Communication and Working with Others

4a: Communication and Working with Others

In my role, I actively collaborate with colleagues within and beyond my institution to enhance the effective use of learning technologies and improve teaching practice. This collaboration enables the sharing of experties, development of innovative approaches, and continuous professional growth. 

Throughout my academic career, I have recognised that effective technology enhanced learning (TEL) is fundamentally collaborative, requiring engagement with students, colleagues, and external stakeholders. During my teaching at Zhejiang University and Zhejiang University of Technology, I encountered diverse cultural expectations and learning styles among Chinese and multinational students enrolled in joint degree programmes. Early in my teaching, I observed that some students were hesitant to ask questions, often nodding politely even when they did not fully understand the material. My usual interactive approach initially elicited a limited response, leaving some learning gaps unaddressed.

After a group activity, I approached students individually to solicit feedback and discovered that openly questioning a teacher could be perceived as disrespectful in their cultural context. I responded by incorporating anonymous Q&A tools and small group discussions, allowing students to express doubts without feeling exposed. Over subsequent sessions, participation visibly increased. One student emailed: “Your method of small group and online questions helped me finally understand the concepts I was too shy to ask about in class.” This experience reinforced the importance of empathy and responsiveness to learners’ needs . This aligns with CMALT principle of an empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues and learners and demonstrated that culturally informed communication strategies are essential for engagement. I learned that adjusting teaching approaches to diverse learning preferences is not a one off task but requires continuous observation, feedback, and adaptation.

At the University of Greenwich, I co design and deliver the 24 week Business Analytics I module, working closely with colleagues from computing and finance. Beyond module delivery, our collaboration involves regular discussions about curriculum design, student progression, assessment effectiveness, and the integration of learning technologies. A recurring topic has been the wide variation in students’ prior analytical and digital skills when entering Year 2. During module planning meetings, colleagues and I have reflected on how differences in students’ Year 1 experiences become highly visible in computer laboratory environments, where some students progress rapidly while others struggle with foundational spreadsheet and data analysis skills. Through these discussions, we explored strategies to support less confident students without restricting those ready for more advanced activities, leading to the introduction of scaffolded exercises, additional support materials, and differentiated classroom activities. This collaborative process demonstrated the value of communication, shared reflection, and evidence-informed curriculum enhancement, aligning with the CMALT principle of empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues and learners

The integration of Excel modelling, Bloomberg, STATA tutorials, and Qlik dashboards allows students to apply analytical tools in authentic, industry relevant scenarios. During one workshop, students were tasked with analysing a company’s financial performance using all four platforms. Initially, some students appeared overwhelmed, but a step by step demonstration pulling Bloomberg data into Excel, running statistical tests in STATA, and visualising results in Qlik enabled one group to successfully create an interactive dashboard. They exclaimed, “Wow, we actually did it! Everything finally makes sense when we put it all together.” This illustrated the impact of careful sequencing, scaffolding, and collaborative design align with CMALT principle of commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between technology and learning on both technical skills and learner confidence. Collaborating with colleagues also presented challenges. In co designing the module, disagreements arose about sequencing content and tool introduction some colleagues suggested introducing STATA first for statistical foundations, while I advocated starting with Excel and Bloomberg to engage students with real world data. We piloted a hybrid approach early exposure to Excel and Bloomberg, followed by STATA workshops which resulted in greater student motivation and smoother progression. Our discussions also focused on how students transition between different forms of assessment. In Business Analytics, students complete timed computer-based assessments before progressing to coursework involving analytical models, dashboards, and written reports. Colleagues and I reviewed assessment outcomes and discussed whether students were successfully transferring technical skills developed during practical exercises into more complex analytical tasks. These conversations led to refinements in workshop activities, additional formative exercises, and greater emphasis on linking technical skills to assessment requirements. This demonstrated how collaborative review and open communication can strengthen technology-enhanced assessment design and support student success. This process reinforced the value of compromise, iterative testing, and keeping learner experience central allign with CMALT principle of an empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues and learners  and highlighted the importance of communication and mutual respect in collaborative curriculum development.

Independent learning has been another important area of collaboration with colleagues. We regularly discuss how to identify students who may be falling behind in practical skills development, particularly when much of their software practice takes place outside scheduled teaching sessions. Together, we considered the benefits of introducing additional formative checkpoints, progress monitoring activities, and opportunities for students to demonstrate developing competence before formal assessment points. These discussions reinforced my understanding that effective TEL requires ongoing monitoring, reflection, and collaborative problem-solving rather than relying solely on final assessment outcomes. Collaboration with students is equally central to my approach. In ACCO1117 Personal and Professional Development, I mentor students in developing reflective Microsoft Sway portfolios showcasing CVs, cover letters, and professional reflections. To foster peer to peer learning, I organised structured review sessions with clear guidance and exemplars for giving constructive feedback. Initially, participation was uneven; some students engaged deeply, while others contributed minimally. Introducing small accountability groups and live review workshops improved engagement, leading to richer feedback. One student reflected: “Reviewing others’ Sways gave me new ideas about how to present my own experiences. It was a safe and useful way to learn from each other.” This approach demonstrates mutual accountability and shared learning in alignment with CMALT princople of An empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues and learners and develops students’ professional digital literacy. The Bloomberg Trading Challenge further illustrates student impact. One participant stated, “Before this, I was nervous about trading or even reading market data. Now I feel I could enter a trading floor and understand what’s happening.” Another noted employability benefit: “This challenge gave me examples to discuss in interviews. I can confidently talk about risk management and market trends because I’ve applied them myself.” These reflections highlight the importance of bridging academic learning with industry relevant skills. This align also with commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between technology and learning and demonstrates tangible improvements in learner confidence, market awareness, and professional readiness. In addition to curriculum development activities, I contribute to quality assurance processes through assessment moderation. For example, I have undertaken moderation responsibilities for the Financial Business Intelligence module, reviewing assessment briefs, marking decisions, and student submissions alongside colleagues. These discussions enabled us to ensure consistency in marking standards while also reflecting on the effectiveness of technology-enhanced assessment approaches. Through moderation activities, I gained valuable insight into different teaching approaches across the programme and identified opportunities to improve assessment clarity and student guidance. This experience aligns with the CMALT principle of sharing effective practice and demonstrates how collaboration contributes to maintaining academic quality and enhancing learning experiences.

Beyond individual modules, I also engage with Programme Leaders and colleagues to ensure curriculum content remains current and aligned with industry developments. My expertise has also been recognised beyond the University through invitations to contribute to external academic and professional activities. For example, I was invited by Kogan Page, a leading academic publisher, to review a proposed textbook on Principles of Business Analytics, providing feedback on curriculum relevance, content coverage, and alignment with current teaching practice. This opportunity enabled me to contribute to wider professional discussions within the discipline while reflecting on emerging developments in business analytics education and learning technologies. As business analytics and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, I have contributed to discussions regarding the inclusion of ethics, responsible data use, and AI-related considerations within module content. These conversations focus on ensuring students develop not only technical competencies but also an awareness of the ethical and professional implications of data-driven decision-making. This collaborative curriculum enhancement work reflects my commitment to ensuring that learning technologies are used in ways that are pedagogically sound, socially responsible, and relevant to contemporary professional practice.  Key challenges emerged around both collaboration and learner engagement. With colleagues, reconciling differing perspectives on tool sequencing required negotiation and pilot testing. I learned that explicit discussion of learning objectives and iterative refinement can resolve conflicts while maintaining focus on student experience. In student collaboration, uneven engagement in peer feedback required structured guidance, exemplars, and live facilitation. This taught me the importance of scaffolding and monitoring to ensure equitable participation. Working collaboratively has reinforced the critical balance between structured processes and empathetic communication. Applying Laurillard’s Conversational Framework (2012), I ensure TEL activities are dialogic, with feedback loops among students, colleagues, and external stakeholders. I have learned that collaboration requires flexibility, as colleagues and students bring diverse digital competencies, workloads, and expectations. Providing multiple communication channels Teams, Moodle forums, email, live tutorials and asynchronous resources, such as captioned Zoom recordings and Sway guides, ensures accessibility and inclusivity following the CMALT principle of empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues and learners. Moving forward, I plan to involve students earlier in shaping TEL tools through pre module surveys and focus groups. Peer feedback workshops will adopt a phased approach initial drafts, live peer review sessions, and revised submissions. For the Bloomberg Trading Challenge, I intend to streamline onboarding with step by step guides and demonstration videos to maximise time spent on analysis and decision making. Additionally, I plan to introduce Microsoft Loop for progress tracking and a faculty wide peer mentoring initiative for TEL adoption. These strategies will continue to embed collaboration, learner centred design, and technology enhanced practice at the heart of curriculum development.

References:

• Association for Learning Technology (ALT). (2021) CMALT: Certified Membership of ALT – Guidelines for Candidates and Assessors. Available at: https://www.alt.ac.uk/certified-membership.

• Laurillard, D. (2012) Teaching as a Design Science. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.

• Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (2001) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L. and Koole, M. (2021) ‘Balancing technology, pedagogy and the new normal: Post-pandemic challenges for higher education’, Postdigital Science and Education, 3(3), pp. 715–742.