This table outlines my core areas of technical knowledge, experience and impact. This list is alphabetical, so do not infer importance from the order of appearance:
| Technical knowledge (skill level) | Description | Evidence | Evidence of impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility (Advanced) | I can use and implement the WAI Guidelines to deliver inclusive and accessible learning experiences. I often train other educators on how to do the same. This also includes the necessary technical knowledge to deliver compliance in HTML/CSS, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Microsoft Office. |  | I used my skill in this area to write the Library’s Accessibility Statement My skill has been recognised in the sector, and I have been invited to write blogs: CLA Blog post I am the lead on a cross-university project: Designing for Diverse Learners Poster, with guidance that has been utilised by: Aberystwyth, Edinburgh Napier, UCL, Newcastle, UCEM and Hull-York Medical School. It is one of the most accessed resources on the national teaching repository: Altmetric – Designing for Diverse Learners Poster [3.2.2] This work has been published (see: Fallin et al. 2023; Fallin & Tomlinson, 2022). |
| Adobe Connect (Administrator) | I was responsible for the University of Hull Library Adobe Connect system and used to train both staff and end-users in its use. | Adobe Connect Administrator | |
| Adobe Creative Cloud (Basic to Advanced – Varies by package) | I am an advanced user of Acrobat and an intermediate user of Lightroom, Premier, Photoshop, and InDesign. I am a beginner with Animate and Illustrator. | A Level in graphic design | Some things I have designed: Social media artwork Postcards & banners SkillsGuides |
| ArcGIS & DigiMap (Basic-Intermediate) | I have working knowledge on the use of geospatial data, especially in the use of DigiMap datasets with ArcGIS. | I have a First-class BA (Hons) Degree in Geography. My studies included second and third-year modules focused on GIS. | I used my mapping skills to produce maps for the ALDinHE conference, helping delegates navigate Hull. I also have drawn extensive floor maps for the Library (e.g. BJL Floor 1). These are used for seat booking (see: Reading Room seats) and were essential to reopening after the initial lockdown. This was part of the work that enabled us to be one of the first UK Libraries to reopen (see: How They Did It: Reopening at the University of Hull Library). |
| Artificial Intelligence | I am actively developing my understanding of so-called ‘generative’ AI and its influence on higher education. I am particularly developing my ability to engage with prompt engineering. | I’ve shared my learning via my personal blog, for example: Can a blog post written by an AI trick an AI? How has Higher Ed slumbered into an Artificial Intelligence Crisis? From a functional level, I actively use DALL-E 2 to illustrate my slides. | I have high-performing tweets sharing practice and knowledge related to the use of AI in education (Example 1, Example 2). They have an impact – with one contributor saying ‘FYI you changed my life‘. Further demonstrations of my thought leadership include an invite to contribute a #Take5 blog on the topic of AI and Learning Development. (Tentative link to the month post is due). |
| Bibliographic management (Advanced/ Administrator) | I am a user of EndNote, RefWorks and Mendeley – and support students in the use of all three. I’ve contributed to the writing and programming of the University of Hull style sheets for RefWorks and EndNote. | My EndNote Library with 5,000+ references I have also co-written a chapter focusing on literature searching and bibliographic management (Brown and Fallin, 2019). | Statement of support: Lanre Lawal, PhD Student, University of Hull [Lee] taught me how to use endnote for reference while doing my research. This knowledge has stayed with me since then. I do strongly recommend him for the award of this qualification. |
| Camtasia & SnagIt (Advanced) | I am a certified user of Camtasia (video recording software) and SnagIt (screen capture software) | Camtasia 2020 Voyager Certification Camtasia 2021 Explorer Certification SnagIt 2021 Certification | Example videos: Digital Researcher Critical Thinking Playlist Data: My videos have almost 1 million views on YouTube. All of these are produced using Camtasia, demonstrating how my ability in this area has supported students. See Fallin (2021b) for further demonstration of the impact of these videos. |
| Contensis (Editor) | The University of Hull uses the Contensis CMS. I am an editor for the University Library and have designed the entirety of the Skills Team website. | Skills Team website (developed by me). This has been externally checked by SiteImprove (see evidence) and has a quality assurance score of 99; an accessibility score of 93.8, and a SEO score of 87.6. | |
| Data analysis, QSR NVivo and IBM SPSS Statistics (Advanced [qualitative] and intermediate [quantitative]) |  My NVivo 11 videos My NVivo 12 videos My NVivo R1 videos My SPSS videos I’ve written a chapter on the use of NVivo in educational research (Fallin, 2019). | Statement of support: Graham Gibbs, University of Huddersfield (YouTube Comment) I teach NVivo to a range of postgrads at the University of Huddersfield. This is a excellent series of videos on NVivo. I will certainly be referring my postgrad research students to them. Data: My 80 NVivo YouTube videos have over 860,000 views Statement of support: Lady Gwendoline Akwa, PhD Student, University of Hull I call myself a self taught NViVo user but everything I know about NViVo came from Lee’s fantastic videos on the university library page and in person sessions. Lee’s style of teaching challenged me to explore NViVo deeper. I have completed all my PhD literature reviews and qualitative research. I cannot recommend Lee enough to my colleague PhD students using NViVo! | |
| Data protection & GDPR (Working knowledge) | I have a working knowledge of data protection to ensure I use, produce or procure compliant tools. | Passed the: Data Protection and Information Security update for GDPR and Safeguarding in HE | The Library Privacy policy is written by me I produced the Skills Team Data retention schedule. |
| FutureLearn (Author and educator) | I have collaborated to develop the structure and content for University Preparation Course: Getting Ready for Success at University. This included producing the content (written, visual and video), adding it into the FutureLearn system and facilitating week 2 (a third of the whole MOOC). | Sample screenshots of content I developed: Week of content I developed Video content Content page with images Reflective quiz Course tutor I am the lead educator and content + technical editor of: Digital Research Methods | |
| Google Apps (Administrator) | I use Google’s App Suite (Workspace) to power my own website’s collaboration space. | I am the super admin for the Google Apps Suite for my newgecko.com workspace. | |
| HTML/CSS (Intermediate) | I have been using HTML and CSS for over two decades, since producing my first website at the age of 12. I have designed the visual appearance of many Library websites in my time at the University of Hull. | A Level in Art and Design, Graphic Design | SkillsGuide Template (my design based on Bootstrap) |
| Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office (Basic to Advanced – Varies by package) | Advanced user of Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and Visio. Intermediate user of Excel. Beginner at Power BI and Project. I am a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and Trainer. |    Microsoft Office Specialist: Word Expert, Excel Associate, PowerPoint Associate, Word Associate Microsoft Certified Educator Microsoft Innovative Educator Master Trainer | I have produced SkillsGuides that support students in their use of this technology – receiving over 250,000 visitors in the last three years: Microsoft 365 software The Digital Student As a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert Trainer, I have trained 1,250 educators and students in the last four years. |
| Open-access scholarship and copyright | Understanding licencing and copyright. | Statement of support: Dr Helen Webster NTF Lee’s commitment to open practice has really benefitted the whole learning development community, from the resources he shared as an early response to supporting students during the pandemic, to tweeting and blogging during conferences. I especially look forward to his shared notes and blog posts on conference papers to enhance my own learning and keep the conversation going! _____ When the pandemic hit, I published a new guide on Remote Learning and was licenced with a Creative Commons licence (Fallin, 2021a). This was identified as good practice in a Department for Education Report (Plumpton College et al., 2021), and the content was used by multiple HEIs, including Southampton, Bournemouth and Wolfson College Cambridge. _____ Statement of support: Dr Alicja Syska, University of Plymouth Dr Fallin has been an important contributor to the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. Since joining the Editorial Board of the journal this year, Dr Fallin immediately took the initiative to improve our processes, for example, by leading on the effort to make our CC licensing clear for our readers. As Co-Lead Editor of JLDHE, I am deeply grateful for Dr Fallin’s commitment to our mission to push the boundaries of published scholarship and to create opportunities for new authors and researchers in Teaching and Learning. | |
| Social media and professional networks (Administrator and user) | I am in charge of marketing and social media for the University Library. I have written our Marketing and Social Media Strategies. I also actively use a number of networks and support others with: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, ResearchGate and Academia.edu. I am also familiar with social media management tools like Buffer and Hootsuite. | My social profiles: Twitter / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / GitHub / ResearchGate / Academia / OrcID / Scholar / impactstory / ResearcherID / Scopus / Semantic | I manage UoH Library on: Twitter / YouTube / Facebook Have authored the University Library Social Media Strategy See Fallin (2021b) for further demonstration of how I have utilised YouTube to provision IT learning and the impact this has on students. |
| SpringShare (Administrator) | I am the system owner and primary administrator for the University of Hull Library Springshare Suite. This includes LibGuides (CMS), LibCal (bookings/events), LibAnswers (LiveChat) and LibWizard (Forms and interactivity). | Administrator of LibApps and all our subscribed modules. Have contributed to Springshare Blog | Some of my work with LibGuides has been published (see Fallin, 2021a, which discussed the application of this for learning). Springshare has recognised my work developing LibGuides. |
| VLE Canvas (Local administrator) | I was responsible for the Library department within the VLE, managing over 100-course sites. I am also responsible for ensuring LTIs for Library-related systems remain operational. I am designing and managing courses and assessments. | Library Canvas administrator Lecturer using Canvas as a learning tool | In recognition of my work supporting academic integrity, I was invited to write a brand new Canvas course for a pilot plagiarism intervention scheme in the School of Criminology and Professional Policing. The pilot was successful in supporting 38 students to amend their work. This success was extended to the Hull University Business School, where I modified this course and extended access to 619 postgraduate students, with 40% (251 students) taking the course. For trimester 1 of the 2022-23 academic year, my Canvas course was rolled out institution-wide and is accessible to 15,297 students. I integrated SkillsForStudy into the VLE, dramatically increasing student use (this link shows visitors doubled thanks to my integration work). |
| Windows and macOS (User) | I am a confident user of both Microsoft Windows and macOS/iOS/iPadOS, enabling me to support users across these operating systems. | Owner and active user of Microsoft Windows and macOS devices | Student feedback from a survey “Lee has already helped me to build confidence with using my computer, EndNote and doing searches. I am a dinosaur so find it all quite scary” |
| WordPress (Administrator) | I am an experienced WordPress user and have not only administered many WordPress sites but have also heavily customized and reworked templates. | This portfolio website LeeFallin.co.uk No Frills Skills |
Reflection
My technical expertise and knowledge have developed throughout my whole life. From hand-coding my first HTML website at the age of 12 to the multi-platform websites, I am responsible for now. My work as an Academic and Library Specialist gave me a variety of responsibilities and development opportunities to lead on several Library systems. As a Lecturer in Education, I am now applying my technical expertise in the academic context. This has given me new leadership opportunities, as new colleagues recognise my skills in this area and how they can be used to enhance the work of our School of Education.
It’s been fun to produce this table – but it reflects a career of hard work. I’ve strived to keep at the cutting edge of technology – especially learning technology. This is, however, challenging and ever-evolving. The concern around artificial intelligence is a great example. As I wrote new guidance for colleagues, I would need to edit them before I even managed to hit publish. While, at times, exhausting – it’s also been a lot of fun. I have a thirst for learning – and a passion for the use of technology in my role. For this reason, it is fun to experiment, trial and test new things. I constantly learn new technologies to support higher education learning, teaching and assessment. This also means there is always something new for my future development.
Looking at trends in higher education and my future development needs, I plan to spend more time developing my understanding of AI and its use in education. While this is something I am already leading on, I want to support my practical and philosophical knowledge with a technical underpinning. This will require me to revisit statistics (as I have been as part of undertaking a Microsoft-focused course on AI (Azure). I am also looking to explore the affordances of the metaverse and have partnered with Debbie Holly and Carina Buckley to explore this further via conference workshops this summer.
Reflecting on the list above, my core strengths focus on front-end web-based experiences. My first specialism concentrates on web design through HTML and CSS. While I am more focused on using content management systems (CMS) in my current practice, I still get to use my HTML and CSS knowledge for templating purposes. I am also proficient in relevant Adobe Creative Cloud applications for web design (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator) and print design (InDesign). My expertise in the Adobe suite was first developed and evidenced in my A-Level in Graphics Design, and I still use those skills to this day. I had always intended to go into a design-based career. While I found myself taking a very different path to study geography at the undergraduate level and education at the postgraduate level to become a learning developer, those original design skills aid me in my practice every day.
References
Brown, D. and Fallin, L. (2019) ‘Literature review’, in Opie, C. and Brown, D. (eds.) Getting Started in Your Educational Research: Design, Data Production and Analysis. London: SAGE Publications.
Fallin, L. (2019) ‘Using NVivo in your research’, in Opie, C. and Brown, D. (eds.) Getting started in your educational research: Design, data production and analysis. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 243-274.
Fallin, L. (2021a) Developing online content to support students: the Remote Learning SkillsGuide. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (22).
Fallin, L. (2021b) Teaching academic software via YouTube videos in the Covid- 19 pandemic: potential applications for learning development The challenge. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (22).
Fallin, L., Davison, E., Spencer, G. & Tomlinson, T. (2023) Supporting inclusive learning resource design with Designing for Diverse Learners. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (26).
Fallin, L. & Tomlinson, T. (2022) Designing for diverse learners. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (25).
Plumpton College, Baisingstoke College of Technology & EKC Group (2021) Evaluation of strategies for online learning implementation in further education. Department for Education. Available online: https://www.plumpton.ac.uk/fileadmin/uploads/plumpton/Documents/Freedom_of_Information_Act/CCF2021_PlumptonCollege_Products_FINAL_220421.pdf [Accessed 23/01/2023].
Revisions for reassessment:
Since the first submission, I have added an extra column ‘impact’ to try and tie my technical skills to the direct impact on students and colleagues. In hindsight, this has allowed me to better separate evidence of skill from evidence of impact. While this has involved moving some content over, this revision includes numerous additional pieces of evidence in the impact column, including additional statements of support to show impact, hyperlinks to screenshots/data and other forms of evidence. Four additional references have been included to show my later scholarly activity in this area, and linked as evidence to the appropriate skills. I’ve updated the reflection and corrected some typos. I’ve included an updated reflection.