Proposal view
| Proposal Type: | Individual Paper |
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| Domain: | Lifelong Learning and Professional Development |
| SIG: | Learning and Professional Development |
| Scheduling category: | Professional Development |
| Type | Submitted Paper |
| Equipment |
Computer and data projector / beamer |
| Paper Details |
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| Paper type | Empirical |
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| Title | Identifying potential threshold concepts in Educational Development: Towards a profile of professional educational developers |
| Abstract | In Educational Development, there currently exists “no unifying position-profile that captures who we are and what we do” (Stockley, Mighty, et al., 2008). Such issues of ambiguity of professional identity and purpose threaten the credibility of the field. Consequently, there is a need to develop a professional profile of educational developers. Rather than identifying a list of competencies, it may be fruitful to identify competencies that reveal the underlying epistemological assumptions of the field; those that reveal distinctive “ways of thinking and practising”. Threshold Concepts, identified by Meyer and Land (2003) as “opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something” and that lead to a “transformed internal view of subject matter, subject landscape, or even world view” (p. 1) may provide a method for unveiling the often tacit knowledge of experts. The overall purpose of this multiple case-study is to document potential threshold concepts in educational development and to qualify the ways of thinking, practising, and valuing that are distinctive of educational development. Interviews with expert educational developers from different countries will seek to a)identify threshold concepts; b) qualify experiences that lead to thresholds; and c) determine how understanding of threshold concepts changes over time. Within-case and cross-case analysis of themes of potential threshold concepts and experiences that lead to crossing thresholds will be conducted. A clearer sense of the threshold knowledge, skills, and values underlying the work of educational developers will enable us to propose a balanced profile that serves to establish our professional identity. We may then begin to design programs of initial and continuing formation that integrate thresholds and the experiences that lead to them. Finally, insight into the ways in which the understanding of threshold concepts may change over time will help foster a developmental approach to teaching and learning. |
| Summary | Framework The mission to “enhance the teaching and learning capacity of academic communities” (Taylor & Rege-Colet, 2008) alludes to the complexity of educational development work. Interestingly, however, there exist few programs that ensure the initial and ongoing formation of the people who practice this profession. This is indicative of a more fundamental concern that there currently exists “no unifying position-profile that captures who we are and what we do” (Stockley, Mighty, et al., 2008). Such issues of ambiguity of professional identity and purpose threaten the credibility of the field (Sorcinelli et al., 2006). Consequently, there is a need to develop a professional profile of educational developers. Current work is doing much to reveal the competencies necessary for effective practice (e.g., Houle & Pratte, 2007; Poumay, 2006; Taylor & Rege-Colet, 2008). Rather than a list of competencies, however, it may be more fruitful to identify those that reveal the underlying epistemological assumptions of our field; that is, those that reveal distinctive “ways of thinking and practising” (McCune & Hounsell, 2005). What might an effective method be for unveiling these often tacit assumptions? In their identification of Threshold Concepts, Meyer and Land (2003) have tapped into concepts that are seen as “opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something” (p. 1). A Threshold Concept represents a transformed way of understanding, or interpreting, or viewing something without which the learner cannot progress. As a consequence of comprehending a threshold concept there may be a transformed internal view of subject matter, subject landscape, or even world view. […] Such a transformed view or landscape may represent how particular people ‘think’ in a particular discipline […].” (Meyer & Land, 2003, p. 1) Given Threshold Concepts’ potential to instigate epistemological transformations (Timmermans, under review), they seem particularly suited to helping us unearth the assumptions of educational development. Research Questions The overall purpose of this study is to qualify the ways of thinking, practising, and valuing that are distinctive of educational development by documenting potential threshold concepts. Specifically, this study seeks to a) identify threshold concepts of educational developers; b) qualify experiences that lead to thresholds; and c) determine how understanding of threshold concepts changes over time. Design This case study is being undertaken in the context of the author’s doctoral research. It is an attempt to integrate her previous work on the preparation of future educational developers (Timmermans, Jazvac-Martek, Berthiaume, Arcuri, & McAlpine, 2005) and on the power of Threshold Concepts to facilitate learners’ epistemological development (Timmermans, under review). The study also derives from the author’s practice as a novice educational developer and is intended to serve as preparation for understanding more deeply the professional community which she hopes to join. Participants are four expert educational developers from several countries who have collaborated on international initiatives to conceptualize the work of educational development and to prepare graduate students for this work. Their perspectives represent some of the multiple contexts in which educational development occurs and fulfill the “maximum variation” strategy for purposive sampling in case studies (Creswell, 2007). While challenges are associated with accessing the thinking of experts, experts have been chosen here as they have “mastered the episteme of their discipline” (Perkins, 1997) and demonstrate great capacity for reflection (McAlpine, Weston, et al., 1999a). Participants are all engaged in thinking about their profession and are active scholars in their field. Multiple data sources will be used. Documents detailing the context in which each of the participants practices will be consulted. A survey will be used to gather information regarding each participant’s preparation for the role of educational developer and to identify competencies deemed important for this role. Two semi-structured interviews with each participant will seek a) to understand the participant’s perspective on threshold competencies of educational developers; b) to qualify the experiences that contribute to approaching and crossing such thresholds; and c) to determine how understanding of a threshold may develop over time. As threshold concepts are often “troublesome” for learners (Meyer & Land, 2003), interview questions will elicit details about the concepts participants have found most troublesome on their own path to becoming educational developers, and those they see as proving troublesome for less experienced developers. Analysis Shulman (2005) contends that a professional profile should include not only the knowledge, but also the skills and values required for “accomplished and responsible practice in the service of others” (p. 53). Threshold competencies identified be classified into categories of knowledge, skills, and values. Competencies within each category, and experiences leading to thresholds, will be clustered into themes generated inductively. Within-case themes will be analysed in relationship to the cultural context and professional path of each educational developer. Preliminary analysis of within-case themes will be shared the participants, who will be invited to make revisions and elaborations. Participants will receive a description of the five characteristics of Threshold Concepts (Meyer & Land, 2003) and asked to work with the researcher to determine the ways in which the potential threshold competencies identified embody these characteristics. Cross-case analysis will seek to identify categories in which gaps may exist and to identify the thresholds that unite developers across contexts. Theoretical and educational significance With a clearer sense of the threshold knowledge, skills, and values underlying the work of educational developers, we may propose a balanced profile that serves to establish our professional identity. Furthermore, we may begin to envision intentionally designing programs of initial and continuing formation for that integrate these thresholds. Understanding experiences that lead learners to thresholds can inform the design of instruction around such experiences. Finally, gaining insight into the ways in which the understanding of threshold concepts may change over time will help foster a developmental approach to teaching and learning such concepts. Selected References Meyer, J. H. F., & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: Linkages to ways of thinking and practising within the disciplines. Taylor, K. L. & Rege-Colet, N. (in press, 2008). Making the shift from faculty development to educational development: A conceptual framework grounded in practice. |
| Keywords | Higher education Professional Development |
| Appendices | |
| Authors | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Surname | Institution | Country | EARLI Number | Presenting | |
| Julie | Timmermans | McGill University | Canada | julie.timmermans@mcgill.ca | * | |
