Interview with an Educational Technologist working in Higher-Education in Ireland

By Sinead Wall

Interview Assignment for Module TW5212

Workplace Issues in Technical and Professional Communication

University of Limerick

March 2019
Summary

Interviewee Details:

My interviewee for this assignment requests confidentiality and wishes her name and place of work
to remain anonymous. I use the pseudonym Breda for this report and refer to ‘the college’ as her
place of work.

Name: Breda

Job Title: Educational Technologist

Company: A higher-education college in Ireland

This report details an interview with an educational technologist current working in higher-
education in Ireland. The interview took place face-to-face in Breda’s place of work and was audio
recorded to help with note taking. The interview questions focused on her background, current role,
professional development and future trends in the industry.

Breda’s journey into educational technology came from a love of teaching and technology. The field
was in its infancy and lacked an identity when she entered the profession. This has changed over the
last 10 years with Ireland’s strategy for higher-education prioritising Technology Enhanced Learning
(TEL) and her contemporaries publicising their role in 21st century education. Currently there is more
awareness of the profession, a solid network and the Irish Learning Technology Association (ILTA)
was setup in 2012 to promote research and collaboration.

She faces many challenges, primarily managing change when dealing with academics and finding
time to work on enhancing learning, not just fixing minor problems. She spoke enthusiastically about
the importance of technical communication and having a consistent approach to documentation
across an organisation.

She is very passionate about the role and sees an interesting future with the imminent development
of personalised learning, data analytics and artificial intelligence in education.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my interviewee for agreeing to take the time to take part in this assignment and
for her guidance with directions and parking which were much appreciated on the day. I would also
like to thank her for being extremely open, honest and informative during the interview.

I would like to acknowledge my lecturer Dr. Yvonne Cleary, who was supportive and shared valuable
advice throughout this process.

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Table of Contents

Summary ................................................................................................................................................. ii
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................ iii
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1
Report ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
1. Developing a love of education and technology......................................................................... 2
2. Establishing a career as an educational technologist ................................................................. 3
3. A typical day in her current role ................................................................................................. 3
4. Supporting people....................................................................................................................... 3
5. Curiosity and other personal attributes...................................................................................... 4
6. Use of technology and communication ...................................................................................... 4
7. Challenges of the role ................................................................................................................. 5
8. Love for the job ........................................................................................................................... 6
9. Professional development .......................................................................................................... 6
10. Emergence of educational technology as a profession .............................................................. 6
11. Future of educational technology ............................................................................................... 7
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 8
References .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Appendix 1 Interview Questions ........................................................................................................... 10
Appendix 2 Information Letter ............................................................................................................. 13
Appendix 3 Consent Form..................................................................................................................... 15

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Introduction
I would love to work in higher-education so for the TW5212 assignment, I decided to interview an
educational technologist currently working in this sector to get insight into the profession. The UK
Association for Learning Technology defines the role as “being actively involved in understanding,
managing, researching, supporting or enabling learning with the use of Learning Technology”.

I browsed LinkedIn and choose my interviewee as she had worked in the industry for over 10 years
in various roles and colleges. I emailed Breda and she was very supportive with scheduling an
interview at her workplace. The interview took place face-to-face and was audio-recorded. Since
Ireland’s National Forum on higher-education prioritise teaching and learning in a digital world in
their 2021 strategy, I wanted to discover what is happening in the field.

Due to the limitations of this report, all findings will not be discussed, and comments cannot be
generalised as only one person was interviewed.

The report starts by looking at Breda’s education and career to date. It describes a typical day, how
she supports staff and students and the most important attributes for the role. The report looks at
technology and communication and both the challenges and rewards of the role. Professional
development and the future of educational technology are discussed, and I summarise what I have
learned in the conclusion.

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Report

1. Developing a love of education and technology

Breda completed a BA in Applied Languages 20 years ago. After studying technical communication in
her final year, which she found interesting and practical, she enrolled in postgraduate studies in
localisation. While working in the localisation industry, which was in a huge period of growth, she
was frequently called upon to train new employees. She loved training and left the industry to study
for a Higher Diploma in Education. Breda taught languages for two years and wanted to bring
technology into the classroom, which proved difficult due to a lack of facilities. She moved to an e-
learning company to explore the crossover between education and technology and learned new
skills in instructional design and storyboarding.

In 2009 Breda joined a higher-education college as an educational technologist. Although she was
unsure what the job involved she knew it combined education and technology. Her manager
encouraged her to complete a Graduate Diploma in Higher Education to understand the context of
education at higher-level. She subsequently studied a part-time MSc in Technology and Learning at
Trinity College. The course was demanding but she loved the focus on using technology to
revolutionise learning. Breda found a support network amongst other MSc students which was a
huge personal benefit. Her career is in line with the National Forum (2016) survey findings that
participants held varied backgrounds, skills and knowledge. Ten years later she has worked in three
different colleges. Her education and career roadmap are shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Breda’s Education and Career Roadmap 1999-2019

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 2. Establishing a career as an educational technologist
Breda clearly remembers her first day as an educational technologist.

“I met with my boss and she presented me with two pages of duties, like bullet points, and I

remember sitting there going, “oh, my God”, I was completely overwhelmed.”

Being new to higher-education and the only educational technologist in the college she struggled to
understand her role on a day-to-day basis. Her fellow MSc students were having the same
experience and felt the field lacked a professional identity.

Her role focused on supporting staff and students using learning technologies and three years later
evolved into an educational developer position. Now Breda’s purpose was working with academics
to design, develop and evaluate their programs. She moved to a bigger college as an e-learning
support officer, which was more structured, and a ticketing system was used for requests from
academics. She got to work on interesting projects, although she missed the student interaction. For
personal reasons she relocated to her current role almost three years ago as an educational
technologist within the college’s Learning Enhancement Academic Development Centre (LEAD).
LEAD is led by the director of teaching and learning and includes three educational technologists,
three academic developers and a co-ordinator.

3. A typical day in her current role

At first Breda supported core systems e.g. the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Moodle, however,
the role is now more academic focused. A typical work day starts by responding to queries from
staff. These are usually answered over email and if the query is complex a meeting will be arranged
to resolve it. She usually has two consultations a day with lecturers guiding them on different
projects e.g. designing an online quiz on Moodle or customising Turnitin. The role also involves
development work and research for new projects. Ongoing tasks include creating online cheat
sheets and tutorials for lecturers. During orientation she runs sessions with students to introduce
tools such as Mahara and Turnitin, which she loves and finds the role a “good combination of desk
and face-to-face work”.

4. Supporting people
“You have to be a good people person”, was Breda’s response when I asked about learning on the
job and she has developed her personal skills over the years. She describes how lecturers can feel

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forced to use technology and intimidated of the unknown. They have limited time and resources to
explore if they can use technology to give feedback to their students for example.

“They’re terrified. They don't know how much learning is involved. They don't know if it's going to fail,
or if there's going to be a leak of information to the wrong students. So, there can be a lot of fear.”

She ensures they feel supported and finds helping them figure it out is very satisfying.

5. Curiosity and other personal attributes

Breda believes curiosity is the roles most important attribute together with a desire to learn and
passion for education. Patience and understanding are key and it’s important to be empathetic to
people’s situations. I can attest to this being a trainer in my last job, you need to deal with people’s
feelings before you can deal with the task. Tenured lecturers with no experience in TEL may
suddenly be under pressure and feel anxious about changing requirements. They must be handled
with care to build a trusting relationship.

“If they are overwhelmed you might never see them again, it could turn them away, it's about kind of
gently leading them and working with them in a partnership approach”.

Teamwork is also important. Breda is part of the LEAD team and works collaboratively with ICT,
management, academics and students, to enhance learning at her college. Being a competent
problem solver is a skill that Breda uses every day. Sometimes it’s essential to go online to find a
solution and you need to “evaluate information and put two and two together.” Learning new things
can be a challenge, but it’s a positive one that keeps her motivated.

6. Use of technology and communication

The LEAD team use a shared calendar in MS Outlook to co-ordinate activities and they have a weekly
team meeting. They use MS Teams for collaboration and all resources are stored in Dropbox. They
support and administer Moodle, Mahara for e-portfolios and Turnitin for plagiarism detection.

Being so focused on helping others, Breda has difficulty finding time to keep updated with emerging
technologies and turns to industry journals when researching a new technology.

Her view on technical communication, which she studied briefly is interesting. She relies on what she
learned in her daily work and would love to study it again.

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 “Certain things I haven't forgotten, not using the passive voice, starting lists with an active, using
images, sequencing of instructions, making no assumptions. I love all of that because it’s so obvious.”

The team have no style guide for documentation and user guides. Unfortunately, they have no
power to require lecturers to use Moodle in a consistent way.

“It’s a very inconsistent experience. A student could be enrolled in six modules on Moodle. The layout
structure and content can be completely different.”

7. Challenges of the role

There are many challenges in her role and I understand managing change is probably the biggest
one. Lecturers may be slow to change to new methods and need a lot of encouragement.

“21st century teaching and learning is here to stay, and research has proved beyond bias that the way
we teach has to change and passive learning is not going to work”.

Breda believes changing how we assess is key. Lecturers will not change how they teach just so
students can do a traditional exam. The focus on competency-based education with active and
problem-based learning should make this change happen and institutions will have to innovate
together.

Digital literacy also needs focus. The Media Consortium (2015) report on technology in higher-
education describes “scaling teaching innovations and improving digital literacy amongst staff and
students” as key challenges. It seems that these issues are a reality.

“We can't just expect our students to know how to curate and evaluate information, we must teach
them how to do it.”

Another challenge is setting priorities amongst ongoing tasks. Breda’s main concern is supporting
the lecturers; however, this must be done in line with college strategy. Once you consider national
and EU policy and law for example GDPR there can be constraints. Further challenges come from
deadlines, dealing with other departments priorities and not always being involved from the start of
a project. She feels that the LEAD team need to get more involved with all stages of curriculum
development which thankfully has started to happen.

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 8. Love for the job
Despite the challenges Breda loves the variety of working with students and lecturers. When she
holds workshops or consultations with lecturers and gets them to see to how simple using
technology can be it’s very satisfying. Building up their confidence is key.

“I love that, simplifying people's work in the most efficient way and translating technology into
something simple because technology can be very overwhelming.”

She also supports lecturers who have difficulty teaching a concept, “you’re like an architect of
learning, I love that.”

9. Professional development
Breda would love to partake in further education, but her plans are on hold due to personal
circumstances. Lynda.com provides opportunities for skills-based microlearning and she keeps up to
date with industry journals. To ensure structure to her learning, Breda has committed to completing
Certified Membership Association of Learning Technology (CMALT) which involves developing a
peer-reviewed portfolio of work. She loves learning new things and follows peers on Twitter and
blogs. She religiously attends Ed Tech, the Irish Learning and Technology Association (ITLA) annual
conference. I recognise that there are two career paths for further progression, management and
academic, with many educational technologists studying for PhD’s.

The National Forum (2016) report stated that lack of encouragement was a barrier to professional
development in the field. Conversely her employer is very supportive of her efforts.

10. Emergence of educational technology as a profession

Irish colleges “are becoming more strategic about their decisions on how educational technology
supports teaching and learning” according to Breda. She believes technology offers huge
opportunities for enhancement and educational technologists are beginning to find their identity as
a profession. They have a responsibility to communicate their role, be decisive when focusing on
core tasks and collaborate with other colleges. There is a better understanding of the role now than
10 years ago. Strategy and her colleagues have driven this change by standing up for themselves and
conveying the message that “we don’t fix printers, we enhance learning”.

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 11. Future of educational technology
In the future she would like more input into curriculum and assessment design. Currently her work is
quite fragmented. I understand it would be more beneficial and rewarding to work with academics
on a project from start to finish and devise a plan for the integration of material and technology
early in the process. Students would also benefit from this approach.

Using video for user guides and audio-visual learning is one of the team’s short-term goals. She feels
learning analytics is in its infancy. They analyse data from the VLE, but remain cautious that it’s only
one source, telling part of the story.

There is a lot of discourse around artificial intelligence but it’s not part of daily work yet. She feels
personalised learning will be extensive and colleges need to be responsive to students with different
learning pathways. It’s an exciting time and the future looks fascinating.

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Conclusion
I enjoyed meeting Breda and love how passionate she is about her work. I have learned there are
numerous challenges in the industry and inconsistencies with how colleges approach educational
technology. I’ve gained insight into the people from various backgrounds who work in this
profession and support each other to enhance learning. I understand more about educational
technologists’ daily tasks, how they work with others and how future trends are becoming a reality.

The interview has confirmed my feelings on pursuing a career in this field. It’s an exciting time, in an
emerging profession who now have an identity, a focus on professional development and an
important place in higher-education strategy in Ireland.

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References
Association for Learning Technology in the UK (2018) What is Learning Technology, available
https://www.alt.ac.uk/about-alt/what-learning-technology [last accessed: 23rd March 2019].

Higher Education Authority (2011) National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Report of the
Strategy Group, available http://hea.ie/assets/uploads/2017/06/National-Strategy-for-Higher-
Education-2030.pdf [last accessed: 23rd March 2019].

National Forum (2016) Understanding and Supporting the Role of Learning Technologists in Irish
Higher Education, available: https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/understanding-and-
supportingthe-role-of-learning-technologists-in-irish-higher-education/ [last accessed: 19th March
2019]

New Media Consortium (2015) Technology Outlook: Higher Education in Ireland – Horizon Report,
available: http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-technology-outlook-ireland-higher-ed.pdf [last
accessed: 22nd March 2019].

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Appendix 1 Interview Questions

Education

1. Can you tell me a little about your educational background?

2. I can see from your educational profile that you have a background in languages and
localisation. What made you decide to move into education?

3. You have completed various post graduate courses in education, could you tell me a little
about them?

4. What aspects of the MSc in Technology and Learning do you find most useful in your work?

5. How do you keep updated with emerging technologies?

6. Do you use social media to keep up to date with what’s happening in the field?

7. What have you learned on the job that you did not learn as a student?

8. Have you studied technical communication? If so, has it been beneficial to your career?

Career

9. Can you tell me about the various roles you have held in third-level colleges?

10. You have worked in the industry for over 10 years, what are the main changes you have
seen?

11. What do you think Irish colleges and universities are doing well in this field?

12. What are the main challenges facing educational technologists in the third-level sector in
Ireland?

13. What does staff onboarding look like for new members of your team?

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 14. Considering all the people you've worked with in your field, what personal attributes are
essential for success?

15. Could you tell me about the project that you have worked on that you are most proud of
over the course of your career?

Current Role

16. How does your current role fit into the organisational structure at MIC?

17. Can you tell me about the configuration of the team you are working with?

18. Could you describe a typical workday?

19. What are the most enjoyable aspects of your current role?

20. What parts of your job do you find most challenging?

21. What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?

22. How do you plan your work?

23. What tools and technologies do you currently use in your work?

24. How would you evaluate a new technology that has entered the market that you are
considering adopting?

25. How closely do you work with ICT?

26. What other departments to you interact with?

27. Do you work in virtual teams? If so, do you have any advice for successfully working within a
virtual team.

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 28. Do you collaborate with other third-level institutions in Ireland or abroad?

The Future

29. Are you planning to pursue further education within the next three years?

30. Does MIC support further study and professional development?

31. Are you planning to move roles or progress your career with the next three years?

32. What do you think the big trends will be in the field in the coming years?

33. What advice would you give someone who is considering working in this field?

34. What steps would you recommend I take to prepare to enter this field?

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Appendix 2 Information Letter

FACULTY OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE

INFORMATION LETTER: TW5212 Interview Assignment

Dear Interviewee,

My name is Sinead Wall and I am studying for a MA in Technical Communication and E-Learning at
the University of Limerick. I am inviting you to participate in a research study. Before you decide to
participate, I would like you to read this information sheet so that you understand the project and your
potential involvement.

As part of a module on Workplace Issues in Professional and Technical Communication, I am

required to conduct an interview with a technical communicator or someone working in a related
field. The purpose of the interview is to enrich my knowledge of the occupational field, and of the
work of a professional writer.

The project involves conducting an interview, which will take place at an agreed public location, and
which will last between 40 minutes and one hour. I will take hand-written notes and audio record the
interview. The questions will focus on education, career path, day-to-day practice, and career advice.

You are entitled to anonymity. On signing the consent form, you have two options:

1) you can either have full anonymity (in which case I will not provide your or your company's name
or any identifying information in the report or presentation), or

2) you can waive your right to anonymity, in which case you and your company are named in my
report and presentation.

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Following the interview, I will write a report outlining the findings. The report will be organised
according to the sections we have covered in the interview: education, career path, day-to-day
practice, and career advice. The report is only accessible to the lecturer, and, potentially, the external
examiner.

I will also create an online presentation (which involves making a slide presentation and adding a
voiceover), which I will submit electronically to my lecture. My lecturer may also share the
presentation with the external examiner. If you have waived your right to anonymity (option 2 above),
you will be named and quoted in the presentation. I have the option to share the presentation with my
classmates on Sulis (the UL learning management system). I will ask your permission by email before
sharing the presentation.

Your participation is entirely voluntary. You have a right to not answer any questions. If you decide
to take part, you are still free to withdraw at any time during the interview and up to 28 days
thereafter.

If you have any queries or would like more information about the project, please contact:

18178928@studentmail.ul.ie

You can also contact my lecturer, Dr Yvonne Cleary, by email at: Yvonne.Cleary@ul.ie, or by
telephone at 061-202466.

This research study has received Ethics approval from the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Research Ethics Committee (2019-01-01-AHSS). If you have any concerns about this study and wish
to contact an independent authority, you may contact:

Chairperson Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee

AHSS Faculty Office
University of Limerick
Tel: +353 61 202286
Email: FAHSSEthics@ul.ie

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Appendix 3 Consent Form

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