The Social Media Toolkit - Supporting communication through social media

NATA would like to announce that the Council of Australian Directors of Academic Development (CADAD) has completed the online Social Media Toolkit, the main output from their NATA partner project. The toolkit is freely accessible (https://sites.google.com/site/natacadadproject/home) and offers  a great range of resources aimed to support the capability development of network members in the use and affordances of social media. It also aims to improve connectivity and networking between Directors of Academic Development as well as with wider higher education stakeholders.

Image captured from the CADAD Social Media Toolkit website https://sites.google.com/site/natacadadproject/home

The Social Media Toolkit consists of a range of pages that target certain topics. These include social networking, presentation sharing, video and photo sharing, research sharing, bookmarking, curation tools and podcasts. These pages detail some of the main tools or applications available for each of these functions, explore the different pros and cons of each as well as relating them back to the role of the educator and academic. Other information provided touches upon the importance of security when using social media as well as self-care and managing information overload.

The toolkit provides a valuable resource for those working in educations who are interested in developing their understanding and use of a range of social media related tools. We encourage you to access the website and share the link with colleagues.

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

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).

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.

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)

NEW! The NATA Update!

News

The NATA team  has decided to publish a 6 weekly update here on the NATA blog which outlines the key developments of the project in the 6 weeks previous. This is aimed at better informing the public and more specifically, members of partner associations about the activities of NATA. Links to the regular blog posts will be shared with partner associations who will be encouraged to share with their membership.

The update will follow a consistent format and report progress against the project's main activities (listed below). If you have any questions please feel free to contact me, Natasha Hard, the NATA project manager, at natasha.hard@usq.edu.au 

You can also follow NATA on Twitter at @NATAonthenet

Key Achievement:

The Deed of Novation, the document which formalises the transfer of project Host Institution from Charles Sturt University (CSU) to the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has finally been signed off by all parties, signalling the completion of the transfer process. A lot of people have been involved in this protracted process, however, I would like to send out a big thanks specifically to Liz Neary at USQ and Maree Potter at CSU for all their help in making this happen.

Good Practice Report eResources

Working with Jason Myatt at USQ and Stephen Parker and Trevor Gale at Deakin, we have now developed the first draft ALTC/OLT Good Practice Report on Student engagement. These eResources provide a snapshot of the Good Practice Report developed and aim to present the information in an engaging manner with a focus on the author's own voice. We are also in consultation with other authors to develop similar resources for as may of the Good Practice Reports as possible (All Good Practice Reports can be accessed here on the OLT website). The next eResource to be developed with be the one on Technology-enhanced learning and teaching authored by Mike Keppell, Gordon Suddaby and myself.

Research

The NATA is conducting a small-scale research project looking at network leadership in established Australasian Tertiary Associations. The data is being collected via interviews with network leaders and focus groups with association executives. Almost all the data has been now collected and preliminary analysis is underway. The research i exploring three questions:

1. What network leadership strategies support good practice in leading networks to foster engagement of members in established Australasian Tertiary Education Associations?
2.  What communication strategies, technologies, and approaches support good practice to foster engagement of members in established Australasian Tertiary Eduction Associations?
3. What common ground exists between organisations that could provide a basis for collaboration into the future?

NATA Partner Projects

As part of the NATA project activities, 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 which are all in very early stages of development. AARNet's project is being led by James Sankar and has morphed over time into a series of provocative blog posts which will build on a document developed collaboratively by NATA members in response to the Coalition's Online Higher Education Working Group's Terms of Reference.

ACODE has finalised the details of their project titled 'Engaging Network Members: A NATA case study of a Contemporary Tertiary Sector Issue'. More information about this project can be found here. 

ascilite has also finalised their project proposal for their project, a 'Guide to support and advance network engagement for members of professional associations and networks in the digital age'. This project aims to develop  Guide that promotes best practice in the engagement of members of professional associations and networks. The Guide will outline design principles and engagement strategies for the use of web based resources (including social media)to support and advance community engagement in professional associations and networks.

NATA Project Event

The NATA project will host a project event on Wednesday the 6th of November, 2013 in Brisbane to showcase the achievements of the network as well as foster discussions about sustainability and the future of the network.

Upcoming Key Dates:

• 3 July, 2013, 4pm (WG609) Gordon Suddaby will be presenting 'Network Of Australasian Tertiary Associations: A Space For Discussion, Collaboration And Advocacy In Tertiary Education', at HERDSA on behalf of the NATA team and we welcome people to come along.
• 9 July, 2013, Next NATA Partner Meeting
• 1 October, 2013, Progress Report due to OLT