From micro to macro: can you master education in 7-week sprints?

Author note: This blog was first published on the UTS LX.lab website in October 2022, and is re-shared here, with thanks to UTS for the journey so far!

Differently-packaged pieces of learning have been a hot topic in higher ed for a while now, with universities and other institutions experimenting with all kinds of micro-credentials, bootcamps, taster courses and other ‘short’ formats to cater to the needs of diverse student cohorts. But how does it work when a ‘long’ course like a Master’s is delivered in short bursts of learning? Can you really go deep into a serious, complex topic like education in a series of 7-week sprints?

Last year I signed up for the UTS online Master of Education (Learning and Leadership) and signed away my weekends and evenings for the next two years. Twelve months into this long-distance, short-format journey, some of those weighty academic theories are starting to make sense. I’ve stolen countless practical ideas for my work, and I’m starting to see more clearly how each of the subjects plays its part in the formation of the whole.

So grab an energy drink and stretch out those sore muscles – here’s the half-time report, from a part-time studying, full-time working learner.

The juggle is real (keep on counting)

I once read that British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe used to constantly count to 100 to break up the daunting effort required to stay fast and focussed during a marathon. All you had to do was count to the next 100, and put one foot in front of the other.

This is why the 7-week format works well for me. I just have to hold my nerve, get my three assignments done, and survive seven weeks of priority-juggling to earn myself a week’s rest before starting it all again. With full-time work, parenting and other luxuries like eating and sleeping, it keeps me sane knowing that whatever happens, each ‘race’ is over in less than two months.

A little advice, though, for those who like to live on the edge and play chicken with assignment deadlines: just like common-sense exercise plans, these subjects are best tackled little and often! To avoid risk of injury (aka study burnout), get used to sneaking in the learning wherever you can. I won’t deny I’ve ‘watched’ more than one swimming lesson with an assignment draft or academic article balanced on my lap whilst nodding approvingly at a small human’s 26th lap of backstroke.

Connecting with complexity (again)

One of the reasons I chose formal study again after all this time was a curiosity about the wealth of literature and accumulated knowledge in the education landscape. I want to engage with it properly, not just cherry-pick the bits I need for whatever project I’m working on that month. But can you really explore decades of literature and complex concepts in seven weeks?

This is where the ‘whole course‘ design comes in; although the MEdLL is a series of 12 x 7-week subjects, the subjects don’t exist in isolation, and are designed to encourage learners to re-visit and deepen knowledge of theory and practice through different lenses. So whilst one subject might introduce practice theory through a project analysing ‘leading learning’ practices, another re-introduces it for a project on professional learning and implications for improving practice. Finding complexity theory a bit complex? (I do!) Don’t worry – it’s coming up again in another subject, perhaps from a different angle which helps to crack that mysterious nut in a way that makes sense this time.

Keeping it human (hear my voice)

I don’t think anyone’s arguing anymore about the importance of teacher presence or meaningful interaction in online learning, and from personal experience, the right words from the right person at the right time can mean the difference between throwing in the towel or pushing on to get the last assignment done by the deadline.

In this case, two very human aspects have been highlights of the online learning experience, and both surprisingly simple: audio feedback from teachers, and informal breakout room chat with peers. Every assignment I’ve done has included both written feedback and 2-5 minutes of thoughtful, friendly audio feedback from the tutor who marked it. In the long silences of online study, this warm, human moment is everything. No matter what the mark is, I cling to every word and appreciate the effort each tutor makes to connect across the virtual distance.

Secondly, despite the time pressures, regular opportunities to just chat in breakout rooms with others on the course during the unstructured sections of the ‘live and online’ Zoom sessions are an unexpected delight. No matter where you’re at, it’s always a welcome relief to find out you’re not the only one who doesn’t get it, or hasn’t done the assignment prep yet, or had to prioritise a child’s cricket match over critical thinking this weekend. No discussion board, however lively it is, can replace that in-person connection for me – even if it’s just 10 minutes every couple of weeks.

The next 12 months: final sprints and a long cool-down

As I contemplate the next six subjects and the downhill stretch of my own Masters journey, I’m excited to see what other connections will be made – with the people on the course, the concepts, and the practices I’m already taking into different workplace contexts. Perhaps we’ll meet again in the cool-down area and we can do some post-race analysis in a year or so.

Catch some other student and teacher perspectives on this learning format in two courses, two perspectives, which celebrates the first graduates of these new approaches to online for UTS.

If you’d like to find out more about the design work behind the scenes of the Master of Education (Learning and Leadership), take a look at this trio of blog posts from the team that put together the course.