Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Engaging Network Members: A NATA case study of a Contemporary Tertiary Sector issue.


New ACODE Project to Study Multiple Dimensions of Partner Engagement

NATA has commissioned a project to document an effective and efficient approach to engaging members involved in the investigation and scoping of a contemporary tertiary sector concern, and to establish a mechanism to publish the results, for example in similar fashion to the "7 Things you should know about …" series, from the Educause Learning Initiative[1]. The project is titled "Engaging Network Members: A NATA case study of a Contemporary Tertiary Sector issue", and will be led by ACODE members: Ric Canale (La Trobe University), Alan Arnold (University of Canberra) and David Green (Flinders University). A project review panel will comprise of James Sankar  (AARNet), Philip Uys (ASCILITE, Charles Sturt University) and Susan Stoney (CADAD, Edith Cowan University).


ACODE often identifies issues of sector-wide importance and collectively suggests approaches to solutions to contemporary issues on an ad hoc basis. There is clearly a need for this to be done more efficiently, taking advantage of its membership and member networks to document current challenges and provide timely informative briefs on sector-wide concerns. It was recently identified by ACODE that there is a need to investigate and scope a sector-wide approach to media management because of the growing use of digital video in Teaching and Learning, and for other purposes, within our institutions. 

This partner project will use Media Management as a case study for how to go about the process of engaging member institutions and network member associations to address a contemporary issue and subsequently develop a guide to the adopted process. Using this issue, the project will draw out the key elements for engaging network members, the factors required to jointly investigate an issue and finally for collectively writing a briefing document on an issue of current concern in a timely fashion.

Post by Ric Canale, ACODE Treasurer (Executive Member) and Associate Director CTLC, La Trobe University


[1] http://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/7-things-you-should-know-about/7-things-you-should-know-about-learning-technology-topics



 

ascilite Live! Webinar "Digital Resilience in Higher Education" Presented by Professor Martin Weller



Date & Time:

11 July 2013 at 5pm AEST. For additional time zones, visit the date/time website.

Abstract:

Higher education institutions face a number of opportunities and challenges as the result of the digital revolution. The institutions perform a number of scholarship functions which can be affected by new technologies, and the desire is to retain these functions where appropriate, whilst the form they take may change. Much of the reaction to technological change comes from those with a vested interest in either wholesale change or maintaining the status quo. Taking the resilience metaphor from ecology, this webinar will propose a framework for analysing an institution’s ability to adapt to digital challenges.

This framework is examined at two institutions (the UK Open University and Canada’s Athabasca University) using two current digital challenges, namely Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Access publishing.

Presenter:

Martin Weller is Professor of Educational Technology at the UK Open University. He chaired the OU's first major elearning course in 1999 with 15,000 students, and has been Director of the VLE and SocialLearn projects. His research interests are in open education, the impact of new technologies, and digital scholarship. His recent book, The Digital Scholar, was published by Bloomsbury Academic under a Creative Commons licence. You will find Martin's blogs at edtechie.net.

Registrations:

To register for the webinar, simply email the ascilite Secretariat with "webinar registration" in the subject line followed by your full name and institution and whether or not you are a current member.

Ascilite webinars continue to be open to members and non-members so you are welcome to share the invitation with colleagues.

Once registered, you will receive an email with login details on the morning of the webinar.

Thursday, 20 June 2013

ASSURING GRADUATE CAPABILITIES INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

Assessing and accrediting graduate capabilities in 21C: People, practices, places and public accountability

A six-week event in Melbourne, Australia (19 August - 27 September 2013)

  • For more information on the event please visit http://boliver.ning.com/ 
  • To read the ALTC Good Practice Report on Assuring Graduate Outcomes by Professor Beverley Oliver please visit the OLT website here.

Introduction:

With the establishment of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and a strengthened Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), higher education providers are required to demonstrate that their graduates have achieved capabilities at required standards. The National Teaching Fellowship, Assuring Graduate Capabilities, explores how educators, in partnership with industry, can:

  1. Create and implement degree level descriptors of standards for generic capabilities (describing, for example, how and how well successful graduates can communicate, think critically, collaborate in diverse teams)
  2. Embed new ways of assessing those achievements in degree programs
  3. Encourage students to create, curate and present evidence of their achievements in a range of media using 21C technologies.

Key questions explored at this Symposium include:

  1. Practices: How do we assess and accredit evidence of learning, particularly in generic skills and capabilities, for graduate success? What works well now, and how can we sustain and scale up such practices? What works less well, and how can we improve through sustainable new practices?
  2. Places: How might we authenticate, warrant and accredit learning evidence in the digital economy? What are the challenges emerging from the wide-scale adoption of digital technologies in higher education, and how might these be addressed? What are the opportunities emerging from the wide-scale adoption of digital technologies in higher education, and how might innovations be trialled, evaluated and implemented in sustainable ways? In the wake of such innovations, what might be the best use of time for accreditation on campus and in the workplace?
  3. People: What might be the role(s) of industry (including experts, professional bodies and alumni) in such processes? What is the potential for self and peer assessment and accreditation? What are the implications and possibilities for academic roles, industry partnerships and workloads?
  4. Public accountability: How might we judge, measure, record and report authenticated and accredited learning—to students, the community, and regulatory authorities—drawing on emerging technologies, adaptive environments, massive open online courses, and open educational resources?

Who will be there?

The International Symposium is an opportunity to engage with experts such as:
Professor Mantz Yorke, University of Lancashire, UK
Dr Gary Brown, Portland State University, US
Professor Joy Higgs, Charles Sturt University
Dr Helen Chen, Stanford University, US
Rob Ward, Centre for Recording Achievement, UK
Professor David Nicol, University of Strathclyde, UK
Professor David Boud, University of Technology, Sydney
Mary Catherine Lennon, Leader AHELO, Canada
And more…

Where is it?

Deakin University’s City Centre, Level 3, 550 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Australia.

Who else is invited to attend the symposium?

Colleagues from any higher education institution are warmly invited to attend any event (all attendance must be booked at Assuring Graduate Capabilities and places will be limited—booking opens 1 July).

There is no charge to attend any event.

Professor Beverley Oliver, National Teaching Fellow
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Deakin University

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Final Call For Papers - SECOND Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research (ACUR)

19-20 September 2013

SECOND Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research (ACUR)

- Final Call for Papers - (Click here to view flyer)

The second Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research is to be held at Macquarie  University in Sydney on 19-20 September 2013. This two-day conference will include poster presentations and spoken papers by undergraduate students from all disciplines and from across Australasia.

We invite all Undergraduate, Matser of Research (1st year only) and Honours students who completed in 2012 to submit their work by the 1st July 2013.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND STUDENTS IN THEIR 1ST YEAR OF MASTER OF RESEARCH

First you need to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words by 9 am on Monday 1st of July 2013. Abstracts will be peer reviewed and the conference committee will decide the format of your presentation (a poster or a paper) depending on the quality of your abstract. You will be informed of the committee’s decision  by the end of July 2013. You may be asked to submit a revised abstract.

COMPLETED HONOURS 2012 STUDENTS: - Submit a full paper

If you completed your Honours degree in 2012, you must submit a full paper by 9 am on Monday 1st of July 2013. Please refer to www.undergraduateresearchaustralia.com for submission guidelines. Best Honours  student papers will be invited to give a spoken presentation in a special session at the conference. We will endeavour to inform you of the outcome of your paper by 9th August 2013.

PRIZES OFFERED AT ACUR 2013
  • $1000 Prize for the Best Presentation and Paper at the Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research 2013 (open to UG and MRes (1st year) students only)
  • $1000 Prize for the Best Presentation and Paper on Community-Engaged Research (open to ALL students)
  •  $500 Prize for the Best Presentation in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering (open to UG and MRes (1st year) students only)
  • $500 Prize for the Best Presentation in Business and Economics (open to UG and MRes (1st year) students only)
  • $500 Prize for the Best Presentation in Mathematics or Statistics (open to ALL students)
  • Four $500 Travel Scholarships for students who have engaged in online education: rural and remote; indigenous; female; and teacher/  educator (open to UG and MRes (1st year) students only)
Go to: www.undergraduateresearchaustralia.com for more details and to submit your abstract or paper.

Friday, 7 June 2013

KPCB Internet Trends 2013, by Mary Meeker & Liang Wu



Some highlights:
  • 2.4B global internet users in 2012 - Population penetration; USA 78%, China 42%, India 11%, Brazil 45% and Mexico 37%
  • 80% of the top 10 Global Internet Properties (Google, Microsoft, Facebook...) 'Made in the USA'... 81% of their users were from outside USA... (Q2:2013)
  • 1.1B global active Facebook users, 60% of whom log in daily (May 2013)
  • Mobile internet access surpassed PC access in China during the second quarter in 2012
  • Smartphone subscriber grown is rapid, 1.5B subscribers (2013)
  • Mobile users typically reach for their phones approx. 150 times per day (2013)

Thursday, 6 June 2013

Follow us on Twitter!

If you would like to keep up to date with all NATA activities, blog post or related information be sure to follow us on Twitter @NATAonthenet

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

Preparing your ascilite submissions; some key considerations from Helen Carter and Matt Bower's ascilite webinar, "How to Prepare a Conference Paper for ascilite 2013"


The ascilite Webinar held on Friday the 31st of May, titled “How to Prepare a Conference Paper for ascilite 2013” presented by Helen Carter and Matt Bower provided a range of advice on preparing submissions for the upcoming ascilite conference, 'Electric Dreams', which will be held at Macquarie University on the 1-4th of December. The three topics or streams are designed to enable as many submissions as possible whilst celebrating the 30 years the conference has been going and include:
 
1.       Learning from the past (reflecting on development, literature reviews etc.)
2.       Understanding our present (what we are doing now, current research/projects etc.)
3.       Imagining the future (what might be, what is possible etc.)

Some handy hints are found below which you may like to consider when preparing your ascilite submissions, remembering that the full paper submissions are due July 1.

  • A good abstract is really important and should always be written after the article to ensure that it reflects the essence of what is being said.
  • Make it clear to the reader what your article is contributing to the sector.
  • Don’t overwhelm your article with references, there needs to be a balance, and the reviewers are actually interested in what you have to say.
  • Have a colleague, even if they are not in the same field, read your article prior to submission. As the author you are often too close to the work and having another set of eyes look over it can help a great deal especially with grammar and readability.
  • There needs to be alignment in your research article, it needs to be an integrated piece which clearly states your research question and differentiates between research and simply reporting.
  • In a more detailed look at structuring the submission, Matt provided the following advice. The context for the piece should be clearly established and used as a platform for justifying the value of the research project. This should be followed by an exploration of the literature trying to draw upon as much core literature as possible. You may want to use google scholar to see how many times an article has been cited, previous actilite proceedings and editions of AJET are also valuable places to look for relevant literature. Your description of the method should be rigorous enough so that it could be replicated by others. Make sure you select key findings to highlight, don’t overwhelm the audience by providing a huge spread of findings and be sure to link these back to the literature. The conclusion is your chance to provide your take home message and make a personal statement.

Also some key or ‘hot’ topic areas for this year were noted including learning analytics, MOOCs, flipped classrooms, augmented reality, 3D printing, internationalisation, student diversity as well as women, indigenous people and technology (where have we come over the last 30 years?).

Thanks to Helen Carter, Matt Bower and ascilite for putting on the webinar. For more information please visit the conference website.