Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education

ASCILITE NEWS

AJET Issue Vol 35 (1) 2019 Now Published

We are pleased to advise a new issue of the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology for 2019 has been published. The editorial for the issue and the articles it contains are available from the AJET website. As always, we thank the wonderful team of associate editors who facilitate the reviews and author revisions.

The associate editors are Dr Thomas Donald Cochrane, CfLAT Centre for Learning And Teaching Auckland University of Technology New Zealand, New Zealand; A/Prof Linda Corrin, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia; Dr. Eamon Costello, National Institute for Digital Learning Dublin City University, Ireland; Dr Christopher E Dann, University of Southern Queensland, Australia; Dr. Teresa S Foulger, Arizona State University, United States; Associate Professor Paul Gruba, University of Melbourne, Australia; Professor Judi Harris, William and Mary School of Education, United States; Dr Henk Huijser, Queensland University of Technology, Australia; Associate Professor Matthew Kearney, STEM Education Futures Research Centre, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)., Australia; Dr Chien-Ching Lee, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore; Associate Professor Jason M Lodge, University of Queensland, Australia; Associate Professor Lina Markauskaite, AJET Associate Editor The University of Sydney, Australia; Associate Professor Stephen Marshall, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; Dr Michael Phillips, Monash University, Australia; Dr Kate Thompson, Griffith University, Australia; Professor Joke Voogt, University of Amsterdam/ Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands.

We would also like to acknowledge the authors for their contributions to AJET and for the support we received from them in preparing papers for this issue.

Associate Prof. Michael Henderson, Associate Prof. Eva Heinrich and Associate Prof. Petrea Redmond, Lead Editors, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology


The Latest TELall Blog: Are we still at the peak of the hype or sliding down into disillusionment? The current state of Learning Analytics

In the latest TELall blog, Linda Corrin (Swinburne University of Technology), Hazel Jones (Griffith University) and Cassandra Colvin (Charles Sturt University) pose the question “Are we still at the peak of the hype or sliding down into disillusionment in relation to learning analytics?”

It is common when new trends in educational technology come along for researchers and practitioners to chart and monitor their popularity along the Gartner Hype cycle. Learning analytics is no exception. But is the field still on the rise towards the peak of its hype? Or has it already begun its descent into the trough of disillusionment?   Read more >>

While you’re there, subscribe to receive email alerts to new blogs.


Invitation to attend the LA-SIG’s first webinar of 2019, 12 April 2019

The Learning Analytics SIG will be conducting its first webinar of the year on the ideas discussed in the blog above and how the field of learning analytics has developed over the years. Future directions and challenges will be addressed by the session’s presenter, Dr Cassandra Colvin from Charles Sturt University. Cassandra will overview the field of learning analytics, chronicling its development to date, and, through a series of provocations, challenge us to (re-) consider its future possibilities, particularly in light of our own professional contexts and disciplinary knowledge.

The webinar will take place on Friday 12 April at 11am AEST and you can register for this event here. Pre-registration will allow us to send you a brief reminder prior to the event.


TELedvisors SIG webinar on the future of TEL

The TELedvisors SIG invites you to join them in their first webinar of the year on Thursday 28 March at 12pm AEDT.

The topic for the webinar is the future of TEL with discussions led by Sarah Thorneycroft, Tom Worthington, and Marlene Daicopoulos, among others, who will discuss the following questions:

  • What might TEL look like in 10 years time?
  • What do we want it to look like?
  • What is just hype and won’t go anywhere?
  • What has a real chance of changing the landscape?

Pre-registration is not required and you can join the session at this login


TELedvisors SIG Meet-up Brisbane, Griffith University

In 2019 the TELedvisors SIG is continuing state based meetups throughout the year to create another opportunity for face to face gatherings between major events like ASCILITE. After the successful meetup at UQ in September, the SIG has taken up the challenge of its next meetup.

Title: Making the RIGHT choice
Date: Wednesday, 10 April 2019
Time: 10am – 12pm (followed by self-funded lunch at the UniBar)

As TELedvisors, our role is to guide academics in choosing the best technology to suit their learning and teaching goal/s. With the list of technologies rapidly growing let’s take this opportunity during this session to share how each university guides new and experienced professional staff and academics in the edtech decision-making process and explore options for improvement.

We propose these broad topics are discussed:

  • Instructional Design Models
  • Tools & Tech
  • What’s most appropriate
  • Support
  • Sharing experiences and resources
  • Putting it all together

Mark your calendars for 10 April 2019 and for further details email Jenny James.


OTHER NEWS

Contemporary approaches to university teaching – a teaching induction MOOC

Enrolments for the free 2019 Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching MOOC are now open at this link. This course will run until 23 June, with enrolments open until 7 June.

Contemporary approaches to university teaching provides key introductory learning and teaching concepts and strategies for those in their first few years of university teaching. The self-paced MOOC is comprised of 11 expert-developed modules and several specialty modules and resources.

In 2018, 1,851 staff from 50 countries enrolled in the Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching MOOC. One Australian college, 15 Australian and two New Zealand universities are using the MOOC, as well as the Malaysian campus of one of the Australian universities. Ten of the Australian universities have imported the MOOC and have or will shortly customise the MOOC to suit their institution’s context. To see how other universities are using the MOOC, visit the ‘How universities are using the MOOC’ section on the Fellowship website.

Further information, please email me.

Dr Kym Fraser SFHEA
Adjunct Associate Professor, Swinburne University of Technology
Office of Learning and Teaching National Teaching Fellow
2018 Australasian Academic Development Good Practice Awards Distinguished Finalist
2018 Swinburne University of Technology Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence (Higher Education) Award winner


SOTL Research Invitation, New Zealand

I am Jacqui Whalley an Associate Professor at AUT in Computer Science. My main research area is Computer Science Education and I am a researcher engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) rather than in pure research in my home discipline. With my colleagues, Nell Buissink, John Davies, and Susan Shaw we would like the opportunity to invite you to participate in a research study that examines how New Zealand-based academics engaged in SOTL – even to a small degree – outside of their home discipline are valued.

We are interested in hearing about the experiences of discipline-based academics engaged in SOTL in the latest 2018 PBRF portfolio process.

What do we mean by SOTL? Is what I do SOTL? SOTL is a process of intentional inquiry into one’s own learning, teaching and assessment practices with a view to enhancing those practices and improve the learning of students.

Further participant information can be found (with the first of two surveys) at this link.

Thank you for your time and please feel free to forward this to others.

Jacqui Whalley
Associate Professor
Auckland University of Technology


Job Vacancies: University of Sydney Business School

The University of Sydney Business School is about to embark on a new faculty strategic initiative that will transform the student experience in core units for our internationally regarded undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Commerce.

Addressing the challenges of teaching and learning at scale, this project will be the central hub for strategic pedagogical change, working with academic staff, professional staff support teams, students and the wider University to ensure the successful delivery of this initiative.

Institutional Members