example 3
Head of School
Ge ography
Computer
Manager
Computer
Off icer
2 x Computer
Technicians
Senior Technical
Off icer
Lab Manager
2 x Workshop Technicians
Senior Research
Lab Technician
Technical Officer
(Cartography)
Department
Administrator
Librarian
2 x Cartographers
General Office
Manager
Accounts
Administrator
2 x Office
Administrators
Librarian
Secretary to the Board
Reprographics Technician
Library
Assistant
Receptionist
2 x Accounts
Clerks
Secretary to
Head of Department
How is your department organised?
A)
I work alone in my academic department
B)
I am the only <x> in my department, but there are others
in a small team
C)
I work as one of several <xs> in my department, and there
are other support staff in the department too
D)
I work as part of a large multidisciplinary team of
support staff in my department
E)
Other
Lines of communication
‘A weekly review and issues relating to
students are discussed on an ongoing basis’
‘We only discuss student issues if something
particularly significant’
‘There is an open relationship within the team.
We support each other’
‘Informally – we meet over coffee and lunch.
Two of the team are married to each other’
‘Informally – small team favours face-to-face
communication…Ad hoc. Everybody attends
School meetings. Everybody is included –
none of this “them and us”’
Question 2 (9)
How do you mainly communicate about student matters with
your colleagues?
A)
I work principally alone, or discuss things directly with
one or more academic staff
B)
We usually discuss student-related matters informally
amongst the support staff team
C)
We have formal support staff meetings at which
student-related issues and policies are discussed
D)
I contribute to Departmental meetings at which
student-related issues and policies are discussed
Communication lines
• Some teams are very large and
complex, with powerful managers
• Formal structural hierarchies, suggest
top down
• In reality, informal communication lines
typically dominate
• There also some very small teams or
individuals operating alone
• Many support staff are very isolated
Formal structures
‘The team works very closely on a daily basis and
issues are tackled as they come along. More
formal input is directed via the Chief Technician to
senior managers or lead academics’
‘..Lab user groups that the senior technician
attends, which other team members feed into’
‘The IT support in the Department sit on a crossuniversity group and meet once a year to be
briefed re: developments and consistency of
practice and feed into IT developments..’
‘The more senior staff participate in crossinstitutional working groups. The School Manager
attends meetings on behalf of academics’
Question 3 (9)
How are your views about student matters taken into account?
A)
My views are not usually sought
B)
I tell only my immediate manager about issues which
concern me
C)
My manager contributes to a formal Departmental or
University committee or group on my behalf
D)
There is a formal committee at which I personally
am consulted
Question 4 (9)
How do you typically support students’ learning?
A)
I work only occasionally with students
B)
I work sometimes with groups of students on pre-ascribed,
specific tasks
C)
I spend considerable time supporting individuals or groups
and generally assisting their learning
D)
I spend most of my time supporting individuals or groups
and generally assisting their learning
Supporting students
‘The best bit of the job…’
‘Speaking to students adds value to the
day’
‘…flexible in trying to meet students’
requests for assistance’
‘Working on-to-one with students when
the need arises’
‘Students just pop in – bring their laptop
and we work together’
‘..seeing students every day, sometimes
in tears..’
‘Confidence building’
Working with academic
staff
‘Relationships with academics develop
over time’
‘Staff work one-to-one with lecturing staff’
‘Academics are poor at passing on
information so that support staff are able
to deal with students more effectively’
‘Technicians were not allowed to enter the
Senior Common Room’
‘<Our views are> starting to be more
included in the academic content when
courses are designed’
Question 5 (9)
How would you rate communications between academic and
support staff?
A)
Poor – ‘I often find things out only by chance…’
B)
Adequate – ‘I usually find things out in good time…’
C)
Good…
D)
Excellent…
Mediating between
students & academic staff
‘Academics direct students to the
technicians and cartographer for
assistance on a one-to-one basis…’
‘Support staff handle general enquiries on
behalf of academics and route students to
the appropriate member of staff…’
‘We act as a buffer between students and
the academics’
‘..the frontline…’ ‘..the voice of the School’
‘…a sounding board’
Question 6 (9)
Have you received any induction to Higher Education learning
and teaching issues?
A)
Not really
B)
Some, mainly informal
C)
A detailed discussion when I started my current post
D)
Plenty of opportunities, regularly repeated
Have you received any
induction to learning and
teaching?
‘There was no general induction’
‘Not specifically’ (many responses)
‘Yes, but although ‘customer care’
was included…there was more
emphasis on other aspects of the
job’
‘Induction does include pastoral
care issues’
LEVEL 1
Little
evidence of
any impact
on any area
of activity
D
E
P
T
H
Support
Staff
Team
Students
LEVEL 2
Low
e.g. Better
understanding
of issues
LEVEL 3
Medium
e.g. Used the
understanding
to develop a
response
e.g. Significant
improvement of
students’ learning
experience
LEVEL 4
High
e.g. The
response
was
embedded
in future
practice
Institution
REACH OF IMPACT
e.g. Limited
improvement of
individual
student’s
learning
experience
O
F
I
M
P
A
C
T
Department
and Faculty
Policy
Makers
e.g. Major change to
students’ learning
experience within
that domain
e.g. Individual
outcomes were
captured and
shared
e.g. Some
actions were
taken out to
Departmental
level to note
e.g. Influenced
teaching and
learning policy
and practice
locally
e.g. Ideas were
shared
informally with
other
Departments’
support staff
teams
e.g. Some
actions were
flagged up at
institutional
level
e.g. Influenced
Institutional
teaching and
learning
practice
e.g.
Outcomes
were
explored,
evaluated
and shared
e.g. Informed
or influenced
policy
e.g. Significantly
changed sector
policy on
supporting
students
Adapted from KSA Partnership, 2005
Staff Development Value
‘I feel so much more confident in my
views as sharing them has shown that I
am not alone’
‘I will <in future> make time to keep upto-date on University strategies such as
teaching and learning policies’
‘<in future, I will> look out for
opportunities to stretch my
abilities…apply to go on relevant
courses…and look at our School’s aims
and objectives’
Question 7 (9)
Have you had regular opportunities for professional and personal
development or training in the last three years?
A)
No
B)
Occasionally (less than once per year)
C)
Yes, approximately annually
D)
Yes, frequently
‘In this uneasy equilibrium
balancing change and continuity,
some less disturbed corners of
large and plural institutions may
have been able to get on with their
business almost undisturbed.
They have shrugged off the
interferences of management…’
(Duke, 2002)
Question 8 (9)
Do you feel positive about your current post?
A)
No, I feel undervalued and/or marginalised
B)
Somewhat, but much more could be made of my talents and skills
C)
Yes, generally
D)
Very – I have plenty of opportunities to utilise my talents
and skills
Question 9 (9)
Do you feel positive about your future development within
your University?
A)
No
B)
Not really. I can see only limited opportunities for progression
C)
Generally, yes. There will be some opportunities for me to
develop my skills and progress
D)
Very. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to
progress
Resentments?
‘…feelings of depression and hopelessness
with the lack of career structure….’
‘The best thing <about the 2004 conference>
is realising that all technicians suffer the
same pressures and frustrations. The worst
thing … is knowing that all technicians suffer
the same pressures and frustrations’
‘This course is only for senior support staff
with sufficient power to influence outcomes.
Junior staff like me can only do as we are
instructed, as we do not have the power to
influence outcomes..we have a job with set
items to do each day and no flexibility’
Better Practice?
‘Much more transfer of information –
lecturers need to think of us as people
who can be included in things’
‘Management don’t realise how much
support staff do to support the smooth
running of the School. We are
unacknowledged but always dealing
with problems’
‘Better communication’
‘Respect’
Project Conclusions
• Learning and teaching is located with,
and mediated by support staff as well
as academic staff
• Institutional communication structures
are principally informal, and may
exclude support staff from policy debate
• Support staff have limited (frequently
no) training in operational t&l issues
• Some support staff resent this situation
strongly, feeling excluded and unvalued
• There are examples of good practice
Generic Issues
• The research itself raised awareness,
and may have provoked demands for
change by Support Staff, particularly
for staff development opportunities
• The confidential responses from
individual support staff demonstrate
levels of resentment well beyond those
expressed in focus groups where team
leaders were present
• Diversity in staff roles is largely
unrecognised, representing a lost
opportunity; there must be changes
‘I will value my position
and know that I do make
a difference.’
Anonymous support staff member
evaluating HEA GEES/UoG
conference ‘Supporting the
Supporters’, May 2004
Please write down one
thing which you will do
when you return to your
Department, to assist your
personal development and
your Department’s
practice
Acknowledgements
• HEA GEES Subject Centre Small
Grant
• Debra Marshall, Researcher, who
undertook some of the support
staff interviews
http://www.glos.ac.uk/ceal