{"id":41,"date":"2024-09-20T15:29:09","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T14:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/?p=41"},"modified":"2024-09-27T13:52:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T12:52:43","slug":"spellbinding-education-the-open-university-and-hogwarts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/2024\/09\/20\/spellbinding-education-the-open-university-and-hogwarts\/","title":{"rendered":"Spellbinding Education: The Open University and Hogwarts\u202f\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last time, our inaugural blog post promised you a survey of two infamous institutions.\u00a0 A comparison between the educational approaches of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Open University (OU) UK’s supported distance learning model presents a fascinating study in contrasts and similarities, particularly in their commitment to student success and wellbeing.<\/span>\u00a0 We consider this in more depth below.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hocus Pocus at Hogwarts?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although not entirely a \u2018brick\u2019 university (the bricks on each of the 142 staircases change direction at their own will) at Hogwarts, students are taught mostly in-person.\u202f The unique setting allowing for hands-on learning experiences which is especially important for practical magic.\u00a0 One <\/span>must wonder how efficient and effective these experiences are?\u202f The intimidating castle hosts learning activities, supervised by the learning and teaching staff at Hogwarts<\/span>,<\/span> which can be considered positively neglectful.\u202fIn addition, students at Hogwarts are often depicted as absent from their course tutorials to investigate supernatural puzzles within and outside of Hogwarts’ magical walls. Although the teaching and learning model seems to be based upon mentorship and guidance these values are not always effectively deployed by <\/span>the <\/span>academic staff\u202fin the best interests of students.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Principal of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall, colluding with the Ministry of Magic allowed student Hermione Granger to undertake a heavy course load (with inevitable timetable clashes) using the magical device called a \u2018time turner\u2019 allowing her to attend classes simultaneously.\u202f Not many of her tutors realised, her best friends Harry and Ron didn\u2019t, and could we really deem this action to be in the best interests of the student? Some might consider the Ministry of Magic too keen to exploit Hermione\u2019s exceptional academic talent, at the expense of her own wellbeing.\u202f One\u2019s attention should also be drawn to observations of the tutoring practices of Professors Snape, Umbridge and Quirrel.\u00a0 Undoubtedly the subject knowledge for faculty staff is sound but we can see the mechanisms to provide consistent support to students may be lacking.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The Sorcery of Student Support\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We <\/span>couldn\u2019t say the same <\/span>for the <\/span>support<\/span> our OU staff provide<\/span> for our students.<\/span>\u202f<\/span> At the <\/span>OU <\/span>o<\/span>ur supported open learning and teaching model is scaffolded by a structure of continuing professional development and practitioner insight. Our roles in ALSPD \u2018support our tutors to support our students\u2019. The OU’s learning and teaching model exemplifies modern educational practices, emphasising accessibility, flexibility, and the use of data analytics to enhance student support.<\/span> We utilise modern technology for interactive learning, including virtual labs, forums, and video lectures.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monitoring of student progress is always important.\u202f This is equally true when rates of study fall outside of the norms, or when barriers occur that can inhibit a student continuing on their learning journey.\u202f Supporting students in various contexts is a key feature of the continual professional development that <\/span>ALSPD provides for our Tutors<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Engaging students within tutorials is vital to ensuring they are supported to pursue their interests and achieve their goals.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, the OU provides award<\/span>–<\/span> winning mentor<\/span>ing <\/span>support<\/span> for our tutors to gain accreditation through fellowship with AdvanceHE<\/span> .\u00a0 This allows our learning and teaching staff to gain accreditation and formal recognition of their teaching standards.\u00a0 <\/span>The UK Professional Standards framework (2023)<\/span><\/a> is then, embedded throughout the institution contributing to assurance of exceptional educational practices.\u00a0 Information about our bespoke programme \u2018Applaud scheme\u2019, coordinated by ALSPD and IET can be found on this internal link for staff <\/span>Advance HE Fellowships (sharepoint.com)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Technical Wizardry and Magical Mastery\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Careful consideration of the data we have about each student is vital to ensure their learning success.\u202f At the <\/span>OU, <\/span>we are experts<\/span> in the use of learning analytics<\/span><\/a> and tools have been developed for tutors to identify students whose study progression may be at risk.\u202f By understanding our students’ patterns of behaviour and performance, timely interventions can be used to help them get the most out of their courses of study.\u202f Hogwarts might have the power of divinization to predict the future<\/span>,<\/span> or the use of a sorting hat to place students into defined \u2018houses\u2019 (with associated values and behaviours) to predict the probability of a student success, here at the OU <\/span>we utilise the ‘magic’ of machine learning.\u00a0 Internal staff can see our <\/span>Early Alerts Indicators Website for more information.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The OU employs a structured approach to learning that accommodates students’ diverse needs without compromising their well-being. At the OU, our <\/span>EDI focused-events<\/span><\/a> [internal link] and<\/span> teaching<\/span> toolkits<\/span><\/a> [<\/span>internal <\/span>link] support developmental approaches to inclusive tuition for a diverse student body, who are able to access Higher Education via our open admissions policy and NOT because they received an admissions letter from an owl. Arguably, Hogwarts has a more interesting offer but some of the learning experiences leave a lot to be desired (<\/span>Masters <\/span>Certificate<\/span> of the Dark Arts anyone?) In supported open learning, we challenge and stretch our students but don\u2019t subject them to a deathly game of human chess. \u202f<\/span>Perhaps the faculty at Hogwarts coul<\/span>d <\/span>employ <\/span>some <\/span>peer <\/span>development activity to <\/span>help assure<\/span> learning activities are<\/span> engaging\u00a0<\/span> – <\/span>and<\/span> safe?\u00a0 <\/span>Our OU Tutors all have access to<\/span> colleagues with a magical mastery of <\/span>teaching and learning expertise <\/span>through our<\/span> Peer Assisted Lecturer Support (PALS) scheme [Internal Link]<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion \u2013 Two Enchanting Educational Models\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both institutions, share a common goal: to foster an environment where students can thrive academically. The key difference lies in their methods – Hogwarts through a more adventurous curriculum, and the OU through a supportive, data-informed supported distance learning framework. This juxtaposition highlights where the magic of learning can manifest in various forms, whether it be within the enchanting halls of Hogwarts or through the digital platforms of the OU. Ultimately, the success of these educational models is measured by the achievements and well-being of their students, unveiling the importance of adapting teaching and tutorial methods to suit the needs of learners.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clemmie Quinn – Senior Coordinator\/Educational Developer, ALSPD<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last time, our inaugural blog post promised you a survey of two infamous institutions.\u00a0 A comparison between the educational approaches of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Open University (OU) UK’s supported distance learning model presents a fascinating … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions\/50"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/ALSPD\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}