Image credit: Photo by Headway on UnsplashSince 2020 I’ve been running the Digital Education Reading Group at the University of London. Over that time, it has become a valuable space for colleagues to explore professional ideas, share perspectives and think about how developments in digital education relate to our own practice.
In this post, I reflect on what makes a reading group worthwhile, share what we’ve learned from six years of running ours, and offer some practical tips for anyone interested in setting up something similar.
Why a reading group?
The original impetus for the group came from a familiar challenge: in a field that is constantly evolving, how can busy digital education practitioners keep up with good practice and new developments? And how can the research inform the work we do?
After completing a Master’s in Blended and Online Education, I was keen to continue engaging with the research but I found it increasingly difficult alongside the demands of everyday work. I suspected colleagues faced similar challenges, particularly those whose roles didn’t routinely involve reading academic literature. I’d seen reading groups working well previously so I decided to start one myself. It was an informal initiative, led by colleagues rather than part of a formal staff development programme.
The idea we’ve arrived at is fairly simple. It’s an informal initiate led by me and the group, rather than being a formal staff development programme. We meet regularly, take a reading or other resource related to digital education, and use it to discuss something relevant to our work. It’s a space where we can step outside the immediate demands of deadlines and day-to-day work and take the time, together, to consider the bigger questions behind what we do.
What we gain from the group
I think there are several benefits to this approach.
The group helps me to manage my anxiety about staying up to date with digital education.
Library professional 10+ years
Feedback from members suggests that the benefits go beyond keeping up with research and new developments. The group also provides reassurance that we’re not navigating the challenges of digital education alone, while helping colleagues recognise the value of their own professional knowledge and experience. For me, this highlights the importance of creating a supportive space where people can explore ideas, learn from one another and grow in confidence.
The group enhanced my confidence that I am a legitimate digital educator.
Careers professional 5+ years
A reading group in the broadest sense
Despite the name, we use the word reading fairly loosely!
From the outset, I wanted the group to feel inclusive and practical rather than overly academic so we’re flexible about the type of resources we choose. A lengthy academic paper isn’t always the best way to introduce a topic, particularly when people are fitting in preparation around their existing workloads. Sometimes a short blog post or podcast can prompt just as interesting a discussion. The aim is to understand ideas together and think about how they relate to our work, rather than becoming an expert on everything.
Different perspectives on the same question
One of the strengths of the group is the range of professional backgrounds and perspectives that members bring to our discussions. Our group includes colleagues working in learning design, learning technology, academia, teaching, assessment, libraries, student voice, innovation, careers, video and media production, and management. Although the group began with University of London colleagues, it has gradually expanded through word of mouth to include people working at other universities.
The diversity helps us see our own work in a broader context and understand how different aspects of digital education connect. For example, someone working in assessment might gain a new appreciation of how the design of educational videos can influence students’ understanding and preparation for assessment. Equally, a colleague working in video production might gain a better understanding of how their work supports wider learning and assessment goals.
For anyone thinking of starting a reading group, I’d suggest considering the mix of people involved rather than limiting it to those working in the same role or team. One of the benefits of our group has been hearing how the same ideas are interpreted by people with different responsibilities and experiences.
What happens in a session?
About a week before each meeting, I share the resources, some context about the topic and the questions that will form the basis of the discussion. I also publish these details on our blog, so we have somewhere to find everything in advance and anyone else interested can follow along with what we’re discussing, even if they aren’t attending the meetings.
We meet online for an hour, which works well with our hybrid working arrangements and allows colleagues from other universities to join us. We encourage people to read, watch or listen to the resources beforehand, but it’s not essential. This keeps the barrier to participation low, so even colleagues who haven’t had time to prepare can still join in and benefit from the discussion.
The meetings themselves are inclusive and informal. The facilitator starts by briefly recapping the key points from the reading or other resources before opening up the discussion with a few questions. The questions provide some structure, but there’s plenty of room for the conversation to develop in different directions as people share their experiences and perspectives.
Choosing what to discuss
Members take turns to facilitate our meetings, choosing the topic and the resources that they would like the group to explore. This means that the meetings reflect what members are interested in, curious about or grappling with in their own work rather than following a fixed agenda. It also means that responsibility for the group is shared, rather than relying on one person to select all the readings and lead every discussion.
As a result, we have covered a wide range of topics since 2020. These have included decolonising the curriculum, questioning established educational models, staff and student wellbeing, academic misconduct, AI and assessment, playful learning, and sustainability, alongside questions about learning design, engagement, educational technology and online pedagogy.
DERG has definitely influenced how I frame conversations about AI in learning design and production.
Innovation manager 5+ years
We’ve also had a student representative lead a discussion about informal online spaces where students can connect with one another. Hearing directly from students helped us think differently about the importance of these spaces for distance learners, and how we might better support them in our course designs.
Looking back over the topics is also an interesting record of how the concerns of digital education have changed. Some questions recur in different forms, while others emerge very quickly in response to changes in technology or higher education.
Setting up your own reading group
If you’re considering setting up something similar, here are a few things we’ve found helpful in keeping the group going:
- Start with a clear purpose. What do you want the group to provide that colleagues aren’t already getting elsewhere? For us, it was about keeping up with developments and research, and providing a supportive opportunity to reflect on our practice together.
- Bring together a mix of perspectives. People don’t need to have the same professional background or level of expertise. Different experiences can make for more interesting discussions.
- Keep the preparation manageable. Choose resources that people can realistically engage with alongside their day-to-day work. A shorter, accessible resource can work just as well as a substantial academic paper.
- Share responsibility. Taking turns to choose topics and facilitate meetings helps keep the group relevant to its members and brings in ideas that might otherwise be overlooked.
- Don’t over-structure the discussion. A few questions can help get things started, but leave room for people to make connections with their own experiences and take the conversation in unexpected directions.
- Allow different ways of participating. Not everyone wants to contribute equally to every discussion, for example some colleagues learn a great deal by listening, or may want to catch up with a recorded summary later. The important thing is to create an environment where people can contribute and participate when they want to.
- Meet regularly, but not too often. Having meetings in the diary well in advance helps people make time for the group, but the frequency needs to be manageable. We initially met every four weeks, which proved difficult to sustain alongside everyone’s other commitments. We’ve since settled on every six weeks, which gives people more time to prepare and makes it easier to keep the group going.
You don’t need to get the format exactly right from the outset. Our group has evolved over time; you can adjust how often you meet, the kinds of resources you use and how sessions are facilitated based on what works for the people involved.
Six years of thinking together
When the group started in 2020, I didn’t have a particularly grand plan for what it would become. I wanted to create a regular opportunity for colleagues to step away from their immediate work, encounter some interesting ideas and talk about them together. Six years later, that is still essentially what it does.
The group only works because of the people who are part of it.
I’m grateful to everyone who has made time to come along, brought their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, shared their experiences and been willing to explore new ideas together. I particularly appreciate those who have volunteered to choose topics and lead sessions, often alongside already busy workloads. It’s this willingness to invest time in our own professional development, and to learn from one another, that has kept the group going over the past six years.
Six years on, we’re still finding plenty to discuss. If you’re thinking of starting a reading group, I’d encourage you to give it a go. All you need is a few interested colleagues, something to discuss and a regular time to meet.
