Dear all

I do think the term 'study coach' expresses something important about the nature of the work. 'Coach' - yes, well that fits with the notion of paying fees for higher education is like paying fees for gym membership. You're not 'purchasing' education (OK, 'learning' is you insist), but access to opportunities and resources to enable that, including the support of certain people can help - sometimes called 'coaches'.
And in higher education, students engage in, and are expected to engage in, study. That's what they DO (or should do). Learning is not something that one DOES - ie it's not a task verb, but an achievement verb, as Gilbert Ryle would put it. Effective study results in - no, effective study IS what we mean by 'learning'.

'Learning development' - what's that. WHO **does** WHAT? Each of the three words in that question is important.

So I'm siding with Kay - keep coaching students to help them study better. Help them to DO what can help them achieve what they aspire to achieve, and steer clear of the unhelpful vagueness of the insidious ideology of learnerism!

regards


Len
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Research Degrees Convenor
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On 22 November 2013 09:46, Norman, Kay <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Hey, go steady people, this is my job! I currently am a Study Coach at Anglia Ruskin and it is absolutely NOT an admin role; it just has admin in it (doesn’t everyone??); recording coaching session outcomes, action plans, contributing to reporting etc.

There wasn’t a ‘previous incumbent’, we are expanding our team as we’ve been so successful … The fact that we are situated within Student Services means that the contracts are Administrative ones, but the post holders were Academics in a previous life. I think the role description should read teaching OR coaching – think this is a typo!

Those of us with an industrial/business backgrounds are familiar with the concept of coaching in the workplace and this is absolutely what I do; I coach students. Don’t you?

Martin, I take exception to your judgement that this is ‘Learning Developer LITE’ and that the ‘qualifications are basic’. Both of us in post have first and higher degrees, along with teaching qualifications and extensive HE teaching, course leadership and managerial experience. We were just disillusioned with the world of academia….. We also have a team of academic/curriculum Learning Developers here, with Anglia Teaching and Learning; with whom I collaborate. This post was designed to address the Access Agreement with OFFA which it has been very successful in doing.

Just remember that job descriptions trawl for many different qualities, hoping to add more than the single-faceted to their portfolio of staff which they absolutely have found with the appointment of my colleague and I.

I attended the Conference last year, realising that I was indeed a ‘Learning Developer’, but now feel disillusioned that the community are looking down on the role and the work that I do…..

Kay Norman
Study Coach

From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] On Behalf Of Wilson, George
Sent: 22 November 2013 08:52
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Study Coach or Learning Developer?


If you analyse the job description word by word, of course you can find fault, but surely the positive and important things to take from this job ad are the university's "commitment to widening participation" and "success of our students from under represented backgrounds".

Maybe the person who did it before had a coaching qualification and that's hung over into the job-spec - and given the role, a coaching qualification isn't going to get in the way of doing a good job.

Probably the wording was put together by whoever wants the post filled, then modified by HR, then tweeked by marketing before it got to be seen by the likes of us - "send three and four pence".

Is it really important if HR classify it as 'Administrative'? It seems fairly universal that if your job is to teach mainstream students on courses listed in the prospectus, you're "academic": but if you do anything else - make lunches, manage finance, provide study support - you're something else, probably "Administrative".

Salary seems reasonable, and it's a full-time job with proper hours and a real contract - well done Anglia Ruskin University!



George Wilson FHEA

Learning Adviser - Centre for Learning and Study Support

Room B05 Merchiston Campus - Edinburgh Napier University

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