Tag: Thirdspace

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Re-engaging with assessment and feedback – week 2 reflections

Lee Fallin Leave a comment

One of the defining characteristics of my time as a Learning Developer was that I did not get involved in assessment marking and feedback. There were a handful of exceptions, including some early work for the Business School and our contribution to the Postgraduate Training Scheme. Both of these opportunities were phased out early on in my career, and as such, I’ve not done marking in some time. I know many people who dislike marking – but it was always something I kind of missed. Marking assessments is an essential part of the academic cycle, and the provision of summative feedback helps students to develop moving forwards. I always missed not being part of that. It feels like one of the significant differences between many thirdspace professionals and academics.

While I didn’t do regular assessment marking and feedback, I was certainly up-to-date with the literature and theory in many places. Part of my role as a Learning Developer was helping students to understand their assessments – even if I didn’t set them. I think the vast majority of my appointments were with students focusing on an assessment. It was also a growing area for workshops, with many academics inviting us to run in-curricula sessions on specific assessments. These requests often focused on assessments that step away from essays and reports. I’ve run many sessions on posters, presentations, public communications and more. Yet… I didn’t actually mark the work or provide that summative feedback. That always made me feel like a fraud every time LTHE chat turned to assessment.

Re-engaging with assessment

That brings me back to my reflections on my new job as I finish my second official week as an academic. Assessment and feedback are very much within my remit now. In fact, we’ve just finished the first and second marking for all the postgraduate dissertations from the last year. Given my start date, I only had second marking to do – but it was so nice to get back into assessment. It’s made for quite an inspiring start to the academic year for me, reading about all the fantastic things our outgoing students did in their research over the last year. This has also energised me for the year ahead and the research supervision I will be doing in my own role.

Using assessment and feedback to reflect forwards

I should also note that assessment is exciting from a programme design perspective. The work that students produce gives us opportunities to reflect on how we can continue to improve assessment moving forwards. This could involve different support, new guidance, better clarification or fundamental change to assessment. As one academic year ends, another begins. With postgraduate courses, there is little gap in-between, but we must find the time to reflect on practice. I had the luxury of not being involved in the previous academic year, coming in fresh for 2022-23. Next year I will need to pay close attention to this transition and make sure I pen in time to reflect between the years.

I don’t feel like I can say much more on assessment at this point other than acknowledge that contrast to my previous role. Assessment and feedback are rarely in the remit of thirdspace professionals, and that is something worth unpicking in my reflections over the course of the year.

Reflecting beyond assessment

Before closing, I just wanted to note that other things beyond assessment happened this week as well. I got to deliver my first lecture for the MA programme, covering a lecturer who was away. I also got to see my supervisees for the first time and develop my understanding of personal supervision. Finally, all my weekly workshops took place, and I had the opportunity to get to know my students and their research interests further. More to unpack in a future blog.

Earlier this month I reflected on leaving the thirdspace. This post continues my reflections on the transition to my new job!

My first (official) week as a lecturer

Lee Fallin Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, I reflected on delivering my first workshops in my new role as a lecturer. This was, however, technically before my new contract started. Today I can now reflect on my first official week in post as a lecturer.

My first day was technically the 1st of October (the date stated on the contract). While it wasn’t a working day, I actually logged in on the 1st of the month to check my role had switched from ‘Academic and Library Specialist‘ to ‘Lecturer in Education Studies‘. It had. Phew! 😮‍💨 My main reason for doing this was so I could renew my library books which were currently on recall due to the contract change. It was also reassuring to know I’d still get paid at some point too. 😅

The system changes were more important than just Library access – they also gave me a route into the systems I’d need as an academic. I could finally see who my personal supervisees were – and access the data I needed to support them. Of course – this is all a strange aspect of my internal move and does not have so much to do with the roles themselves. It also represented the loss of access to the Library’s internal systems. In particular, I will very much miss using LibGuides and LibCal – part of the LibApps suite. These were excellent tools, although not something I will need day-to-day anymore. I’ve also lost access to (and responsibility for) the Library’s social media. Suffice it to say – my Twitter notifications have gone down significantly!

New role, new contact

This contract change to lecturer also represented my final step out of the thirdspace as I am now officially in an academic post. Having worked in the thirdspace for a decade, I know this is a significant change. In an academic role, I now have new opportunities for career development and progression. There are also clearer policies governing things like intellectual property and consultancy, which were always challenging in the thirdspace as there was an assumption no one in professional services would produce content in this scope. A lot of this doesn’t really matter right here and now, but it represents future opportunities. There is also much more freedom and control in the day-to-day work, more reflective of the duties than anything else.

My teaching workload is focused on educational research, and I couldn’t be happier. I am part of the teams working on the level 7 dissertation (60 credits) and research design and implementation (30 credits) modules. I am also supporting the level 6 extended research project module (60 credits). This essentially gives me the dissertation and research methods support at both levels 6 and 7, bringing foucs to my new role. These modules really fit in with my areas of expertise and I can’t wait to see that the students do with their research opportunity.

For me, the level 6 work is exciting as it is a brand new module, so we all have the opportunity to put our mark on it and shape the content. For the level 7 modules, the content is mostly developed so we can focus on delivery instead. This gives me time to prepare more thoroughly, and as we have a diverse and international cohort, I look forward to learning about educational concepts and theories beyond the UK.

In focus: My first week

Focusing on my first week in more detail, it was brilliant to deliver my second workshop for two of the modules I am part of. It was particularly nice to see the same group of students for a second week, something that is a novelty compared to my old role. As a Learning Developer, I would see a revolving door of students from every discipline and level of study. As a lecturer, I am supporting three modules and a number of personal supervisees. I will see the same students over and over again. We can learn names, get to know each other and build a relationship. This will allow us to build connections and trust, enabling higher levels of discussion and debate in workshops. I also hope it will allow honesty and candidness, which are enablers for topics like positionally and ethics. This will develop in time, but we were really able to hit the ground running this week after the groundwork set in the first session. I’ve already spoken with so many passionate students this last week; the whole experience has been totally energising.

With this role, there is also a lot of responsibility. Lecturers play a significant role in the student experience and are often the primary contact students have with the university. Given my module allocation, it is essential to acknowledge that supporting students with their dissertations is a significant undertaking as these assessments tend to have a high weighting. At level 6, the module is worth half of their final year. For level 7 students, the dissertation is the equivalent of one-third of their grade. These modules are essential for student success, and I will be doing everything in my power to make them a fantastic experience for my students.

Another area of responsibility is also personal supervision. As a personal supervisor, I will act as that first port of call for students in need. I have much to learn in this area, but there is also excellent support from the Faculty, so I feel very comfortable in this undertaking. I also have the benefit of my previous years working in the same institution, so I am very familiar with the services available. I’m looking forward to developing my role as a personal supervisor, and it will be great to get to know these students more in weeks to come.

Earlier this month I reflected on leaving the thirdspace. This post continues my reflections on the transition to my new job!

…and so it begins

Lee Fallin 3 Comments

Tomorrow marks my first day of teaching in my new role as Lecturer in Education Studies, and I’m very much looking forward to meeting the students I’ll be working with over the next academic year. My classes include the research and dissertation modules at both L6 and L7, which form significant milestones at the end of the UG and PGT programmes. Research philosophy and support is one of my significant areas of expertise, having supported hundreds of students across diverse programmes during my time working as a Learning Developer. I couldn’t be happier with this allocation.

What I am looking forward to the most is the opportunity to work with the same group of students beyond a single session. As a Learning Developer, I would see students in personal appointments, centrally-bookable workshops and in-programme lectures across every discipline. While this diversity was always fun – I would see so many people that it was impossible to learn names, see progression or develop those positive learner-staff relationships that build community. As a lecturer, personal supervisor and research supervisor, there will be opportunities for this. I know it won’t all be perfect – not everyone will engage or turn up – but there will be those opportunities! I think this is, perhaps, one of the most significant changes from working as a Learning Developer in the third space to being an academic member of staff. Time will tell if I’m right!

At the L6 induction, it really struck me that these students will be graduating in a year’s time. Over this academic year, I’ll have the opportunity to watch and support them in engaging in some pretty cool research projects. At the end of the year, I’ll get to see them walk across that stage. I want them to feel proud of themselves and what they have achieved. That, too, is something I wouldn’t see in the third space – or at least not in the same way.

I’ll leave this post as a quick one! This is all technically four days before my start date, and the early teaching is part of the benefit of an internal move. It’s also made the move from one role to the other super blurry. I am, however, VERY glad about this. I can’t imagine a hard start next week without any of the meetings, preparation and logistics (read: office move) of the last few weeks. I’m very glad the Library has facilitated this transition so well.

Leaving the thirdspace

Lee Fallin 3 Comments

For the last decade, I’ve been working in the thirdspace as a Learning Developer based within the University Library at Hull. Learning Developers work to support student learning, often working to challenge and expose the hidden curriculum to empower student success. This support is delivered in many ways and can include personal appointments, bookable workshops, online courses, resource development and in-curriculum teaching. Over my time as a Learning Developer, I regularly engaged in all these formats. It is also important to note that as a profession, Learning Development is diverse – with some based in Faculties and others in central services. Whatever that base, it is usually a defining aspect of that specific learning development role, framing the role, responsibilities and relationships that surround it.

Learning developers as thirdspace professionals

The position of Learning Development can also impact contracts – either professional or academic. Here lies the problem. Learning Development rarely aligns with the academic-professional dichotomy, and this is the same for many professions that engage in academic-related activities. This has been heavily investigated and theorised by Whitchurch (2003, 2008, 2009) as The Rise of Thirdspace Professionals.

[Thirdspace professionals include] teaching and learning professionals, research managers, learning technologists and staff in academic practice, library and information systems. The situation would therefore appear to be more complex than a straightforward ‘academic’/‘non-academic’ extrapolation from employment statistics. Although they may be classified for employment purposes as non-academic, an increasing proportion of such staff are likely to have a mix of academic and professional credentials, experience and roles.

(Whitchurch, 2003)

My life in the thirdspace

Serving as a thirdspace professional has been a hallmark of my career for the last decade. It has brought advantages allowing me to: engage across a broad range of academic disciplines, develop different forms of (non-academic) expertise and embrace networks of other thirdspace professionals. I even recently collaborated on a book chapter (in press) with a colleague that embraced the benefits of this thirdspace position. There have, however, been disadvantages. Thirdspace professionals can lack the same development and progression opportunities as academics, can have limited opportunities for scholarly practice (contractually) and rarely engage in the holistic whole of academic practice. These opportunities and challenges have characterised my practice and development for 10 years now – but this is all about to change. As I discussed in #NewJob, I’m starting as an academic in my new role: Lecturer in Education Studies. In short, I’m leaving the thirdspace in 10 days time.

The photograph at the top of this page is my empty desk in the Library. Everything is all cleared out and moved to my new office. This moment was kind of symbolic for me. For me, the empty desk represents leaving the Library, leaving colleagues and moving towards something new. BUT, one thing is clear. It isn’t only the Library that I am leaving. I’m also leaving the thirdspace.

The academic space

My new career will see me enter the academic space (whatever that is). I’m on the teaching and scholarship pathway, which should see the majority of my time spent on teaching with some space for scholarly activity – including pedagogic research. What that means in contrast to the thirdspace, I’m not sure. Some people tell me it won’t be so different. Others say it will be different – a new journey. Time will only tell what the reality will be. I look forward to sharing that journey here. 😄

I opened this post with a photo of my old, empty desk. My old workspace. As this post marks the start of a new (academic) journey, it feels fitting to close the post with a photo representing that start. So, in contrast to my cleared-out desk, here I am, all set up in my new corner of the office. This is going to be my new home for a while, and I look forward to reflecting on the journey. 😅

Far from the thirdspace, this photograph shows my new office. Three bookshelves sit above a computer desk with two monitors. The space is colourful with plants, books and posters.

One final note – I’m clear that this new role does not mean leaving Learning Development. As a Lecturer in Education Studies, I intend to have a scholarly interest in Learning Development, and I hope to take everything I have learned from learning development practice into my future teaching. I’ll also remain involved with ALDinHE, though accept my contributions are from a different position now.

Reference list

Whitchurch, C. (2009) The Rise of the Blended Professional in Higher Education: A Comparison between the UK, Australia and the United States. Higher Education, 58(3), 407-418.

Whitchurch, C. (2008) Shifting Identities and Blurring Boundaries: the Emergence of Third Space Professionals in UK Higher Education. Higher Education Quarterly, 62, 377-396. 

Whitchurch, C. (2003) Reconstructing Identities in Higher Education: The rise of Third Space professionals. Routledge.