The role of conversations in developing a learning community and influencing change

Abstract

This opinion piece is presented as a conversation between Diane Nutt, who began the EFYE (European First Year Experience) network, initiated the first EFYE conference and was the first conference chair, and William Carey who attended the first conference early in his career and is the current chair. 

We discuss the journey we have undertaken in developing this successful conference series and highlighting the importance of first-year experiences and student transitions in Europe. Our focus here is not on the story of developing the conference itself, which we have discussed elsewhere, so much as on the importance of a variety of conversations in that journey – insightful conversations that shape the theme and direction of each conference; exploratory conversations that span boundaries of roles and countries; strategic conversations that lead to EU projects; relaxed conversations that happen over coffee or late into the night that develop friendships; developmental conversations that support professional and personal growth. In particular, we consider here, how conversations have enabled the conference series to sustain and grow, and to create change, both small – and large – scale. These conversations engage practitioners (teachers, professional learning colleagues, and support staff), researchers, policy makers, senior leaders, and students, from a range of countries. Dialogue, in both professional conversations and informal ‘chats’, has enabled us to engage and move forward with relatively limited resources. Connections we have made and the influence these conversations have had support professional ‘informal and incidental’ learning, impacting those at the heart of the conversation. Influence in this context is not about authority or status, but about connections and creating positive social spaces, and recognising the importance of involving all parties (students, professional staff, academics, researchers, managers) to fully engage people and institutions in change and to spread both vision and positive strategies focused on first year student success. 

Here, in our own exchange, we suggest that a key learning from our journey is that friendly supportive conversations between ordinary practitioners can have influence and make an impact across a variety of settings in a tertiary world, in ways that are not always immediately apparent.