Governing with technology

touchconsulting is delighted the College Development Network (CDN – Scotland) and Association of Colleges have sponsored and funded a small piece of research to investigate the recent use of technology in supporting college governing practices across Scotland and England. The research team: Ron Hill, Colin Forrest and Joss Kang are keen to gain a better understanding of how college governing boards are experimenting with online ‘formal’ meetings during the period of lockdown arising from COVID-19. What’s helped? What’s hindered? What online practices would be useful to take forward?

We have been learning how learners, practitioners and managers across the education and training sector have adjusted brilliantly and creatively to lockdown challenges by taking and participating in teaching and learning online in incredible short windows. We want to find out how governing professionals have responded nationally across the two nations to see what we can learn.

We launched our survey for three audiences – governance professionals, governors and principals/chief executives on 8 July. It closes 31 July 2020.

It’s a tight window! If you haven’t already contributed please do.

Prof Ron Hill will lead analysis and interpretations of data, with findings published in September 2020! It’s a tight turnaround but we are keen that findings have opportunities to inform governing practices in the new academic year.

Professional Development for Clerks to College Governing Bodies

In addition, Ron and Joss have led two projects which successfully trialled an approach to professional development for clerks to college governing bodies (Aug 2016 – March 2017 funded by touchconsulting; August 2017 – March 2018 funded by the Education and Training Foundation). These projects have recently been reported in a paper published in the journal Research in Post-Compulsory Education (Vol 25, No 1, March 2020).

If you would like to access the reflective practitioner methodology and the journal templates do browse our Guide – Sharpening Your Focus on Governing Practices using a Structured Professional Journal