I passed my SCMALT in January 2023 with relief and a sense of achievement. It’s the second time I’ve written a CMALT portfolio, having last completed CMALT in 2013. The first portfolio I created was a really enjoyable experience; Graeme Redshaw-Boxwell (now Learning Enhancement and Technology Team Manager at Newcastle Uni) and I partnered up to support each other, recording podcasts and reflecting with each other. 10 years later, I challenged myself to go for the Senior CMALT category to record and reflect on my experience of working in learning technology for over 20 years, working in a leadership role in some areas and developing research in others.

Several things helped me to create my portfolio for the SCMALT. Richard Walker, Head of Learning Technology and Programme Design at the University of York, was my mentor and provided many useful (sometimes challenging!) prompts to develop my reflections. A couple of things that also really helped in my portfolio building was my habit of always questioning how anything I was doing was making an impact, and developing a system to capture evidence of the impact. For this, I have to thank the University of Reading’s Impact by Design framework, which I have used for many years to ensure that I am not just focusing on the easy statistics but always gathering feedback and evaluating things I can do better. Another thing that helped me to work systematically was always having the CMALT principles just above the paragraph I was writing and looking to ensure what I was writing about aligned to the principles. This also meant I could see if my portfolio was providing a balance of evidence across all the CMALT principles.

Looking back on my portfolio some months after writing it, I can already see how much further I have progressed in some areas and other areas that will need a bit more focus. One new area to explore has already taken the elearning world by storm (AI anyone?). Already my portfolio is looking old with no mention of AI research in there! Joking aside, being able to sense development and progress is so helpful when the job I do can be quite open-ended. It’s natural to forget all the little things that add to the big picture and it’s never easy to find time to reflect on what I’ve done. However, the 3-year accreditation cycle is an incentive to continue the momentum of reflection and I’ve now built this into part of my workflow for ‘capturing evidence’.

A big thank you to the assessors who had to plough through my portfolio. I was really motivated by the feedback. What I really appreciate about CMALT is having a framework for reviewing my work as a learning technologist and having this community of practice at ALT to tap into. I haven’t been too active on the Jiscmail list for ALT as I’m juggling quite a lot at work but I might just try to build that in to my routine as part of my “commitment to communicate and disseminate good practice”. Apart from that, next steps are to tidy up the portfolio so it can be shared on ALT’s site and supporting colleagues at the University to gain their CMALT. I’m looking forward to organising a meetup of CMALT achievers at the uni so we can create a community that supports others aiming to complete their portfolios.

Anybody who was working in education in 2020 was thrown into online teaching whether they liked it or not.

At the start, although I liked using some learning technology (LT) in my face-to-face classes, I really didn’t want to spend all my time dealing with LT! However, once in the online space, tutors in the International Pathway College (IPC) shared tips, platforms and resources they found useful. After that, what tended to happen was that if a piece of LT worked you would continue to use it, but generally you didn’t analyse why that happened. It just worked well, and that was enough. Equally, if you abandoned a piece of LT, you tended to think that it just didn’t work but you might have been too busy to think about why. Perhaps you even promised yourself, you’d go back and try to use it with another group and then forgot about it. I think this pattern is not only true for our pandemic experience, but also in general. When I look back at the many free LT accounts or platforms I signed up to both before and during the pandemic, how many do I still use? Very few!

This is where Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT) comes in. There are three things that became important for me when doing CMALT and completing my portfolio, some of these are fairly obvious but are worth repeating to people who are considering doing it.

Thing 1. Choose The Right CMALT Accreditation For You

The reflections on this webpage use the word CMALT a lot, but there are three types of portfolios you can submit for accreditation: Associate CMALT, CMALT and Senior CMALT.

I chose to do Associate CMALT which is for those people who are beginning their journey using LT. Although I could honestly say I’d been using LT for many years, I hadn’t been using it in a conscious and considered way, and for a few months in 2020 I’d been using it in a blind panic! It is worth considering how and why you’ve been using LT before you begin, then you can pick the correct path for you, and the journey becomes much easier. At this point, I should add that the help and support I received from Richard Walker was invaluable in clarifying any misunderstandings on what LT is and isn’t, and his feedback was tremendously useful throughout.

Thing 2. Remember To Share Evidence, and Reflect Continually

Reflection and evidence are crucial in this process.

You need to be comfortable looking back and seeing what went well in your use of technology and what didn’t. This reflection is helpful in getting you to consider how you teach with or without LT, so it has a real long-term impact. You may even find yourself using less LT, but using those that you continue with much more intensively. In addition, having access to evidence to back up your reflection is very important, so it’s worthwhile thinking about that before you begin. The evidence can take many forms and it doesn’t necessarily need to be perfect, some of the best reflection comes from realising when something didn’t work and showing that.

Thing 3. Choose a Suitable Portfolio Format

Your portfolio can be in a variety of formats.

The portfolio examples on this webpage are great, but don’t think that you need to create a Google Site! My portfolio was a long Google document. In addition, I have seen examples on the official ALT website that involved submitting PowerPoint slides or PDF documents. The key is to write something that is clear, organised and that shows your personal journey with LT to where you are right now and where you would like to go in the future.

Closing Thoughts

If you choose to go for CMALT accreditation, you will find it a valuable experience. It is challenging, since reflection is always challenging if you’re doing it well, but you will see and feel the impact in the choices you make with your learners and the technology you use in the future. Good luck if you choose to start on this journey!

I’ve always enjoyed working with technology in my teaching and course design, so when I read about CMALT it seemed like a great opportunity to bring all of my ideas together and run them past other teaching professionals. The most valuable part of the experience was being forced to slow down and explain in clear, concise language why I was using certain technologies and how these tools actually improved my teaching. This was especially important given that our portfolio writing group was made up of education practitioners from a wide range of departments and backgrounds. On many occasions I would veer off into jargon, excessive background detail and essay-like explanations, and would have to be brought back down to earth! Eventually though, self-correcting for this became more intuitive, and I became better at communicating discipline-specific ideas to non-specialists. The other side of that coin, listening to my peers talk about how learning technologies are used in different contexts, similarly pulled me out of my bubble and made me think about learning and technology in a more holistic way. 

CMALT is deeply rooted in teaching principles, and you don’t need to be a technology specialist to undertake it. It’s an equally valuable experience for anyone involved in teaching generally, and who is looking for ideas and inspiration for how to incorporate technology into their work in a simple and practical way. It was an experience that I would strongly recommend to anyone involved in teaching, whatever your level of technological proficiency. The writing group meetings themselves were relaxed and enjoyable, and gave me a wealth of ideas for each section of the portfolio. The whole experience also had enormous practical value, as it fed directly into my teaching and course writing.

You can view Phil’s CMALT portfolio on Google Sites

I have been teaching Psychology within the HE context since 2010 and have always had a keen interest in using learning technology (LT) to enhance my teaching and improve the student experience. This perhaps stems from my general interest in technology, specifically Cyberpsychology. When I was made aware of the opportunity to create a portfolio showcasing the ways in which I use LT and to receive recognition for it, I was very keen! I must admit it initially started off as a task that would lead to improvements to my CV but very quickly turned into a cathartic experience, allowing me to truly reflect on how I’d used LT over the course of my career which I found very rewarding.

The structure of the portfolio allowed me to think carefully about the different LTs I’d used in different aspects of my teaching and to show how they had impacted the learning of my students. It took some time to draw all the examples together and I must admit that I would sometimes forget about LT I’d used and/or the different ways in which I’d used it. Oftentimes, teaching experiences would suddenly pop into my head while doing other tasks and I’d need to go back to my portfolio to build on content I’d already created. In that sense, the creation of the portfolio forced me to think carefully about how I’d been teaching over the years and what LTs I’d used (and perhaps stopped using) and why. It was definitely a part of the process that was all the better for taking the time to think carefully and engage in reflective thought before ‘putting pen to paper’. 

Perhaps one ‘stage of enlightenment’ was a conversation I had with Richard Walker about the general approach to writing the portfolio. While writing one part of the portfolio, I had inadvertently wandered into a form of writing that resulted in a long list of different examples of the way I use LT. Richard was extremely helpful in getting me back on track, ensuring the main narrative was about my general approach to using LT for the different aspects the portfolio covers and then using one or two examples from my practice to support this narrative. Although I had no problem sourcing examples for the portfolio, it took some time to gather these together. That was perhaps one aspect I didn’t envisage but again, Richard’s guidance was invaluable and my portfolio was all the better for it!

For anyone who is considering engaging in the CMALT accreditation, I strongly recommend you do so. It allowed me to reflect not only on how I’ve use(d) LT in the past and present but also how I’d like my future teaching practice to be enhanced by LT. I found it a really rewarding process!

You can view Sally’s CMALT Portfolio online on Google Sites

CMALT accreditation recognises skills and experience in learning technology (LT) and shows commitment to professional development in the field. Initially coming to CMALT from a teaching-focused role, it was a starting point to move from a ‘trial and error’ approach to LT to something more considered, and was a good framework to focus my development and improve skills. The process was a lot longer than I expected (nearly two years from starting to the final result), but in that time I learnt so much, and my LT practice is vastly better for it. It’s helped me move to a more tech-focused role, which has been really fulfilling.

The CMALT portfolio writing group run by the head of PDLT Richard Walker, was a huge help in the process. Richard’s expertise and insight were invaluable, and I really enjoyed meeting colleagues in different departments and sharing experience and ideas. Focusing on one section of the portfolio in each session helped to clarify the expectations in that area, which let me reflect on the experience and skills I already had and plan what more I needed to learn or put into practice. Richard’s continued support and feedback after the sessions finished was also a massive help – thank you Richard!

The portfolio covers varied aspects of LT, emphasising the collaborative nature of the LT community. This was really useful to help me develop in all areas and make sure my practice was rounded. The Wider Context section and Specialist Area were especially useful to explore areas in more detail that I might not have done otherwise. For example, it was a great way to further explore accessibility in LT – I already had an interest in this area, but the portfolio helped me take that a lot further and it’s something that I continue to learn about. The Communication section also led to collaborating on a conference workshop with a colleague in a different institution – we learnt a lot from each other, and have worked together on more materials since then. This probably wouldn’t have happened without the encouragement from the portfolio.

If you’re interested in taking a more considered approach to LT, I’d really recommend CMALT and the portfolio writing group as a way to guide your development. It’s a fantastic learning opportunity, and well worth the time and effort needed.

You can view Lou’s CMALT Portfolio online on Google Sites

Background

I have supported students in the Department of Health Sciences for over ten years and throughout this time, I developed a keen interest in the ways that technology can benefit their learning and the student experience. For the last three years I have worked with an e-portfolio system called PebblePad which is used by student nurses and midwives to document their learning whilst working in practice placement areas. Their work is assessed and verified by external healthcare professionals so I also help to support the mentors to use the system. I produce online guidance incorporating text and videos and deliver training sessions on how to use PebblePad.

Approaching CMALT

I was informed about CMALT by colleagues who also work with learning technology.  I felt that completing the accreditation portfolio would provide me with a good opportunity to reflect on my work over the past three years and collaborate further with peers working in the same field. I think PebblePad has lots of untapped potential and I was interested to see if the process would help me consider further options for its use in the Department.  I also liked that the scheme was flexible, welcoming candidates from different backgrounds including both academic staff and support staff (like myself)!

CMALT Writing Group Experience

The E-Learning Development Team were very supportive throughout the portfolio writing process. Regular peer group meetings were scheduled throughout the year, which focused on each of the key sections of the portfolio. This approach was very helpful as it divided the task of writing the portfolio into smaller, manageable parts and allowed for discussion and feedback after each section was complete.  

The process of writing my CMALT portfolio enabled me to learn about the theories and policies that inform the development of e-learning including the York pedagogy.  The process highlighted that the most successful implementation of PebblePad as a learning technology is through my collaboration with academic staff and students to inform and inspire possible developments. I welcomed the chance to reflect upon my experiences so far and I hope to continue to discover and explore how technology can aid learning. The ALT email network and newsletter provides lots of useful information and interesting discussions allowing me to keep up to date with developments within learning technology.

It is also nice to have my work formally recognised by peers within the field of learning technology. An increasing number of learning technology jobs have asked for CMALT within their person specification so I am pleased that I can add this to my CV.

You can view Jon’s CMALT Portfolio online on Google Sites

I’ve always been interested in learning and technology. During 2002 I did a full-time 9 month long course, a HNC, in Multimedia and after that, combining my teaching knowledge and experience, I started to develop free websites for Spanish learners.

I read some information about the CMALT accreditation in a monthly newsletter and decided to approach the team to find out more about it. CMALT enables those whose work involves learning technology to have their experience and capabilities certified by peers, and demonstrate that they are taking a committed and serious approach to their professional development. The CMALT network was developed 10 years ago and it is used across education sectors in the UK and internationally to provide recognition for skills, experience and professional development in Learning Technology.

It seemed interesting and I thought it would be a good idea to join the University’s CMALT peer group, getting to know people from other departments and discussing our experiences using learning technology and applying technology to learning. I thought that it should be a very edifying experience, being able to establish links and share knowledge with colleagues from different backgrounds and with very diverse experiences. Moreover, it would allow me to continue my professional development, having my learning technology work and capabilities reviewed and certified by peers.

The group sessions run by the e-learning team were very well organised, really interesting and useful. Meeting colleagues from other departments, being able to hear about their experiences and discussing what we do and the different technology we use was engaging and inspiring. All CMALT portfolios must include a number of sections, and depending on your background, some of them can be rather daunting. For example, in my case, though I was familiar with some aspects of legislation, for example, regarding inclusivity and the Equality Act, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), intellectual property and copyright, the Wider Context was the section I found most challenging. It is very important to keep up with legislation, understanding that it needs to be adapted as technology changes, bringing on new challenges.

Working towards CMALT I’ve spent time reflecting on my own experience and practice, allowing me to explore and understand better the interplay between learning and technology. And now that I am a CMALT holder I think that I can keep up with technology better, being in touch with other CMALT holders through the ALT website and mail groups, sharing advice, good practice and experience across a wide range of fields.

You can view Carmen’s CMALT portfolio on Google Sites