The Automation Game: perceptions on the impact of the changes on business school tutors’ roles and identity during the introduction of technological student retention activities: an ‘unbundled’ HE

This paper demonstrates the importance of considering lived experiences of adjunct teaching staff during the introduction of automated student messaging services in a UK Business School. With cost-orientated moves to expanding online provision through emergent technologies and the growth of alternative HE strategies, such as credit-bearing MOOCS, traditional group-orientated student and tutor interactions are developing into a continuum. Whilst automated messages, in aiming to increase retention, have standardised the student experience in terms of academic qualification communications, these messages have necessarily required adjunct teaching staff to learn new processes, thus unlearning previous pedagogical support routines and this has altered their academic role and their perception of their academic identity. This research was undertaken using focus groups with adjunct teaching staff, which were transcribed and analysed using content analysis with the project aim of uncovering the effect on their unlearning and learning processes , changes to their role and in consequence their perception of their academic identity. The investigation adds to emerging literature by examining these processes during this period of change and its impact on a group of adjunct teaching staff. the outcome of the change initiative. Study into these changes to academic routines and identity has value, as the shifts in perceived identity demonstrate a tangible impact on the teaching staffs’ motivation; their role and perception of their identity and has resulted in resistance to change. This project adds to the literature as much existing retention literature privileges the institutional or student experience, and much of learning / unlearning literature is in a non-educational setting, therefore combined with academy identity this give insight into the values of developing an institutional inclusive culture during change processes.