ASCILITE NEWS

Reminder: ASCILITE Spring in2 Excellence Research School almost Full!

There are still a few places remaining for the Inaugural Spring into Excellence Research School, scheduled for 26 – 28 September 2017 at the University of Wollongong so if you are interested, you will find full details and a registration form here. Expressions of interest are due by 14 July 2017 and successful applicants will be provided with registration payment details at that time.

The aim of the Research School is to:

Provide support and guidance to participants in developing and progressing Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) research initiatives.
Assist participants to identify and plan a contemporary TEL research project.
Enable opportunities for participants to link with like-minded collaborators from other universities and potentially to establish viable cross-institutional research collaborations.
Guide participants in developing a grant application or research plan for a TEL research project. This would include both projects that have already been conceptualized as well as new projects that have not yet been conceived.

Transforming Assessment (e-Assessment SIG) Webinar: Changing feedback, AHE 2017 Panel Review

Date and Time: 5 July 2017, 7am UTC. You will find your local time zone for the session here.

Abstract: This one hour panel style session chaired by Prof SallyJordan (Open university, UK) will feature selected speakers from the Assessment in Higher Education conference (28 – 29 June 2017).

Presenters: The panel presenters and their topics are:

Liz Austen, Cathy Malone (Sheffield Hallam University, UK) ‘Exploring student perceptions of effective feedback’
Catherine Robinson and Judy Cohen (University of Kent, UK) ‘Exploring the effects of radical change to assessment and feedback processes: Applying Team-based learning in a social science module’
Carole Sutton, Jane Collings, and Joanne Sellick (Plymouth University, UK) ‘Models of Examination Feedback’

Registration: For further information and to register please go here.

Call for Proposals to Host the 2019 ASCILITE Conference

ASCILITE is seeking expressions of interest from potential conference organizing committees to host the 2019 ASCILITE annual conference.

ASCILITE conferences are a central aspect of ASCILITE and provide opportunities for delegates to meet with international and national peers to exchange ideas, research and practice in educational technology.

Conferences provide a forum for the presentation of refereed papers, short concise papers, symposiums, posters and workshops. The conference also provides memorable opportunities for social interaction and networking.

There are a number of expectations of conference organizing committees including:

Justification for the conference location and a brief explanation as to why the venue chosen would attract delegates.
Identification of strategies for marketing and attracting 300 – 400 delegates to the conference.
Liaison and collaboration with the ASCILITE Treasurer throughout the organization of the conference particularly in relation to the budget.
Ongoing communication and collaboration with the ASCILITE Executive.
The inclusion of an ASCILITE Executive member on the conference organizing committee.

The deadline for proposals is 15 September 2017 although preliminary proposals are welcome prior to that date.

As a first step a potential conference organizing committee should obtain a copy of the ASCILITE Host Proforma, Host Information and the Conference Handbook and discuss these with an ASCILITE Executive. A copy of the information package and Handbook are available by emailing the ASCILITE Secretariat.

Since the geographical location of the conference is an important consideration, you may wish to view past conference locations on the ASCILITE website here. The 2017 conference is being hosted by USQ in Tooowoomba and the 2018 conference is being hosted by Deakin University.

ASCILITE Webinar Recordings

SRES: Empowering teachers to collect, analyse and act on meaningful data to engage students at scale, 28 June 2017

Abstract: The Student Relationship Engagement System (SRES) was developed at the University of Sydney to help academics personalise engagement with large student cohorts. Academics consistently report that positive feedback from students “shows how helpful the SRES is in allowing us to give the kind of personalised attention to students that time wouldn’t otherwise allow”. From marking attendance, analysing grades, collecting live feedback, and providing easy ways to personalise bulk feedback to students via emails and web portals, the SRES gives academics access to data that are meaningful in their contexts and helps them to create personalised learning environments with targeted feedback and support.

This unique and inherently practical application of learning analytics is currently used across 20 departments in over 100 units and reaches over 22,000 students at the University of Sydney. It has been credited with increasing student engagement, improving retention rates, and enhancing students’ learning outcomes. The SRES is also being piloted at the University of Melbourne and University of New South Wales. The project won the ASCILITE Innovation Award 2016.

In this webinar, participants learned about how real academics have used the SRES to personalise learning and support for their students. They also received some hands-on time with the SRES, and heard about how they could pilot it at your institution.

Presenters: The SRES team at the University of Sydney includes a mix of academics and professional staff, all with an interest in using data to improve the student experience.

Dr Danny Liu is a molecular biologist by training, programmer by night, researcher and academic developer by day, and educator at heart. A national teaching award winner, he focuses on wrangling technology to improve learning and teaching by working at the confluence of educational technology, student engagement, learning analytics, and professional development and leadership.

Professor Adam Bridgeman is Director of Educational Innovation at the University of Sydney and has received institutional and national awards for teaching and is an Australian National Teaching Fellow. He aims to invigorate and change learning and teaching culture through a focus on blended, collaborative, and interactive learning designs.

Kevin Samnick is an Educational Designer with a background in secondary STEM teaching, pharmaceutical research, and biology. He is an advocate for education, learning, technology, and ensuring students and teachers are our first priority in higher education.

Ruth Weeks is an Educational Design Manager with a background in teaching English as a foreign language and academic writing. She is passionate about teaching with technology and the future of digital education.

Recording: You will find the video recording of this session on the ASCILITE website here.

Responsible Learning Analytics: A Tentative Proposal, (LA-SIG webinar) 21 June 2017

Abstract: Implied in learning analytics as research focus and field of praxis, is the notion of “responsible learning analytics” – though it is certainly not a dominant theme. An overview of the social imaginary pertaining to learning analytics points to a range of topics, such as the huge potential in the collection, analysis and use of student data and emerging evidence of its use in a range of higher education contexts.

In the noisy scholarly, public and increasingly commercial spheres of claims and counter claims pertaining to a range of applications for learning analytics, there are also voices emphasising that we should not forget that learning analytics is about students and their learning. Often to the frustration of venture capitalist/commercial vendors of learning analytics software and systems, there are also scholars who ask uncomfortable questions such as the scope of student privacy and the need to move towards student-centred learning analytics. The range of ethical considerations in the collection, analysis and use of student data and increasingly, the moral fiduciary obligation arising from our collection and analysis of student data – are often uncomfortable reminders of unchartered fields of scholarly reflection and empirical research.

An etymology of the word ‘responsible’ points not only to the need to be answerable and accountable, but also to being response-able and the obligation to act. In this presentation, I propose that an answerable but also a response-able approach to learning analytics cut across the whole spectrum of the collection, analysis and use of student data. The fiduciary duty of higher education and the asymmetrical power relationships between higher education and students serve as basis for my exploration of accountability and response-ability in learning analytics. I will engage with a selection of issues in the collection, analysis and use of student data such as our beliefs regarding data and evidence; data quality, scope, and governance; student participation and the ethics of (not) knowing before concluding with a tentative proposal.

Presenter: Paul Prinsloo is a Research Professor in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in the College of Economic and Management Sciences, University of South Africa (Unisa). His academic background includes fields as diverse as theology, art history, business management, online learning, and religious studies. Paul is an established researcher and has published numerous articles in the fields of teaching and learning, student success in distance education contexts, learning analytics, and curriculum development. His current resea0rch focuses on the collection, analysis and use of student data in learning analytics, graduate supervision and digital identity.

Recording: You will find the video recording of this session on the ASCILITE website here.

OTHER NEWS

16th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn 2017): Fifth Call for Papers

The International Association for Mobile Learning (IAmLearn) is the custodian of the mLearn conference series, a leading annual international conference for researchers, policy makers, educators, developers and solutions providers in the fields of mobile, ubiquitous and contextual learning, as well as learning with emerging ambient and wearable technologies. mLearn attracts a large number of participants from more than 60 countries representing all continents, and is, therefore, the world’s largest international conference on mLearning and emerging ambient technologies.

mLearn will be held at the Golden Bay Beach Hotel, in Larnaca, Cyprus from 30 October – 1 November 2017 in cooperation with ACM SIGAPP. Proceedings will be published in ICPS published by ACM. The submission deadline is 20 July 2017 and this will be the extended and final deadline. Conference themes and other details may be found here.

Job Vacancy: Manager, Adaptive Learning & Teaching Services, Charles Sturt University

Applications Close: 05-JUL-2017 11:59:59pm
Vacancy Position: #626044
Description: Full Time, Continuing
Level 9 – $107,572 to $113719 p.a. (Plus 17% Super)
Campus can be negotiated on Appointment

Adaptive Learning and Teaching is the application of learning analytics and learning technologies to support data-informed learning design and teaching, personalised student support and personalised learning experiences. The Manager, Adaptive Learning and Teaching Services will lead the development of CSU’s Adaptive Learning and Teaching capability, including a) technologies and systems, b) policies and strategies, and c) organisational engagement and skills, as a key contributor to the strategic differentiation of learning and teaching at CSU.

This exciting, strategic position, continuing on CSU’s success in the area of learning analytics, is located within, and will work closely with other members of the Learning Technologies Unit to enable the development and implementation of Adaptive Learning and Teaching technologies, as an educational service, that a) align with the broader Learning Technology Framework, b) are integrated with other CSU learning technologies and data systems and c) are embedded in an effective support network for academic leaders, teaching staff and students. The Manager, Adaptive Learning and Teaching Services will also work in partnership with a range of stakeholders across the University – including the faculties, the Division of Information Technology, the Office of Strategic Planning and Information – and externally, to deliver the necessary learning analytics infrastructure, support and organisational practices for enhancing learning and teaching.

Applicants are expected to apply online and address the selection criteria listed in the position description available here and here.

Reports to the Director, Learning Technologies
Contact Phone: 02 6365 7501
Contact Name: Associate Professor Philip Uys
Contact Email: puys@csu.edu.au