ASCILITE News

New TELall Blog: Teaching online, longing for connection

What does it mean to teach in a post digital age when “…the disruption brought upon by information technology has already occurred” (Cramer, 2015, p. 20)? In the COVID-19 pandemic, academia has had to make an abrupt shift to wholly online as many universities adapt to the necessities of distance learning. It is within this significant cultural milieu in academia that we presented a seminar for CRADLE which described our study from late 2019 when we were afforded time to engage in reflexive practice about teaching online.

This post was written by an interdisciplinary group of teaching academics at Deakin University with business, law, psychology, education, sociology and computer science backgrounds. (The authors are Brandi Fox, Margaret Bearman, Robin Bellingham, Andrea North-Samardzic, Simona Scarparo, Darci Taylor, Matthew Krehl Edward Thomas and Michael Volkov).

Transforming Assessment SIG Webinar: iLearn Insights

Date & Time: 2 September @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm AEST (Australia)

This session explores an analytics toolset for timely online teaching intervention. The application titled “iLearn Insights” was designed to assist academic staff in understanding levels of student engagement on online units within the Moodle LMS by selecting an appropriate combination of student unit access, assignment on time submission and or achieving above a required grade. Teaching staff are able to use the system to send timely messages in support of student success. Shamim won the ‘Innovation award’ for iLearn Insights at the annual 2019 Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) Conference in Singapore.

Presenter: Shamim Joarder (Macquarie University, Australia).

Further information and registration is available here.

Learning Analytics SIG Webinar: Design principles for human-centered actionable learning analytics

Date & Time: 8 September 2020 @ 4:30pm AEST (Australia). You will find the start times for the session in other time zones here.

Abstract: Designing for effective and efficient pedagogical interventions and orchestration in complex Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) ecosystems is an increasingly challenging issue. In spite of the significant potential of Learning Analytics (LA) research, it is still unclear how can LA be designed to position teachers as designers of effective interventions and orchestration actions.

This talk argues for Human-Centered Design (HCD) and orchestration of actionable learning analytics. It provides a review of needs and existing approaches for HCD in LA is provided, and it proposes three HCD principles for LA solutions, i.e., agentic positioning of teachers and other stakeholders; integration of the learning design cycle and the LA design process; and reliance on educational theories to guide the LA solution design and implementation.

The HCD principles are illustrated and discussed through two case studies in authentic learning contexts. Finally, some directions for future research and development are formulated to overcome the main obstacles for adoption of HCD for LA.

Presenter: Yannis Dimitriadis, Full Professor of Telematics Engineering, Coordinator of the GSIC/EMIC research group, University of Valladolid, Spain.

Dr. Yannis Dimitriadis is Full Professor of Telematics Engineering and ex Dean of the Doctoral School, University of Valladolid, Spain. He is also the coordinator of the GSIC/EMIC research group, an inter-disciplinary group, integrating over 20 researchers and practitioners from the field of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Pedagogy. His recent research work has focused on learning analytics and smart learning environments, alignment of learning design and learning analytics, design patterns, conceptual and technological support to the orchestration of computer-supported collaborative learning processes, active pedagogies at scale, and across-spaces (Web, 3D worlds and augmented reality) learning. He has participated in more than 50 competitive research projects on technology-enhanced learning, co-authored more than 80 journal papers and 200 conference papers, and organized several workshops and symposia, such as the ECTEL 2019 workshop on Hybrid Learning Spaces, CSCL 2015 invited symposium on computer science challenges in CSCL, or the ICLS 2012 workshop on classroom orchestration. Dr. Dimitriadis is a senior member of IEEE, and member of ISLS, and spent his most recent sabbatical year (2017-2018) at Berkeley, University of Edinburgh, and EPFL.

Registrations: You can register to attend this session here. Pre-registration allows us to send you a brief reminder the day prior to the session. if you would like to share information about this webinar with colleagues, you may use this link.

Reminder: ASCILITE Live! Webinar: Listen to Your Edvisors – Education Technologists, Learning Designers and Academic Developers of the TELedvisors Special Interest Group

Date & Time: 25 August 2020 @ 12pm – 1pm AEST (Australia). You’ll find session start times for different time zones here.

Description: Collectively, “edvisors” (education technologists, academic developers and learning designers and those in similar roles) occupy a critical niche in the tertiary education sector that is sometimes known as the ‘Third Space’. We sit between administration and education, providing advice and support to educators about many aspects of learning and teaching from the pedagogical to the technological. In 2019, ASCILITE recognised the TELedvisors network for its achievements in supporting and developing this community throughout the tertiary sector.

The TELedvisors Special Interest Group opened its doors in 2017 and has now grown to nearly 500 members; conducting a wide range of online and in-person events along the way.

Join us in this ASCILITE Live! Webinar to learn more about this network’s activities and the significant contribution that people in its various roles make to learning and teaching. We’ll also discuss some of the challenges facing those in these roles along with ways and means to work together more effectively, i.e. why you should listen to your edvisors!

Presenter: Colin Simpson sits on the organizing committee of the ASCILITE TELedvisors SIG. Colin is an Education Innovation Designer at Monash University and a recipient of the 2019 ASCILITE Community Fellow Award.

Registration: You can register for this webinar here. Pre-registration allows us to email you a quick reminder prior to the session.

Reminder: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 response: Academic Development (HERDSA) & TELedvisors (ASCILITE) virtual symposium

Date & Time: 4 September @ 10:00am – 4:00pm AEST (Australia).

Description: This virtual symposium is a joint collaboration between the TELedvisors ASCILITE and HERDSA Academic Development SIGs (Special Interest Groups). In the response to COVID-19, higher education rapidly shifted its teaching and learning online. E-learning support and academic developers were at the front of supporting these efforts. In this virtual symposium, we take stock of what we learned from our joint efforts, what went well, issues we ran into, how those got resolved. We will also discuss what opportunities emerged, and how we can support the teaching and learning in our institutions post-response, in a COVID and post-COVID world to inform the strategic discussions at our institutions.

Supporting academics in the response: Successes and challenges in rapidly moving teaching and learning online
From response to business-as-usual in classroom teaching and learning: what do we keep from our teaching during the response and why?
Higher education post COVID-19, what will it look like and how can we support strategic change and good practice moving forward?
What can we learn from others?

Further details: including a more detailed program and links to the zoom sessions/rooms will be made available closer to the date to those who register. Register at Eventbrite.

Reminder: 2020 CMALT (ePortfolio Development) cMOOC

Are you interested in gaining international accreditation for your experience and expertise in integrating technology in teaching and learning? The Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT) provides peer reviewed recognition aligned with the UK higher education professional standards framework. ASCILITE has an agreement with ALT (UK) that provides for accreditation under CMALT Australasia.

The Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher education at the University of Melbourne are hosting a cMOOC (connectivist Massive Open Online Course) to support academics and allied staff in the development of portfolios for CMALT accreditation, and to provide an opportunity participate in a global network of higher education professionals.

The cMOOC is completely free and is aimed at participants sharing experiences as they explore developing CMALT eportfolios, and building their professional academic online profiles.

The 2020 iteration of the #CMALTcMOOC launches with an introductory webinar on 14 September 9:30am AEST (Australia time), 14 September 11:30am (NZ time) and 13 September 10:30pm (UK time). Join us over 7 weeks as we explore the elements of a CMALT ePortfolio within an international support network.

You will be emailed a weekly webinar link after you sign-up.

A blog post on CMALT cMOOC is featured on ASCILITE’s TELall blog this week. You will find the post here.

2020 ASCILITE Awards Open for Nominations

Each year, ASCILITE members are invited to apply or nominate for the ASCILITE awards and to consider nominations that they believe meet the criteria set for each award. The four award categories available to members in 2020 are as follows:

Innovation Award
Emerging Scholar Award
Community Fellow Award
Life Member Award

Student Bursaries will not be offered this year due to the virtual format of the ASCILITE conference.

Innovation Award

The ASCILITE Innovation Award, first introduced in 2011, celebrates work undertaken by an individual or team of people in support of the exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education. Innovation is defined as a new idea, device or process. It is something original that “breaks into” teaching and learning in the tertiary sector. Applications for this award are likely to include:

Innovative solutions which promote the exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education.
Product development projects which promote the exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education.
Large-scale implementation initiatives which promote the innovative, exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education.
Major professional development initiatives which promotes the exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education.

Emerging Scholar Award

Nominations for the ASCILITE Emerging Scholar Award will be assessed on merit by a sub-committee of the ASCILITE Executive. The following criteria guides the assessment of this award:

Has made a noteworthy contribution in the exemplary use of technologies for learning and teaching in tertiary education in one of the categories referred to in the award criteria document; and/or
Has made a noteworthy contribution to exemplary research into technologies for learning and teaching in tertiary education in one of the referred to in the award criteria document; and
Through their contributions has promoted the strategic vision, mission and goals of ASCILITE.

Community Fellow Award

The ASCILITE Community Fellow Award aims to recognise the outstanding contributions of individual ASCILITE members in the exemplary building of connections in the wider community and into the ASCILITE community. The nature of these contributions should cover one or more of the following categories:

Works within the community to develop professional leadership in the development, application or implementation of exemplary technology-related projects for teaching and learning in tertiary education.
Encourages and supports the exemplary use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education within the community.
Encourages innovations in practice in the exemplary use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education.
Participates and initiates discussion in the use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education in the wider community.

Life Member Award

An ASCILITE Life Member Award is a prestigious award that recognizes the significant service and/or sustained contribution of an ASCILITE member to the Society. Life Member Awards are the highest recognition of achievement made by ASCILITE. This award is made only when an appropriate candidate meets the criteria. This means that the award may not be presented every year.

Further Information

For further information on each award, refer to the specific award criteria and nomination form on the ASCILITE website. Applications are open until 1 October 2020.

OTHER NEWS

National Tertiary Education Union response to Gov’t Jobs Ready Package

The following is reproduced at the request of the NTEU for ASCILITE member’s consideration.

We are writing to discuss working with you on an important issue that affects your members. Under the banner of a so called Jobs Ready Package, Minister for Education Dan Tehan announced an internally inconsistent policy that will result in the doubling of university fees for some students and a cut in funding for all. The policy changes proposed by the Government are irrational, unbalanced and unfair.

As your members know Australian universities are the powerhouse of our national learning, research and innovation effort. The COVID-19 crisis has dealt a hammer blow to university finances, stripping away billions of dollars of revenue and jeopardising tens of thousands of jobs including the loss of significant research expertise. The so-called Jobs Ready Package will further constrain our universities from contributing to the enormous and urgent task of national economic and social recovery.

We have an opportunity to stop the fee hikes and funding cuts – but only if we can get our messages to the crucial crossbench Senators who will be deciding whether or not to support these measures.

Our members have been emailing the crossbench Senators and we were hoping your members would do the same.

You will find a link to our email action here.

We would love it if you could share this with your members and we would also be happy to work with you to create your own email action.

You can find out more about Dan’s dubious legislation here and here.

Kind Regards,

Dr Alison Barnes
National President
National Tertiary Education Union

Survey invitation: COVID-19 and teacher perceptions of teaching online and institutional preparedness for change

Although there have been a plethora of surveys relating to COVID-19, this invitation to participate is a little bit different because it utilises two established and pertinent instruments – one relating to acceptance of teaching online and the other to institutional readiness for change. Understanding the relationship between these critical areas could provide significant insights into what is needed going forward. People who complete the survey can opt to receive a copy of the results, and go into the draw to win an iPad or one of ten $US50 Amazon shopping vouchers.

For further information and to participate, visit https://mqedu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8Giqe3o5BFqJEH3

Please don’t hesitate to contact me on matt.bower@mq.edu.au if you have any questions. Thanks for your consideration and any assistance you can extend.