ASCILITE NEWS
ascilite2015 Conference update: Social & professional networking opportunities
At ascilite2015, we want to give you every opportunity to connect with others both professionally and socially. One change this year is we have scheduled the conference Welcome Reception on Monday evening at 5.30pm at Curtin University. The welcome will flow straight on from Day 1 so that more of you can attend and network. Of course we have the Conference Dinner at 6.30pm at Frasers Restaurant, Kings Park on Tuesday evening (Dinner theme soon to be announced!). And our New Member Welcome will be at morning tea on Monday.
For those of you who arrive in Perth by Sunday, listen out for details of the ascilite Sunday Dine-Around Evening (soon to be released) whereby you can choose a restaurant to match your tastes and budget and have a fun night out connecting with other ascilite2015 delegates.
Be sure to check the conference website schedule page for updates on the conference program and social events.
ascilite Live! Webinar
MOOCS – Yes they can work!
Date & Time:
Thursday, 29 October at 1pm AEDT. You can view your local time zone here.
Abstract
In 2013, The University of Melbourne became the first institution within Australia to partner with Coursera to deliver Massive Open Online Courses to students worldwide. Seven courses were initially developed, since then, the stable of offerings has increased to over 24, and by 2016, over 1 million students will have enrolled in a MOOC offered by The University of Melbourne. In this session, Peter Mellow and Susan Batur will share their experiences as learning designers actively involved in the development of MOOCs. The feedback and lessons learned as MOOCs continue to evolve make us rethink how we approach all aspects of online learning.
Peter Mellow is the Learning Design Coordinator in Learning Environments, at the University of Melbourne. Previously he was a senior lecturer teaching sport science at Auckland University of Technology for 22 years. In 2007 he received a national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award (New Zealand). He has also worked at Curtin University as an eLearning advisor. In 2013 Peter contributed to setting up The University of Melbourne’s MOOC programme. This work continued in 2014 with the rerun of the previous years’ MOOCs and the introduction of several new courses.
Susan Batur is a Learning Designer at the University of Melbourne (UoM). Susan joined UoM in late 2013 to assist with designing, developing and evaluating the growing number of MOOCs being offered by the University. Aside from working on MOOCs, Susan coordinates the Practical Pedagogy Series – a series of monthly workshops designed to showcase developments in teaching and learning with technology. Prior to joining The University of Melbourne, Susan has worked mostly within postgraduate medical education having held positions at various medical speciality colleges within Victoria.
How to Register
You can register for the webinar here.
Results of Draw for Complimentary Pass to BL2015
As part of ascilite’s mutual endorsement agreement with the Blended Learning 2015 conference, ascilite received a complimentary pass to the conference valued at almost $3,600 for the two days. The conference takes place in Sydney on 26 – 28 October 2015 at the InterContinental Hotel, Double Bay.
The ascilite Executive decided to make this pass available to ascilite members through a draw which was announced to members by email on 21 October. 64 member entered the draw which took place on 23 October at 9am AEST. ascilite is pleased to announce that the winner is Cindy O'Malley, Senior Lecturer at RMIT. Congratulations Cindy!
ascilite Annual President's Report
The annual President's Report is now available for reading. The report describes in detail ascilite activities throughout 2015 including a summary of the 2015 Member Survey findings, the Community Mentoring Program, CMALT Australasia, the annual conference, webinars and more.
Also available for members is the annual Treasurer's Report and Reconciled Financial Statements.
AJET Appoints New Lead Editor
A Call for a Lead Editor was issued to the ascilite membership in May 2015. Following a subsequent extension and the receipt of several EOIs, a selection panel was recently formed consisting of the following members:
- Michael Henderson, AJET Lead Editor, AJET Management Committee (Monash University)
- Caroline Steel, ascilite President, AJET Management Committee (University of Queensland)
- Rob Fitzgerald, AJET Editorial Board member (University of Canberra)
- Cathy Gunn, AJET Editorial Board member (University of Auckland)
As a result of the selection process, the Lead Editors are pleased to announce that Associate Professor Eva Heinrich from Massey University has accepted a three year post as AJET's new Lead Editor. Eva will be replacing Professor Sue Bennett who steps down at the end of this year. Sue is not only an internationally recognised leader in our field but also works hard to mentor and build the capacity of her colleagues. Her leadership and vision have served AJET and ascilite well.
The editors would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Timothy Teo who has stepped down as Associate Editor having served since 2013 and welcome Dr Chwee Beng Lee, Dr Thomas Cochrane, Dr Stephen Marshall and Dr Petrea Redmond to the team.
Further details on AJET's activities throughout 2015, including key Bibliometrics, may be found in the ascilite annual President's Report.
OTHER NEWS
Australasian Symposium on Using Pen-Enabled Tablets in Teaching (STEM)
ascilite members are invited to the Australian Symposium on Using Pen-Enabled Tablets, hosted by the Auckland University of Technology STEM Tertiary Education Centre, to be held on 26 – 27 November at AUT. The symposium explores current developments and future directions in the use of pen-enabled Tablet PCs in Tertiary STEM Education.
Day One – Using Pen-Enabled Tablets in STEM Education: Practice and Theory
Themes include but are not limited to:
- The uses currently been made of pen-enabled tablets, in the classroom and in resource preparation (e.g. screencasts)
- Theoretical perspectives on the use of pen-enabled devices
- Developments in pedagogical approaches to take advantage of the capabilities of new technologies and learning environments, and changing student expectations.
Day Two – Workshop on Designing Approaches for using Pen-Enabled Tablets in New Environments (optional)
This workshop will involve participants in designing a delivery approach for specific courses (as selected by participants), based around perspectives delivered in the symposium sessions of the preceding day.
Registration
There is no registration fee, with morning and afternoon teas and lunch provided. Numbers are limited, so registration is requested by Monday 2 November.
Presentation Submissions
Participants are invited to submit abstracts for presentations. For more details and to register, please go here.
Experience with Open Labyrinth Sought
Does anyone have any experience with the open source Open Labyrinth Virtual Patient Engine? I'm looking at using it for a project but I'm not sure how mature and easy-to-use the software is. Any advice welcome…
Rob Phillips
Adjunct Associate Professor
School of Education, Murdoch University, Perth
e: r.phillips@iinet.net.au
p: +61 (0)416 065 054
Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Programme (ITRP)
The Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Programme (ITRP) is now open for applications.
There are two opportunities available under this scheme, Industrial Transformation Research Hubs (ITRH) and the Industrial Transformation Training Centres (ITTC) schemes. This brochure contains full details, including two examples of current projects from previous rounds.
Visit the ITRH webpage or ITTC webpage for further information and submission documentation. Information on successful bids in previous rounds for these schemes can also be found on the ARC website.
ARC funding is provided directly to eligible organisations, which are generally Australian universities, for competitive research projects. These particular funding schemes require the eligible organisations to partner with industry and are designed to encourage academic researchers to work closely with industry for the benefit of both parties. If you have an interest in being involved in a proposal for funding under this scheme you should direct queries to the intended lead organisation’s Research Office (or equivalent) either directly or through an academic researcher.
If further information regarding the scheme is required, you or the Research Office should contact the relevant scheme:
ascilite members are encouraged to read the brochure and/or forward this information on to any colleagues who may be interested in these schemes in the nominated priority areas as outlined in the brochure.
Kind regards
Dr Fiona Cameron
Executive Director, Industrial Transformation Research Programme
Australian Research Council I Phone: 61 2 6287 6773
fiona.cameron@arc.gov.au l www.arc.gov.au
Communities of Practice Developers' and Facilitators' Institute
The CoP Developers & Facilitators Institute will be held on 7-10 December 2015 at the Stamford Grand Adelaide in Glenelg, South Australia and ascilite members are invited to register for the program and contact details are available here.
Registration closes 23 November, 2015
The Communities of Practice (CoP) Developers' and Facilitators' Institute will bring together educators from across Australia to engage in collaborative social learning to explore challenges and opportunities in teaching, learning, and institutional change, and build leadership capacity in the facilitation of CoPs.
This event is tailored for academic leaders and practitioners in higher education who are engaged in, or interested in designing, implementing, and facilitating CoPs to support enhancement and innovation in learning and teaching.
Presenters are Professor Milton Cox, Miami University and Assoc/Professor Jacquie McDonald, University of Southern Queensland and the institute is hosted by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Vice-President (Academic), The University of Adelaide.
Job Vacancy: Director, Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT)
- Newly created strategic role
- Technology and Education mix
- Focus on innovation and building capacity
Flinders University enjoys a reputation for excellence in teaching and research, with a long-standing commitment to enhancing educational opportunities for all and a proud record of community engagement. With its main campus in Adelaide, twelve regional and interstate locations and 26,000 students from more than 100 countries, Flinders has committed to being a university that is outwardly engaged.
Reporting to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Information Services), Professor Richard Constantine, Flinders University is seeking to recruit an outstanding Director to lead the newly formed Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) which brings together teaching and learning and educational technology staff. The Director will head the CILT team to lead and support the quality of teaching at Flinders University through provision of research-based information; technology resources; and support and professional development to University staff. The Director will also foster creative pedagogy and innovation in the use of educational technologies by developing dynamic partnerships with academic staff.
This is an exciting opportunity for an innovator with a collaborative leadership style who is experienced at managing academic, technological and professional staff. S/he will be an accomplished change agent who is able to inspire enthusiasm, build coalitions across the University and has a track record of results in achieving technological change. The successful candidate will have a scholarly reputation in a field relevant to higher education pedagogy and educational technologies, with sound knowledge of the tertiary education sector and, preferably, with experience in overseeing management of Enterprise Learning Management Systems. A PhD is essential.
Applications close 15 November 2015.
Australia and New Zealand inquiries and requests for a Position Description may be directed to Denise Wiseman at denise@carolwatson.com.au or +61 (0) 412 403 567 or Carol Watson at carol@carolwatson.com.au or +61 (0) 419 523 410.
UK inquiries may be emailed to Sean Gillen or by phone at +44 7950 123 466 and applications should be emailed to Amanda Rootsey..
