Maren Deepwell

Category: leadership

  • Enough with… Never Enough

    Enough with… Never Enough

    Setting out on a month of celebrating daily successes.

    I am a (lapsed) 80s goth and a lifelong fan of The Cure. They were my favourite bands in the early 90s and I am going to see them live twice later this year (covid permitting).

    One of the songs by the band is called Never Enough, and recently a sense of never enough-ness has crept into my mind.

    ‘However hard I try… it’s never enough..’ is what Robert Smith sings and whilst the song may be about excess of one kind or another, for me it’s the sense of frustration that resonates.

    Whatever I do, there is always more… however hard I work, there’s always the next set of challenges… and no matter how much I achieve the goalposts keep moving out of sight. Working in the EdTech sector post pandemic, even in a privileged role like the one I have, does not often feel like a good place to be (and I salute the bloggers who try to articulate this sense of… WTF in all its nuances).

    I don’t want to detract from saying what needs to be said, and of the impact the past few years have had. Personally and professionally so many are dealing with so much.

    For me, in my own microcosm of getting out of bed each morning and running a small charity, of steering an unsteady ship over a choppy sea (that’s a metaphor for you, Martin), I am getting more and more frustrated with my own sense of fear or failure.

    So, to cheer myself up (and to exploit some of my new found coaching skills in an experiment of self-coaching) I am embarking on a month of celebrating daily success: every day I am going to note a success and I am going to share it publicly to help hold myself accountable.

    It doesn’t matter to me how big or small a thing it is, from getting out of bed to finding five minute of peace to have a cup of tea, finishing a report or responding to a difficult email. It all counts.

    The kind of successes I want to celebrate and remind myself about are things that matter in my life day in, day out. I am not looking to mark achievement of the organisation I run or evaluate my performance. I have other places and processes for that. This is really about finding some balance in my own perspective.

    To start with, I am going to share a success from each of the past few days, back to the start of the month, and after that I’ll post each day and share what happens.

    If the idea appeals to you, you are warmly welcome to share your own successes, however large or small, on Twitter and Instagram.

    July to date

    • 1st July: I went to the beach
    • 2nd July: I completed stage 2 of coach training
    • 3rd July: I ate well
    • 4th July: I cleared my inbox after a week off
    • 5th July: I blogged
    • 6th July: I sorted out a lot of family admin
    • 7th July: I published this post 🙂
  • How to… enter the ALT Awards and gain professional recognition

    How to… enter the ALT Awards and gain professional recognition

    Over the past year I have started to enter awards, and I realised that it can be a helpful process to get a new perspective on one’s progress and gain some much needed professional recognition along the way.

    This post is all about ALT’s Awards, which I can’t enter, but I hope that you will. The Awards celebrate achievement in the field of Learning Technology and are peer-reviewed by a panel of ALT Members from across sectors, chaired by the President of ALT.

    Now, if you are someone who is ready to put your name forward, move right along and complete the entry form.

    There are five categories to choose from, so hopefully you’ll find one that fits:

    • ALT Award for Individuals
    • ALT Award for Institutions and Teams
    • ALT Award for Leadership in Digital Education
    • ALT Award for Digital Transformation in partnership with Jisc
    • ALT Award for Case Studies of Ethical EdTech 

    The awards are open to all and free to enter and you don’t have to be a Member of ALT to be eligible. The Awards Ceremony is free to attend for all Finalists.

    The Awards page has the full particulars of the criteria for each award, and the judging criteria are informed by the CMALT principles: A commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between technology and learning; a commitment to keep up to date with new technologies; a commitment to communicate and disseminate effective practice and empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues from different backgrounds and specialism. All entries should demonstrate alignment with the Framework for Ethical Learning Technology (FELT) and specifically FELT four core principles: Awareness, Professionalism, Care & Community and Values. 

    The entry form requires you to complete one main field:

    Describe your entry, including why you should win this year, the impact of your work within or beyond your institution, how it was developed and what others could learn from your work.

    and there is an option to include links to supporting evidence, resources or similar.

    Why not enter?

    Plenty of people I meet wouldn’t consider putting themselves, their project or their team forward for an Award. My question to you is: Why not?

    If you don’t win or get short-listed, no-one will know. You will still have a useful summary that highlights what you have achieved that you can use for appraisals or dissemination, and you might have an opportunity to see your own achievements in a new light.

    What you do is probably more worth sharing than you think. Plus, after two years of fire fighting and crisis support, I bet there is a LOT you will have achieved for your learners, your academics, your colleagues, your institutions, the wider community and the sector you work in.

    And… there is always the option of nominating someone else. An unsung hero or a overlooked innovator.

    Tips for entering

    I have previously shared tips for entering, and these are some of the most popular ones:

    What I/we do isn’t special…

    Quite a few winners of the Awards over the years have either been nominated by someone else or started their opening sentence along these lines. Most of the time individuals or teams who do exceptional things don’t take the time to reflect or celebrate. They move on to the next thing quickly and modestly. This is one of the things the Awards are useful for – to reflect and acknowledge your achievements and those of others. If you aren’t sure whether what you do is ‘special’ enough to enter ask a colleague for their views. And if you know someone who should be recognised – nominate them.

    Show what impact you’ve made

    Quite often entries don’t include a lot of detail of what difference the work has made – how you have changed things. If you find it hard to find good ways of showing that maybe ask colleagues, learners or peers for comments or feedback. You could also include metrics of social media or open online interactions, such as how many readers a blog has.

    What are the judges looking for?

    Each year the judging panel includes at least two previous winners of the Awards. That means entries will be reviewed by at least individuals who have been in your position before. Other members of the panel come from across sectors including HE, FE, work-based learning and industry. So no matter where you work or what you do, there should always be someone on the panel who understands your perspective.

    Interviews make me nervous…

    Part of the selection process is that all short-listed entries are invited to a virtual interview. This is a friendly and collegiate day. If you are invited for an interview, you will be able to prepare in advance and the interview itself usually quite informal and about half an hour long.

    So give it a thought and before 4 July 2022, complete the entry form.

    Good luck!

  • CEO’s Report, Spring 2022

    Adapted from the original report on the #altc blog.

    This is my quarterly update as CEO of ALT on our progress as we move further into the year. We now provide access to expertise to a much wider community of digital practitioners. We work hard to champion professional recognition for a growing range of Learning Technology roles and we inform and support institution leaders engaging with digital education. Our strategy needs to reflect this growing remit. 

    Informed by the findings from our Annual Survey, our Board of Trustees and I have worked together to set strategic goals to move us firmly into this (post) pandemic landscape towards our Annual Conference and AGM in Manchester in early September.

    One of the strategic priorities we have identified is to develop a new hybrid CPD and events programme, which will launch in autumn and set out a schedule of webinars, workshops and events running online and in person.

    We are also looking to develop our professional recognition activities, including refreshing the ALT Awards and pathways to CMALT, details of which we hope to share with Members soon.

    Things to look out for

    • Resources from the OER22, ALT’s Open Education Conference in the UK, chaired by the Global OER Graduate Network, are now available.
    • We launched a new collaboration to tell the stories from our community with ITN Productions: Digital Transformation. Building on the success of last year’s programme, this year’s film will explore the potential of digital technology in education and industry and its impact on approaches to learning.
    • News about this year’s AGM and Trustee elections will be published alongside the Call for Nominations for Honorary Life Membership in May. Look out for information about how to stand for election and how to vote.

    How our profession is changing

    This second report from our Annual Survey explores one of the key questions we ask in the survey: how are institutions investing in Technology-Enhanced Learning? We continue to see an increase in investment of over 30% overall, although smaller than the previous year, when 45% of Members reported an increase in their budgets. From 2020 to 2021, investment in permanent posts has increased from 32% to 54%, and for fixed term posts from 34% to 50%, emphasizing the continued and growing demands for Learning Technology professionals in the long term.

    ALT’s Annual Survey has run each year since 2014, with a number of the core questions remaining unchanged. We think it provides a unique insight into how learning technology is used across sectors as well as identifying emerging trends in current and future practice.

    You can also read more about the report from ALT’s Chair, Helen O’Sullivan, and myself in this #altc blog post.

    Celebrating the launch of the AmplifyFE Community Space in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust

    AmplifyFE is a partnership project which works to connect and amplify communities of practice for digital learning, teaching and assessment. The AmplifyFE Community Space works across the whole Further Education and Training sector in its widest terms engaging with vocational educators and those who support them.

    The aim of this space is to:

    • Provide a place for vocational educators to share and learn from each other, increasing their access to learning technology expertise, digital pedagogy and professional development opportunities
    • Champion the use of accessible, inclusive learning technology to help those adult learners most impacted by the digital divide so that more people in the UK have improved access to vocational skills
    • Engage with FE groups and communities of practice and researchers in vocational learning to share best practice
    • Work across the whole Further Education and Training sector in its widest terms engaging with vocational educators and those who support them in FE Colleges, Adult and Community Learning (ACL), work-based and independent learning providers, prison learning, ESOL communities, ‘HE in FE’ providers, the whole, diverse sector.
    • To amplify the voice of professionals in strategic developments across the sector, led by organisations including ALT and Ufi.

    Find out more via the AmplifyFE website.

    Picture by Chris Bull for Association For Learning Technology 11/9/18 ALTC 2018 day one. www.chrisbullphotographer.com

    Preparing for our Annual Conference and AGM 2022

    For the return of the Annual Conference to Manchester, 6-8 September 2022, we will bring together different critical perspectives from across our community that will examine the challenges ahead and question the shape of things to come. We are putting our values into practice and Members at the heart of the conference, so in this spirit the event will be chaired collaboratively by the Trustees of ALT.

    Conference themes

    • Digital transformation beyond the crisis: what is your vision for learning, teaching and assessment? This theme is focused on how we are transforming education and training through digital practices in a post-pandemic world.
    • Co-creation with learners: this theme explores how to use digital technology in partnership with learners to design sustainable approaches that work for everyone. How can we co-create student engagement and enjoyment and make the learning experience more open, inclusive and equitable? 
    • Emerging leadership for a new strategic vision: we are seeing a growth in more strategic responsibilities in roles with a focus on digital education and training. This theme is dedicated to the work and vision of both emerging and established leaders in both institutional and community roles seeking to share their expertise and learn from like-minded colleagues in a dedicated leadership strand of this year’s event. 
    • Developing Digital Fluency: there has been a big shift in the digital skills and capabilities that we need to develop and recognise in both students and staff: from digital citizenship to critical data literacy and ethical considerations, what does it mean to develop digital fluency? 
    • AmplifyFE: this conference strand is dedicated to proposals from the FE and Vocational Education sector, and we encourage submissions that share expertise around digital tools and technologies, skills development and collaboration (not competition). 
    • Creativity wildcard: if your work doesn’t fit into the traditional research or practice themes, then this theme enables you to submit research, practice or policy proposals from any sector including Further Education, schools, vocational learning and training, lifelong learning and work-based learning.

    Registration and scholarship applications are now open.

    Ethical Framework for Learning Technology

    We have been sharing the framework with the sector at a number of conferences and events this spring, including the THE Digital Universities Week and Ahead by Bett. ALT’s Framework for Ethical Learning Technology (FELT) is designed to support individuals, organisations and industry in the ethical use of learning technology across sectors. The following resources, including the FELT Reflective Self-Assessment are available to Members:

    Another great session at #THEdigiweekuk, this time with @daveowhite, @MarenDeepwell, @jatenas and @osullihelen looking at https://t.co/IKyZSA53ck; @A_L_T‘s Framework for Ethical Learning Technologies (FELT). Hadn’t been aware of this, seems a great way to assess what we’re using! pic.twitter.com/YponqKhKWY— Chris Trace (@chrisEtrace) March 16, 2022

  • Nuggets of inspiration: how we work and what works for us

    I like revisiting or exploring different frameworks to think with, not necessarily to adopt them whole, but because they usually offer me small nuggets of inspiration. Here are some examples of what I explored and what I found out along the way:

    Ways to explore your traits, motivations or fears

    • Enneagram Core Motivations: This is a tool which combines modern psychology with an ancient personality system, and it helps you identify one of nine core motivations. There is a helpful post that explains how to choose your type, and plenty of free online tests available to experiment with. I found this really helpful as a prompt for reflection and enjoyed thinking about which core motivations I would NOT choose and why.
    • Gallup Clifton Strengths Assessment: this is a popular assessment tool, particularly in a work context. Whilst the assessment tools either require a paid subscription or one off fee for completion, there is a wealth of articles, tools and resources online via the official site. This could be good fit for you if you are working in a large organisation for example, and may be something employers offer.
    • Myers Briggs Personality Types: This is probably one of the best known frameworks, and it offers free online tests as well as resources to explore. I have done several of these over the years as part of recruitment and coaching, and always found it helpful not least because it’s interesting to see if your answers change over time.
    • Spark Types: This framework offers a free test to help you find your Spark Type and is based on the work of Jonathan Fields, and his accompanying book ‘Sparked – Discover your unique imprint for work and what makes you come alive’.
    • Harvard Business Review: If you prefer to explore rather than do an assessment, there are plenty of examples online to help you reflect on different leadership styles or personality types. I found the later video especially helpful as it focuses on potential limits rather than strengths.

    Beyond finding a fit

    At times, finding a framework you feel affinity with can be hard or feel unproductive. So here are some ideas for what I explored in that situation, starting with Emilie Wapnick’s TED talk and related book, How to Be Everything (and you can be a ‘multi-potentional-ite’). I have always been interested in working (and thinking) at the intersection of different interests, different disciplines, and so the perspective Wapnick shares chimes with me.

  • Feminist + open = superpower. Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022

    I like celebrating International Women’s Day. It reminds me each year that there is always more I can do. And each year, I try to do something along many of my professional colleagues and friends, to contribute to this overall effort.

    This year, I am focusing my volunteer effort on the FemEdTech network as we are celebrating the launch of a special issue of the journal Learning, Media & Technology with the theme ‘Feminist perspectives on learning, media and educational technology’.

    Learning, Media & Technology, Vol. 47, No. 1

    https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjem20/47/1

    It’s a great publication from a group of insightful authors, and I encourage you to explore this rich set of papers whilst it remains freely available (fittingly so, during Open Education Week). Feminist + open = superpower.

    Particularly in my context, in educational technology, these voices are now needed. We need them because our sector is growing faster, expanding and scaling up fuelled by the events of the past two years.

    Gender equality is not often at the top of the agenda and this year it may feel like there are too many other crisis which take priority. Each year, this day reminds me that no matter what else is happening in the world, there are things I can do, as a CEO, as an employer, a leader, an author, a collaborator, a coach, a colleague, a friend, a partner, a daughter… that I can do as a woman, to make a difference.

    And so I do. What I can.

    Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

    Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

    Find out more https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ .

    O’meter by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Dr Maren Deepwell.

  • 10 years as a CEO: celebrating a personal milestone

    This week I celebrate ten years as a CEO. I can’t quite believe that it’s been a decade since my appointment as a Chief Executive. My predecessor had served a similar term and at the time, I couldn’t properly appreciate his achievement. Now I have a better idea…

    When I first stepped into the role, being a CEO seemed daunting. I had respect for the responsibilities and power such a role brings with it regardless of how large or small an organisation you lead. When I was appointed I was 31 and I was lucky to have a wonderful mentor who had a wealth of first hand experience of what it was like to have an executive role as a young woman.

    Over the past ten years the organisation I lead has achieved much. Every time we publish a new Impact Report, I look back at the year and reflect proudly on all that our staff, Trustees and Members have done. Each time, my respect for and appreciation of how much impact we can make as a community is rekindled.

    As a new CEO, what motivated me was curiosity and confidence. Every day brought new challenges and my working life was far from boring. I was keen to challenge myself. Curious to find out whether I was equal to meeting the demands of an executive role. What I lacked in experience, I made up for in organisational knowledge. I had several roles in the organisation before I was appointed as CEO and that allowed me to get to know the organisation from the ground up. Having seen what we do at events and for Members, I was confident that I had what it took to make a positive contribution, to help the organisation thrive.

    Forging my path and finding my voice was never easy. For a time, I was so focused on my work that I became nearly synonymous with the organisation. Our values align with my personal ones so strongly, that it felt rewarding to stay in the flow of work for much of my time. We were making great strides to transform the organisation and the way we worked and I loved seeing my hopes become a reality.

    With the help of many colleagues and inspired by many keynotes, blog posts and conversations I gradually found my voice. Once I found it, I used it to amplify our work and increasingly also my personal professional priorities. My blog became a place where that started to happen more and more and on social media and later on internet radio, too, I found ways to build a personal network. Around the same time, I started give a series of keynotes, including one at the ALT Annual Conference in 2018, that helped me to articulate my particular perspective more widely.

    Throughout this period, I have benefited much from everyone around me sharing their practice. It may still be quite rare to find leaders who do, but in our community there are many who work in the open with generosity and grace. Inspired by their example, I share my expertise and experience both in my day to day work and beyond it. I am working on a book on leading virtual teams which is due to be published later this year and I have begun to coach women seeking to develop in their careers in Learning Technology on a pro-bono basis.

    So what’s next? Ten years is a long time in the same job, especially a high pressure job. To me, it feels like I have had at least three different jobs over the past ten years. The first five years as a CEO in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008 were a steep learning curve. Then the transition to leading a virtual team in 2017 and closing our office in 2018 provided a unique a new opportunity for learning how to run our organisation all over again. And then the global pandemic happened and in 2020 and 2021 we had to adopt a new business model as the Learning Technology landscape changed beyond recognition.

    I can honestly say I have never had a boring week and that is exactly what I was hoping for when I applied for the job. I also have the privilege of working with a wonderful group of people, our Board and Members, a deputy I can trust and colleagues whom I love working with.

    The past two years have prompted many to re-evaluate their work/life balance and make a change. For me working throughout the dark days and months of lockdown has only increased my respect for our community and given me a renewed sense of purpose. All the reasons why I felt that the work we do is important ten years ago have now taken on a new context, a new sense of urgency as the digital dimension of education has become a more contested space.

    Whilst the constant uncertainty of the past two years has made it clear that it is not wise to assume that we know what is ahead, I am grateful that I will continue to serve as the CEO of ALT for the foreseeable future. I hope to bring the same curiosity and confidence that I have started with, with added expertise and experience that I have gained in the past ten years.

    Most importantly, I feel a fierce commitment to working for an independent charity that has found its voice grow more influential and that gives me the support and space to have my own voice, too.

    Photo of Maren Deepwell in 2022.