ASCILITE NEWS
Digital Equity SIG Launch Activities
After several years of discussions, the Digital Equity SIG was officially formed at the ASCILITE2017 conference in Toowoomba, December 2017 to promote the scholarship of digital equity as a core, continuing and ethical stream for ASCILITE as an association and to disseminate research findings and best practice.
The SIG now welcomes sign-ups, which you can do here or from the Digital Equity SIG webpage where you will find additional information about the SIG and its aims. Signing-up is the best way to be kept up to date on new SIG developments and activities. (And if you signed up to the SIG at the ASCILITE conference, we’ll be emailing you to ask you to kindly sign-up using the online form so that we have everyone’s details in one place).
SIG membership is free and is open to both ASCILITE members and non-members.
The SIG is also holding a planning webinar on 1 March and those interested in digital equity are invited to attend. You will find details for the session below and on the SIG webpage. There is no need to pre-register for the session but you may wish to write the date and time in your calendar.
Welcome & ‘Blue Sky’ Planning webinar
Date & Time: Thursday 1 March, 2pm AEDT. For other time zones see this link.
Synopsis: This webinar continues from the launch of the ASCILITE Digital Equity SIG at the ASCILITE 2017 conference. In this session, we will continue the conversations around planning for 2018 and beyond. It is our ‘Blue Sky’ planning event, although we have some pretty exciting things already in store! Hope to see you online!
Presenters: The session will be facilitated by Dr Julie Willems (RMIT University) and A. Prof Helen Farley (USQ). Helen Farley’s current research is focused on improving digital literacies for incarcerated students through the use of digital learning technologies. Julie Willems’ research has a focus on educational equity and digital technologies, particularly in higher education.
Session Login: https://usq.zoom.us/j/778757377. You will be asked to download zoom in order to attend this session. The meeting ID is 778 757 377. You will find additional login options here.
Latest TELall Blog Post – What we take for granted
Our latest blog post is by A. Prof Helen Farley (USQ) who is co-leader of the new ASCILITE Digital Equity SIG along with Dr Julie Willems (RMIT).
In this post, Helen talks first hand about her experiences with digital equity issues among learners who are disadvantaged by ever increasing moves to put learning content online when they don’t necessarily have internet access. She poses serious questions about the impact this has on communities of learners who do not have access to the internet or whose available bandwidth is minimal. It is a thought provoking post for anyone who is concerned with digital equity in today’s technology driven learning environments.
Transforming Assessment (e-Assessment) SIG News
The Transforming Assessment webinar series nine (2018) begins soon!
Transforming Assessment is an international education community constituted as a Special Interest Group under ASCILITE. We bring together experts, academics and practitioners in assessment in higher education. Now in our ninth year, we offer free monthly non-commercial online seminars on a range of topics from both research and practice perspectives.
The SIG is hosted by Dr Mathew Hillier, Monash Education Academy, Monash University, Australia and Professor Geoffrey Crisp, PVC-Education, University of New South Wales, Australia.
The 2018 series is almost ready! Follow the links for each session for further information and registration.
- 4 April: Shades of meaning: nuance in written and audio feedback: http://ta.vu/4apr2018
- 2 May: Risk aware: enhancing students’ clinical competence in risky environments through blended simulation-based learning: http://ta.vu/2may2018
- 6 June: e-Assessment Awards – winners panel review (eAssessment Association UK): http://ta.vu/6jun2018
- 11 July: Transforming Feedback (Assessment in Higher Education conference 2018 panel review): http://ta.vu/11jul2018
- 1 August: Unlocking the code to digital literacy – implications for learning and assessment: http://ta.vu/1aug2018
- 5 September: Virtual work integrated learning in engineering: http://ta.vu/5sep2018
- 3 October: *TBC*: http://ta.vu/3oct2018
- 7 November: Mindful assessment design (Higher Education Academy): http://ta.vu/7nov2018
All sessions are made available at no cost to speakers or participants. Sessions are recorded and published online following the live event.
Further details and session registration at http://TransformingAssessment.com
OTHER NEWS
Job Vacancies: Two Educational Designer positions, USQ
A unique opportunity has become available within the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (ALT) team at USQ for two Educational Designers to work collaboratively with academics in the provision of hands on support to design and develop courses that provide stimulating, engaging and effective learning experiences for students.
In carrying out this role, you will:
- Provide in-depth advice, training and support to USQ academics within the designated discipline areas to enhance educational effectiveness of their teaching and learning designs and teaching approaches;
- Work collegially and constructively with the Advancement of Learning and Teaching teams;
- Maintain up-to-date working knowledge and expertise in relation to educational technologies and contemporary learning theories, models and practices and provide advice and contribution as required; and
- Participate in an EDD culture of research and evidence based practice, contributing scholarly work in the field of educational design and using this scholarship to inform and innovate EDD practices.
You will find full details of the available positions on the USQ jobs website here. The deadline for applications is 7 March.
Call for Proposals for ALT’s Annual Conference 2018
The ALT (UK) 25th annual conference will be held from 11 – 13 September 2018 in Manchester, UK and this year ALT is bringing together different critical perspectives in Learning Technology from across the community to seriously examine the challenges ahead and question the shape of things to come.
The call is now open until 8 March 2018 26 March 2018 and full details are available here.
ASCILITE members are invited to submit a proposal under one of the following themes:
- Participation through Learning Technology including how to use technology to work in partnership with learners, how to create engagement and built informed consent, critical digital literacy, accessibility and equity;
- Collaboration for Learning Technology such as working together on projects, scaling up innovation, the role of staff empowerment and leadership, collaboration or across institutions and countries, how learning technology can enhance (a)synchronous collaboration;
- Critical perspectives in Learning Technology: critical, historical and political perspectives, research and analysis that question the purpose or impact of technology used for learning, teaching or assessment; learner driven education;
- Openness and Learning Technology: for example open education practice, resources, policy for openness in education, open data and open governance;
- Wildcard: if your work doesn’t relate directly to any of the conference themes, then we encourage you to select the wildcard theme when submitting your learning technology research, practice or policy work from any sector including Further Education, schools, vocational learning and training, lifelong learning and work-based learning.
You will need to select what kind of session you would like to run from the following options:
- Work-in-progress report/experimental session (30 min, usually interactive and seeking feedback from participants)
- Short presentation (20 min, with min.5 minutes for Q&A)
- Research session (30 min, with min. 5 minutes for Q&A at the end, usually in the main auditorium)
- Lightning talk (5 min, concise, punchy talk, usually in the main auditorium)
- Poster & poster talk (digital/print poster + 5 min lightning talk, usually in the main auditorium)
- Discussion panel or forum (1 hour, usually with min 3 presenters)
- Workshop or demonstration (1 hour, usually BYOD for participants)
Full details are available on the ALT website here
Invitation to the 2018 CiTEL Curriculum Conference
Join us on 25 and 26 May for the 2018 CiTEL Curriculum Conference.
Hosted by the Centre for Innovation, Teaching Excellence and Leadership at Lourdes Hill College, the Curriculum Conference will provide a unique opportunity to access assessment experts in the tertiary and secondary sectors through presentations, hands-on workshops and opportunities for participants to work with their peers.
With the theme of “Assessment – 2019 & Beyond”, there is a particular focus for teachers on strategies for implementing the new Queensland senior assessment processes and requirements. The conference will be of particular value to academics and pre-service teachers in Queensland and creates a good opportunity for the tertiary and secondary sectors to meet over the common ground of Assessment.
Full conference information is available here and you can download the Conference flyer here.
For more information please email Dr Janet Buchan, Director CiTEL.
Extended Call for Participation in IMLF2018
The 5th International Mobile Learning Festival (IMLF2018) will be held in Singapore 8 – 9 June 2018 and notice is now given that the call for participation has been extended to 16 April 2018.
Building upon successes of the previous conferences, we continue to explore Mobile Technologies and Emerging Learning Design in the context of school, higher and corporate education. In 2018, we give special attention to, and explore STEM and other emerging transdisciplinary initiatives in education and research, and make strategic links with mobile and emerging learning technologies.
The IMLF2018 will be an exceptional platform for sharing information on contemporary approaches to human development and education at all levels, STEM, learning design across many disciplinary boundaries, mobile learning, and Learning 2.0+ from around the world. The conference will feature evidence-based developments led by mobile and emerging learning technologies and paradigms, and explore their relationships with STEM.
The conference speakers will provide unique perspectives on technology, STEM and human learning, and highlight practical enhancement of human agency through embedding of mobile and emerging technologies in learning design. The IMLF2018 will explore concepts, practices and issues that provide pathways for effective integration of mobile and emerging learning technologies in STEM education at all levels and environments such as, open, self-directed and flexible learning, blended learning, flipped learning, MOOCs, and socially-networked learning. The foci will be on the four key elements of an effective learning design: Resources, Activity, Support and Evaluation, and engage in examination of enabling conditions and articulation of coherent strategies for advancement of mobile and emerging learning design and their adoption in STEM and other transdisciplinary learning activities.
Building on our standard format, which includes keynote speakers, invited speakers, paper presenters and industry presentations, the IMLF2018 will introduce virtual presentations.
Reminder: The Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP) invites proposals for special issues
The Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice is calling for proposals for 2019 special issues, especially on contemporary themes associated with effective and innovative teaching and learning practice in the higher education environment.
The expectation is that the special issue would be of interest to an international audience. To propose a special issue please download and complete the Special Issue Proposal template and return to Associate Professor Dominique Parrish by email dominique.parrish@uow.edu.au by Monday 30 April 2018.
