ASCILITE NEWS
ASCILITE 2020 Virtual Conference registration closes on 27 November
Registration is open for the ASCILITE virtual conference (30 Nov – 2 Dec 2020) until 27 November. The registration fee for ASCILITE members is $25 for virtual attendance only and $175 for non-members. The non-member rate includes one year ASCILITE membership valued at $150. Don’t miss this great Technology Enhanced Learning event. (Note that the request for a membership number in the registration form is optional).
Find-out more here.
Update: The conference program has just been released and you’ll find it here.
Turnitin Gradescope workshop opportunity
An opportunity has arisen to attend a Turnitin (TII) workshop for only $25.00 (cost to attend the ASCILITE conference as a virtual attendee). The TII workshop is then free.
Join Turnitin’s Gradescope workshop to learn why 1,000+ institutions and 50,000+ teachers around the world have embraced the Gradescope platform and how it supports assessment in any learning environment.
In this workshop, we’ll demonstrate how Gradescope allows you to:
- Transform fragmented grading into a wholly digitised, ‘online-friendly’ process
- Provide faster, more consistent student feedback to support learning outcomes
- Reduce grading time to enable more teaching time
- Analyse learning trends and pinpoint knowledge gaps
- Scale grading and collaboration in large enrolment courses
- Reduce biases in grading and increase educational fairness
To make the workshop more fun and interactive, the presenters will be grading answers submitted by participants (you!). Whether you’re familiar with Gradescope or have never interacted with the platform before, you’ll gain an appreciation for its power to transform your grading.
When & Where: Monday, 30 November 2020 | virtual
Time: 9.30 am AEDT to 11:00 am
Cost: Free (if you register for the conference)
Registration: is available through your conference registration here. Please login to add the workshop.
Latest TELall blog posts
Student experiences of online learning in COVID-times
In this blog post by Cheryl Brown, Ashwini Datt, Dianne Forbes, Dilani Gedera, Maggie Hartnett, Ciara Alfonso and Zahra Mohamed, our authors discuss the disruption of COVID in our academic lives, workloads and work-life balance and that despite everyone’s best endeavors, it is somewhat ironic that those most directly affected – the students – are the voices generally missing from our conversations.
Insights on the adoption of learning analytics: a reflection from a Best Student Paper award winner
In this blog post by Hazel Jones (Griffith University), our author outlines the main points from her 2019 award winning paper, providing an overview of consequent work through her PhD studies, noting the journey to the paper which she hopes will serve as encouragement to others to submit papers for future conferences.
Reminder: D2L / ASCILITE Research Grants – application closing date is 20 November 2020
ASCILITE has teamed with D2L to offer research/scholarship grants to ASCILITE members to fund research and/or development of projects on learning and teaching in the broad area of technology enhanced learning in higher education. A total of $10,000 will be available for projects with a maximum funding of $5,000 (there could be less funding with more projects being funded).
The call for the D2L/ASCILITE Grant applications opened 10 November 2020 and closes 20 November 2020. Successful projects will be announced at the 2020 annual conference for commencement in early 2021.
Full details, including application forms, are available on the ASCILITE website here.
Reminder: AJET Call for Associate Editors for the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET)
This is a reminder that applications are invited from members to join the existing editorial team on ASCILITE’s journal – the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET)- as Associate Editors.
Associate Editors work with the Lead Editors to oversee the review process of the papers and other work of the journal. This call for Associate Editors is to continue to further build our team diversity and expertise, and to ensure the workload is sustainable.
The main role of associate editors is take carriage of manuscripts assigned to them after initial screening by a lead editor. They then assign the articles to suitable reviewers, manage and determine the outcome of the review process, and liaise with authors about their manuscript prior to passing the manuscript to a copy and layout editor. Associate Editors are senior academics with considerable responsibility in ensuring the high quality of the journal papers. Associate Editor’s need to be able to act on peer review evaluations and make difficult decisions about rejecting, asking for changes or accepting submissions. Associate Editors also have opportunities to shape the direction of the journal, engage in strategic planning and work on strategic projects. Associate Editors are expected to commit a small amount of time each week to ensure the papers assigned to them progress through the system.
This is a global call. EOIs from Associate Editors in all regions, including outside of Australasia are welcome.
Further details are available on the journal website here.
Your membership status
Your membership category and renewal date will now visible in the header of each fortnightly bulletin. No more wondering when your membership is up for renewal or what type of membership you have! If you prefer not to have this information included, please let us know.
OTHER NEWS
Locking Down, Opening Up: Prioritising Equitable Access and Success in a Time of Uncertainty: a free and open event to all
World Access to Higher Education Day events 17 – 18 Nov 2020
WAHED is a day of action; a chance to pause and reflect on the role of higher education in Australian society and the inequality facing our students. During 2020, many students have experienced significant negative changes to employment, and Federal government revisions to course fees, whilst universities have attempted to negotiate resource digitisation against commercial interests. Open education offers an opportunity for equitable, affordable access to learning resources, and new avenues for authentic, engaging assessment that supports student retention and graduate employability.
Join us for a day of practical sessions featuring case studies, research-informed practice, and an action planning workshop on 17 Novemeber. This will be followed by Advocating for Equity in a Post Pandemic World hosted by the USQ College on November 18.
Full details are available on the USQ website.
SoTELNZ 2021 Symposium is inviting submissions
This year’s SoTEL (Scholarship of Technology Enhanced Learning) Symposium will take place on 18 – 19 February 2021 to showcase student learning supported by technology. Submissions are now invited in the form of 500 word abstracts to be published in the PJTEL journal and pre-recorded as PechaKucha presentations.
Further information is available on the SoTEL website.
Invitation to Participate in National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
You are invited to participate in a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)-funded research study, titled COVID-19 Online Learning Landscapes and CALDMR students: Opportunities and Challenges.
The Refugee Education Special Interest Group (RESIG) are conducting a project to examine the effects of remote learning environments induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the capacity of universities to offer equitable teaching and learning services to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Refugee and/or Migrant (CALDMR) populations. This study intends to address the challenges and opportunities of (enforced) remote learning for CALDMR students and their teachers and other university support staff through a qualitative, mixed-methods study underpinned by the strengths-based approach of Appreciative Inquiry.
The research study is looking recruit people who must be a staff member of a higher education Australian institution with a specific role as an educational developer whose focused responsibilities include a combination of any of the following:
- program and course design, implementation and evaluation in consultation with teaching staff (who, in turn, will be responsible for the delivery (e.g. curriculum, educational technologies and complementary resource development elements)
- development and implementation of professional development and/or training for teaching and other staff on aspects of learning and teaching
- input into quality of learning and teaching to align with standards
- input into policy advice, development and implementation
- SOTL scholarship activities
Participants will be asked to complete the following research activities if they agree to participate:
- One electronic survey that will take approximately 30 minutes to complete:
- You may also be interested in participating in a follow-up interview that will take approximately 45 minutes to complete
All data collected will be anonymised so neither you nor your institution will be identifiable.
A full description of all research activities, including any risks, harms or discomforts that you may experience while participating in this research is included in this Participant Information Statement and Consent Form.
If you have questions about the research and would like to receive further information or express interest in participating, please contact the following person.
Dr Sally Baker
Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of New South Wales
Ethics Approval: HC200694
Job Vacancy: Deputy Director, Educational Development Services
- Job No. 560220
- Work type: Continuing
- Full-time, Continuing position
- Located at Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus
- Level C / D Classification
About La Trobe
La Trobe University’s success is driven by people who are committed to making a difference. They are creative and highly motivated, pursue new ideas and create knowledge. La Trobe is one of Australia’s research leaders, and the largest provider of higher education to regional Victoria. Our teaching and research address some of the most significant issues of our time and we’re passionate about driving change through operational excellence to benefit the communities we serve.
Led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, the education portfolio provides a range of educational support services to the University. These include academic development in learning and teaching, online and educational technology support and coordination, higher education standards and quality assurance, course management systems oversight, and coordination of strategic learning and teaching programs.
About the position
This position will lead the Education Development Services team to ensure timely and efficient project support for delivery of all activities across the Educational Services streams. You will oversee the project management of the allocation of resources across multiple programs and initiatives in the centre and provide oversight of quality and carry out quality assurance of all Education Services activities.
Skills and Experience
To be considered for this position, you will have a substantial portfolio of scholarship in learning and teaching as well as substantial experience in academic teaching, curriculum design and pedagogy. You will also have expert knowledge and skill in the conceptualisation, design and delivery of educational enhancement and development services and programs.
You will find the full Position Description, other duties, skills and experience required for this position on the La Trobe website here.
Job Vacancy: Academic Coordinator, Online Education Programs
- Work type: Continuing
- Full-time, Continuing position
- Located at Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus
- Level C Classification
About La Trobe
La Trobe University’s success is driven by people who are committed to making a difference. They are creative and highly motivated, pursue new ideas and create knowledge. La Trobe is one of Australia’s research leaders, and the largest provider of higher education to regional Victoria. Our teaching and research address some of the most significant issues of our time and we’re passionate about driving change through operational excellence to benefit the communities we serve.
Led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, the education portfolio provides a range of educational support services to the University. These include academic development in learning and teaching, online and educational technology support and coordination, higher education standards and quality assurance, course management systems oversight, and coordination of strategic learning and teaching programs.
About the position
This position works closely with the Deputy Director, Online Educational Services and is responsible for overseeing and assuring the delivery of quality online education developments with and across schools and colleges, including quality assurance and liaison with external partners.
Skills and Experience
To be considered for this position you will have substantial experience in the design and delivery of effective online education in the tertiary education environment. You will also have demonstrated expert knowledge of, and scholarship in, a wide range of models of online education and user-centred design practice and their application in teaching contexts.
You will find the Position Description, other duties, skills and experience required for this position on the La Trobe website here.
