What do learning technologists do?

Abstract

Learning technologists - who represent one example of the 'New professionals' currently emerging in higher education - are a rapidly growing group whose practices are little understood, even within their own community. In this paper, the questions of who learning technologists are, what they do and, perhaps more importantly, how they do it will be considered by drawing upon work undertaken through a SEDA small grant for research. This has shown that learning technologists may undertake any of a diverse range of activities, including staff development, research, management and technical support. What they have in common is that they work with small groups or with individual academics on sustained curriculum development activities. The paper will include an overview of the research, but will focus on the process through which these collaborations are initiated and structured, and will provide an insight into the values and strategies that guide their activities.