Networking - What could NATA potentially offer your higher education network?

We would like to explore ways in which NATA and NATA related activities might be able to work with and support different OLT funded networks. We have reviewed our current activities and foci and distilled the following key points which we feel might be of interest and potential value to other such networks.

NATA research into network leadership

We have now finished the data collection as phase of the NATA Research into network leadership within established Australasian tertiary education associations and have begun analysing the data. This research explores three different research 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 Education Associations?
3. What common ground exists between organisations that could provide a basis for collaboration into the future?

Whilst these questions are focused on leadership within Australasian Tertiary Education Associations, the first two questions offer potential insights into successful leadership strategies, communication strategies and the effective use of technology in networks which may be applicable to other higher education networks, regardless of their specific focus. The findings and relevant publications from the research will be highlighted on the NATA blog as they are developed.

The research will also inform the content of a HERDSA Green Guide being developed as part of the NATA project. This will be a practical guide about leading academic networks and will include such topics as:

• The role of the network leader
• Leading strategically
• The political landscape
• Communicating with your stakeholders
• Assessing your leadership effectiveness; and
• Finishing your term as network leader.

NATA Partner Projects

The NATA has approved and supported ascilite, ODLAA, HERDSA and ACODE to develop their own small-scale projects which support not only the needs of their own associations, but are also aligned with the NATA Key Objectives as well as offering value back to other NATA partners. The projects cover a range of topics, however, promise to deliver:

• Design and development of communication architecture for ODLAA as a contemporary and future proofed and forward looking/gazing professional organization. The results of which will be extrapolated to include the development of an architecture that would be attractive to related professional organizations and reported in the briefing document/report.
• A 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 (ascilite).
• Description and documentation of the process to engage networks in a contemporary issue of general concern including a simple how-to document and template for generating a briefing document.  Development of case study on Media Management (ACODE).
• HERDSA Green Guide on leading academic networks (as discussed above).

Thus, we feel that many of these outcomes and resources developed will have applicability to other higher education networks and we will encourage you to engage with them as they come to fruition - at the end of 2013 and into early 2014.

OLT/ALTC Good Practice Report eResources

As part of the NATA we are promoting the 11 OLT/ALTC Good Practice Reports. Our dissemination strategy includes the development of short eResource videos (voice over slides) which highlight these reports and the potential value they afford the sector. We have now completed some and hope to launch them in the upcoming months. Once these resources have been published we would encourage those of you who are interested to promote them through your own communication channels, especially those of most relevance to your networks.

Lastly, if you have any questions, feedback or would like to utilise the NATA blog to disseminate your network's activities please be in touch (nataonthenet@gmail.com or Natasha.Hard@gmail.com).

What higher education networks are supported by the OLT in Australasia?

Networks in Australasian Higher Education

Did you know that the Office for Learning and Teaching has funded discipline based networks, state based networks and national networks to support the dissemination of grant project outcomes and embed good practice in learning and teaching in higher education? The funding of these networks including NATA, aims to consolidate existing connections in the sector and help foster new collegial and cross-institutional links to generate high-level collaborative approaches to teaching and learning issues. A list of all the networks (by category) including the name of the network coordinator can be found below. 

National Networks

• The Network of Australasian Tertiary Associations (NATA), Professor Mike Keppell and Associate Professor Gordon Suddaby
• Discipline Scholars Network, Professor Jonathan Holmes
• FellowsNetwork: Scholarship, leadership and advocacy: a network for the support of quality learning and teaching in Australian universities, Professor Dawn Bennett
• Facilitationof advocacy and leadership in enhancing learning and teaching in the higher education community by HERDSA, Winthrop Professor Shelda Debowski

Discipline Based Networks

• Australian Engineering & ICT Education Support Network, Emeritus Professor Robin King
• Network of Associate Deans Learning and Teaching in the Discipline of Education (NADLATE), Professor Brenda Cherednichenko
• The Australian Business Deans Council Teaching and Learning Network, Phil Hancock
• Occupational Therapy Academic Leaders Network (OTALN), Professor Sylvia Rodger
• Australian Pharmacy Network: Learning Outcomes for Pharmacy Curriculum, Professor Ieva Stupans
• Chemistry Discipline Network, Dr Madeleine Schultz and Dr Glennys O'Brien
• Collaborative University Biomedical Education Network (CUBENET), Professor Philip Poronnik
• The Law Associate Deans Network, Dr Julie Clarke
• Learning and Teaching Network for Architecture and Building, Professor Susan Savage and Associate Professor Sidney Newton
• Vision and Innovation in Biology Education (VIBE.net), Dr Charlotte Taylor and Associate Professor Pauline Ross
• Australian Indigenous Studies Learning and Teaching Network, Dr Katelyn Barney
• Journalism,Media and Communication Network (JoMeC), Dr Rhonda Breit
• The Creative Arts Learning and Teaching Network (CALTN), Professor Jonathan Holmes
• National Forestry Education Network, Professor Peter Kanowski
• Australian Mathematical Sciences Learning and Teaching Network, Associate Professor Dann Mallet
• TheAustralian and New Zealand Paramedic Learning and Teaching Network, Dr Paul Jennings

State Based Networks (PENs- Promoting Excellence Networks)

• South Australia and Northern Territory State/Territory-based Promoting Excellence Network (SANTPEN), Ms Helen Stephenson
• State-based Promoting Excellence Networks - Victoria/Tasmania (VTAS), Associate Professor Angela Carbone
• State-basedPromoting Excellence Networks - NSW/ACT, Professor Stephen Marshall
• Q-PEN -Queensland Promoting Excellence Network, Ms Karen van Haeringen
• WesternAustralian Network for Dissemination (WAND), Ms Andrea Fraser

If you are involved in one of the OLT funded networks and would like to share what your network is up to, please be in touch (nataonthenet@gmail.com) as we would be highly interested to communicate your activities. In addition, I have tried to include links to network websites, and where I was unable to find such websites, a link to the OLT network summary page has been provided. If your network has a project website which is not linked to, please let me know and I will update.

*The information on this page has been taken from the OLT website where more information can be found http://www.olt.gov.au/networks

ascilite Live! Webinar: Quantitative design and analysis for technology-enhanced learning research

Date and Time

Friday, 6 September 2013 at 1pm AEST and 3pm NZ. For additional time zones, visit the date/time website. 

Abstract
This webinar will focus on quantitative methods for evaluating the effectiveness of technology-enhanced learning innovation. The most critical factor for successful quantitative research is appropriate research design and managing the delicate balance between rigour and relevance.

As a starting point, the development of appropriate research questions and operationalisation of variables will be explored. The range of quantitative designs will then be discussed as will the benefits and pitfalls of each. Some time will then be devoted to the ways of collecting and analysing quantitative data. It will be assumed that participants have little to no experience in quantitative research methods and the webinar will therefore not involve any advanced design methodology or inferential statistics.

Presenter
Jason Lodge, PhD is a psychological scientist and lecturer in technology-enhanced learning at Griffith University, Brisbane. Jason’s research concentrates on the application of the learning sciences to education. Specifically, he is interested in the cognitive and emotional factors that influence learning and behaviour and how research findings from the learning sciences can be better used to enhance instructional design, teaching practice and education policy.

Jason is also interested in the ways technology is influencing learning, particularly in terms of the impact of technology on the development of metacognition, critical thinking and expertise. He has ten years of experience in research design and analysis in psychology and education.

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.\

For more information about ascilite or becoming a member of ascilite please visit their website http://www.ascilite.org.au/index.php?p=membership

An OLT Grant Application Handbook is now available on the Dehub website

Grant Application Handbook for Office for Learning and Teaching grants: Tips and tricks for grant application preparation 

Authors: R James and C McCormack

Published in 2013 by DEHub

"The handbook is designed for those committed to making a real difference in learning and teaching through an Office for Learning and Teaching grant, whether as a first time or veteran grant applicant. Its content spans generating ideas, project planning, considering teams and collaboration, to the budget and final submission. The handbook’s eBook format, plain language, hyperlinks, lift-out quotes, templates, resource materials and, most importantly, direct intersection with OLT grant requirements, makes it an essential companion guide when drafting an OLT grant application (Forward, p.6)."

This Handbook will be a useful resource for staff involved in supporting the development of OLT grant applications as well as those submitting applications.

The document and more information can be accessed here: http://www.dehub.edu.au/publications/books/