This is a copy of the the introduction that I wrote for my very first forum post when I started my PHD at Lancaster in 2017.
Hello by Debbie Baff – Monday, 16 January 2017, 13:39
Hello everyone. I’ve been enjoying reading everyone’s introductory posts. I have a feeling we are going to work really well together.
My current role is as a Senior Academic Developer based in Swansea University in the Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching (SALT) in South Wales, UK. My learners are my academic colleagues across the university in my quest to help them embed technology enhanced learning into their every day teaching 
Prior to working at Swansea I project managed a national Open Education project in Wales on behalf of all the universities in Wales. I undertake a lot of volunteer work within the sector including being on the organising team for the weekly learning and teaching Twitter chats (#LTHEchat) . I’m secretary for the Association of Learning Technology Open Education special interest group (ALTOESIG #openedsig) and Co-Chair of ELESIG in Wales (Evaluation of Learners Experience of E-Learning ) committee. I’m also on several conference planning committees …
I’m also a course moderator /Facilitator for several different online community projects, for example this week I’m helping to facilitate the online bring your own device for learning course (#BYOD4L). Our topic today is Connecting so this very apt for all these introductory posts !
Im really interested in social and community online learning and how people are motivated to learn. I’m an advocate for Open Digital Badges and consider myself to be an Open Education Practitioner. I love sketchnoting and trying out new things and meeting new people. I’m also slightly addicted to learning having done most of my education part time and online (mostly with the Open University )
Anyhow hope that gives you a little flavour of who I am for now …. looking forward to working with you all …in the meantime Here is a picture of one of my cats ‘helping’ me with my course work ! Enjoy …303 words
Things have changed a little bit. I’m now working as the Membership and Professional Development Manager at the Association for Learning Technology. I’m still involved in a lot of stuff in the community and I now find myself having passed all the modules in Part I and at the point where I am trying to get my proposal finalised.
I have decided to set up a new blog in an attempt to focus my mind on the next 18 months. The theory being that if I blog regularly it should help sort stuff out in my head ! I could have carried on with my old blog but if truth be told I just fancied starting afresh …
My old blog can be found here
Debs PHD Journey ( Part Two) 