Let's burst some bubbles (again)!

The Educationalist. By Alexandra Mihai

Welcome to a new issue of “The Educationalist”! I don’t know about you, but I really miss the flexibility we had during the pandemic and all the opportunities to connect, with one click, to so many amazing colleagues from across the world. It felt very liberating and inspiring to be able to have these conversations and often to establish close collaborations across borders and even across disciplines. With most conferences and events back to in person mode, I find it much harder to put into practice my collaboration ideas. Committing to be in one place (which often requires travelling long distances) at a certain time as a group is not easy. I totally get that. But it feels like these constraints make our experience poorer. This is why today’s newsletter is a call to try and bring that spirit back. If you recognise this feeling, please read on and share your ideas! Enjoy the rest of the week!

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The silver lining of the pandemic

It’s hard (and somewhat weird) to be nostalgic for a pandemic. Yet, especially as the acute phase has receded back in memory, I find myself feeling nostalgic for all the connections I made in that period, while stuck in my living room in Berlin. There was a sense of urgency, the feeling that we were all in one boat, regardless of where we were in the world or the stage of our careers, navigating troubled and uncertain waters. We were all isolated in our homes, yearning for connection, tethered to Zoom or Teams all day long. Yes it was tiring, and stressful. Many (most?) of us has to transition to online teaching almost overnight and/ or help colleagues do that by developing faculty development programmes in the blink of an eye. So we looked for expertise; we searched far and wide (technology was there to help us) and reached out to peers on different continents to talk about our experiences and build the way forward, bit by bit, one Zoom call at a time.

What was interesting (and these things you see better with hindsight) was that we could not care less about borders and boundaries- geographical, disciplinary, hierarchical, you name it. There was something very powerful and personal in these virtual encounters- maybe because they were our lifeline at the time? I don’t know the answer. All I know is that we slowly but surely came back to our offices, reintegrated in our bubbles and fell back into our old routines. I can’t help feeling sad about it, but I also feel grateful for having met such wonderful people, with many of whom I am still in touch.

But maybe all is not lost. Maybe, like me, some of you also miss those opportunities to connect. So maybe we can do something about it!

The value of connecting (virtually)

If you are reading this you are probably aware of the value of connecting, so see this a brief recap of the main reasons we should try to keep that spirit alive:

• Communities of practice: we all need communities were we feel “at home” professionally, where we can connect with like-minded peers, co-create, learn, exchange, dream up new projects… In my experience these are richer the more diverse the people belonging to them. Informal or rather more formal, they allow us the privilege to escape our bubbles and be part of something bigger, adding nuances to our experience;

• Chance encounters: while we all belong to some “tribes” and networks, there is great value in serendipitous connections, with people you might have never had a chance to meet. Social networks like Twitter (ooops, I mean X), back in its good days, provided just that. And during the pandemic it was literally a godsend. But things being as they are right now, we need to try to find other ways to facilitate these types of encounters. They need not be other social networks though…;

• Flexibility and accessibility: the good thing about interactions during the pandemic is that they were all virtual. That provided a lot of freedom to attend meetings and conferences, sometimes literally around the clock, as time zones were not a huge obstacle either. It’s crucial to try to keep these two elements in mind, as they are key to an inclusive approach to community building;

• Sustainability: a very important factor to consider. Meeting in person does have its benefits, but long lasting connections can be maintained more sustainably using technology, allowing us to protect both our (individual or institutional) purse and the environment.

Make time & space to connect

So it’s time to burst some bubbles again, I’d say! And this time intentionally, and not because we were thrown into a deadly pandemic. Let’s show we learned our lessons. Let’s try to build in time to connect in our schedules. Yes, you may laugh but for a few months now I added some small blocks in my calendar called just that- “time to connect”. I use them for anything from a coffee with colleagues from another faculty to reaching out to old friends/ colleagues across the ocean or, why not, contacting someone I always wanted to meet to discuss possible collaborations. I realised this is one of the things that really fuel me professionally, that give me joy and keep me motivated. So why waste the opportunity while mindlessly stumbling through my days between meetings? Besides, we are so lucky to have all the tools we need for this at the touch of a button. And yes, I think this is a great use of technology in our professional lives, albeit probably not acknowledged enough, or taken for granted.

These virtual interactions can take many different shapes, here are just a few ideas, followed by some examples in the “Resources” section:

• Webinars, workshops & short online events: synchronous events on specific topics, ideally interactive; yes, we had an overload of these during the pandemic but I must admit I did learn a lot and had fun even in some of them; when designed well, they can provide bite-size learning experiences and opportunities to connect;

• Podcasts: because of their asynchronous nature they provide a lot of flexibility, giving us the chance to listen to interesting conversations while cooking, running or commuting; if you host your own podcast you have the privilege to meet many inspiring people and share your chat with the world;

• Online conferences: yes, they are not the easiest to organise, if you want to leverage interactions and genuinely connect people. But luckily the technology is there, and by combining synchronous and asynchronous elements you can make the content accessible to a much larger audience. I am not mentioning hybrid setups on purpose, as I am not a big fan and I know from experience they are even more difficult to get right, as you have to cater to two different audiences simultaneously;

• Networks/ Communities of Practice: look for networks and platforms that work on your topic(s). It may take a while to find the right one(s), but once you do you will find many opportunities to learn and contribute actively (and virtually).

I am extremely happy to see “The Educationalist” community steadily growing. I am dreaming up some new projects, involving more of a community element, and will hopefully also restart my podcast in autumn. So stay tuned and thanks for being here!

Resources

MYFest24: an open education festival hosted virtually, with synchronous and asynchronous elements;

Open Networked Learning (ONL): a platform and community space built on an international and cross-institutional collaboration;

OneHE: a platform providing practical and engaging microlearning on effective teaching in a safe and supportive online community; they offer both free and paid content, to individuals and institutions;

Three great long-running podcats for and about HE educators:

• Teaching in Higher Ed

• Tea for Teaching

• Lecture Breakers

Image by Alexa from Pixabay