Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education

31-03-2014 Bulletin

Fortnightly Bulletin, 31 March 2014

 

ASCILITE NEWS

Call for Papers – ascilite 2014 Conference

The Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite) warmly invites everyone with an interest in educational technologies in tertiary education to join us at the 31st ascilite conference (23-26 Nov 2014, Dunedin, New Zealand). The Call for Papers is now open, and we are inviting contributions describing critical perspectives on the use of educational technology, under the following sub-themes:

  • Actual uses of emerging technologies and practices (e.g., MOOCs, OERs, virtual reality, mobile learning, games or gamification)
  • Institution-wide technology integration (e.g., execution of digital strategies)
  • Research evidence (e.g., impact-focussed methods such as educational design research, inquiry and action research, and experimental studies)
  • Learning design and technologies
  • Learning analytics
  • Educational technology and society
  • The role of learning theories

For submission guidelines and procedures please visit the conference website here.

ascilite Live! Webinar: "Gamification – Its Potential for Learning"

23 April 2014, 12pm – 1pm AEST

For your local time zone please click this link.

Synopsis

Digital and mobile platforms still have untapped potential for engaging learners, and gamification is one example of how we can leverage on these capabilities to truly enhance students’learning.  In this session, Keith will explain why gamification is a lot more scientific than the term suggests and suggest why gamification is the next big wave. Next, he will run through some basic gamification frameworks and real-life examples of how to effectively leverage on game psychology to increase engagement.

Keith will also share a case-study with Singapore Management University for a mobile app, GameLead, that gamified the module "Leadership and Team-building" in early 2014, powered by Gametize, with in-depth analysis on what worked, and what did not. For a preview of GameLead, please visit the website.

Presenter

Keith Ng (@keizng) is the CEO of Gametize, a gamification company that integrates game psychology into audience engagement. He leads his team to “gametize” different aspects such as learning, employee engagement, etc, in enterprises and institutions such as SingTel, Standard Chartered Bank, DBS, NTU, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, focused mainly on mobile and Asia. Most recently, Gametize won the People's Vote award in IBM's Asean Smartcamp 2013 and Special Mention award in Shell LiveWire 2013, and the platform is powering more than 15,000 enterprise users today. The team successfully raised venture capital (including from reality TV, Angel’s Gate).

Keith is nominated as one of the most influential people in gamification by Gamification Summit (2014), as well as designed Gametize’s gamification framework/engagement methodologies. He is a prominent gamification speaker in the region and globally, such as in Gamification Summit, San Francisco. He has also spoken in other conferences that are digital marketing or learning focused, such as MobiLearn Asia. He believes learning and gamification is akin to toast and butter, and the tremendous power of play in learning.

Prior to founding Gametize 5 years ago, Keith sold his first software at 18, and later completed his BBM (Finance) and BSc (Information System) as a DFS Scholar in Singapore Management University, coupled with an exchange stint in Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

Register Now

To register for webinars, simply email the ascilite Secretariat with "webinar registration" in the subject line followed by your full name and institution and whether or not you are a current member. Once registered, attendees receive an email with login details on the morning of the webinar.

AJET Copy Editor Job

The Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET), the journal of ascilite, is looking to engage a new copy editor.

The copy editor is critical to the effective operation and academic quality of AJET and works directly with AJET's Lead Editors to prepare the six issues of the journal published annually.

Copy editors would be expected to have considerable experience in preparing manuscripts for academic publication, have a thorough working knowledge of APA style, and have a very high attention to detail. AJET copy editors are required to conform closely to the journal's guidelines.

Copy editors are remunerated on a per manuscript basis at a rate of $150 per manuscript. The whole process of copy editing is handled virtually so can be completed from any location.

Expressions of interest for the AJET Copy Editor role should contain:

  • A short background statement, including a description of past experience that makes you suitable for the role (no more than 1 page)
  • A short CV (no more than 4 pages)

The call for expressions of interests is now open, and will remain open until a suitable candidate can be found. Expressions of interest can be sent directly to Gregor Kennedy. 

Please feel free to circulate this message to people in your networks.

OTHER NEWS

ODLAA Webinar Program: Professional Development for Practitioners

ODLAA is delighted to be starting its 2014 Webinar Program with a presentation on some contemporary offerings in Professional Development for Practitioners in Open & Distance Learning and the next webinar will be conducted on Tuesday 15th April, 1 – 2pm (Australian EST).
 
Interestingly, both programs you will be hearing about in this webinar have been introduced to Australia from overseas by Australian institutions looking to establish high quality, internationally recognised professional development opportunities for practitioners of online learning. Together they illustrate benefits of overcoming the ‘not invented here’ syndrome in cherry picking some of the best of ‘what’s out there’.

Both presenters would encourage you to visit the programs’ respective websites prior to the presentation so that webinar time can be used productively for discussion.
 

Registration

The webinar is offered free of charge and open to non-members, so please distribute this invitation to any colleagues who may be interested.  If you wish to attend the webinar, please register by emailing jo.osborne@utas.edu.au by 4pm Friday 11th April  (Australian EST) at the latest (include ODLAA Webinar in the subject line).  Details will be sent to you before the event about how to access and join in the webinar.
 

Speakers

Gerry Kregor has been working in learning and teaching in higher education for the past 20 years in the UK, Australia and the South Pacific.  He is currently Senior Educational Developer with the Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching at the University of Tasmania and UTAS’s representative to ACODE.

Gerry will be introducing Quality Matters a US not-for profit organisation that was founded in 2003 to improve students’ experience of online and blended learning.  The University of Tasmania has been the first Australian institutional member and since June 2013, 65 academic staff and 35 professional staff at UTAS have taken the core professional development course with Quality Matters.  Their experience has been overwhelmingly positive and demand continues through word of mouth… YES, academic staff are asking to be allowed to do fully online professional development!  The session will introduce the three aspects of Quality Matters; the rubric, professional development and peer review, and then go on to describe the benefits to educational developers, university teachers and university quality enhancement efforts.

Further information about the Quality Matters program of offerings is available on the website.
 
Janet Buchan is an Academic Developer and Senior Lecturer with the Teaching and Learning Development directorate at James Cook University, Townsville. Prior to joining JCU she had over ten years’ experience at Charles Sturt University working with educational design and technology. Janet is a member of the ascilite Executive where she works with Associate Professor Shirley Reushle as a primary contact for the CMALT Australasia scheme and participates in the ascilite Community Mentoring Program.

Janet will be discussing the CMALT Australasia professional accreditation scheme, which is offered in partnership with the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) UK. It enables people whose work involves learning technology to have their experience and capabilities certified by peers, and to demonstrate that they are taking a committed approach to their professional development. The basis of the accreditation process is a portfolio which contains both evidence and reflection in relation to a number of key criteria. CMALT (Certified Membership of ALT) allows practitioners to gain recognition for personal and professional development, while encouraging them to reflect on the broader context which is shaped by social, cultural and political factors.

Further information about CMALT Australasia may be found on the ascilite website.

ODLAA¹s Distance Education Journal

Distance Education Journal is calling for expressions of interest in the development of a guest-edited themed issue that is going to press in early May 2015. Guest editors should send a short proposal using the following guidelines to the Executive Editor, Som Naidu on or before April 30, 2014.
 

Guidelines

  • Names and affiliations of guest editor(s) 
  • A clear and concise statement of the special edition theme
  • Its relevance to the scope and coverage of the journal
  • The need for a focus on the theme at this time

ALT News Digest 295


Association for Learning Technology Fortnightly News Digest 295 was issued on 21 March 2015.  ALT's journal – Research in Learning Technology is open access. Articles from the past 20 years are available here.

Institutional Members