ASCILITE NEWS

Important Dates: ascilite2015 Conference

Submissions Open*	May 2015
Online Registration Opens	May 2015
Deadline for Workshop submissions	10 June 2015
Deadline for Paper submissions	30 June 2015
Deadline for Poster and Symposium submissions	30 June 2015
Reviewing Process ends	August 2015
Completed Reviews returned to authors (acceptance advice)	August 2015
Accepted papers/Revised papers due (full and concise)	September 2015
Early Bird Registration Fee deadline	10 October 2015
Standard Registration Fee applies	11 October 2015
Cancellation Policy (refund of 50%)	24 October 2015
No refunds	October 2015
Registrations close	23 November 2015
Pre-Conference Workshops	29 November 2015
ascilite2015 Conference	30 Nov – 2 Dec 2015

*An announcement about how to submit papers online via the conference website is expected in the next few days. Members will be emailed when the system is up and running.

Jonghwi Park, Featured Keynote ascilite2015

by Mark Nichols, ascilite Executive & Treasurer

Jonghwi Park, PhD, is one of several keynote presenters already lined up to speak at this year's conference in Perth. What makes Jonghwi a speaker I am very much looking forward to is the depth and breadth of the perspective she will bring. Her depth comes from experience as an instructional designer, which grew into a career into pedagogical consultancy and her doctoral thesis into designing an activity system for online constructivist learning. Her breadth is nicely captured in her current job title: “Programme Specialist in ICT in Education, Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok).” Jonghwi brings a rich Asia-Pacific perspective to the conference.

Jonghwi’s UNESCO profile states that she “plays a key role in supporting governments of the Asia-Pacific region to integrate ICT in their education system, building capacity of teachers and teacher educators to effectively use ICT in their classroom practices and promoting dialogues between various stakeholders to promote ICT-enhanced student-centered learning.” One of the very attractive aspects of ascilite conferences is the breadth of keynote. In Jonghwi Park we will enjoy a valuable high-level view of ICT in education informed by activity at the policy level. Her emphasis on “effective ICT-pedagogy integration” will certainly resonate with conference delegates.

ascilite 2015 is shaping up to be "the" forum to explore state-of-the-art and visionary educational technologies for globally connected teaching and learning and Jonghwi will be an exciting addition to the event.

See you in Perth!

2015 ascilite Member Survey is Closed – Thank you!

The 2015 Member Survey has now closed and the Executive Committee would like to thank the 126 members who took the time to complete the survey. The Executive Committee is very grateful for your input and the feedback you have provided will now be used to assist in the development of the society's Strategic Plan for 2016 and beyond.

Results of the data gathered in the survey responses will also be compiled in the 2015 Membership Satisfaction Survey Report and made available to members through the fortnightly bulletin and the website.

ascilite Live! Webinar Recording Available

A video recording of the ascilite live! webinar conducted on 23 April is now available for viewing. This session, titled “Preparing your Professional Portfolio for CMALT Australasia”, covered all aspects of ascilite's professional accreditation scheme which is administered in conjunction with ALT (UK).

You may view the session recording here.

If you would like further information about CMALT Australasia, visit the CMALT page on the ascilite website.

ascilite Constitutional Change Follow-up

At the 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in conjunction with ascilite2014 in Dunedin, a constitutional amendment was presented to members that replaces annual financial audits with robust and transparent financial management procedures due to the fact that ascilite is currently not legally obliged to undertake costly audits.

During the discussion around the proposal at the AGM, a question was asked about whether ascilite had a Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance policy to protect the society. Members were assured that ascilite had this coverage. At the end of the discussion, a motion to accept the changes was passed.

Subsequent to the meeting, the Executive discovered that the society’s insurance policy had expired. Legal advice was then sought from a member institution’s counsel to determine exactly how a new policy would protect the society and the legal advice received was that a D&O policy would not provide the society with any useful cover against willful fraud.

Following further discussion, the Executive is now satisfied that the approved changes to the Constitution and the stringent financial management procedures added to the proposed change do provide adequate protection.

However, since some of the members who voted in favour of the motion may have been influenced to approve the changes based on incorrect information provided at the time, the Executive decided that all 26 members who attended the AGM should be given the opportunity to reconsider their approval through an online poll which was conducted from 21 April to 1 May 2015.

The result of that poll is that 8 members approved the change, 1 member disapproved and 17 members abstained. (Attendees were informed prior to voting that a non-response by the due date would be deemed to indicate no change to the vote at the AGM). The end result is that the vote at the AGM stands.

OTHER NEWS

Call for Papers: IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies

Special Issue on Wearable Technologies and the Internet of Things

Manuscript proposals are being solicited for a special issue of IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies (Impact Factor: 1.22) on "Wearable Technologies and the Internet of Things in Education and Training".

The deadline for the submission of proposals (500-word extended abstracts plus 8-10 key references in IEEE format) is 15 June 2015. The authors of shortlisted proposals will have until the end of September to submit their full manuscripts.

A PDF of the Call for Papers is available here.

Call for Papers: AALL 2015 UOW Conference: Critical Intersections

The 12th Biennal Conference of the Association for Academic Language and Learning will be conducted on 25 – 27 November 2015 at the University of Wollongong, NSW Australia.

Keynote speakers included Emeritus Professor Ronald Barnett (University of London), Associate Professor Cath Ellis (University of New South Wales) and Dr Kate Bowles (University of Wollongong).

AALL 2015 UOW invites discussion about the critical intersections between a range of discourses and practices that circulate and combine in perplexing and often surprising ways in the broad field of academic language and learning. Presentations that address one of the following six critical intersections are now invited:

Learning & Language
Digital & Literacy
Transition & First Year Experience
HDR Writing & Supervision
Assessment & Professional Development
Numeracy & Literacy

All proposals to the AALL 2015 UOW must be submitted as a 250 word abstract in the first instance and these abstracts may result in presentations of any one of following formats:

Long paper presentation of 20 mins, either non-refereed or fully refereed for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Academic Language and Learning
Short 5 mins case study of practice (Pecha Kucha format)
Workshops or an interactive 50 mins practice-based seminar relevant to one of the critical intersection streams
Poster, digital or mixed media presentation

Abstract submissions close on 18 May 2015 and you can access an Abstract template (in word format) here. Please email your abstract to aall-2015@uow.edu.au.

The full paper deadline for JALL peer-reviewed special issue is 7 August 2015.

For further information on the conference, visit the website or direct inquiries to aall-2015@uow.edu.au

Call for Papers: Special Issue of the International Journal of Mobile & Blended Learning

A special issue of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning has been announced on Student Generated Multimedia, edited by Laurel Dyson and Hardy Ernst. The Call for Papers may be found here.

The submission deadline is 15 August 2015.

Job Vacancy: Educational Designer, La Trobe University

Fixed Term position- 31 December 2016
Position can be located at any of La Trobe's campuses
$67,167 -$ 72,704 + up to 17% superannuation

La Trobe University's success is driven by people who are committed to making a difference. They are creative and highly motivated, pursue new ideas and create knowledge. La Trobe is among the top 100 universities in the world under the age of 50 (Times Higher Education Rankings 2014), one of Australia's research leaders, and the largest provider of higher education to regional Victoria. Our teaching and research address some of the most significant issues of our time and we're passionate about driving change to benefit the communities we serve.

In this Role

Educational Development and Design supports the University in curriculum design and renewal including the development of flexible, online and blended learning, student focussed pedagogical models and effective and equitable learning experiences for regional students.

This position provides specialist advice in educational design to support the academic staff in the development of blended learning designs and high quality flexible and online teaching resources and experiences.

The candidate

To succeed, you will possess:

An undergraduate degree with at least 3 years subsequent experience in educational design and/or technology enhanced learning.
Demonstrated depth or breadth of expertise in educational technology developed through extensive relevant experience and application.
Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse range of people and manage multiple projects to achieve stated outcomes in a tertiary setting.
Excellent interpersonal skills, especially the capacity to work collaboratively and cooperatively and communicate effectively.
Demonstrated ability to set priorities and monitor workflows within own area of responsibility.
Proven analytical and innovative problem solving capability.
Demonstrated self-motivation and personal management skills.

The closing date for applications is 18 May 2015. Email Matthew Carter with any inquiries or phone Matthew on 02-9479 5679 and for further information including an application form, visit the La Trobe website.