How professionals work and learn in digitalised work contexts
Technology is increasingly shaping the way educators carry out their day-to-day work, but the extent to which technology is shaping how educators work and learn is not yet fully understood. The Australian Research Council (ARC) began a research project in 2022 to investigate how Education and Health professionals in Australia learn as they work in increasingly digitalised work contexts. (Agostinho, S., et al., 2024) ACEL was one of the partner organisations that developed and distributed the survey to its members between August and November 2022. Phase 1 of this discovery project has now been published (available here) and the research team are currently recruiting educators for Phase 2 Case Studies.
Conclusions from Phase 1 of the research acknowledge digitisation has affected how educators interact with colleagues, parents and other members of their school community, creating challenges with managing workload and communication expectations. This issue is now acknowledged and addressed through new legislation and policy that allows educators to disconnect from digital communication outside of school hours.
Professional development of educators is another area significantly affected by digitisation. Professional learning is increasingly accessible online, providing increased accessibility and flexibility for educators, however, there is a perception that there is limited release time and financial support to enable educators to engage in their continual professional learning.
The team leading the Discovery Project “Investigating professional learning lives in the digital evolution of work” invite ACEL members to participate in Phase 2, a qualitative research study where you will reflect on how your work is changing due to digitalisation and how you are learning in this evolving context.
This will involve about 9 hours of your time over 12 months where you will be interviewed by a member of the research team and be asked to write reflections about your learning experiences at work.
Participants will receive a certificate, which may be used for recognition of professional development hours, and $150 as a token of thanks. If you're interested in participating in the study, click here. To read the insights from Phase 1 of the study, click here
Reference
Agostinho, Shirley; Lockyer, Lori; Buckley-Walker, Kellie; Choy, Sarojni; Bennett, Sue; Littlejohn, Allison; et al. (2024). How professionals work and learn in digitalised work contexts: Insights from an Australian survey of Education Professionals. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25448443.v2
Sue Bryen
ACEL NSW Branch Executive Member