ASCILITE NEWS
ascilite 2014 Conference Update
Early Sponsors
A big thanks and welcome to our early sponsors, in particular Gold Sponsor, Echo360 and Bronze Sponsor Ako Aotearoa. Be sure to pay them a visit at ascilite 2014.
Submission Deadline
Don't miss out! Submissions for concise and full papers, posters and the new sharing practice symposia are scheduled to close on 30 June.
Keynote & Invited Speakers
We have an exciting lineup of keynote and invited speakers: Niki Davis (Professor and Director of the e-learning Lab at the University of Canterbury) and Wayne Macintosh (Director and OER Chair, International Centre for Open Education). Check out http://ascilite2014.otago.ac.nz/keynotes-invited-speakers/ for further details.
Registrations
Registrations are open. Be sure to make a note of the excellent earlybird rates that will remain in effect until 3 October.
It may be cold right now in Dunedin but come November the sun will be shining and we'll be giving you a very warm southern welcome. For updates, stay tuned to http://2014conference.ascilite.org and follow us on Twitter @ascilite14.
Jenny, Bronwyn and the ascilite2014 Conference Team.
www.ascilite.org Website Launched
ascilite's new website is now open to members and the public. Be sure to take a look around and send us your feedback or suggestions via the contact form. The website is a work-in-progress so we are grateful for any suggestions to improve the site. We will also be commencing work on stage two of the website soon in order to integrate new "Connect" networking tools for members and to upgrade access to member profiles.
ascilite already has a presence in social media, namely Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube. You will find links to these valuable channels on the "Connect" page of the new website and through icons located at the top of each page. While you are checking out the new website, do consider subscribing to our YouTube channel, liking our Facebook page and joining us on Linkedin and Twitter.
Many thanks to ascilite Executive Shirley Reushle for moving this important project along over a six month period and to her early planning team comprising Neil Martin and Amy Antonio (USQ), Simon.Smith from UniSA, Roger Cook and Richard Evans from QUT, Alan Soong Swee Kit from NUS, Mark Drechsler (Netspot) and James Sankar AARNet. The website was built by Excite Media and the ascilite Secretariat put in long hours to make the site ready for members and the public.
The new website is built on the WordPress platform which is open source and has the support of a global community that constantly enhances the platform's core functionality and security and works to expand its vast library of plugins. We hope you find the new website user friendly!
Final Reminder: Member Fee Increase as of 1 July 2014
This is a reminder that a modest member fee increase comes into affect in July 2014. The increase was approved at the Annual General Meeting conducted at the 2013 ascilite Conference. A table showing the new fees is below. (All fees are in AUD$ and they are GST inclusive).
Fee increases were set to 10% and then rounded. The increase also applies to ascilite's institutional members who will be sent details of their membership and the rounded amounts that apply.
The reason for the increase is twofold: firstly, the society has not increased fees for over 6 years; and secondly, the Society is anticipating a significant loss in 2104 due to development of a new website and I.T. infrastructure and increases in on-going costs related to AJET.
If you would like to take advantage of the current fees before the increase on 1 July 2014, you may renew your membership via the website provided you have received at least one automated renewal notice.. The first of three renewal notices are sent three months prior to your renewal. If you have not received a renewal notice and you would still like to renew before July simply contact the Secretariat.
| Member Category | Current Member Fee | As of 1 July 2014 |
| 1 year | $132 | $150 |
| 1 year student/retiree | $66 | $75 |
| 3 years | $363 | $405 |
| 3 years retiree | $165 | $200 |
OTHER NEWS
Webinar: Learning Analytics for large scale distance and online courses, 25 June
Transforming Assessment Webinar
The next session in the Transforming Assessment webinar series will take place on 25 June at 7:00am GMT. Sessions are conducted at no charge.
"Learning Analytics for large scale distance and online courses" will be presented by Belinda Tynan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and Kevin Mayles, Open University, UK.
This session will detail the model and approach used by the Open University, UK to Learning Analytics. The outcomes derived from an organisational level approach to embedding analytics as students begin their journey, on a day-to-day basis and in reflection to support students in being successful in their learning journey will also be discussed.
For further details on the session and time zone conversions and RSVP instructions please go here.
Recording available
A recording of the last webinar, "Assessment Decision-Making: how does technology influence (e-)assessment design?" held on 4 June is now available for viewing here.
Learning to Teach Online MOOC begins 28 July
UNSW Australia's newest free MOOC, Learning to Teach Online (LTTO), begins on 28 July.
Based on the award-winning educational resources of the same name developed at UNSW’s College of Fine Arts (COFA), the Learning to Teach Online (LTTO) MOOC is designed to help existing and prospective educators establish and improve their own online or blended teaching practices. The 8 week course is designed to help any educator develop their confidence and ability to teach online, by offering a personalised approach which allows participants to determine their learning pathway based on personal goals and situations.
From the course description: "Integrating online technologies into your teaching can be a challenging prospect, and it can be difficult to know how to approach it effectively for the benefit of both students and yourself. No one knows your own content and teaching strengths better than you, and the 'one size fits all' formula doesn’t always suit everyone. No matter what type of technology you are interested in exploring or your level of experience, this course will help you draw on your teaching strengths and find the approach that is right for you, your students and your educational context. To allow both for breadth in personalization and depth in key areas that interest you, this course will guide you through your journey of understanding how online technologies can enhance your course design. "
For more information and to sign up, please visit the course details page.
ALT News Digest 301
Association for Learning Technology Fortnightly News Digest 301 was issued on 13 June 2014. ALT's journal – Research in Learning Technology is open access. Articles from the past 20 years are available here.
