Brokering: A ‘community of practice’ approach to academic development

Lynne Gornall

Abstract below..

The inherent difficulties in the transition from international students’ home institutions to British HE institutions is well documented and often attributed to a study skills deficit (Lea & Street, 2006; Hall & Sung, 2009; Wingate, 2012).  Most HE institutions offer some form of study skills support to help plug the perceived skills gap (UKCISA, 2011).  The University of Central Lancashire’s business school embeds two academic development practitioners in its organisational structure, enabling them to develop a highly tailored approach to supporting students, dependent upon close collaboration with subject lecturers and their own knowledge of the school’s processes, procedures and academic culture. 

An evaluation of the business school’s international student support, using an Appreciative Inquiry approach (Cooperider et al, 2008) has found that the service’s strengths are based on three factors, theorised here as ‘brokering’, ‘academic literacies’ and ‘communities of practice’. The research also identifies areas for improvement, namely more opportunities for student social learning and more structured collaboration between student support staff and subject lecturers.

This has wider implications for HE institutions serious about supporting their students effectively, whether international or not. The message is clear, learning development is best situated within a community of practice, embedded in the curriculum and developed through collaboration between the learning development practitioner and the subject lecturer; and creating social learning opportunities for international students is an important component of enhancing the student experience. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on supporting learning development and it is hoped that it will also play a part in informing the professional practice of other learning support tutors who still do not have a fully defined professional role in their own right. 

References

Cooperrider, D., D. D. Whitney and J. Stavros (2008). The appreciative inquiry handbook: For leaders of change:  Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Hall, G. and T. W. Sung (2009). 'Mind the gap? A case-study of the differing perceptions of international students and their lecturers on postgraduate business programmes', The international journal of management education, 8, pp. 53-62.
Lea, M. R. and B. V. Street (2006). 'The" academic literacies" model: Theory and applications', Theory into practice, 45, pp. 368-377.
Wingate, U. (2012). 'Using Academic Literacies and genre-based models for academic writing instruction: A ‘literacy’journey', Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11, pp. 26-37.

UKCISA (2001). International Student Services in Colleges and Universities 2010-11: A Benchmarking Survey. London: UKCISA