Thursday 12 December 2013

Understanding good practice – key lessons from the ALTC / OLT Good Practice Reports

The NATA webinar on the Technology-enhanced Learning and Teaching (TEL) Good Practice report as well as the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Good Practice Report was conducted on Tuesday the 10th of December. A recording of the webinar can be accessed here for those who are interested but were unable to attend on the day.


On behalf of the NATA team I would like to thank Professor Janice Orrell for making the time to present on her WIL Good Practice Report, Professor Mike Keppel for leading the webinar and discussing the TEL Good Practice Report, Kim Edgar from NetSpot for her work in putting the webinar together and managing the technical side of things and lastly to all those who participated.

Please watch this space on the NATA blog to view the GPR eResources as they are finalised and made available here shortly. If you have any further questions on the GPRs, WIL, TEL, NATA or the eResources please feel free to contact me Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Webinar TODAY on Work Integrated Learning and Technology-enhanced Learning and Teaching

REMINDER: At 12:00pm AEDT, NATA will launch the Good Practice Report eResources developed as part of its strategy to promote the ALTC / OLT Good Practice Reports. The one hour webinar to be hosted by Netspot aims to raise awareness of the Good Practice Reports (GPRs) and how they potentially offer value to the Australasian tertiary education sector

Presenters Professor Mike Keppell and Professor Janice Orrell will talk about Technology-enhanced Learning and Teaching as well as Work Integrated Learning.

To participate in the Blackboard Collaborate session please send an email to Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au with the title NATA Webinar and the web link will be provided.

For more details click here

Tuesday 3 December 2013

NATA acilite Symposium 2013

Ascilite 2013 Symposium Presentation

 

Understanding network leadership in Australasian Tertiary Associations:  

Communication a key element of success

 

Wed 4th Dec at 11:00am -11:40am

 

Presented by Mike Keppell, Gordon Suddaby, Helen Carter and Caroline Steel

Click here to view the complete ascilite conference program 


Symposium Overview

  •  About NATA
  • NATA Activities
  • Emerging Themes
  • Importance of Communication
  • ACODE Project Overview
  • ascilite Project Overview
  • Network Leadership
  • Key Resources

Symposium questions to engage to audience:

Network Engagement

1.What networks are you currently a member of?
2.With which do you feel most engaged with and why?
3.What do you see as the value of belonging to such a network?
 
Understanding Good Practice in Network Leadership
How do you understand network leadership? Are you or have you been a network leader? Are you a member of a network?
1.What do you see as the key functions or role of network leaders?
2.What do you see as the key challenges in effective network leadership?
3.What examples can you provide of good practice in network leadership?

Thursday 21 November 2013

Webinar: Understanding good practice – key lessons from the ALTC / OLT Good Practice Reports



On the 10th of December 2013 at 12:00pm AEDT, NATA will launch the Good Practice Report eResources developed as part of its strategy to promote the ALTC / OLT Good Practice Reports. The one hour webinar to be hosted by Netspot aims to raise awareness of the Good Practice Reports (GPRs) and how they potentially offer value to the Australasian tertiary education sector. Moreover, the Launch will provide the occasion for the first presentation of several of the GPR eResources developed by the NATA in collaboration with the report authors.

By adopting the form of voice over slides, these eResources aim to convey key material in a more concise and engaging way than the traditional report format. Thus, in adopting this design it is hoped that some of the normal barriers to educators engaging with these reports may be removed or at least reduced.



The process of collaboration with report authors was considered critical in maintaining a strong authorly voice and ensuring that the key messages were captured and communicated. In maintaining this connection with the authors throughout this process, select authors involved in the development of two of the eResources will speak during the launch, expanding the discussion beyond the material covered in the eResource to look at the context, value of their report and work to the sector and how both the report and the eResource may best be used to improve practice.
What: NATA GPR Webinar titled “Understanding good practice – key lessons from the ALTC / OLT Good Practice Reports”
Where: Webinar (online) Link to be sent to registered participants
When: 10th December 2013, 12:00pm AEDT, 11:30am ACDT, 11:00am AEST, 9:00am AWST, 2:00pm NZDT
Key Speakers: Professor Mike Keppell & Professor Janice Orrell

Register your attendance today
To Register: Please send an email to Natasha Hard (Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au) with the subject ‘NATA GPR Webinar’.
Links to the completed eResources will be placed on the NATA blog following the Webinar Launch. For more information about the Launch and NATA’s role in disseminating the ALTC / OLT Good Practice Reports, please visit the NATA Blog: http://nataonthenet.blogspot.mx/p/altc-good-practice-reports.html
The completed Good Practice Reports can be accessed on the OLT webpage: http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-library/good-practice-reports


Natasha Louise Hard
Project Manager & Research Assistant
Australian Digital Futures Institute - ADFI | University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba | Queensland | 4350 | Australia
Ph: +61 2 8006 6928 | Skype: natasha.hard | Webpage: www.nataonthenet.blogspot.com.au

Tuesday 19 November 2013

NATA Update November 2013!

NATA Event and Network Sustainability

NATA continues to progress along with discussions turning towards the future and sustainability of the network into the new year. The NATA Event held on the 5th and 6th of November furthered this discussion with progress made around possible models, foci and value propositions a continuing NATA could offer key stakeholders.

For example, the benefits or value for network leaders in a continuing NATA included:


  • Possibilities to learn about good practices from others
  • Opportunities to discuss challenges
  • Resource sharing and mutual support
  • Mentorship for  new leaders

Whilst the potential benefits to partner associations listed included:
  • Having a stronger voice and greater influence
  • Help to avoid potential risks (financial, liability etc.)
  • Learning about executive functioning and leadership
  • Benchmarking between organisations
  • Coordination and collaboration regarding event scheduling and possible sharing of presenters etc.
NATA Value Proposition (initial draft ideas)

Presentations 

ascilite 2013
The NATA symposium for ascilite titled "Understanding network leadership in Australasian Tertiary Associations: communication a key element of success" has been scheduled for December 4, 11:45 - 12:25pm (W4.6) and will be presented by Mike Keppell, Gordon Suddaby, Helen Carter and Caroline Steel. The ascilite conference, 'electric dreams' will be held between the 1-4 of December 2013 at Macquarie University, Sydney. Click here to view the complete program.

Lilly Conference 2014
The presentation submitted to the Lilly Conference in February 2014 titled "Sharing learning and teaching experiences: An Australian perspective on evidence-based practice" was also recently accepted.

Other OLT supported Networks (National, Discipline, Promoting Excellence)

On Wednesday the 20th of November, the SANTPEN, ACEN SA?NT and HERDSA SA will host 'Network your Networks: working together to maximise knowledge and opportunities in teaching and learning'. a collaborative, full day event to be held at Flinders University. Focused on advancing the teaching and learning agenda through collaboration across institutions, disciplines and networks, a range of guest speakers will present on the day. To register and for more information click here - please note that if you are unable to attend in-person, the opening panel and keynote sessions will be streamed live.

GPR eResources

Work has once again focused on the organisation of a launch for the Good Practice Report eResources which are being developed. The tentative date for the launch is December 10 at 12pm AEDT with Netspot hosting a 1 hour webinar for the occasion. Final details are being confirmed with an official announcement due early next week so watch this space. The webinar will showcase several of the completed eResources as well as provide a forum for the authors to provide greater context and highlight the key value of their work.

Research

12 principles for good practice in network leadership were presented at the NATA Event earlier this month which were informed by the NATA research. For example:

Principle #1
Network leaders need  to have strong personal networks to help inform / contextualise network practices and assist network dissemination.

NATA Partner Projects

The partner projects were presented at the NATA Event and drew considerable interest from all involved. All are underway however, are at different levels of completion. The Partner Project page here on the NATA blog has been updated and now provides greater detail of all the 5 projects.

Upcoming Key Dates:

  • 20 November 2013 'Network your Networks: working together to maximise knowledge and opportunities in teaching and learning'.
  • 4 December 2013 - NATA Symposium at ascilite

Wednesday 13 November 2013

The NATA Event Update - Session 1: NATA activities and achievements

The NATA Event was held on Wednesday the 6th of November at the University of Queensland. The Event invited interested parties to come along, learn a bit more about NATA and contribute to discussions about sectoral issues and the future direction of the NATA. There was approximately 30 face-to-face attendees from a range of NATA stakeholder groups including ACODE, ascilite, CADAD, HERDSA, ODLAA, AARNet, Netspot and the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT). Session 1 began with a recount of the development and journey of the NATA before highlighting some of the key activities it is undertaking. These different activities are touched upon below.

1. Firstly, the NATA's work in disseminating the OLT/ALTC Good Practice Reports (GPR) was discussed. The process of collaborating with the report authors to develop the eResorces which aim to encapsulate the essence of the GPRs in a shorter and more engaging video format was highlighted in particular. These eResources are to be launched in December and will be made available here on the NATA blog.

The full collection of ALTC/OLT Good Practice Reports can be found here on the OLT website.


2. The NATA research into Network Leadership was also profiled with the 12 Principles for good practice in Network Leadership showcased for the first time.


3. It was also the first time many people were able to witness the full scope of the NATA Partner Projects. Representatives from each of the 5 relevant partner associations provided a short presentation on their project which highlighted the intended value for the NATA and NATA partners. A selection of slides can be found below, however, more details about each of the projects can be found here on the NATA blog.


Presented by Ric Canale (ACODE) "Engaging Network Members: A NATA case study of a Contemporary Tertiary Sector Issue".

Presented by Liz Greener (ascilite) "Guide to support and advance network engagement for members of professional associations and networks in the digital age".

Presented by Trish McCluskey and Kylie Readman (CADAD) "Social media as a communication enhancement strategy".

Presented by Shelda Debowski (HERDSA) "Leading Academic Networks".

Presented by Som Naidu (ODLAA) "Ubiquity online".

This one hour session was streamed live online so that those unable to attend in-person could still be engaged with the event. The recording of the session is now available to view online at the following link: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/4931571/events/2522241

More details about the other sessions of the event as well as event outcomes will be published on the NATA blog in the coming days. If you have any specific questions please be in touch (nataonthenet@gmail.com).


Friday 1 November 2013

Watch the NATA Event online!

If you are a member of ACODE, asciltie, CADAD, HERDSA or ODLAA and want to understand how the NATA relates to your association and you as an individual, we invite you to join the Event Online from 11:00am AEST on Wednesday the 6th of November!

Please email me Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au to register your interest and receive details about joining. More information about the Event can be found here.

Friday 18 October 2013

NATA Project Event Coming Up on the 6th of November

NATA Project Event
The NATA Project Event is coming up on the 6th of November at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. Please note, that even if you are unable to make it to Brisbane to attend the event in person, the first 2 sessions will be streamed and available to remote participants via a weblink provided by AARNet. However, whether you intend to attend in-person or via online, please contact Natasha Hard (Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au) to register your attendance if you have not already done so.

The day has three key objectives:

  1. Improve the understanding of NATA and its possible relevance to the work and professional practice of attendees
  2. Improve awareness of key challenges and success factors for effective network leadership
  3. Stimulate discussions about sustainability and how NATA may be able to return future benefit to the sector
The day will be facilitated by the NATA project leaders, Professor Mike Keppell, Executive Director of the Australian Digital Futures Institute and Gordon Suddaby, Higher Education Consultant. Representatives from the NATA partner associations, including ACODE, ascilite, CADAD, HERDSA, ODLAA, AARNet and Netspot will attend and contribute to the days proceedings. We are also happy to announce that Suzi Hewlett the General Manager Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) and Lindy Baker from the OLT will also be present on the day.

The event will begin at 11:00am and conclude at around 3:45pm in the afternoon with lunch provided for those attending from 1:00pm - 2:00pm. The day will be broken down into three key sessions.:

Session 1 (11:00am - 12:00pm) - NATA Activities & Achievements
This session will focus on providing a brief overview of the development and journey of the NATA before exploring some of the Key Activities engaged in by NATA. These include the promotion of the Good Practice Reports, research in the area of Network Leadership and the development of Projects led by NATA Partner Associations.

Session 2 (12:10pm - 1:00pm) - Exploring Emerging Themes & Issues
In this session Suzi Hewlett will provide a short address before a range of key questions will be discussed centred on topics around dissemination, network leadership, network communication and member engagement. These discussions aim to further elucidate the experiences and findings of the NATA as well as drawing upon the experiences of those present.

Session 3 (2:00pm - 3:45pm) - Future Possibilities
This session will begin with an overview of the NATA project evaluation approach as well as some of the key findings that have emerged through that evaluative process. Some of the key benefits of participation by network partners will be highlighted before a facilitated discussion about the future and sustainability of the network commences. This discussion will explore the following questions:
  1. How could your association (NATA Partner) potentially benefit from on-going collaboration?
  2. What are the possible forms of on-going collaborations? Learning from what other successful models may have done.
  3.  What would the members of NATA Partner associations like to see from further collaboration?
  4. In what ways could a continuing NATA provide value back to the sector?
 We really hope that you can join us on the day and contribute to a successful and engaging event. Please be in touch if you have any questions (Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au).

Please follow our blog and Twitter account to keep up to date (@NATAonthenet)

Friday 27 September 2013

The NATA Update! September 2013

News

NATA key activities continue to progress and are explored in greater detail below. We would like to announce that the April Progress Report was approved by OLT and the second installment of project funding has been received by the University of Southern Queensland as the Host Institution. In addition to this, we have now also submitted the subsequent Progress Report due October 1, to OLT for approval. Our attention will now turn to developing the Final Project Report due on January 15, 2014.

Today we also received the news that our ascilite symposium proposal titled "Understanding network leadership in Australasian Tertiary Associations: communication a key element of success" has been accepted. The ascilite conference, 'electric dreams' will be held between the 1-4 of December 2013 at Macquarie University, Sydney. Click here to register.

On Friday the 9th of August we also had a NATA evaluation conversation with Project Evaluator, Tom Prebble which really looked at the change in project phase from process to product focus. More details about that evaluation discussion can be viewed here.

Progress has also been made on the project team's draft article based on the Technology-enhanced learning and teaching report, OLT Good Practice Reports more generally and both the problematic nature of disseminating findings as well as the need for effective dissemination of the GPRs to help improve practice in the sector through the sharing of experiences. The article titled "Building best practice in technology-enhanced learning environments", is now being formatted for submission to Research in Learning Technology, The Journal of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT).

Achievement/s

As mentioned, we have just submitted our most recent Progress Report to OLT due 1 October 2013. This report details the recent developments of the NATA project as well as highlighting our progress with respect to building engagement through our Blog and Twitter channels (@NATAonthenet). As you can see from the graph below, the visits to the NATA blog have greatly increased in 2013 and we hope to continue to grow these figures in the coming months.


 
A presentation proposal for the Lily Conference in February 2014 titled "Sharing learning and teaching experiences: An Australian perspective on evidence-based practice" was recently submitted. The presentation proposal abstract reads: Effectively disseminating the outcomes and experiences of funded learning and teaching projects is a challenge in any learning context. The development and dissemination of 11 Good Practice reports commissioned by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) and the Australian Government’s Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) between 2004 and 2011 illustrate this issue. The reports, written by topic experts collated funded learning and teaching projects, providing findings and recommendations back to the sector. Whilst offering great potential to influence practice through the evidence-based findings, dissemination issues highlighted the problematic nature of sharing learning experiences in a dispersed educational environment.

Engaging with other OLT supported Networks (National, Discipline, Promoting Excellence)

Following the change in project phase to one of delivery or product orientation, we felt that it might be valuable to again be in touch with the other OLT supported networks (National Networks, Discipline Networks & PENs) in a way that demonstrated what NATA was doing which may pose potential value or interest to them as other Higher Education Networks. Consequently, we did this through developing a relevant blog post on the NATA blog (available here) which highlighted what we saw as having potential value to the other networks. This was then disseminated to network coordinators via an explanatory email including a link to the post online. This saw three responses from the contacted networks, with the WAND agreeing to discuss it at their next meeting, the Australian Learning and Teaching Fellows Network exchanging project details and links on each-others websites and finally with Q-PEN inviting us to participate in their Leading and Managing Networks session at their Q-PEN September Forum held on the 25th of the month. Gordon represented NATA in this discussion which saw many similar issues raised by both networks.
 

Good Practice Report eResources

We have been working with Kim Edgar (Netspot) to develop a dissemination strategy for the GPR eResources over the last 4-6 weeks. We have now drafted a strategy which begins with a launch event (Webinar) to be held on October 15th at 12pm AEDT, running for one hour. All members of the Australasian Tertiary Sector will be invited to participate in the Webiar to be hosted by Netspot. GPR authors will be key speakers at the launch and the first GPR eResource will be showcased. There will be a staggered release of the other GPR eReources in the months following. Please contact Natasha Hard (Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au) to register your interest now, however, further instructions will be made available on the NATA blog shortly.

The ALTC Good Practice Reports can be accessed here.

Research

The final focus group was conducted this Friday, the 9th of August, concluding the data collection phase of the NATA research. Analysis on the data collected from the Focus Groups and Interviews has no begun with a particular lens to informing the HERDSA Guide on Leading Academic Networks through the development of some practically-based principles. More information about the NATA research can be found here.

NATA Partner Projects

NATA is providing small-scale grants to member associations to pursue a project which is aligned both with their institutional or association objectives and the key objectives of NATA. So far we have approved three partner projects and are in discussions with the two other associations to finalise their project proposals. For more information about the specific projects being developed by the partner associations click here.
 

NATA Project Event


NATA Project Event, 6th November, University of Queensland, Brisbane.

Invitation to attend is open to all those interested in the Australasian Tertiary Sector. This includes members of NATA partner associations (ascilite, ACODE, CADAD, ODLAA, HERDSA) and those who have been involved in the development of the ALTC/OLT Good Practice Reports. The day will begin at 11am with a presentation of the NATA research into Network Leadership, dissemination of the Good Practice Reports, Partner Association Projects and general lessons learned. Lunch will then be provided for those in attendance before an afternoon session which will focus on network sustainability and possible forms of future collaboration, concluding at 4pm.

Those interested in attending are asked to please be in contact with the NATA project manager, Natasha Hard (Natasha.Hard@usq.edu.au) for more information and to register your attendance at the event (for catering and organisational purposes).

Keep up to date with information about the partner event here.


Upcoming key dates:

  • Tuesday 1st Otober, 2013 - Next NATA Partner Project Meeting
  • 6 November, 2013 - NATA Project Event