Very quickly within this unit, my time became very very stretched and on reflection one of the core issues I needed to tackle, first was my time. If I continued to leave my time unregulated and open to any students all the time (drop-ins). This would not only affect students negatively as they were unable to plan their time, but equally would be of no benefit to me as it meant I was unable to effectively plan my time to its best potential – and so the first aspect to this project was to implement some form of booking system.
Available at https://outlook.office.com/book/WearableTechElliottHall@artslondon.onmicrosoft.com/
This single action has single handedly made such a difference to the way my day is structured. As a staff member I feel that I have control and an understanding of how my day will be structured but also has allowed me to buffer time to be able to take the time to prepare for sessions – meaning the time spent with students is more useful and considered. However, you don’t have to take my word for it, I received clear feedback from the students that it made a whole world of difference for them too.
To book onto an appointment or initial consultation with me it is now easier than ever with a link in my email signature alongside clear signposting on our technical resources page as seen in figures 1 & 2.
Figure 1. Can be seen within my email signature.
Figure 2. Also available directly on the Digital Learning Lab’s drop-in information page.
Since rolling out the booking system, students were advised when I first met them that a great first step is to book an initial consultation. As of the time of writing, currently this is not fully integrated into my proposed learning resource, but in the new year this will act as the first step in the process!
One implication of this has actually been sort of surprising to me, at first I was worried implementing a booking system would halt students coming. Acting as an extra step or barrier (with exisiting students overbooking and clogging my available time) – but instead I have found it to be the opposite, instead appearing to receive more students from a wider range of departments, with students who are familiar with online systems that span the college, but are unfamiliar with the building – with some students stating they never knew the lab existed prior! This in my view is a great positive result, and even better when paired with the fact this is being done in a clear and organised manner.
You may at this point be seeing the elephant in the room and asking “why was this not in place to begin with?” And the simple answer was, it was. I actually implemented a system like this last year but was asked to remove it as it led to a surge in 1-to-1 bookings and as a grade 4 technician should be focusing on a more universal teaching approach. Something I both agree with and disagree with, but the most important thing that is different this time round is the structure that this will be leading into. Although this term I have not rolled out this new learning pathway and have instead been developing it. Nonetheless, it has still shaped the way I have been interacting with students, even if there are no sheets on the table, which has made all the difference.
Lastly there are some aspects of the booking system that although small I am proud of, simple aspects such as making sure initial consultations are prioritised. Meaning they are able to be booked a week in advance of regular tutorials, meaning students are only one week away from getting individualised support, ready to start their project. If you’re interested in seeing more aspects of the booking system please feel free to take a look yourself at the link above or by clicking here!