ASCILITE NEWS
ascilite 2014 Conference News
Thanks to all for a great response to our call for submissions. Submissions are now closed and reviewing is well underway. At this stage, we expect to notify authors of the outcome of their submissions on the 24 August.
There is something for everyone in our exciting workshop programme: Assessment, Learning Design, Analytics, Research and Evaluation, Social Networking and The Networked Professional. Full details are available here.
If you need a visa to enter NZ check the new info 4 participants section of the website. We can arrange a letter of invitation when you register if you need one.
Book your accommodation early – there are a range of great places to stay within easy walking distance of the conference – don't leave it too late to book your choice – places are filling fast!
Registrations are open and remember that the early bird rates close on 3 October.
Finally, the trade exhibition is almost full – if you would like a booth at ascilite2014 don't delay! Email Sally Boult.
Keep an eye on the conference website for regular updates and information and follow us on Twitter – @ascilite14.
It's a balmy 19 degrees in Dunedin as I write this! Not bad for August – we're just warming up for a great southern welcome in November.
Jenny, Bronwyn and the ascilite2014 Conference Team
Executive Committee Changes
Associate Professor Shirley Reushle, Deputy Director of the Australian Digital Futures Institute, University of Southern Queensland recently retired from the Executive Committee after having served in a variety of capacities over a four year period. She leaves behind a legacy of achievements as chair of the Community Mentoring Programme having steered the programme for three years. Shirley also assisted in the development of CMALT Australasia for a short time. In 2013, Shirley took on ascilite's website redevelopment project and was instrumental in guiding the project to a successful completion in June of this year. Shirley will be dearly missed by all of those on the Executive Committee who extend to her their best wishes for the future.
Shirley's position on the committee will be replaced by Mark Northover who has accepted a temporary position on the committee as permitted in the ascilite Constitution. Mark will continue in this capacity until elections are held in November at which time it is hoped he will stand for one of the committee positions up for election.
Mark has contributed in a variety of ways to the ascilite community over the years, including being an organising member for both Auckland ascilite conferences (2002 and 2009) and participating in four mentor partnerships. He has attended all conferences but one since 2000.
Mark is currently the Associate Director of the Centre for Learning and Teaching at AUT, with an accompanying role as Learning Technologies Manager. He has fifteen years’ previous experience as a High School teacher, followed by ten years as a staff professional developer at Unitec, Auckland, before his current eleven-year tenure at AUT.
You can view profiles of all committee members on the ascilite website.
OTHER NEWS
Webinar: Designing e-Assessment Activities for Online Courses
Transforming Assessment Webinar
The next session in the Transforming Assessment webinar series will take place on 6 August at 7:00am GMT. Sessions are conducted at no charge.
The webinar presenter is Mary Jacob from Aberystwyth University in the UK.
This session will examine both good and improvable practice across the types of assessment currently used in MOOCs. Principles of effective design can be extended beyond MOOCs to any learning environment, both online and face-to-face. This session looks at both ways to design effective questions with automated feedback for quizzes, and successful approaches to peer assessment, including use of marking rubrics.
For further details on the session and time zone conversions and RSVP instructions please go here.
OLT Peer Review Network Project Update
UTAS is currently a lead institution in an Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) Peer Review Network project on assessment. The Peer Review Network aims to provide a forum for sharing and disseminating good practice in external assessment across different contexts, identify key academic staff who are experienced in the external peer review of assessment and to provide professional learning opportunities for academic staff and benchmarking partners.
As part of the proposed new Higher Education Standards Framework, emphasis has been placed on the importance of external referencing in assuring standards across the higher education sector. For more information about the Peer Review Network project on assessment, please visit the UTS website.
Workshops on the Peer Review of Assessment
There are 5 State-based workshops in the National Peer Review Network (in Assessment). These workshops are free. You will find the workshop program here. There are still places available at the UWS, ECU and Griffith workshops. To register, please email Dr Sara Booth.
National Peer Review Network Forum
The National Peer Review Network Forum will take place on 12 November at the Park Royal Hotel, Melbourne Airport and you may email Karen@hes.edu.au for details.
Victoria University 2014 Learning & Teaching Seminar Series
Improving learning and teaching through a Peer Assisted Teaching Scheme
This presentation draws on the findings from a National Senior Teaching Fellowship program offered by the Australian Government to develop a culture within the Australian higher education sector of valuing and enhancing the student learning experience.
The Seminar will be presented by Associate Professor Angela Carbone, Director of Education Excellence (Monash University)
WHEN: Thursday 14 August 2014, 12:00-1:00pm
WHERE: A219, Footscray Park campus, Victoria University.
RSVP to cclt@vu.edu.au
For more information on this event, visit the website.
ODLAA Call for papers for special themed issue of Distance Education
Call for papers for special themed issue of Distance Education (vol. 36, no. 2, 2015)
Guest editors for the issue, Drs. Elena Barberà, Thomas Hülsmann, and Jennifer Roberts, invite contributions to the special themed issue of “Distance Education”, Volume 36/2, which will be published in May 2015. The special theme will be: Distance Education and Time: Instructional and organizational implications for managing time, workload, and costs.
Focus of the special issue
While time, as in learning time and teacher workload, seems critical in most forms of distance education (including higher education, open schooling or non-formal education), it has rarely been examined in a comprehensive manner. The journal Distance Education seeks to address this gap by inviting contributions to a special issue on the theme “Distance Education and Time: Instructional and organizational implications for managing time, workload, and costs”.
Full details can be seen in the detailed call for papers poster.
Distance Education publishes research and scholarly content in the field of open, flexible and distance learning. Distance Education is owned by ODLAA and is published by Taylor & Francis. The journal was first published in 1980, and as such it is the oldest of all journals currently being published in the field.
Summer International Research Symposium, June 2015
AECT-LKAOE (Learning and Knowledge Analytics in Open Education) 2015 Summer International Research Symposium organized by AECT in partnership with Indiana State University and hosted by East China Normal University (ECNU) will be held June 17-19, 2015 in Shanghai, China. The symposium is now calling for proposals for panels, roundtables and/or posters.
The Summer International Research Symposium will serve as an open-discussion forum designed to draw the best minds together for an intensive exchange of ideas/information on research, development and applications of all topics related to learning and knowledge analytics in open education across all disciplines. One of the key feature of the symposium will be collaboration and interaction that encourages in-depth dialogue and different perspectives on predefined topics and problems.
There will be keynote speakers, invited speakers, special sessions, panel discussions, roundtable discussions and posters to share visions, views, perspectives and research evidence with participants. Participants will be heavily involved in discussions with presenters.
Please visit the AECT website for more information.
Best regards,
Feng-Qi Lai, Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator | Department of Curriculum, Instruction, & Media Technology
Bayh College of Education | UH 323C | Indiana State University
ALT Newsletter: Articles of Interest
- Moving towards learner autonomy – Stephen Downes on personal learning in a networked world, Sonja Grussendorf. Read more
- Open and online but not a MOOC, GCU Games On – an alternative model for online engagement?, Sheila MacNeill. Read more
- What is the problem for which MOOCs are the solution?, Diana Laurillard. Read more
- Online Learning: Developing Trends, Joanna Stroud. Read more
- GEUG14: Google Apps for Education European User Group, Martin Hawksey. Read more
Job Vacancy: Instructional Design Specialist, HK Polytechnic University
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Educational Development Centre is looking for an Instructional Design Specialist (several posts). These are full time positions and the closing date for applications is 29 August 2014. Please email informal inquiries to Ian Brown and for further information on the University and the role visit the website.
Job Vacancy: Lecturer in Higher Education, University of Otago
The Higher Education Development Centre at the University of Otago is seeking applications for a full-time, confirmation path position as Lecturer in Higher Education Development Centre (HEDC) at the University of Otago. HEDC is an academic department providing student learning support and academic staff development. The successful candidate will be based in the Student Learning Centre.
Candidates must have a PhD and a record of research in a relevant area, including research publications in quality venues. Ideally candidates should have experience in both postgraduate supervision and applying for research grants. Experience of teaching in student learning support and staff development contexts is also required.
Applications quoting reference number 1401284 will close on Monday, 18 August 2014.
To see a full job description and to apply online go to www.otago.ac.nz/jobs
ALT News Digest 304
Association for Learning Technology Fortnightly News Digest 304 was issued on 1 August 2014. ALT's journal – Research in Learning Technology is open access. Articles from the past 20 years are available here.
