{"id":168,"date":"2014-01-24T09:37:11","date_gmt":"2014-01-24T09:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eastmidslt.wordpress.com\/?p=168"},"modified":"2023-01-05T14:38:17","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:38:17","slug":"cmalt-my-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2014\/01\/cmalt-my-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"CMALT: My Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

In November 2013 I was awarded my CMALT accreditation from the Associate for Learning Technology. I wrote about my journey on my own blog<\/a>, and provided a few short but important tips for anyone looking at working towards their own CMALT award. Here is that post.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After an awfully long time I have written, submitted, re-written, re-submitted, and finally been awarded the status of Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT)<\/a>. When I say it took a long time, it\u2019s not an understatement \u2013 here\u2019s how and why.<\/p>\n

CMALT \u2013 The beginning<\/strong>
\nI joined Bournemouth University (BU) in 2007, fresh into the role of a Learning Technologist (LT) from 10 years as a commercial web designer. In all honesty I didn\u2019t really know much of what I\u2019d be expected to do but I knew my experience with online communities and techniques in developing and fostering them was key to my appointment. It just goes to show the faith and vision my interviewers had to see me for my potential and offer me the job! I joined ALT shortly after starting, which is where I first heard about CMALT.<\/p>\n

In 2008 a visit was organised with ALT to BU to explain the CMALT scheme and sign some of us up. I don\u2019t think anyone signed up there and then, but the seeds were sown for me and I can say that this was one of the deciding factors in me starting to think more in depth and more strategically about the role, my vision of the role of an LT, and the role LTs it plays in the wider School, Faculty, and Institutional environment. In 2009 I wrote my first \u2018What is a learning technologist?\u2019<\/a> post.<\/p>\n

Despite thinking and planning my CMALT portfolio it wasn\u2019t until July 2011 that I actually paid my fees, and starting developing my portfolio, collating the evidence, and filled in the application form. At this point I was already carefully considering my future at BU and whether I could continue to grow as a Learning Technologist there or I needed to look elsewhere for new challenges.<\/p>\n

CMALT \u2013 The process<\/strong>
\nI attended many of the online CMALT webinars and found them incredibly valuable in focusing my mind on what was needed, and how I was to do it. What was even more important, however, was talking with my network on LinkedIn<\/a> or Twitter<\/a> or Google+<\/a> and finding out from their first-hand experience on the process and, more importantly, the \u2018portfolio\u2019. From these discussions I realised I didn\u2019t have to submit a \u2018plain\u2019 paper formatted portfolio, so I took ideas from my network of successful CMALT holders and created a Google site.<\/p>\n

Tip 1:<\/strong> If you decide to select  an assessor of your own then choose him\/her wisely. It is not enough to choose them for their knowledge of you and your work (in fact the guidelines state this person should not be \u201cdirectly responsible for your work or who has worked with you in the production of any of the evidence included in your portfolio.\u201d). It is essential they have the capability to act in your best interest, and this may mean being hard on your submission. You both need a strong working\/personal relationship where honest comments on your work can be given and viewed constructively. I would like to thank Dr Milena Bobeva for her frank and honest comments on my portfolio, from which I was motivated to rewrite sections and to work harder to present my work in a clearer and more relevant way, therefore making me both a better LT and a more deserving CMALT holder.<\/p>\n

Tip 2:<\/strong> Don\u2019t do it alone. If you can get a colleague or friend to support you, help encourage you, and keep you to your deadlines (self-imposed) then you\u2019ll be better for it. I was lucky enough to have some great support from friends on Twitter, so a big \u2018thank you\u2019 to them (you know who you are!).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

CMALT \u2013 The Portfolio
\n<\/strong>Before doing anything else read the guidelines and associated files provided by ALT on the CMALT website<\/a>, especially the Guidelines for CMALT candidates and assessors<\/a> as this will be your go-to resource during the process. Now read it again. Everything you need is in there and each time you read it you\u2019ll think of your work and evidence you can incorporate into your portfolio.<\/p>\n

Next I would recommend reading a few of the publicly available CMALT portfolios to see what other people have written and what kind of evidence they used, and how. Of course you\u2019ll remember that each of us has a very different role and environment we work in, so each portfolio is going to be very individual and personal.<\/p>\n

I started constructing my Google site to match the criteria set out for the portfolio document, and by using the heading and the introductory text from the CMALT guideline file. This, again, was the easy bit \u2026 now I had to collect and collate the evidence, write the contextual statements, reflect, and present all this in a meaningful and coherent way. Even now that makes it sound easier than I found it.<\/p>\n

Tip 3:<\/strong> I would strongly recommend not changing jobs in the middle of this process. I had planned to get the portfolio completed and submitted before leaving BU in May 2012 but, alas, that wasn\u2019t to be. This made it very hard because I knew I had work I could use as evidence but no longer had access to the files or emails I needed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Part off the process is getting the result\/feedback of your portfolio. My portfolio initially came back with comments and suggestions about how I could take different sections and make them better, to include different\/better examples and reflection that would indicate and highlight skills, knowledge, practices, etc. in a clearer way.<\/p>\n

Tip 4:<\/strong> If your portfolio is referred and requires attention before you are awarded CMALT make careful note of the comments given and do your best to address them: not only will your portfolio be better for it, but you as a Learning Technologist too.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I have also decided to make my portfolio public in the hope that anyone else looking to gain CMALT accreditation can make use of it. You can view my CMALT portfolio Google site here: https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/hopkinsdavidcmalt\/<\/a><\/p>\n

CMALT \u2013 What next?
\n<\/strong>Part of my portfolio submission for CMALT was also the hope that I can give something back to the community of \u2018technology & education\u2019 and ALT \u2026 to this end I will also explore the prospect of becoming a CMALT assessor and mentor (of sorts) to anyone else who is interested in becoming a CMALT holder.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In November 2013 I was awarded my CMALT accreditation from the Associate for Learning Technology. I wrote about my journey on my own blog, and provided a few short but important tips for anyone looking at working towards their own CMALT award. Here is that post. After an awfully long time I have written, submitted, […]","protected":false},"author":430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1429,1576],"tags":[721,1555,771,1127,1310],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-altemidlands","category-cmalt","tag-alt","tag-association-for-learning-technology","tag-cmalt","tag-david-hopkins","tag-learning-technology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6878,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2018\/01\/how-we-scaled-professional-recognition-for-staff-working-with-learning-technology-at-the-university-of-edinburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":168,"position":0},"title":"How we scaled professional recognition for staff working with Learning Technology at the University of Edinburgh","author":"Santanu Vasant","date":"16 January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Creating a digital Culture For the last 18 months I\u2019ve been working on an ongoing project to support the professional development of staff working with learning technology. \u00a0The University of Edinburgh has ambitious strategic digital plans \u00a0which envision: \u201ca digital culture that will culminate\u00a0in a university where: every core service\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case studies"","block_context":{"text":"Case studies","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/case-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Applicants and Holders","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2018\/01\/ApplicantsAndHolders.jpg?fit=480%2C320&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5950,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2016\/09\/three-years-of-altc-and-cmalt\/","url_meta":{"origin":168,"position":1},"title":"Three years of ALTc and CMALT","author":"Teresa MacKinnon","date":"22 September 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is written by David Hopkins. Teaching and Learning Consultant, University of Warwick Business School. David is a CMALT Assessor and member of CMALT Development Group. Whilst I may have joined ALT some 9 years ago it was only in 2014 that I first attended the annual conference. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"New CMALT badge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8279,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2019\/09\/chief-executive-officers-report-september-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":168,"position":2},"title":"Chief Executive Officer\u2019s Report, September 2019","author":"","date":"18 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Members At the start of the new academic year and with a successful Annual Conference behind us, I am writing to update you about important developments for the Association.\u00a0 First, there have been changes to the Board of Trustees and also the staff team in recent months. At this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chief Executive's Reports"","block_context":{"text":"Chief Executive's Reports","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/reports\/chief-executives-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2019\/09\/48676535436_400ac9c5b8_z.jpg?fit=640%2C322&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2019\/09\/48676535436_400ac9c5b8_z.jpg?fit=640%2C322&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2019\/09\/48676535436_400ac9c5b8_z.jpg?fit=640%2C322&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3386,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2014\/02\/new-opportunity-for-cmalt-holders-join-the-register-of-cmalt-consultants\/","url_meta":{"origin":168,"position":3},"title":"New opportunity for CMALT Holders – join the Register of CMALT Consultants","author":"ALT","date":"19 February 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"There is increasing demand for expertise in Learning Technology across a broad range of contexts for example assessment, VLEs, learning design, research, networks and tech support, change management and staff development. CMALT Holders who are interested in undertaking work for ALT on a consultancy basis now have the opportunity to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALT news"","block_context":{"text":"ALT news","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/alt-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12607,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/10\/why-being-a-cmalt-assessor-is-great-for-your-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":168,"position":4},"title":"Why being a CMALT Assessor is great for your development\u00a0","author":"ALT","date":"3 October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In this blog, Matt Cornock, Julie Voce, Puiyin Wong and Jade Kimberley share reasons why they became CMALT assessors and their advice for those starting out as new assessors reviewing their first portfolios. This post captures some points from our panel discussion on being a CMALT assessor, at the ALT\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CMALT"","block_context":{"text":"CMALT","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/cmalt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Why being a CMALT Assessor is great for your development\u00a0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-CMALT-Submission-Window.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-CMALT-Submission-Window.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-CMALT-Submission-Window.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13000,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/04\/a-cmalt-journey-insights-from-emily-armstrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":168,"position":5},"title":"A CMALT Journey: Insights from Emily Armstrong\u00a0","author":"ALT","date":"30 April 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"For this month's blog profile, in celebration of CMALT Week 2025, we are excited to introduce Emily Armstrong, a passionate CMALT Assessor. We asked Emily a series of questions to gather her invaluable insights and experiences, aiming to provide guidance and inspiration for those embarking on their CMALT journey. How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog post"","block_context":{"text":"Blog post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6CxU9-2I","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10552,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions\/10552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}