SEDA CPD Report 2021-2022: What I did

Last year, I wanted to the following things:

1. Find out how I can support our parents and carers’ network (EDI objective)
2. Continue my coaching apprenticeship
3. Create more Lego Serious Play and playful practice opportunities
4. Release my podcast series
5. Seek opportunities where I can support others
6. Prepare for transition from my role
7. Do more blogging and writing and hold a writing retreat
8. Re-engage with professional practice communities.

This image represents who I feel about achieving my CPD objectives! This is a Lego model penguin given to me by a friend and colleague for Christmas. Very excitingly it rotates. It was too much of a temptation for my children though and the beak has mysteriously disappeared!

Why does this represent my CPD over the past year? Well, on one level I have achieved a lot this year and I’m literally dancing or flapping my metaphorical Lego wings with joy as I have a new role as Vice-President (Digital and Student Experience) which has given me lots of opportunities to engage in CPD. The Christmas tree and gifts represent my excitement and enthusiasm for my new role. This has meant though, that for some areas I have not been able to do what I had thought I would do, mainly due to capacity and also to do with changing priorities and responsibilities. My missing beak, though, represents some of those things I have not quite managed

In relation to the specific objectives, here is a quick summary of my progress….

1.Find out how I can support our parents and carers’ network (EDI objective) – I did reach out to the network, but then we decided on a different approach to championing EDI by SLT members (of which I am one). So this became obsolete, although something that is still dear to my heart. Instead, I have become the SLT EDI Ambassador for Racial Equality (more on that later).
2. Continue my coaching apprenticeship – this has been fantastic! I have learnt so much through undertaking this programme. It has helped all aspects of my life – both personally and professionally. I’ve met some great people, been able to coach others which is such a privilege and given myself permission to read. Amazing. It has been hard sometimes to carve out the time, but knowing I have to do this has enabled me to be (fairly!) strict with my diary. I’ve not passed it yet, so fingers crossed for later this year….
3. Create more Lego Serious Play and playful practice opportunities – yes! I have used my leadership position to introduce more play into the organisation through Lego Serious Play. I was quite nervous about this at first, wondering how it would go down, but it has been great fun. I have used Lego Serious Play to help define our graduate attributes, shape our student experience workstream and think through direction for our work around student engagement. I have not completed my playful ethics application though sigh, so much so that it has now timed out and I have to do it again argh.
4. Release my podcast series – urgh, this is one that is definitely unfinished business and is my half Penguin beak! I have managed to edit the podcasts and cut in introductions and music. BUT it is still unpublished. I just need a conversation with our ed tech team to do this. Am even annoying myself now!
5. Seek opportunities where I can support others – I have certainly tried to do this. I created a thinking environment with some of my senior staff, building on the reading from my coaching apprenticeship and this was a great support to me. It has really helped create an environment for listening. I try to hold on to this mantra about supporting others throughout my work and am very conscious that in my new role, it can be easy to create work for others. So I need to ensure I am being supportive first.
6. Prepare for transition from my role – I did transition in role, but not in the way I had anticipated this time last year! The transition has been different in the sense that I was still in a senior leadership position and with some of the same responsibilities, then needed to create the new role.
7. Do more blogging and writing and hold a writing retreat – a bit hit and miss this one. I have been doing some more blogging, although in the past few months this has tailed off. I would like to start again – one for later. No writing retreat, sadly. I would love to do this.
8. Re-engage with professional practice communities. I have done this, perhaps not in the way that I would have thought last year. I have attended PVC/DVC networking events in person, roundtables and more external events including speaking at the Times Higher Digital Universities week and a WonkHE event on playful practice. No conferences though yet, one for next year!