Filling the Abyss of Learning Technology Leadership

Rob Gibson, Director, Learning Technologies at Emporia State University And Melody Buckner, Associate Vice Provost, Digital Learning and Online Initiatives, University of Arizona

Rob Gibson, Director, Learning Technologies at Emporia State University

Are leaders born or created? This is a question often pondered as we meander along our career pathway. We wonder if we are leadership material and what does it take to become a successful leader. Transitioning into leadership can be a difficult journey in any industry, including higher education. Leaders emerge in various ways and come from all areas of the organization. Most journeys into leadership begin with formal education but much of the ascent happens midway through a career guided only through mentorship and by professional development opportunities. As we scan the landscape of available offerings for leadership training we stumble upon many books, webinars, formal and informal courses. It is overwhelming and confusing, much like the cereal aisle in Walmart. Do you go for the yummy sugary sweet stuff or the tasteless, but healthy variety? It is a difficult choice to make and one with consequences for our success.

Lately there seems to be a void of experienced leadership in higher education especially in learning or academic technologies. This is an area that often walks the tightline of existing in two very different worlds, one side is in the Information Technology Office and the other side is in the Provost Office. This unique position calls for leaders who speak the language of the technology geeks while navigating conversations with facultyfull of academic jargon. Where does someone find just the right sweet and healthy spot for discovering the skills necessary to become a successful learning technology leader in higher education?

One organization filling both requirements is EDUCAUSE, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance higher education through information technology. Within this mainly information technology organization there is a sweet spot focused on teaching and learning. It is this intersection of two worlds where learning technology leaders can find opportunities to explore the necessary skills for climbing this unique ladder to success.

EDUCAUSE sponsors several professional developmentInstitutes targeting a variety of higher education technology professionals at various stages in their career track. The Learning Technology Leaders Instituteis the newest offering focusing on preparing potential leaders the art of navigating both the technology and academic sides of higher education. Prior to the pandemic, these Institutes were intensive, on-site, week-long events hosted at various locations across the country. They were facilitated by cohorts of recognized technology and academic professionals from a cross-section of higher education institutions.This provided an intensive, experiential, applied session challenginglearners to consider contemporary and emergent issues in their respective fields. Normally, a capstone project weaved together the various themes introduced throughout the week.

One organization filling both requirements is EDUCAUSE, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance higher education through information technology

As the pandemic widened and intensified, EDUCAUSE was forced to abandon most of its stalwart on-ground professional development activities and migrate those products and services online. There was some uncertainty as to whether the organization could effectively make this rapid pivot and provide the same quality programs. To make this transition, EDUCAUSE tapped iDesign - a professional company specializing in online instructional and course design. The initial program targeted to move to the new format was Learning Technology Leadership (LTL). Melody Bucker, the Associate Vice Provost of Digital Learning from the University of Arizona and Robert Gibson, the Director of Learning Technologies from Emporia State University were hired to serve as program subject matter experts. Over a period of several months, the team worked collectively to identify and hone five core Competencies that were deemed essential elements for learning and technology professionals. This

Melody Buckner, Associate Vice Provost, Digital Learning and Online Initiatives, University of Arizona

year those themes included:

1. Learner-Driven Knowledge which are instructional frameworks that view students as active participants in constructing their own pathways to knowledge.
2. Academic Communication and Networking which include essential leadership communication skills required in higher education.
3. Managing Technology Projects which introduces participants to agile and waterfall project management methodologies, and common tools used to orchestrate technology projects.
4. Data-Driven Decision Making which includes using analytics and data to inform effective decision-making in higher education.
5. Digital Transformation which is a series of deep and coordinated cultural, workforce, and technology shifts that enable new educational and operating models, and transform an institution's business model, strategic directions, and value proposition.

The Learning Technology Leadership Institute was initially offered in spring of 2021. Using an engaging online course platform developed by iDesign, the course launched with a team of four learning technology leaders who facilitated the institute over the span of ten weeks to more than fifty online participants. Each competency was constructed using a similar cadence of short video overviews and introductions, a series of selected and curated reading and video resources relative to the topic. The learners engaged with the content, and their peers through activities in the discussion boards, they practicedthemed activities allowing for the refinement and develop of skills, and finally developed a formal project for each competency with a final reflection component. The goal of the Institute is for the learners to develop an action planning document and provide an opportunity to discuss how they would employ those strategies and resources in their own institution and context.Throughout the Institute, live, weekly synchronous events were hosted for each competency, providing opportunities for learner engagement and collegiality. Breakout rooms, game-based activities, and collaborative whiteboard tools were often employed.

Perhaps the most encouraging take-away for the faculty developers and sponsors of the program was that learning and instructional design leaders can and will effectively engage in blended format professional development programs. This effort proved so successful, in fact, that a second Institute will soon be offered. Future EDUCAUSE professional development programming will likely conform to this very successful model.

Of course, this is just one of many professional development opportunities offered online focusing on learning technology leadership. The bottom line is we need to find pathways for people who want to evolve from either technology or academic positions into this critical intersection of learning technology leadership. Providing communities and mentorship along with this kind of professional development will help in filling the abyss of learning technology leadership in higher education.