PhD Part 1

Deborah Baff MA ODE, MSc, BSc (Hons), PG Cert Mgt, COLF, FHEA,CMALT

Background

I’m a Certified Online Learning Facilitator (COLF) of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am also a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology and currently undertaking a part time PhD at Lancaster University in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning . My PhD research interest relates to social support online and how educators wellbeing can be enhanced through connecting in social network sites. I am a open education practitioner and a proud member of the Global OER Graduate Network.

LINKED IN

Subject Specialist in Digital Leadership and Culture

Jisc Profile

Jisc

I joined JISC in December 2021 as a Subject Specialist in Digital Leadership and Culture where my role focuses on the delivery and evolving design of the Digital Leaders Programme.

25+years experience in higher education focusing on the staff and student experience together.

Academic and Administrative Experience

I have worked across several institutions including the Open University, University of Wales Newport (now University of South Wales) and Swansea University.

Membership and Professional Development Manager ALT

Association for Learning Technology

I was employed as the Membership and Professional Development Manager for ALT Association for Learning Technology between 2019 and 2021. ALT’s activities are mostly focused online, supporting the work of and providing services to over 3500 members across the UK and internationally. I was responsible for developing and managing

ALT’s Membership services for individuals and organisations across all sectors. I also supported the work of Members and Special Interest Groups and governance through the ALT Assembly. I was responsible for the management and development of the CMALT Accreditation Framework. (The Framework provides pathways to peer-assessed accreditation for Learning Technology professionals in the UK and internationally. CMALT is for all professionals who are actively involved in understanding, managing, researching, supporting or enabling learning with the use of Learning Technology.)

Previous Roles
Google Doc Link

Other previous roles have included :-
Senior Academic Developer
Project Manager
Head of Student Registry
School Registrar
Acting Head of Admissions
Deputy Head of Admissions
Deputy IT Facilitator
Student Support Administrator
Associate Lecturer
Chartered Surveyor (see below)
I am also a fully qualified Chartered Surveyor, specialising in Estate Management. I was a Junior Surveyor for a firm of International Property Advisors in Cardiff called DTZ Debenham Thorpe and undertook my Surveying qualifications over four years part time while working full time. I was admitted as a Professional Associate of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on completion of my Assessment of Professional Competence in 1995. I worked across all areas of Estate Management including commercial agency, residential land, valuation and rating, property management, receivership work, building surveying, rent reviews, and lease renewals.
I was subsequently made redundant during the property market downturn during the recession in 1996 and took this opportunity to change direction and having always loved learning, made the decision to pursue a career in education.

I have been a Doctoral student since 2017 at Lancaster University. It is a modular-based programme with a final thesis based on original research. It aligns with a networked learning approach and is cohort-based. I am in Cohort 10 and now in Part II. I am hoping to submit my thesis in 2023. A list of the modules and corresponding papers submitted are shown below.

Module	My Paper Title
EDS821 Research Methods in Education and Social Science	Exploring the potential for open digital badges within Swansea University
EDS822 The Development of Professional Practice	Exploring conceptions of the development of a Technology Enhanced Learning Community of Practice (TELCoP) at Swansea University through phenomenography
EDS823 Researching Technology Enhanced / Networked Learning, Teaching and Assessment	The collective variation in academic staff experience of using online collaborative technologies and understanding of networked learning practices within a research-led institution in the UK
EDS825 Interculturality and Globalisation in Technology Enhanced Learning	How are online spaces shaped by culture ? An evaluation and analysis of the Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching Website and Community Blog
EDS824 Groups and Communities: Researching the Design of Technology Enhanced / Networked Learning Communities	The variation range in staff conceptions of the use of webinar technologies in a ‘traditional’ university in the UK

List of Modules Passed in Part I