Assessing the effectiveness of the induction process for novice Associate Lecturers in the School of Life Health and Chemical Sciences in preparing them for the Associate Lecturer role

Project leader(s): Janette WallaceHannah Gauci
Theme: Other
Faculty: STEM
Status: Archived
Dates: May 2018 to October 2019

Background and issues to be addressed

Prior to the closure of regional centers Associate Lecturer (AL) induction often took place face to face allowing managers and ALs to meet and form connections. Since AL induction comprises an on-line (on-line meaning email, forums and online conferencing) AL Essentials module (which is not grounded in the module, completion is not monitored and parts are out of date) along with any online module specific induction deemed appropriate by the cluster manager or lead ST on a module. This recent ad hoc approach results in variable induction to new to the OU ALs perhaps equipping some with more skills and confidence than others. In addition, it might be more difficult to form communities between ALs, their peers and managers in this online context. Indeed anecdotal evidence suggests that some new to the OU ALs (here on in called novice ALs) feel unsupported in their new role due to lack of development. Online induction The impact of inadequate induction may result in negative outcomes for students such as ineffective tutorial provision, inadequate TMA feedback, poor academic support and ultimately students losing confidence in their AL and the OU. Therefore, supporting Novice ALs to develop the necessary skills and knowledge required to support their students confidently is critical in ensuring a good student experience. This is in agreement with Knight (2002) who reported that the quality of the induction process can influence confidence in new lecturers.

SK299 is a new module in LHCS with the first presentation in 17J. 52 tutors were recruited to the module and around half were new to the Open University. These novice ALs come to OU with variety of backgrounds and experience. Some have much previous experience of supporting students and working in higher education, others have very little and may come from a practitioner background (e.g. nursing). Boyd (2010) noted that practitioners coming to higher education tend to hang on to their practitioner identify and find the transition to higher education sometimes challenging thus the implication of this should be considered in induction. Experience of working online to support students could vary within Novice ALs. The online recruitment, working practice and induction may contribute the feelings of isolation and lack of confidence in these Novice ALs.

Barlow & Antoniou, 2007 state that ‘induction needs to be multi-dimensional, and must include orientation to the university, the academic school, and to teaching’. Indeed, Boyd (2010) suggested new staff can find the new institution-related systems and language confusing and challenging. We would support this idea of a multi-dimensional induction in the context of working for the OU. Currently, compulsory induction for the novice ALs included Adobe Connect training, and attendance at a module briefing, they were also advised to complete the AL Essentials module on TutorHome. AL Essentials covers many of the key systems, and skills required. Skills deemed as essential for the AL role, as highlighted in the generic job specification, include (among others) the ability to promote learning through correspondence tuition, the ability to use ICT in teaching and supporting students, an appreciation of study skills, ability to work with students with disabilities, and working in a team.

Boyd (2010) highlights the value ‘newcomers’ working alongside ‘old-timers’. This suggests that the delivery of induction activities by experienced AL peers might be beneficial. To complement AL Essentials an ongoing module induction programme to is being offered to novice SK299 ALs over the first 6 months of the 17J presentation. This program comprises seven one hour on-line sessions delivered by staff tutors and experienced SK299 AL peers. The sessions include general OU knowledge, module specific knowledge and more informal guidance. These components of induction were deemed as important by Boyd (2010). Session titles are: Adobe Connect and the first tutorial; Getting started; A.L. Essentials; Supporting nursing students; preparation for TMA01; TMA01 reflection and looking forward to TMA02; TMA02 reflection, TMA03 and exam preparation. In addition, a generic tutor moderators course focusing on forum moderation and facilitating on-line groups is being offered specifically to this group of novice SK299 ALs and there is a forum for new tutor queries and support that is moderated by staff tutors.

Barlow & Antiou (2007) explain how a tick box approach to induction (akin to completing AL essentials) can be superficial so it is hoped our multifaceted approach which includes synchronous, asynchronous and interactive components should provide a more complete and in-depth induction to allow novice ALs to feel supported and confident in their new role.

As part of the evaluation we will investigate the effectiveness of the types of induction we have provided and their timing.

Aims and methods

This project aims to assess the confidence of novice SK299 ALs in their new role before and after they have completed their induction and their perception of the effectiveness of their induction in preparing them for their AL role.

The project will be run over two presentations. 20 novice ALs will be recruited from SK299 17J, and then it is hoped a minimum of 10 ALs from 18J. As we cannot predict the number of novice SK299 ALs in 18J we plan to open this to all novice ALs in LHCS rather than specifically SK299. We would hope to gain a similarly sized cohort of novice ALs in the second presentation.

There are three stages to the proposed evaluation

Evaluate 17J induction programme
- Describe and catalogue induction events
- Audit novice SK299 AL forum to identify induction related questions, context, how they were addressed, level of anxiety expressed by AL
- Create and administer an open and closed question questionnaire at the end of the induction that asks ALs to reflect and evaluate each induction event they attended and identify those willing to participate in focus group.
- Focus group with questions designed to identify what was deemed to be most useful and what other events or support might have helped their confidence and skills.
- Outcome: identify changes to make for 18J that could be implemented for ALs on a range of modules in LHCS.
Implement amended induction programme for new to the OU 18J tutors across LHCS and evaluate outcomes using same methods as in stage 1.
Develop generic set of induction recommendations that can be applied to LHCS/Science/more broadly

Outcomes

The outcome of this project is to understand the induction process for novice ALs and the impact this has on their confidence in their role as an AL. It is hoped that we can learn from novice AL feedback to create a specific, timetabled clearer induction process which contains addresses key needs timely during a module presentation. This could be shared though LHCS and Science. In addition the outcome from 17J ALs taking part in the induction and evaluation would be to build peer support and community as well as impacting on novice ALs in 18J to increase their confidence.

Increased confidence in novice ALs should allow them to support students more effectively in creating effective tutorial provision, enhanced TMA feedback, increased forum support and greater academic support. It is hoped this will result in greater student confidence in their AL and the OU and therefore in the students own abilities. This factor could enhance students retention and therefore progression

Overall impact would be increased effective correspondence tuition and therefore consequently student progression and retention.

References

Barlow, J. and Antoniou, M. (2007) Room for improvement: the experiences of new lecturers in higher education Innovations in Education and Teaching International Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 67–77

Boyd, P. (2010) Academic induction for professional educators: supporting the workplace learning of newly appointed lecturers in teacher and nurse education. International Journal for Academic Development 15:2, pp155-165 [Online] Available at DOI: 10.1080/13601441003738368 (accessed 06/02/2018)

van den Bos, P and Brouwer, J. (2014) Learning to teach in higher education: how to link theory and practice. Teaching in Higher Education, Vol. 19, No. 7, pp772–786, [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.901952 (Accessed 06/02/2018)

Read more about phase two of this project at Evaluating a new STEM AL induction programme. The final report for both phases can be found below under 'Related Resources'.