ASCILITE NEWS

AJET Call for Special Issue: Designing, using and evaluating learning spaces – the generation of actionable knowledge

Guest editors

Dr. Paul Flynn, National University of Ireland Galway. paul.flynn@nuigalway.ie
Dr. Kate Thompson, Griffith University. kate.thompson@griffith.edu.au
Prof. Peter Goodyear, The University of Sydney. peter.goodyear@sydney.edu.au

Focus of the special issue

This special issue will include papers that consider the design, use and/or evaluation of learning spaces and contribute actionable knowledge for future learning spaces. Learning spaces are fundamental to engagement in tertiary education. They are growing more complex: as sites where the physical/material, digital and social come together and where the needs and activities of multiple stakeholders (students, teachers, managers, designers, etc.) co-exist. Understanding how such spaces function is also complex. Research often needs to combine multiple methods and multiple data sources. To generate actionable knowledge, researchers also need to consider who is in a position to create and improve learning spaces, and what kinds of knowledge can inform and improve their actions. For example, spaces are ‘brought to life’ by individual self-managing students, students working on group projects, teachers using conventional lecturing or facilitation methods, infrastructure managers, library, IT and Ed. Tech. staff, architects, furniture makers and interior designers. There are overlaps and differences in the knowledge needed by users, managers and designers if they are to co-create better learning spaces.

This special issue provides an opportunity to: bring together researchers in learning technology and learning spaces; examine learning spaces as technologies for learning; foreground the spatial aspects of learning with technology; consider ideas about learning as physically, digitally, socially and epistemically situated; explore ways of making research-based knowledge easier to share and use.

Topics for this special issue may include, but are not limited to:

Interdisciplinary or discipline-specific implementations of new learning spaces
The consideration of ‘space’ as a technology when designing for learning
What constitutes actionable knowledge for learning space design, management and use
Integrated design of learning spaces and technologies
Learning space design, use and/or evaluation methodologies
Learning spaces in tertiary education, teacher education and school education (where relevant to tertiary education)
Learning spaces that bridge between school and tertiary education, or between tertiary education and work.

We welcome well-conducted empirical studies, reviews and conceptual articles.

Manuscript Submission Instructions

Manuscripts addressing the special issue’s focus should be submitted through the AJET online manuscript submission system. Please review the Author Guidelines and Submission Preparation Checklist carefully, and prepare your manuscript accordingly. Information about the peer review process and criteria is also available for your perusal.

NOTE: When submitting your manuscript, please include a note in the field called ‘Comments for the Editor’ indicating that you wish it to be considered for the “Learning Spaces” special issue. Please direct questions about manuscript submissions to Paul Flynn at: paul.flynn@nuigalway.ie

Deadlines for authors

Strict submission deadline: 1st May 2018
Decision on manuscripts: 1st August 2018
Revised/final manuscripts: 1st October 2018
Expected Publication: December 2018

Reminder: Expressions of Interest invited in ASCILITE’s 2018 Community Mentoring Program

Applications (Expressions of Interest) in the 2018 Community Mentoring Program are now being accepted and are due on 19 January 2018.

The ASCILITE Community Mentoring Program (CMP) aims to provide mentoring opportunities across a number of fields including technical, academic development, learning development, faculty academics, early career researchers, graphic designers and programmers. The program has been operating since 2003 with over 140 members having taken part to date.

You will find full details of the program and application forms on the ASCILITE website.

A webinar for those interested in the program for 2017 was conducted in February and you can view the video of that session here. An information session for 2018 will be conducted in January.2018. Please email the Secretariat if you would like to be notified when the session is scheduled.

Video interviews with the ASCILITE 2017 Conference Keynotes Now Available!

We wanted to make parts of ASCILITE 2017 available to those who couldn’t join us in Toowoomba, and we took a bunch of steps to make that happen.

We’ve already posted the recording of our live streamed panel discussion on privacy, trust, student data and the university. Catch it here.

We also decided to interview each of our keynote speakers in the USQ TV studio to capture key insights from their keynotes to share with a wider audience.

We’re excited to announce that those recordings are now available here.

James Arvanitakis

Shelley Kinash from USQ’s Office for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching interviewed our first keynote, James Arvanitakis.

Marita Cheng

USQ Director of Library Services, Carmel O’Sullivan, chatted with Marita Cheng.

Amber Case

Kate Davis (that’s me!) from USQ’s Digital Life Lab interviewed Amber Case.

New TELall Blog Post “ASCILITE 2017 Year in Review”

The first blog post for 2018, written by Assoc Prof. Dominique Parrish (ASCILITE President), gives you a pictorial summary of some of the key activities ASCILITE undertook in 2017. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with how ASCILITE serves the membership community.

And while you’re on the blog site, why not subscribe by email for instant alerts when a new blog is published? You will also find links to the full range of fascinating blogs posted in 2017. Read more >>

You may also be interested in the latest ALT (UK) blog post “It’s time for the next generation of leadership” by Dr. Ebba Ossiannilsson (Swedish Association for Distance Education) who discusses her current research from a European perspective.

Photo Highlights from ASCILITE 2017

Our photographers took some great photos at ASCILITE 2017 and we’re happy to be able to share those with you!

We’ve split the photos up so if you’re looking for photos from a particular day, you don’t have to download them all. (We’ll also be making a slideshow of all the great photos available to members in a week or so).

OTHER NEWS

Job Vacancy: Learning Technologies Developer, University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame is seeking a Learning Technologies Developer position on the Sydney campus to work with the academic community to support the development of digital literacies, enabling staff to use different forms of technology enhanced learning to create high quality learning experiences for students. This is a national position and reports to the Manager, Learning and Teaching Office and is responsible to the Director of the Learning Teaching Office.

The University of Notre Dame Australia is a Catholic university with campuses in Fremantle, Broome and Sydney.

An application package is available on the University’s staffing webpage.

Job Vacancy: Senior Educational Development Officer, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The mission of the Educational Development Centre is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at the University and support its strategic initiatives in nurturing the development of all-round students with excellent professional competence. The Centre offers a variety of services, including short courses and workshops on teaching and learning, individual consultations, teaching evaluation services and activities which promote and support the use of educational technologies to enhance student learning. For details, please visit the website at http://edc.polyu.edu.hk/ for more information about the Centre.

An application package is available on the University’s staffing webpage.

Duties

The appointee will be required to:

contribute as a core member of the Centre to promote the effective and integrative use of educational technologies for enhancing teaching and learning in the University
provide consultation and expert advice to subject and e-learning project teams on effective application of online pedagogy and instructional design
support the University in promoting and implementing strategic initiatives in teaching and learning, including support for designing and implementing student-centred learning strategies
plan, develop and offer professional development opportunities for staff in the areas of online pedagogies and instructional design
contribute to other educational development activities and services of the Centre, including the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and other key University initiatives
take up managerial duties, and establish proactive liaison with academic and non- academic staff; and
perform any other duties as assigned by the Director of the Centre or her delegates.

Qualifications

Applicants should have:

good academic/professional qualifications, preferably with a doctoral degree in Education or a relevant discipline
not less than twelve years of proven and successful experience in educational development in higher education contexts
substantial experience in, and knowledge of, educational development work relevant to e-learning
strong organisational, problem-solving and management/leadership skills
excellent facilitation/interactive teaching skills and a commitment to student-centred learning
a proactive and innovative work style with the ability to work independently and co- operatively; and
excellent communication, consultation and interpersonal skills.

Applicants should include a cover letter in which they address the job responsibilities and qualifications above, a CV, an HR application form downloadable at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/hro/job/en/form/hrform72b.doc with a list of two or more referees, and their current and expected salary on the form.

Please submit application form via email to hrstaff@polyu.edu.hk; by fax at (852) 2764 3374; or by mail to Human Resources Office, 13/F, Li Ka Shing Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. If you would like to provide a separate curriculum vitae, please still complete the application form which will help speed up the recruitment process.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to attend an interview and to present a portfolio of work they have undertaken relevant to this post.

A highly competitive remuneration package will be offered. Initial appointment will be made on a fixed-term gratuity-bearing contract. Re-engagement thereafter is subject to mutual agreement. Applicants should state their current and expected salary in the application.

EDULEARN18 Call for Submissions

We are glad to inform you that EDULEARN18 (10th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies) will be held on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of July 2018 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

The deadline for abstract submissions is 22 March 2018. Abstracts should be submitted on-line here.

After 10 years, EDULEARN has become an annual meeting point for lecturers, researchers, professors, educational scientists and technologists. Every year, EDULEARN brings together over 800 delegates from 80 different countries.

It will provide the ideal opportunity to present your projects and experiences to an international audience. Also, it will offer participants an overview of the current situation of education and new learning technologies.

EDULEARN18 Proceedings will be reviewed for their inclusion in the ISI CPCI (Web of Science). Previous editions are already indexed. Also, a DOI number will be assigned to each accepted paper.

We are sure that it will be very interesting for professionals in the area of Education, Research, Innovation and New Learning Technologies.