ASCILITE NEWS

ascilite Advocates Establishment of National Institute for Learning & Teaching

ascilite President Dominique Parrish has written to Senator Simon Birmingham on behalf of the ascilite Executive and Membership to request continued and much needed investment into the education and capacity building of the next generation through the establishment of a National Institute for Learning and Teaching to support educational excellence.

A copy of the letter is available here . You are also encouraged to register your support for a National Institute for Learning and Teaching to support educational excellence at www.communityrun.org/petitions/save-the-olt-or-act-on-prof-milbourne-s-report.

New Institutional Member

ascilite welcomes Lincoln University, New Zealand as its latest institutional member. Lincoln joins over 20 other institutions that have take advantage of institutional membership in ascilite. Institutions can join with as few as 10 individuals or through the 20, 30 or unlimited membership categories. Find-out more at https://ascilite.org/get-involved/institutional-membership/.

ascilite Live! Webinar: The path to identify, develop and implement an innovation to harness the power of immediate feedback

Abstract

As part of the 2016 ascilite webinar series, the next event on the calendar (May 12) will be presented by the winner of the 2015 ascilite project award, Brent Gregory from the University of New England. Brent’s research focuses on the innovative use of feedback as a learning tool in a first year Accounting course at UNE. To get an initial understanding of Brent’s work, check out his UNE staff profile, and watch an introductory video that sets the scene for the working examples.

This webinar will be of interest to all tertiary teachers keen to hear about accelerating student learning and engagement through the use of immediate feedback techniques.

Date & Time

Thursday,12 May at 12pm AEST. You can view your local time zone here. Register below and you will receive login details for the session by email.

Presenter

Brent Gregory is a Lecturer in the UNE Business School at the University of New England. He is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in Business Management and Growth. Prior to entering Academia his key area of research related to the attributes of successful business and in particular the key success factors for owner operated businesses. As a result he has devoted much of his professional career to guiding business on how to operate their businesses to better achieve their goals. He has also served on numerous regional development and community organisations.

How to Register

You can register here for this webinar. After registering, you will receive an email with login details for the session.

Reminder: Call for Applications: Lead Editor & Associate Editor, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET)

This is a reminder that ascilite invites applications for a new Lead Editor and Associate Editor to join the existing editorial team of the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET). The due date for applications is COB Tuesday 24 May 2016.

AJET is a highly regarded, influential, open access, online journal that has international standing and reach. It publishes peer reviewed scholarly research related to the educational use of technologies in the tertiary education sector.

In June 2016, Professor Barney Dalgarno will complete his term as lead editor of AJET. ascilite is committed to active succession planning for this important role and has now begun a search for a new lead editor to join the team. Professor Dalgarno and the AJET team will provide support to the successful applicant’s smooth transition into the role. AJET also seeks expressions of interest for the role of Associate Editor. Currently there are seven Associate Editors who work with the Lead Editors to oversee the review process of the papers and other work of the journal. This call for expressions of interest for Associate Editor is to continue to build our AJET team’s capacity.

The Lead Editors are responsible for setting and maintaining the editorial direction of AJET, and leading and overseeing the work of the Associate Editors and copyeditors. The main role of associate editors is take carriage of manuscripts assigned to them after initial screening by a lead editor.

You will find full details at this link here.

New Appointments to AJET Associate Editor & Management Committee

The AJET Management Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Thom Cochrane (Auckland University of Technology) as a new Associate Editor. In addition, Allan Christie (ascilite Treasurer) and Associate Professor Eva Heinrich (Massey University) have joined the AJET Management Committee. For a full list of Lead, Associate Editors and members of the Management Committee are available on the ascilite website here.

These appointments are separate to the Call for Applications for a new Lead Editor and Associate Editor above.

OTHER NEWS

Expressions of Interest: Associate Editors for the Journal Of University Teaching And Learning Practice

Expressions of interest (EOI) are invited for Associate Editors of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP).

JUTLP is a tri-annual, peer-reviewed journal publishing papers that add significantly to the body of knowledge describing effective and innovative teaching and learning practice in the higher education environment. The Journal aims to provide a forum for educational practitioners in a wide range of disciplines to communicate their teaching and learning outcomes in a scholarly way. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between journals covering purely academic research and more pragmatic articles and opinions published elsewhere.

Associate Editors are responsible for managing the peer-review process for manuscripts that progress past the initial stage of article submission. This involves assigning manuscripts to appropriate reviewers, managing the review process and liaising with reviewers as needed and finally providing a recommendation of an outcome for the manuscript.

Candidates interested in applying to be an Associate Editor should send their EOI via email to Mrs Narelle Guest by COB Friday 13 May 2016. EOI should address the essential criteria for selection (detailed below) and provide Name, Affiliation, email and daytime contact as well as a current CV of no more than two (2) pages.

The essential criteria for selection:

A well established track record of journal publications in teaching and learning practice in the higher education environment
Significant experience in peer-reviewing journal articles for higher education journal and conferences
Experience in researching and scholarship of learning and teaching
Knowledge of educational research methodologies
Good oral and written communication skills

For further information or queries about this position please email Dr Alisa Percy. The deadline for applications is COB Friday 13 May 2016.

Call for Papers: ICERI2016

ICERI2016 (9th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation) will be held from 14 to 16 November 2016 in Seville, Spain . The deadline for abstract submissions is 14 July 2016. Abstracts should be submitted on-line at http://iated.org/iceri/online_submission. After 9 years, ICERI has become an annual meeting point for lecturers, researchers, professors, educational scientists and technologists.

Each year, ICERI brings together over 700 delegates from 80 different countries and is an ideal opportunity to present your projects and experiences to an international audience. Also, it will offer participants an overview of the current situation of education and new learning technologies. ICERI2016 Proceedings will be reviewed for their inclusion in the ISI Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Web of Science). Previous editions are already indexed. Also, a DOI number will be assigned to each accepted paper.

Online & eLearning Summit 2016

Online learning is becoming a massive driver of change in the way tertiary institutions attract and retain prospective and existing students. Enhancing the learner experience by developing interactive online and digital content has become a primary focus for universities.

With this in mind, Online & eLearning 2016 will address the issues surrounding limited funding, resource and time constraints to meet ever-changing student demands for flexible learning, including how to improve communication between academics and education developers to optimise limited resources and enhance the learner experience and increase engagement.

The conference takes place on 21 – 23 June, 2016 at the Pullman Melbourne located in Albert Park, Melbourne.

ALT Blog Editor’s Choice: "The Multifaceted Role of a Learning Technologist"

The Editors of ALT's blog have selected three posts that highlight the diversity of the Learning Technologist's role, at least as it appears in the UK. Duties of the Learning Technologist continue to provide much debate in the Learning Technology community. Here the Editor looks at some of the responsibilities of a Learning Technologist that often come together under one job title. Read more >>

Job Vacancy: PhD study in Learning Analytics – Positions and Scholarships available, University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is seeking applications for PhD study in the area of learning and academic analytics. A number of scholarships are being targeted to support study in this area (valued at $26,288 per annum). Students with backgrounds from a range of disciplinary areas are encouraged to apply, including computer science, data mining, machine learning, education, educational technology, psychology, cognitive science, psychometrics and assessment.

Projects in learning and academic analytics may relate (but are not restricted) to topics such as decision support for learning, students' approaches to learning, behaviour modelling, self regulation and metacognition, quantified self, student misconceptions and confusion, intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive computing and personalisation, feedback and assessment, student progression and pathways, and place based analytics applications.

Interested applicants are invited to send an expression of interest, comprising:

A CV (maximum 6 pages)
Transcripts of academic results
A description (maximum 1 page) of why you would be interested in undertaking a PhD in learning analytics and how your skills and background are aligned with this area of research.

Academic supervisors will review EOIs received by the closing date. EOIs will be used to establish an applicant’s eligibility and competitiveness for being admitted to a PhD in learning analytics funded by a scholarship. Selected candidates will be further invited to make a formal application for admission to the PhD program at the University of Melbourne.

Expressions of interest (EOIs) should be emailed to Professor James Bailey with "Learning Analytics EOI" in the subject line by 15 June.

Job Vacancy: Director Learning, Teaching & Curriculum, University of Wollongong

Position Type: 5 Year Appointment

Closing: 22 May 2016

Ref No: 25724

The University of Wollongong is a leading Australian university with a history of outstanding achievement in teaching and learning. UOW attracts students from more than 130 countries and is fundamentally committed to providing our diverse body of students with an engaging world class and internationally oriented learning experience. We are seeking to appoint an outstanding individual for the role of Director of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum, a key position in the senior management team of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic).

The Director will provide strategic leadership for the University in all matters relating to learning, quality of teaching and innovation in curriculum development and management. The Director will have experience in delivering strategic change through digital and blended learning to enhance the University’s curriculum offer, the students’ learning experience and graduate outcomes.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a strong leadership team to shape the future direction of this leading Australian university with a history of outstanding achievement in education.

Download the Position Description from the UOW website or call the Recruitment team on + 61 2 4221 4494.