ASCILITE NEWS

ASCILITE 2021 Conference Call for Papers

The 2021 ASCILITE conference website is now live and information on submissions is available on the conference website here.

An EasyChair link will be made available from next week for you to upload your papers prior to the 2 July closing date for submissions.

The conference is being planned as an in-person event at the University of New England in Armidale NSW from 29 November – 1 December 2021.

Transforming Assessment SIG webinar: Panel webinar – Australian National University Teaching Award winners explore online assessment

Date and time: 9 June 2021 @ 5pm AEST | HK/Singapore 3 pm | Auckland 7 pm | Other time zones.

This session features a panel of all four individual Australian University Teaching Excellence Award winners 2020 (announced 24 Feb 2021) speaking about their research and teaching practices in online learning and assessment. Further information and registration go here http://taw.fi/9jun2021

ASCILITE Live! Webinar: Examining the design and engagement in a mobile-based “scavenger hunt” educational game for Chinese language learning through the lens of situated cognition

Date and time: 15 June @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am AEST | Singapore/Hong Kong 8am | Auckland 12pm | Other time zones

In one of New Zealand’s leading universities, more than 60% of the students enrolled in the Chinese programme are distance learners, who are mostly full-time employees across the country and from around the world. Due to individual availability and geographical disparity, their engagement with peers (on-campus and online) and teachers has become deficient. Taking the opportunity of Chinese Language Camp, which aims to provide an immersive learning environment and enhanced learner engagement, a series of innovative educational interventions was created and assembled into one educational game, namely Big Hunt@Library or Big Hunt@Home. The game hosted on the GooseChase platform and its embedded digital tools facilitates a new form of learner engagement that affords cognitive, affective, sociocultural constructive and situated learning, and enables the development of intercultural communicative competence in a game-supported real-life context. The game was well received by students and educators alike, and has shown to influence meaningful student engagement and learning.

This webinar aims to examine the design features of the scavenger hunt game and the theoretical foundation that informed its design. Through the processes of Design-based Research, we also aim to examine the criticality of multi-disciplinary partnerships and collaborations that enable the successful development and implementation of the game. In these processes, the need for reflection and reflexivity is highlighted, such that the professional growth of all concerned manifest in a way that personal and collective agency become a focal point for learning and development. There is much to learn from this educational innovation, from the perspectives of students, educators and designers. Indeed, it has received the ASCILITE 2020 Innovation Award, paving the way for continued educational and technological re-imagination of the student learning experience. The implication is discussed, pertaining to the intersections of game-based, traditional and digital learning opportunities.

Presenters

Dr Grace Y. Qi is Lecturer in Chinese Studies in the School of Humanities, Media and Creative Communication at Massey University, New Zealand. Her research interests lie in the areas of languages education, language policy and planning, innovation and technology for learning, and intercultural communication in the process of language acquisition and cultural exchange. Her recent publications focus on language policy and planning in Australasia, intercultural learning/teaching, multilingualism, blended learning pedagogy and implementation strategies, communities of practice for student engagement and online teacher training and professional development.

Mr Kevan Loke is a Technology-Enhanced Learning Specialist, National Centre for Teaching and Learning, at Massey University, New Zealand. His areas of interests are virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, 3D scanning, photogrammetry and other digital technologies. He works with the lecturers to create engaging online learning activities that will enhance the students learning experience and boost their retention.

Session Login:

You may login to the session using this link.

And by all means, share this page with colleagues!

Webinar recording: E-cheating and assessment security: best practices for upholding academic integrity

A webinar recording is now available for “E-cheating and assessment security: best practices for upholding academic integrity”.

This session began with the question “Is my institution doing enough to ensure that assessments are secure?” which is on the minds of many administrators and educators across higher education as the sector reflects on the pivot to remote learning delivery and looks ahead to hybrid learning modalities.

Alongside digital equity, preserving a culture of academic integrity is more important than ever before, as ‘e-cheating’ surges in an online learning environment without traditional integrity mechanisms. Addressing e-cheating and assessment security in this changed education landscape, means understanding the e-cheating lifecycle, establishing best practices, and harnessing the intersection of pedagogy and technology to provide solutions.

The session, co-sponsored by Turnitin, featured experts in the field of e-cheating and assessment security in order to tackle this timely topic and inform education professionals on the current state of play in e-cheating (including contract cheating) as well as to bolster their institutions’ academic integrity strategy. Presenters included Chukwudi Ogoh (Turnitin), Professor Phil Dawson (Deakin University) and Associate Professor Ann Rogerson (University of Wollongong).

You will find the recording here.

New TELall blog post on the question of Is Artificial Intelligence a solution to the challenges of the pandemic?

By Thomas Chiu (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR)

“Artificial Intelligence (AI)” and “COVID-19” are perhaps the most popular research topics in educational technology this year. The focus of my efforts, they feature heavily in my presentations and papers, the last 10 of which have explored their interface in depth.

The explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming the way we live, learn and work. Preparing school teachers to teach AI and teach with AI are important global strategic initiatives in educating the next generation (Chiu and Chai, 2021).

ASCILITE is now in MS-TEAMS

ASCILITE has established an MS-Teams space with an ASCILITE Members Team and various SIG Teams. The ASCILITE Teams space is available to members as a potentially valuable technology enhanced learning forum. If you would like to join the ASCILITE members team, please follow the link below.

Several SIGs are in the process of inviting members to their respective Teams space so if you are already a SIG member, please be patient as it may take some time before you receive your invitation to join. In the meantime, you are welcome to join the ASCILITE members team if you have not already done so. SIGs will continue to reach out through other channels to ensure SIG members are kept up to date.

Click the link https://teams.microsoft.com/join/a2exz0isshg3 to open an invite to “join the team”.
When prompted to use the web app or download the windows app, select ‘web app’.
If you are not already logged in to your organisations Teams environment, you’ll be asked for your credentials. Log in as you normally would for your institution.
This will open the ASCILITE organisational page for you to join.

OTHER NEWS

Invitation to submit proposals to the Journal of University Learning and Teaching Practice (JUTLP)

JUTLP invites proposals for a Special Issue on Pedagogies of Belonging in an Anxious World to be published in July, 2022. The aim of this special issue is to enable critical examination, elicit important insights, and together, develop a more nuanced understanding of belonging in the higher education context. We invite authors to engage with the ways we design learning experiences and curricula that enable students to thrive in a supercomplex, uncertain and increasingly anxious world (Barnett, 2012, 2015). The issue will survey a range of themes and sub-themes and will solicit conceptual papers, papers with an educational practice or pedagogical thrust, and those which involve empirical research.

Proposals are due on 23 July, 2021 and should include:

Title
Author/s: title, name, position, affiliation, email address
Abstract, no more than 250 words
Type of paper (e.g., conceptual, practice-based case study or research paper)
Proposed structure of the paper with section headings and sub-headings

Full details available on the JUTLP website.

Guest Editorial Team includes Dr Nona Press, Dr Alisa Percy, Dr Martin Andrew, Dr Vikki Pollard and Emeritus Professor Ronald Barnett.

To inquire about this Special Issue, or to submit a proposal, please email Dr Nona Press.

Job vacancy: Manager, Learning Technologies at Swinburne University of Technology

Swinburne University of Technology is seeking a Manager, Learning Technologies who is at the forefront of innovation in using technologies to enhance students’ experience in line with our 2025 strategic goals. This role will manage the development, implementation and evaluation of existing and emerging learning technologies to enhance teaching quality, and support wider student learning across Swinburne.

A real people-person, we seek someone who will build and maintain strong business relationships with internal and external stakeholders such as LMS providers, product/technology vendors, project managers and technical experts. Drawing on previous experience with learning technologies and Learning Management Systems (LMS) the role will use a data-informed approach to ensure effective blended and online learning experiences for our students.

Application close on Tuesday 8 June and you will find full details here.

Job Vacancy: Senior Indigenous Educational Development Advisor, La Trobe University

Job No.: 561264
Work type: Continuing
Full time, Continuing
Location Independent
$ 95,432.00 – $ 112,697.00 per annum plus up to 17% superannuation

Only Indigenous Australians are eligible to apply as this position is exempt under the Special Measure Provision, Section 12(1) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2011 (Vic).

The position of Senior Indigenous Educational Development Advisor sits within the Education Services Division, led by the Director, Education Services and under the portfolio of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education. The Education Services Division provides leadership, strategic development and day to day support to the University on a wide range of educational activities, including:

Curriculum innovation
Online education
Technology enhanced learning
Strategic educational renewal programs

In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for but not limited to:

Provide specialist advice to academic staff to build their capability to deliver high-quality learning experiences to students that embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and contexts using a range of strategies and technologies.
Design and develop high quality, innovative curriculum approaches, based on contemporary pedagogically-sound theory and current learning design practices, which embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and contexts.
Work in close collaboration with the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Education to promote Indigenous education across School and Colleges
Facilitate collaboration on Indigenous academic development activities across the University, including through networks, learning communities and communities of practice.
Through networked, cross team relationships with other Indigenous educators across the university, provide specialist advice to learning and teaching staff on cultural awareness and inclusive education
Proactively manage and maintain currency of knowledge in one or more areas of education specialisation, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, curriculum design, assessment, technology-enhanced learning, and practically apply learning theory to academic support.
Collaborate with colleagues as part of a cross-functional team structure to ensure effective matrix support to academic staff and other key stakeholders.

A full list of benefits is available here and a full position description (PDF) s available here. The closing date for applications is 11.55pm Sunday 13 June 2021. Position enquiries may be emailed to Prof Lisa Cary.

Online applications must include a cover letter, an up to date resume; and a separate document addressing each essential and desirable bullet point in the Key Selection Criteria which is located in the position description.