The challenges and opportunities for professional societies in higher education in Australasia: A PEST analysis

Click here to read Doherty, Steel & Parrish's article exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by professional societies in Australasian higher education.

HERDSA Guides

Three new HERDSA Guides were launched at the Hobart Conference in early July, which can be ordered online through the HERDSA website. 

1. Peer Observation Partnerships in Higher Education (2nd edition) (2012) by Maureen Bell

 In this Second Edition of her popular HERDSA Guide to peer observation

 of teaching Maureen Bell provides a comprehensive and practical guide

 for three different models of Peer Observation Partnerships:

 self-directed; guided; and coordinated. This is a practical guide with

 a scholarly base and is written to support colleagues working together

 informally for their own professional development; educational

 developers supporting partnerships and Deans and Heads of Department

 implementing faculty or departmental programs.

2. Using Stories in Teaching (2012) by Frances Miley, Amy Griffin, Barbara Cram, Robert Kennelly, Coralie McCormack, Andrew Read

 Using Stories in Teaching is a scholarly and practical guide to assist

 teachers in higher education. The authors outline the benefits of

 storytelling and how it fits within the broader category of narrative.

 The Guide covers practical aspects of using stories in teaching

 including where to find stories, how to incorporate storytelling into

 teaching and which types of stories might be suitable for different teaching purposes.

3. Effective Feedback for Student Learning in Higher Education (2012) by Iris Vardi

 Ensuring your students get good quality feedback that they can use is

 one of the most powerful ways to truly make a difference to their

 learning and satisfaction. This HERDSA Guide will show you how to plan

 for and provide feedback to students in a time effective way that helps

 them improve their learning and performance. Based on the latest

 research and models of feedback, this Guide is full of practical

 suggestions, insights and techniques.  It begins by examining the role

 that feedback plays in in the educational environment and then provides

 an overview and synthesis of the literature, providing practical lists

 on what improves and impedes student performance and confidence.

MOOCs

We have recently added a variety of resources to our Delicious site on MOOCs. Views supporting and criticising this increasingly popular form of 'education' are presented.

Also watch "Disruptive Innovation in Higher Education" a TED talk that highlights the importance of asking the right questions in order to reform Higher Education into the Future.

New Delicious Account

I would like to take this chance to alert our partners and those with an interest in our project and networking to our new Delicious account. It can be found under NATA Resources on the left-hand toolbar. We have developed this resource to bookmark relevant resources including articles and presentations as well as links to partner networks and other networks in relation to Higher Education. We hope that you might find this resource useful and welcome you to forward on any link that you feel would help develop this resource further.

HERDSA Discussion with PENS and OLT

On Wednesday the 4^th of July, representatives from the NSW/ACT PEN, SA/NT PEN, VIC/TAS PEN, Q-PEN, WAND, NATA (NNI) and OLT got together at the HERDSA Conference in the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart to discuss the development of the networks.

Key themes that emerged from the discussion included:

General Progress/Findings

• There were big differences in stages of network development
• In some cases there had been difficulty in managing and collaborating across members/institutions where distinct differences in levels of institutional maturity existed
• The sharing or experiences and collaboration offered through the networks was valuable
• The networks provided a “safe place to go” for staff to share issues
• It was important to remember that all network members were equal despite institutional size or power
• Extension grants offered ‘easier’ options for funding
• Smaller grants and awards were often seen as less intimidating for staff.

Evaluation

• Evaluation of network initiatives, such as developing surveys to review workshops and inform subsequent design and practices, were seen as important
• Evaluation of the networks themselves, especially considering the varied stages of development between networks was widely accepted as being complicated and requiring further attention
• Applicability of the AKO AOTEAROA Impact Evaluation Framework to the networks and addressing the issues of evaluation was raised
• Linking the ‘network leadership’ (NATA) resources being developed to some of these evaluation criterion was seen as offering potential benefit.

Sustainability and Future

• The degree of perceived network longevity and sustainability beyond the course of funding varied considerably between networks
• A clear link was made between evaluation and the future viability of networks, especially in relation to funding. Positive evaluation could lead to 1. The transfer of funding from other projects to the continued funding of the networks OR 2. By linking student experience and learning outcomes with the network activities to a sufficient degree through evaluation, there could be a case to lobby the government for additional funding to support the networks.

Connecting the PENS and NATA (NNI)

• The need to share links to each others websites/digital presences was raised
• The possibility of drawing upon the varied experiences of the PENS to inform the ‘network leadership’ resources being developed by NATA was noted. Then the subsequent dissemination of the developed resources to the PENs could assist in furthering their network development.
• Need to explore new email list opportunities due to the upcoming closure of the EDNA.

National Forum (May 2013)

• A possible National Forum in May 2013 was suggested to bring together PENS and other networks, discuss evaluation options and the future as well as to disseminate ‘network leadership’ resources developed by NATA.

Actions Arising:

1. Explore new email list options
2. Venues for citations – PENS to assist in recommending venues for the upcoming citations in September / October
3. PENS and NATA to share links to websites and digital resources developed
4. Further exploration of the Impact Evaluation Framework
5. Explore ideas and practice of the Australian Council of Deans of Science

HERDSA - Some take aways...

The following are some personal 'take aways' from the HERDSA conference in Hobart:

• Attendance at the HERDSA AGM and subsequent discussions with Shelda saw the idea of developing guidelines or role-specific guides for new members to the executive emerge. This would include guidelines in relation to expectations and responsibilities etc. for treasurers, presidents and other members of the executive which would help ensure a smooth transition into the relevant roles for new members.
• Jarrod Green, a student and invited speaker, provided an-insider perspective on the student experience, what motivated him and provided him with rich learning opportunities. Jarrod emphasised the importance of the teacher's passion for teaching and the material they were imparting in student engagement and learning. Additionally, he promoted the role of the student in the learning process and questioned the continued use of the term 'lecturer' which implies a one directional flow of information, rather than promoting independent student learning, conversation and the questioning of ideas and assumptions. Jarrod graduated from the University of Tasmania (2011) with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science combined degree with First Class honours in Chemistry and a University Medal. 
• Dr Kathy Takayama, a keynote speaker, highlighted the importance of recognising and understanding disciplinary differences in learning, teaching and expectations. This focus also continued in the exploration of the applicability of interdisciplinary approaches in the provocations.

Evaluator - Tom Prebble

Today we met with Tom Prebble, who has agreed to come on board as the formal evaluator for the project. This was a great opportunity to welcome Tom on board and updated him about the members involved as well as the project progress and schedule of upcoming activities. Tom has kindly agreed to attend the next face to face meeting in October (16th & 17th) and has access to all working documents through dropbox. Some of the key ideas to come from the meeting included:

1. The need to ensure a clarity of understanding amongst all members of the value, direction and objectives of the NATA with specific relevance to them and their association.
2. Recognising the need to ensure progress and successes of the network are clearly articulated to member associations.
3. Need to maintain a level of activity and expectation of involvement that is realistic if the network is to be sustainable beyond the initial 2-year funded period.
4. Adopting an evaluation methodology that is firstly based upon a our own operational understanding of the AKO AOTEAROA Impact Evaluation Framework. This would then provide a means for our own critical evaluation of progress that would be subsequently, reviewed by the formal evaluator.

Tom Prebble - Short Bio

PhD (Alberta), MA (Hons) (Auckland), Dip Tchg (Auckland Coll. of Ed.), Fellow, NZ Ed. Admin. Soc.

Dr. Prebble is an education consultant and Emeritus Professor of Massey University. He spent much of his earlier career at Massey serving most recently as Professor of Higher Education and formerly as Principal (Extramural and International), Director of Extramural Studies, and Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Educational Administration.

Tom has undertaken a range of consultancies, both national and international, in programme evaluation, distance education, e-learning and international education. He has also undertaken a number of recent research studies on the impact of academic development and support services on student learning outcomes.