Teaching@Sydney

July Symposium - MOOCs and the student experience of blended learning

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

As a precursor to this year’s 2013 Teaching Colloquium, a symposium on "Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and the student experience of blended learning” will be held at the University on Monday 8 July, 12 noon – 5pm. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) is hosting the event, which is sponsored by the University of Sydney Association of Professors and the University of Sydney's Sciences and Technologies of Learning research network.

Themes will include the challenges, opportunities and risks created by MOOCs and the student experience of blended learning for research-intensive, campus-based Universities. Key speakers are Professor Diana Laurillard of the London Institute of Education, Professor Peter Goodyear, Australia’s first ARC Laureate in Education and Mr Andrew Norton of the Australian Grattan Institute, along with other speakers who are knowledgeable about the student experience of blended learning and MOOCs in the future of Higher Education in Australia.

The program and more details of the event will be available shortly. Spaces will be limited and an afternoon tea and post-symposium wine and discussion are planned. You can register for the symposium here.

For more details about the symposium, please email Mary-Helen Ward.

More students than ever are having an excellent learning experience at Sydney

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Over the past 5 years students' overall satisfaction with the quality of units of study has been increasing, every year, incrementally, as evident in Unit of Study Evaluation results. In particular, the percentage of units rated as excellent quality (80% or higher agreement on item 12) has risen from 55% of units surveyed in Semester 1, 2007 to 69% in Semester 2, 2012.

The Teaching Standards project is on the VC's workslate, and aims to support and lead continued improvement in the quality of units of study offerings across the University, as well as to recognise and celebrate quality achievement. In 2011, a new strategy was launched to enable this work – Compacts between the DVC Education Porfolio and each of the 16 faculties. Each Compact outlines targets for teaching quality (both a minimum standard, and a high quality standard), strategies for meeting these targets, and the support required to achieve them. In the first year almost all faculties were able to report either a decrease in the percentage of units not meeting the minimum standard (of < 20% disagreement on USE Item 12), and/or an increase in the percentage of units meeting the high quality standard (of ≥ 80% agreement on Item 12), for 2012 versus 2011. Also in 2012 (cf. 2011), across the University we saw an improvement in students' experiences of assessment, staff responsiveness, development of graduate attributes, and clarity of expectations.

Congratulations to all involved in designing, supporting, and teaching in our high quality units of study. And thank you to the 16 Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching) for your leadership of teaching and learning development at Sydney.

OLT funding for strategic projects

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) has announced that applications are now open for strategic projects commissioned in response to key issues in the Australian higher education sector in the following areas:

Learning analytics: how can it assist us with student retention?
Graduate employability: how can universities best support students to develop generic skills?
Technology enabled learning: how can student learning outcomes be enhanced?
National learning and teaching resource audit and classification
Good Practice Reports: Postgraduate research and coursework degrees; Standards

Projects 1–3 are larger strategic projects of national interest. The OLT anticipates proposals for funding of $220,000 and beyond and may award one or more grants to address a strategic topic. Project 4 has funding available of up to $150,000. The Good Practice Reports (Project 5) have funding of $30,000 each.

The timeframe is tight with the information having only just been sent out. Applications are due at the OLT no later than 5pm (AEST) Friday 28 June 2013. More information and application instructions may be found here.

If you are interested in making an application:

Download the instructions - note that some projects call for inter-institutional proposals.
Contact Alison Kuiper. If there are others in the university who are interested in the same project she will arrange for you to make contact in case this will strengthen the application.
Inform the Institutional Contact Officer (ICO) Myrophora Koureas of your intention to apply and arrange for your application to be with her for the institutional letter of support by Friday 21 June 2013.

Engaging and Supporting First Year Students Through Creative Partnerships

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The First Year Experience Working Group will be running its second forum of the semester on Friday 7th June from 3-4.30pm in New Law School Annex Seminar Room 346. In this forum, we will hear presentations from:

The Library on "The Role of the Faculty Liaison Librarian: Providing Services and Support to Students", and
Faculty of Health Sciences on "Health Sciences Peer Mentoring: A Student-Staff-Alumni Collaboration".

All are welcome and no RSVP is needed.

To find out more about the First Year Experience Working Group, please contact Adam Bridgeman or see the group’s website. Curriculum resources on the transition to learning at university are available here.

Enhancing Social Inclusion in Universities: upcoming workshop

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Widening Participation Scholars Network will be hosting Associate Professor Adam Howard, Visiting Senior Fulbright Specialist for our next workshop. Professor Howard is visiting Monash, Melbourne and Victoria Universities from Colby College, Maine to work with Australian staff on social inclusion in education. He will visit the University of Sydney on 13 June.

Adam has published Educating Elites: Class Privilege and Educational Advantage and Learning Privilege: Lessons of Power and Identity in Affluent Schooling as well as articles on privilege and social justice, on 'unlearning the lessons of privilege' and other aspects of inequality in education.

Date: Thursday 13 June
Time: 1-3pm
Venue: New Law Foyer

The workshop is an activity of the Widening Participation Scholars Network. The network, a joint initiative of the ITL and the Social Inclusion Unit, collaboratively builds capacity of its 200+ members through the provision of leadership, professional development activites, curriculum resources and expertise. Resources from last month's workshop on publishing are available here.

Closing the loop: Central system now available for Unit Coordinators to respond to USE results

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

This year, for the first time, the USE system run by ITL provides an easy way to give responses to students. From mid-year, all students whose units of study have been surveyed will be given access to the quantitative reports of the student evaluations of their Units of Study. As a Unit of Study Coordinator, you can provide students with your written response to that report using this system. Some academic staff have been using their own systems to do this, and have found that responding or ‘Closing the loop’ tells students that their feedback is valued and encourages them to provide constructive feedback in future surveys.

Your written response could include comments about how students' feedback has improved your unit; planned initiatives for future improvement; and your contact details in case students have additional feedback. Examples of how to respond to student feedback are available here.

To assist you in interpreting your USE data, you could consult these guidelines. When considering how to improve the quality of your teaching, a quantitative USE report is only one source of data. Your consideration of recommended changes needs to take into account your teaching context and could draw on sources of information other than USE data, such as self-reflection and peer review.

To provide a written response to students, access the pull-down menu at the top of your electronic USE report through the ITL website using your Unikey.

Further details on this process, including the details of the USE reports accessible by students, are available.

Myth-busting: Do great researchers make great teachers?

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

A recent article by a University of Sydney student raised interesting points about the relationship between university teaching and research.

Commonly held opinions about university teaching include 'world-class' researchers also make great teachers, or to be a great university teacher you also have to be a great researcher.

These opinions are just that: "judgement or belief resting on grounds insufficient to produce certainty" (Macquarie Dictionary). They are myths.

We have known for some time from comprehensive meta-analyses (Hattie & Marsh, 1996; Marsh & Hattie, 2002) that teaching effectiveness and research productivity are almost uncorrelated. This means that just as many good researchers are bad at teaching as are good at it. Research performance is not an indication of teaching potential.

The reality is that "if students want to be taught by outstanding teachers, they need to focus on measures of teaching effectiveness rather than reputations based on research performances" (Marsh & Hattie, 2002, p. 635).

So if being a good teacher doesn't depend on being a good researcher, what might it depend on? Well, we could do worse than consult Fitzmaurice (2008) who in a study of lecturers' teaching philosophies found that "the moral stances of honesty, respect, responsibility, care and compassion are fundamental to good teaching" (p. 341).

Many academics value both teaching and research. For good teachers, teaching well is a moral practice that is worth time and effort.

_{^{Fitzmaurice, M. (2008). Voices from within: Teaching in higher education as a moral practice. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(3), 341-352.

Hattie, J. & Marsh, H. W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching–a meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66, 507-542.

Marsh, H. W. & Hattie, J. (2002). The relation between research productivity and teaching effectiveness: Complementary, antagonistic, or independent constructs? The Journal of Higher Education, 73(5), 603-641.}}

Foundations of Research Supervision completion Forum – June 14

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The next forum for people wishing to complete the Foundations of Research Supervision program will be held on 14 June, from 12-2pm. If you have finished Module 1 and any three of the other five Modules, then attendance and participation in this forum will constitute completion of the program.

To register, please click here.

The location of the Forum (on the Camperdown campus) and the program for the session will be sent to you following registration. In preparation for the Forum, please have a look at the new (from 22 Feb 2013) Supervision of Higher Degree by Research Students Policy 2013, and bring a copy with you, along with any questions or comments that you have.

Call for Papers for the 2nd Australasian Conference for Undergraduate Research

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The second Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research is to be held at Macquarie University 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. For students, this is a great opportunity to meet students from other universities and share research findings.

Who is eligible to present?

Undergraduate Students (all years)
Master of Research Students (first year only)
Honours Students who graduated in 2012

Submissions are due by 9am on Monday 1st of July 2013. See the website for further details.

Those interested in Research Enriched Learning and Teaching might wish to peruse the ITL resources.

Upcoming Higher Education conferences and seminars

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The full HERDSA conference programme (with links to abstracts) is now available online. Running from 1st-4th July in Auckland, registration for the conference is here.

The higher education research group of Adelaide (HERGA), invites submissions for its conference to be held at the University of Adelaide on 25-27 September. The submission deadline is 5 July. The conference theme is Bricks to Bytes? An exploration of the changes in Higher Education and their implications, with keynote speakers Professor Gilly Salmon and Professor Jan Herrignton. For more information and to register for the conference click here.

The Society for Research into Higher Education (SHRE), UK, invites submissions for its annual conference to be held 11th-13th December in Wales. Proposals are due 28 June.

The 2013 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) conference will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, from October 2nd-5th 2013. Details are available here. If you are unable to attend, ISSOTL 2013 Online, offers free online seminars scheduled for the three weeks leading up to the conference. The seminars include video interviews with international scholars, readings and other resources, and opportunities to engage online with peers from around the world. To register, visit the website and click on ‘Register for access to ISSOTL13 Online’.

Vice-Chancellor's Awards: Winners announced

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Learning and Teaching were this year awarded to nine individuals or teams for their contributions to the University’s commitment to excellence in learning and teaching.

Associate Professor Adam Bridgeman (pictured), Faculty of Science, was recognised for his Outstanding Teaching. Adam has maintained high personal achievements in teaching, alongside his ability to lead and drive curriculum renewal and evidence-based practice. His innovations show respect for students, and his recent voluntary appointment to coordination of the First Year Experience network is a further example of his strong commitment to excellence in learning and teaching.

Dr Melanie Nyugen and Dr Susan Banki were awarded Early Career awards for Outstanding Teaching.

Dr Melanie Nyugen of the Faculty of Health Sciences was commended for the range of her teaching activities and initiatives, and an innovative staff mentoring program which has been adopted faculty-wide and is well evidenced.

Dr Susan Banki of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences was commended for the wide reach of her teaching activities with impact outside the university, and recognised for her innovative work on simulation and its potential connectivity.

Two awards were made for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision.

Professor Jennifer Alison, Faculty of Health Sciences, was commended as a caring supervisor who has employed best practice in accommodating diverse student needs, including maximising future employment opportunities and the development of her students as effective practitioners and academics.

Professor Des Richardson, Sydney Medical School, was acknowledged for his evident success and strong outcomes of his supervisory practice which is clearly based on his commitment to students and their achievements. The Dean of the Sydney Medical School describes Des' supervision as having the potential to “further enhance the reputation of the University of Sydney as a source of the next generation of Australian medical researchers”.

Two teams gained awards for their Support of the Student Experience.

The Pam Maclean Centre team (Professor Stuart Dunn, Professor Fran Boyle, Dr Paul Heinrich, Ms Jennifer Dibley) were commended for the impact of the Centre's innovative communication curriculum across all six clinical schools attached to the Sydney Medical School.

The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Program team (Professor Craig Mellis, Ms Annette Burgess, A/Prof Chris Roberts, Dr Kirsten Black, Dr Renata Chapman) of the Central Medical School were commended for their program of key activities for senior medical students, with the overall objective of developing engaged enquiry experiences.

Two Faculties were commended for their work in Curriculum Review and received awards in the category of awards for Systems that Achieve Collective Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The Sydney Nursing School (A/Prof Heather McKenzie and the faculty team) were awarded for their significant achievements in successful faculty-wide, sustainable curriculum renewal and the fundamental change in faculty culture which has resulted. The curriculum renewal strategy connects to all parts of the academic endeavour: to teaching and learning, to other faculties and to community engagement.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy Curriculum Review Team (A/Prof Jane Hanrahan, Prof Ines Krass, Dr Erica Sainsbury, Dr Rebekah Moles, A/Prof Parisa Aslani, Dr Romano Fois) were commended for their curriculum renewal of the Bachelor of Pharmacy, which was strongly evidence based, with a clear analysis of the issue, a concrete and systematic approach and clear outcomes. Evidence was provided of a spiral curriculum with themes returned to across the program and a culmination in the case study third, ‘signature year’.

Congratulations to all recipients of this year's Vice-Chancellor’s Awards.

Reminder: OLT Awards for Programs and Teaching Excellence

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Teaching Excellence at the University has been recognised nationally by winners of Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) Citations and in 2011 by the awarding of a Teaching Excellence Award to Associate Professor Rosina Mladenovic (Business School) and a Program award, for delivering high quality feedback to large classes, to Associate Professor Adam Bridgeman and Dr Peter Rutledge (School of Chemistry).

In 2012 Professor Rick Benitez (Faculty of Arts) was recognised with one of twelve Teaching Excellence Awards.

This year the University’s call for nominations for the OLT Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning, and Awards for Teaching Excellence, closes on 30 May at 5pm. Please click here for information about internal processes. Recipients of Awards receive $25,000.

Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning recognise learning and teaching support programs and services across eight categories:

Widening participation
Educational partnerships and collaborations with other organisations
The first-year experience
Flexible learning and teaching
Innovation in curricula, learning and teaching
Postgraduate education.
Services supporting student learning
Global citizenship and internationalisation (a new category in 2013)

Awards for Teaching Excellence recognise outstanding university teachers across eight categories: five discipline categories, the Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Education, an early career category, and an annual priority area. The priority category for 2013 is High impact strategies for progression, retention and attainment.

The University may submit only one nomination in each of the 16 award categories. For further information please contact Alison Kuiper.

OLT Seed project applications workshop

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

A workshop for those interested in submitting applications for Seed Projects in the second round of OLT grants will be held 1-3pm Friday 17 May in New Law 340. To register for the workshop please click here.

The second round of learning and teaching grants being offered by the OLT this year is for Seed Projects and the development of successful EOIs from the first round into full proposals only.

There was exceptionally strong competition in the first round. Congratulations to the leaders and teams of the five EOIs from Sydney selected to submit full proposals from an unprecedented number of applications.

No other applications will be considered in this round but the OLT has indicated there will be a third round for applications for Innovation and Development, and Excellence in Learning and Teaching Program grants in 2013. The date has not yet been announced.

Need help with publishing your learning and teaching project?

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

This two hour workshop on publishing from your Widening Participation project provides an opportunity for you to discuss your ideas on writing about your project. The workshop is also open to people interested in writing about their learning and teaching-related research.

You’ll be able to make connections across disciplines for possible collaborative writing, and hear from an experienced journal editor. Please bring any work in progress.

Date: Monday 13 May
Time: 10am-12pm
Venue: Darlington Centre Conference Room
Register: Click here

Presenters / Facilitators:

Professor Deborah Lupton, a prolific writer who uses social media alongside more ‘traditional’ forms of publishing.
Dr Tai Peseta, who is on the editorial teams of Higher Education Research and Development, Teaching in Higher Education and The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Dr Hannah Forsyth, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Social Inclusion Unit.

Start your promotion portfolio now

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The best advice about going for promotion is to start preparing a portfolio for your application as early as you can.

Although the next call for promotion applications will not be made until March/April in 2014, start thinking now about gathering the evidence you will need to make your teaching case. For example, standardised student evaluation forms will always have more credibility in your application than other forms which you might 'make up' from scratch.

Do you need to order the Unit of Study Evaluation form or other ITL standard form to obtain student feedback about your teaching? Place your order now for the USE for semester one.

In planning the case for your teaching, start thinking about what kinds of evidence you will need that will show your teaching is superior or outstanding.

Credible and convincing forms of evidence include:

unsolicited emails from your students about their learning experience
unsolicited emails from your colleagues about the influence of your teaching on their students, or about your mentoring or leadership in learning and teaching
emails about invited presentations on learning and teaching
your students' achievements including their performance in course assessments, or in the case of research students e.g., conference papers or other publications that they have successfully submitted and/or published

In particular, make sure you keep a Word file of all your USE student feedback comments, student emails etc. and cross reference them with a list of your units of study and other teaching.

In making your teaching case, there is nothing like real, genuine comments and affirmations to make your quantitative data in your application 'come alive' for the promotions committee.

Free state-of-the-art design studio available for your use

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Are you planning to revise an existing course, create a new unit of study, or (re)design a learning space? Will you work on this collaboratively in a team? If so, we invite you to consider using our state-of-the-art design studio in the Education Building (A35).

The Educational Design Research Studio (EDRS) is equipped to support small teams (2-10 people) working on existing or new course development projects. The EDRS offers multiple projectors, interactive whiteboards, and plenty of space on the whiteboard walls to develop your ideas. There are audio, still image and videorecording facilities, so that you can take away a record of your work. Your team can use the EDRS just once, or as many times as needed to develop your project. Potential users might include academics (from any discipline), instructional designers, eLearning specialists, etc.

The EDRS has been created as an educational design research facility. You can use the space at no cost and without any obligation to be involved in our research. If, after viewing the studio, you think you’d like to help with our research program, we would be happy to discuss opportunities with you.

In the first instance, please contact Dr Beat Schwendimann.

New book on university teaching

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

If you are looking for an up-to-date practical introduction to university teaching from an Australian perspective, then this new book, University Teaching in Focus: A learning-centred approach is hard to go past.

The book "provides a foundational springboard for early career academics preparing to teach in universities. Focusing on four critical areas - teaching, curriculum, students, and quality/leadership - this succinct resource offers university teachers a straightforward approach to facilitating effective student learning" (Routledge). See the publisher's website for more information.

Dr Saranne Weller from the King’s Learning Institute, King’s College London In her review of the book states that "overall this new collection is a valuable addition to the field for those seeking up-to-date introductory readings". Read Dr Weller's full review here.

University Teaching in Focus: A learning-centred approach is priced at $59.95 (members $55.75) from the Co-op Bookshop.

Call extended for proposals for ePortfolio Forum

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

ePortfolios Australia is a professional network which aims to support the use of eportfolios in Australia and beyond through professional development activities and the sharing of resources, ideas and practice.

The call for proposals for the 2013 ePortfolios Australia Forum has been extended until 20 May 2013.

The Forum will be held on 3 October at the University of Canberra and is based on the theme "Digital Identities, Footprints and Networks”.

Proposals of 150 words or less to present or to facilitate a workshop/professional conversation should relate to one or more of the following themes:

Eportfolios supporting learning pathways
Managing online identities through eportfolios
Verifying evidence through eportfolios
Getting started with eportfolios and/or changing eportfolio platforms

For more information about themes and how to submit a proposal, click here.

ASCILITE conference call for papers

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) encourages and supports research into and exemplary use of technologies for learning and teaching in tertiary education throughout Australasia.

ASCILITE has recently announced the call for papers for its 2013 conference.

The conference will be held from 1-4 December at Macquarie University, Sydney. Proposals for papers can be submitted under the following themes:

Learning from the Past
Understanding our Present
Imagining the Future

Paper formats include full and concise papers, digital posters, symposia and workshops. For more information about submission of papers and conference registration, click here.

Deadline for submission of abstracts to AARE

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The closing date for submission of abstracts to the 2013 Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) conference is 31 May.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Adelaide Hotel, from 1-5 December 2013.

Abstracts can be submitted for individual presentations, symposia and posters in a wide range of areas in Education and in particular the Special Interest Group of Higher and Professional Education.

For more information about other special interest groups; how to submit an abstract; and to register your interest in the conference, click here.

Online course on teaching for engaged enquiry

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The ITL and Sydney eLearning have collaborated in the development of an online short course for academic staff on engaged enquiry. The course is designed for anyone interested in curriculum renewal using engaged enquiry as described in the current University strategic plan. The course comprises 5 modules, involves consideration of your own teaching context and can be completed in 12-15 hours.

Most of the recent ideas in teaching can be organized around the concept of engaged enquiry (for teachers and students) and those ideas are the focus of the content of this course. It draws on the student learning research, principles of good teaching, and examples of engaged enquiry from within the University of Sydney (from Strategic Teaching Enhancement Projects (STEPs) and other curriculum initiatives) as well as from the many developments now reported in the literature. To access the course, and for more information, please click here.

OLT grants now listed on ACG Register

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) has advised that both their Grants and Fellowships have been listed on the 2013 Australian Competitive Grants Register (ACGR). For the Grants, the following programs are included: Innovation and Development, Leadership for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Seed Projects, and Strategic Priority Projects.

You can find more details about the ACGR here.

The Register’s managers have advised that funding paid in 2012 for OLT Grants and Fellowships can be included in the University’s 2013 Higher Education Research Data Collection return.

Information on the OLT grant schemes is available on the ITL website.

Do you want to enrich your students' learning experience?

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Blended learning and teaching is about integrating eLearning and face-to-face teaching in ways that enrich students' learning through engaging, flexible activities and experiences.

Students can be involved in online activties, that complement in-class experiences, and encourage them to learn in research-engaged and community-engaged ways. Click here to watch videos showing how colleagues in various disciplines have integrated eLearning in their teaching, in order to develop their students' engaged enquiry knowledge and skills.

As part of a broader program of professional development for staff, Sydney eLearning, in collaboration with the ITL, runs workshops that aim to enhance your skills in using eLearning enterprise systems, including the University learning management system (LMS) and Turnitin®.

If you are new to the University and/or unfamiliar with the LMS (which uses Blackboard Learn software), then you should first enrol in a Fundamentals workshop. You will be working with a workshop site (a playground) to gain familiarity and develop your use of course tools.

Sydney eLearning also offer a range of Focus workshops that emphasise the use of key best-practice strategies in the use of Assignments, Communications, Test and Surveys, and Group work tools. There are also Extension workshops, and currently these focus on the creation and management of Turnitin® assignments in your discipline context.

For more information about Sydney eLearning workshops and how to enrol click here.

See the ITL website for resources on online assessment, and resources and guidelines on using Turnitin® and educating your students about academic honesty.

Deakin University also provides examples of good practice in blended learning and teaching.

New policy on Research Supervision

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

A new research supervision policy – Supervision of Higher Degree by Research Students Policy 2013 – came into effect on 22 February. A copy is available here.

A one hour lunch-time information session on the new policy will be held tomorrow (5 April) in the New Law Annexe Lecture Theatre 106. For more information on this session, or the new policy, contact Simon French in the Graduate Studies Office or Keith Trigwell in ITL.

Teaching first year students?

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

You are invited to attend a Forum on Engaging Students in Large Classes using Response Systems.

It will be held Friday 12 April, 3-5pm in New Law Annex Lecture Theatre 024.

Hear how Danny Liu from Science has been successfully using response technology to keep his students engaged. Felicity Kiernan and Cassie Khamis from The STAR team will also present on orientation, peer mentoring and track and connect.

This is the first forum in a series for 2013 organised by the First Year Experience Working Group. The Group is open to all staff. Come along and network with others working with first year students.

You may also find it interesting to look through some ideas on helping students in their Transition to University. There are more resources for those involved in administration, teaching, and support of first year students on the First Year Experience website.

OLT citation and award nominations due internally April and May

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The University is now calling for nominations for the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) Citations, Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning, and Awards for Teaching Excellence. Please refer to here for internal processes and due dates for each of the three programs. Recipients of Citations receive $10,000 and recipients of Awards $25,000.

Citations recognise contributions to student learning in higher education and are open to academic staff, general staff, sessional staff and institutional associates. The University may submit up to eight nominations in a ranked list. There are no specified categories except for the Early Career category (of no more than 5 years experience teaching).

Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning recognise learning and teaching support programs and services across eight categories:

Widening participation
Educational partnerships and collaborations with other organisations
The first-year experience
Flexible learning and teaching
Innovation in curricula, learning and teaching
Postgraduate education.
Services supporting student learning
Global citizenship and internationalisation (a new category in 2013)

Awards for Teaching Excellence recognise outstanding university teachers across eight categories: five discipline categories, the Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Education, an early career category, and an annual priority area. The priority category for 2013 is High impact strategies for progression, retention and attainment.

The University may submit only one nomination in each of the 16 award categories.

The 2013 internal closing date for OLT Citations is 5pm 24 April. The 2013 internal closing date for OLT Awards is 5pm 30 May. For further information please contact Alison Kuiper in the ITL.

Further opportunities from the OLT

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) has announced the following opportunities:

Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers Program
"The purpose of this program is to drive a major improvement in the quality of mathematics and science teachers by supporting new pre-service programs in which faculties, schools or departments of science, mathematics and education collaborate on course design and delivery, combining content and pedagogy". Projects need to be a collaboration between science, maths and education, and should involve a number of institutions with research excellence in these areas. Available funding is $12.4 million from 2014 to 2016. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 30 April 2013. Applicants must notify Sally Paynter in the DVCE Office their intention to submit by Tuesday 23 April.

Academic Secondments
Secondees will carry out a program of work for the Government and the higher education sector on strategic priorities. Those seconded will be a source of academic advice and support to the staff of the OLT, with the aim of broadening staff capability within DIISRTE, and building relationships with the home institution. The closing date for nominations is Friday 26 April 2013. It is expected that the secondees will commence as soon as possible after 1 July 2013 and no later than 1 September 2013.

AARE Conference call for papers

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference will be held in Adelaide, 1-5 December 2013. AARE publishes the ISI-rated journal Australian Educational Researcher.

The call for abstracts and full papers is now out. The closing date for abstract for symposia, panels and papers is 1 May 2013. The closing date for full papers for refereeing is 3 June 2013. When submitting, you will need to indicate the Special Interest Group that is most relevant to your topic.

Looking for evidence for Work-Integrated Learning?

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) is hosting a day-long forum at the University of Sydney on Thursday 9 May. The theme is 'How do we find evidence for the outcomes of work-integrated learning (WIL)?'

For colleagues working in the area of community-engaged teaching, learning and enquiry, the forum is an opportunity to learn more about the different forms and sources of evidence for student learning and engagement. It is free for staff of the University but you must register to attend. Further information about registration is available here.

You may be interested to review resources of another recent ACEN event in which Professors Andrew Stewart and Rosemary Owens of Adelaide University, authors of ‘The nature and prevalence of unpaid work experience, internships and trial periods in Australia: Experience or Exploitation’, spoke to ACEN members via a video conference on March 1, 2013. Their report has several implications for higher education, especially for students undertaking unpaid work experience. The issues are complex, and are well summarised in this graphic. For further information, please see the video of the presentation or read the report.

Sydney Teaching Colloquium 2013 (October 2-3)... save the date!

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Once again the University will celebrate teaching excellence, and share ideas about curriculum innovation and engaged enquiry at this year’s Sydney Teaching Colloquium. It will take place on 2-3 October in MacLaurin Hall – so, save the date!

The Colloquium will feature keynote presentations, plenary sessions, students’ perspectives, and it will provide faculties with opportunities to share strategies and practices. Planning for the 2013 Colloquium will begin in the next month, and feedback from 2012 participants is being incorporated.

Resources from the 2012 Sydney Teaching Colloquium are still available - topics include: assessment, community-engaged learning and teaching, inclusive teaching and widening participation, Indigenous education strategy, research-enriched learning and teaching, research supervision, technology-enhanced curriculum, transition to university, and the startup funding program Incubate.

New round of Widening Participation grants

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Up to $320,000 is available for the next round of Widening Participation grants, for projects running from May 2013 to November 2014. Applications are due by COB Friday 19th April.

The guidelines and criteria are available here. Funding will be available for two project categories: flagship and implementation, and must address the 2013 funding round themes. These projects should improve the access of Australians from low SES backgrounds to undergraduate courses, or improve the retention and completion rates of these students.

Flagship projects
Projects of up to $50,000 each can be funded in this category. Projects will be either multi-faculty or cross-disciplinary (if in a large faculty). Projects should build on or expand existing good practice within the University, and be genuinely collaborative. There is an emphasis on the sustainability of project outcomes. The projects must include a component of schools / community engagement, and be linked to a Faculty or Division strategic goal (e.g. low SES enrolment targets, Wingara Mura local implementation priorities). Applicants are encouraged to work with the Social Inclusion Unit and ITL to develop their applications.

Duration: up to 18 months

Implementation projects
Projects of up to $20,000 each can be funded in this category. The funding is for the adoption or implementation of existing good practice in a new context (for example implementing a previously funded initiative in a new faculty or a new course). These projects can take place within a single faculty, discipline or large unit of study.

Duration: up to 18 months

For further information, please contact Mary Teague or Amani Bell, and come along to an information workshop on Friday 22nd March, 10-11am in New Law School Seminar 028. Please subscribe to the Widening Participation Scholars Network listserv if you would like to keep in touch with information about the grants and other professional development opportunities.

Awards: Encouraging and rewarding innovation in teaching

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Recognition for activities which promote and support excellence in teaching and learning is offered by the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards and by the Awards and Citations offered by the Office of Learning and Teaching. These awards which are open to all eligible academic and general staff cover a range of teaching and learning activities

The Vice Chancellor’s Awards provide recognition for excellence in four categories. Applications from academic and general staff are welcomed for the Support of the Student Experience and Systems that Achieve Collective Excellence. Awards for Support of the Student Experience are for members or groups of the university community who support and facilitate teaching and learning or contribute to a high quality student experience. The award for Systems that Achieve Collective Excellence in Teaching and Learning recognises that the development of systems and cultures is a key factor in efforts to achieve strategic learning and teaching change. See the information sheets for examples of practices which fit these categories.

Individuals or teams who make a significant contribution to teaching in the course of their employment can apply for the Outstanding Teaching Award which includes an Early Career category. Academic staff who have supervised at least three research higher degree students to completion are eligible for the award for Excellence in Research Supervision. This year applications are also eligible for the DVC (ISS)’s bonus scheme which seeks to reward contributions to indigenous education at the University. The final awards workshop for 2013 will be held on Friday 8 March. Applications for the VC’s awards close on Friday 22 March.

The Office of Learning and Teaching Awards cover three categories, Citations, Awards for Teaching Excellence and Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning. Applications are submitted by the University. There are eight subcategories for the OLT Teaching Excellence and Program Awards. The additional category for Teaching Excellence in 2013 is Global citizenship and internationalisation and the 2013 priority area for Program Awards is High impact strategies for progression, retention and attainment.

STOP PRESS
Information has been received from the Office For Teaching and Learning that their grants program has been officially granted Category One Status. Further information about this will be disseminated and posted on the ITL grants webpage when it is available.

What is it like being a first year student?

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

As any student will tell you, the first lecture at university is both an exciting and harrowing experience. While such an event symbolises the start of a new chapter in a student's life, it also raises a multitude of questions that can cause anyone to feel anxious: How do I get the most out of these lectures? Who is this person at the front of the room? Who will I be sitting near? And by far the most pressing question for the student - Is this what I really want to do? The lecturer plays an integral role in helping the student to answer these questions, despite these questions being very individualistic and personal, due to the lecturer's control over the learning environment.

One of the best methods a lecturer can employ to help a student to come to terms with these uncertainties is to encourage social interaction between their students. This point may be overlooked, as it seems that many academics believe the most productive thing for students to do in lectures is listen.

Solitary study can lead to high drop out rates of first year students since it does not provide them with an opportunity to develop a social network that will allow them to feel comfortable in the learning environment. The lecturer has the ability to encourage group work such that students can build friendship bases, which can also contribute to higher attendance rates later in the semester. Therefore, lecturers that encourage group work within their course will find that they help their students to find their feet at university and produce a more pleasant learning environment that will likely have a greater student attendance.

Joe Callingham is a Postgraduate student in the School of Physics, Faculty of Science.

If you’re teaching a first year unit of study, you may be interested in looking at either the First Year Experience or Transition to University websites, which have a range of useful resources for planning and teaching.

New to tutoring? Some tips to help you survive your first tutorial

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Before your first tutorial

Plan each tutorial and seek feedback from colleagues if you’re not sure about the timing or appropriateness of activities and topics. An important part of tutoring is ensuring that you use questions effectively – know the types of questions you will be asking, and what learning outcomes they will lead to. A resource that might be useful is asking questions to improve learning.
Don’t expect that every room in the University will have a similar layout or be equipped with the same resources. If you require a piece of equipment, like a computer, it may be wise to check the room prior to your first tutorial.

Surviving your first tutorial

Appear confident, enthusiastic, and committed to helping students learn. One way to begin a semester is to ask your students what they expect from tutorials. This is an opportunity for you to tailor future tutorials to your students’ abilities and interests, and to ensure they do not expect you to give them the answers to the final exam.
Be aware that various days and times of the week (and semester) can affect students’ engagement. Accept that there will be silences, and prepare accordingly. Allow students time to think about a question, or to note some points before you ask them to share with the group. If there is no response to a question, one strategy is to invite all students to stand and discuss their thoughts in pairs, and to sit down when they have an answer.
Check in at the end of tutorials – spend a few minutes asking students to write down what was the most useful aspect of the tutorial and what is still unclear.

A couple of handy guides are “Conducting tutorials” (Lublin & Sutherland, 2009) and “McKeachie's Teaching Tips” (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006).

Learn more about University tutoring and teaching from the central program and Faculty programs.

Tune in to new video clips on 'how to engage students in lectures'

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

In collaboration with ICT Audio Visual Services, the ITL is producing several short (4-5 minute) videos on how to engage students in lectures and tutorials. The first three videos in the series which show colleagues engaging students in lectures across a range of disciplines is now available on the ITL website, on the New Staff web page.

The New Staff web page welcomes all new academic staff to teaching at the University, and provides helpful guidance on short courses on teaching, building a career and getting a teaching qualification.

If you are new to teaching and/or the University, and are receiving this issue of Teaching@Sydney for the first time, then you might like to take a look at the videos now available.

If you are an experienced teacher, then why not take a look too, we are looking for more volunteers to collaborate with in making videos!

We will add more videos on lecturing and tutoring during the year. To be involved in making a video, or if you have suggestions about videos you would like to see, then please contact us.

Keeping up with the latest on research supervision

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

New supervision policy: On 20 February, a new policy – Supervision of Higher Degree by Research Students Policy 2013 – was approved by Academic Board and came into effect two days later. A copy of the policy is available here. A one-hour lunch-time information session on the new policy will be held in April, and for more information on this session, contact Prof. Keith Trigwell.

Foundations of Research Supervision: If you have not yet completed the Foundations of Research Supervision program, there is no better time to do so than now. The feedback has been excellent: Of the over 100 academics from across the University who finished the program last year, 91.2% rated the online modules ‘Useful’ or ‘Very Useful’.

Here are some of their written comments:

The way the material was presented compelled me to think about my own orientation as a supervisor: goals, approaches, pitfalls
The recommended reading list is great, particularly useful for those outside of the education discipline who wouldn’t know where to find these
At first I thought this process was going to be quite dull and pointless but I am finding it very useful
The material is put together in a very succinct way and … can be shared with students

In response to written suggestions from the 2012 participants, we have already revised the program for 2013 by adding more case studies and student perspectives, including more up-to-date research literature and some new website resources, and making it easier for participants to interact and discuss the issues with each other.

Even if you have already completed the FRS program, you are welcome to dip back into any module at any time – so check out the new material and join the current online discussions! For more information, click here.

Research Seminar: Teaching large classes

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

On 28 March, ITL will be holding a research seminar on large class teaching. Papers will include a presentation from Professor Michael Prosser on “Variation in Approaches to Teaching in Large Classes” in which he talks of the relations between teaching and learning in large classes, and describes how more effective teaching approaches can be manifest. The seminar will be held in Carslaw Room 354 from 11am to 12pm.

This is the first of a series of seminars held monthly in the ITL, and focusing on research into teaching and learning. Throughout the year, research conducted by staff in the ITL, Learning Centre, eLearning, Maths Learning Centre, and by research higher degree students will be discussed. If you wish to attend this first seminar, receive information on the program for the remainder of 2013, or request a slot to present your own teaching and learning research, please register on the ITL website.

Enhance your skills in designing new assessments

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Participate in a hands-on workshop on 'Assessment Planning' run by Alverno College and enhance your skills in designing new assessments. This two-day workshop is a collaboration between the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded Assessing and Assuring Graduate Learning Outcomes (AAGLO) project, and Alverno College (Milwaukee, USA).

Alverno College (Milwaukee, USA) is internationally acknowledged for leadership in ability-based curriculum development, performance assessment design, active roles for students through self-assessment and meaningful representation of achievement.

Date: 28 - 29 May 2013
Time: 9am - 5pm
Where: Darlington Centre, The University of Sydney
Cost: $85.00 per person

The AAGLO (Assessing and Assuring Graduate Learning Outcomes) Project has, with the support of the OLT, completed an extensive national investigation into assessment practices that provide credible evidence of graduate learning outcomes.

Find out more about AAGLO here. To register for the workshop click here.

Submit a proposal to present at the 2013 Eportfolio Forum

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The 2013 Eportfolio Forum will be held 3 October 2013 in Canberra, organised by ePortfolios Australia, a professional network which aims to support the use of e-portfolios through professional development activities and the sharing of resources, ideas and practice.

An Eportfolio is a collection of student work that displays a student’s progress toward, and attainment of, learning outcomes or co-curricular achievements. The University currently uses Pebblepad for ePortolios.

Proposals for presentations on the theme 'digital identities, footprints, and networks' in a variety of formats are now invited. The closing date is 29 April 2013.

Proposals should relate to one or more of the following themes: Eportfolios supporting learning pathways; Managing online identities through eportfolios; Verifying evidence through eportfolios; and Getting started with eportfolios and/or changing eportfolio platforms.

Applications for teaching awards now open

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Recognition for activities which promote and support excellence in teaching and learning is offered by the Vice Chancellor’s Awards and by the Awards and Citations offered by the Office of Learning and Teaching. These awards which are open to all eligible academic and general staff, cover a range of teaching and learning activities.

The Vice Chancellor’s Awards provide recognition for excellence in four categories. Applications from academic and general staff are welcomed for the Support of the Student Experience and Systems that Achieve Collective Excellence in Learning and Teaching categories, particularly for team initiatives. Individuals or teams who make a significant contribution to teaching in the course of their employment can apply for the Outstanding Teaching Award which includes an Early Career category. Academic staff who have supervised at least three research higher degree students to completion are eligible for the award for Excellence in Research Supervision. The scheme also includes the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) Indigenous Education Strategic Awards.

The Office of Learning and Teaching Awards cover three categories, Citations, Awards for Teaching Excellence and Awards for Programs which Enhance Learning. Applications are submitted by the University. Please see the ITL website for internal closing dates. The additional category for Teaching Excellence in 2013 is Global citizenship and internationalisation and the 2013 priority area for Program Awards is High impact strategies for progression, retention and attainment.

Assistance with making an application is available from a number of sources. Applicants for Faculty, university or national awards, or those just wanting to know whether to apply, can attend the workshops run by the ITL. Former winners and colleagues within your faculty can provide useful advice and feedback. You can also consult the previous successful applications kept at the ITL reception, Carslaw F07, during business hours and check out the resources available on the ITL website.

Attend a workshop to help you draft your teaching award application

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The ITL is offering workshops to support applicants for Awards for Teaching Excellence including the Vice Chancellor’s Awards and those offered by the Office of Learning and Teaching. These awards provide recognition for activities which promote and support excellence in teaching and learning.

Anyone considering applying, or re-applying, for an award, including applicants for faculty awards, is invited to attend the 2013 workshops. All three workshops provide information and support for drafting professional applications to meet the criteria for the awards. The first and second workshops will both focus on providing information. They have been planned for different days to provide opportunities for staff to attend. The third session will provide more targeted support for drafting an application. All sessions will provide time for questions.

Monday 18 February
Overview of awards and criteria
Time: 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Law School Annex Room 346
Register here

Friday 22 February
Overview of awards and criteria
Time: 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Law School Annex Room 346
Register here

Friday 8 March
Drafting your application
Time: 10.00am - 12.00pm
Venue: Carslaw Building, Level 3, Room 354
Register here

The ITL website resources have been provided as an alternative to the workshops for those who find it difficult to attend or prefer to work independently, but most successful applicants have benefitted from attending one or more workshops.

The application processes for the teaching awards and grants are managed by the ITL. The ITL contact for academic support is Alison Kuiper. For administrative enquiries email the ITL.

Help our students transition: Participate in the 'Ask Me' campaign

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Orientation will be running Monday 25 February to Friday 1 March and once again, the Camperdown/Darlington campus will be visited by over 10,000 new students over the course of this week. This year we are asking staff to actively participate in Orientation through the ‘Ask Me’ campaign, which is an initiative that is designed to heighten the visibility, approachability and accessibility of staff and support available for new students at the University of Sydney.

In 2012, the First Year Working Party identified the first two to six weeks as a crucial period of adjustment and a major contributor to students' ongoing success at university. This period is especially important for students who come from non-traditional backgrounds - such as international students - as the transition is often more challenging because they may not be equipped with the frame of reference, or language skills, required to navigate the new study and physical environment.

We are encouraging all staff across all roles at the university to participate in the ‘Ask Me’ campaign by wearing a bright ‘Ask Me’ badge during Orientation Week and the first few weeks of semester. This initiative is an important step to help all commencing students feel welcome and a part of the diverse University of Sydney community as soon as they set foot on campus.

Along with your badge, you will receive a copy of the Orientation 2013 booklet, which lists all the activities for Orientation Week, and a handy FAQs sheet to help you answer questions with confidence. To find out more and to order badges for yourself or your team, click here.

Teaching insight: First impressions are vital

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Fresh, young and excited faces fill the first lectures of the year. Working with first years is always exciting but often many students are overwhelmed by their first year and become disengaged. Building on a theoretical basis that suggests engagement involves cognitive challenge, operative skills and affective enjoyment (Peralta, Callow, Freebody, & Zhang, 2010), consider some of these ideas for your semester 1 planning:

First impressions are vital – an encouraging, well organised unit, which makes all the expectations clear makes a huge difference. From explaining how to download unit outlines to where the bookshop is, these experiences can make a big difference to first years.
Moving from school, tutorials often seem impersonal. Planning a variety of activities, including interactive discussion and input on how to work in a group, can engage students who may just need a little more insider knowledge to help navigate academic life
Organise a short social event in the first few weeks. Even if not all turn up, the knowledge that the coordinator or faculty want to connect with students creates positive perceptions for students
Make assessment tasks explicit – setting up your students to succeed sets a tone of support and achievement, rather than competition and isolation. Having a clear rubric, time for questions in tutorials or in online forums supports students to step up to new tasks and challenges with more confidence.

Dr Jon Callow is a Lecturer in English Education K–6, undergraduate and graduate-entry programs, and Program Director, MTeach(Primary).

Peralta, L., Callow, J., Freebody, K., & Zhang, H. (2010). Planning for student engagement in lecture contexts. Synergy, 30, 41-47.

Get your students off to a head start

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Help your students to get off to a head start by recommending our Learning Centre courses and programs. These programs include:

Week 0 - Our popular series of orientation lectures, for example:

Essay writing
‘So Many Books, so little time …’

Semester program - March 11th to April 19th. Enrolment online from March 4th

A great selection of workshops from writing a critical review to discussion skills
Useful for beginning students, whether they studying at undergraduate or masters level

Honours program - March 13th to 15th. Enrolment online from March 4th

Workshops focus on writing issues and managing the Honours year

Faculty Program

Discipline specific academic skills for targeted groups of students. Contact the Learning Centre to find out about these programs.

Elearning Program

Write reports in Science and Engineering (WRiSE)
Clearer Writing

For more information and resources to support your students c lick here.

New to research supervision? Become a registered supervisor by March

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

If you are keen to start supervising research students, you might find it useful to complete the Foundations for Research Supervision (FRS) program, which is a self-paced program that takes 10-12 hours in total. Doing the program involves completing online modules on topics such as running successful supervisory meetings with your student and understanding the examination process, and then taking part in a face-to-face Supervision Forum, either in your Faculty or through the ITL. The next University-wide Supervision Forum hosted by the ITL will be held on Friday 22nd February - 1pm to 3pm, Camperdown Campus.

To find out more about the FRS Program, which is free of charge for University staff, click here. Once you have completed the required modules you can register for the final component of the Program, the Supervision Forum. To register for the upcoming February Forum, click here. Please note that face-to-face Forums fill quickly.

If you have any questions about the FRS please contact Susan Robinson.

Thinking of going for promotion this year?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

The 2013 academic promotion round is now open. A general information session is scheduled for intending applicants at 1-3pm Thursday 7 February, in the General Lecture Theatre K2.05, Quadrangle, Camperdown Campus.

The deadlines for applications are as follows:

Level B - Thursday 21 March
Level C - Thursday 21 March
Level D - Thursday 4 April
Level E - Thursday 18 April

Following the general information session, the ITL is once again offering to collaborate with Faculty Associate Deans Learning and Teaching, and volunteer Local Promotions Committee (LPC) members to host a one hour session for intending applicants. In the session, ITL staff will focus on preparing the teaching case for promotion, including how to appropriately use student and other sources of feedback data, and how to make a convincing case for outstanding teaching.

Please contact your Faculty's Associate Dean Learning and Teaching to find out more about the session for your Faculty.

For more information and resources on preparing your application click here.

Do you teach in a 'service' unit of study?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

You are invited to the free 2013 IISME Annual Event - Symposium on 'Teaching science in service units of study: Challenges and strategies'. (Convenors: Dr Meloni Muir and Associate Professor Adam Bridgeman.)

Tertiary academics are acutely aware of the challenge of motivating undergraduate students, particularly in large classes, to engage with lecture material. It can be even more challenging when teaching the basic sciences as service units of study, where students may not see the need for or relevance of these units of study to their degree or career aspirations yet are required to successfully complete them. This symposium will bring together academics and students from a range of disciplines to discuss perspectives on teaching in science service units of study with examples of successful strategies for engaging students.

When: 1:15pm for 1:30pm start and concludes at 6pm (includes drinks and canapes), Wednesday 13 February

Where: New Law School Annex Lecture Theatre 101

For more information and to register click here. If you have any queries please contact Alex Yeung.

HERDSA contributions now due

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +1000

Contributions for the Higher Education Research & Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Conference are due on 22 February.

Authors are invited to submit proposals for full refereed papers, showcase presentations and posters. Organisers are especially keen to receive contributions that explore the importance of place in higher education, under the sub-themes of space and places, pedagogy and curriculum, and research and policy.

Papers will be double blind reviewed and accepted papers will be published online on the HERDSA website.

The conference is being held from 1-3 July in the new WG learning precinct at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand.

Online registration is now open, please visit the conference website for more information and to register.

OLT Grants and Fellowships close in February

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Information on 2013 OLT Fellowships, Grants, Citations, and Awards is being released progressively on their website. The first opportunity is the 2013 Fellowships, for which applications close 1 February.

There are a number of changes to the applications for Grants in 2013. Round 1 closes on 25 February. Both full proposals and Expressions of Interest are being called for in Round 1. You will need to consider carefully whether you want to submit a full proposal or an EOI for this round. For Round 2, due 2 August, only full proposals from successful Round 1 EOIs will be considered. From the ‘programs and how to apply’ page you will find the information about Innovation and Development, Leadership for Excellence, and Seed Projects. The priorities for the grants have not yet been announced so keep checking their site over summer if you are considering applying.

There will be a workshop for grant applicants on Wednesday 30 January from 10am – 12pm in New Law Annex 444. Click here to register. It will include a summary of feedback received from the OLT about what’s required for a successful application. There will be an opportunity for peer review for those who would like to take this up. Obtaining feedback from successful grant applicants, whether for OLT or other external grants, is generally very helpful, so identifying a mentor to help you evaluate your application may be a useful strategy.

Additional information, including an overview of internal support available for applicants, is available on the ITL website. This will be updated as further information comes to hand.

New OLT-funded project will support writing in Engineering

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

A/Prof Rafael Calvo and Professor David Lowe (Engineering and IT) and Helen Drury (Learning Centre) are part of a multi-institutional team which has won $219,000 in funding from the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) in the recently announced Round 2 grants. Their project is entitled 'Driving curriculum and technological change to support writing in the engineering disciplines'. In the project they will make use of online writing tools in supporting the integration of written tasks in undergraduate engineering curricula.

Dr Olivera Marjanovic from the School of Business and Dr Pietro Celi of Veterinary Science will also contribute to two other recently funded projects led by other universities - 'Enhancing collaborative learning in information systems business analytics using data visualisation and manipulation techniques' and 'Development of 4D farms to improve student learning and safety', respectively.

Professor Rick Benitez was one of only ten winners this year of a national Excellence in Teaching Award. The recipients for 2012 were celebrated with a dinner at the National Gallery in Canberra on November 19th, when the Awards were presented by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans. Professor Benitez's citation states:

His approach to learning and teaching is grounded in a model of a learning community, in which mutual respect and common purpose drive learning and teaching practices. By modelling the values of learning, including respect, good judgment, intellectual courage and curiosity, Rick has inspired students to adopt habits of learning that change their lives. More recently, in his role as a faculty director of teaching and learning, Rick has inspired staff at all levels to reflect on and improve their understanding of good teaching practices, and to take part in collegial and scholarly programs for the advancement of good teaching.

Planning your 2013 teaching - new policies to keep in mind

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Are you teaching or coordinating a unit of study in first semester? If yes, then it might be time to start preparing aspects of your teaching next year to comply with new university policies.

The standards-based Assessment Policy and Procedures are due to be fully implemented across all courses and programs by the end of 2013. A key aspect of the Procedures is that the differences between work at different achievement levels (i.e., standards) should be described in information given to students.

If you haven't already articulated the differences between work at different grade levels in your unit, then a useful way to begin is by choosing 1 or 2 examples of students' work from this year that are high quality (e.g., at high distinction level), and 1 or 2 examples of work that are a pass (i.e., a minimum level). Start writing your descriptions of the standards at different levels based on these pieces of work.

You could also check the Academic Dishonesty Policy guidelines for ideas on educating your students about academic honesty, and add links in your Blackboard site to referencing tools like Quick©ite to help your students avoid incorrect acknowledgement of sources.

For more information and resources to help you implement the new Assessment Procedures click here, and for more resources to help you implement the new Academic Dishonesty Policy click here.

If you would like to chat about either of these policies, the ITL contact person for both is Dr Graham Hendry.

All the best for your teaching in 2013!

Widening Participation Showcase highlights

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Widening Participation Scholars Network (WPSN) celebrated a great year for the group at a showcase on Wednesday 28th November. Project leaders shared outcomes from their Widening Participation grants in poster format. Highlights included successful student-led mentoring programs at the Conservatorium of Music and Health Sciences, and a financial assistance package which enabled teachers from schools in low socio-economic status areas to attend a Science Teachers workshop.

Amani Bell, Simon Barrie, Annette Cairnduff and Mary Teague made a presentation about the Network at the joint International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education and the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association this week, highlighting evaluation data and considering further enhancements to this network capacity building approach to supporting widening participation. Early results from a survey of WPSN members show that 73% of respondents agree that the Network is useful for their work, and “feel supported and part of a community of colleagues who want to engage and motivate students”.

A new round of projects - two ‘flagship’ and six ‘implementation’ - has recently commenced. In 2013, there will be a further round of project funding available. The new funding round will be announced shortly via Staff News and the WPSN listserv.

If you are interested in hearing about opportunities for funding and professional development you can join the Network here.

Your teaching in 2013... get a head start

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Here's a few simple things you could do now to get a headstart on your 2013 teaching planning:

Have a cup of tea or coffee and think about what worked well (or didn't) from your perspective this year;
Gather feedback from your 2012 teaching team on their teaching experiences, and also what they thought worked well (or didn't);
Go through some of those 'notes to self' you've (mentally or physically) scribbled down throughout the year... would any of those teaching and learning ideas work in 2013? Perhaps select one to 'try out' on a colleague or two?
Look through student ratings and comments on the unit of study and/or your teaching. Dig up your Semester 1 USE and FFT results, or emails received from students; and have a look through the new USE and FFT results for Semester 2 that will be released on 10 December;
Update your 2013 unit of study outlines before Christmas closedown, or at least a make a draft; and
As far as is possible, start gathering your 2013 teaching team now. Think about how you'd like to work with them throughout 2013 to support their career development, and to create the best possible learning environment for your students.

For more ideas on preparing for teaching, see these useful checklists.

Get a free qualification in university teaching: Enrolment closing soon!

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education) is a formal qualification in tertiary teaching. It is offered through the Faculty of Education and Social Work and taught by academic staff in the Institute for Teaching and Learning.

The Graduate Certificate is a full fee-paying course, but the course fees are waived for University of Sydney staff, provided staff have permanent residency/citizenship status. To avoid paying course fees you will need to provide certified copies of evidence of your employment at the University; this can include a copy of your staff ID card or a copy of your pay slip.

The course work involves practice- and project-based tasks relevant to your teaching context. Participants evaluate the course highly - 91% of participants in 2011 were in agreement or strong agreement that the Graduate Certificate was a quality course. As one participant commented, “the Grad Cert has given me a room of my own, a space to work out what I am doing, how I am doing it and crucially, understand why I am doing it. This has transformed me as a teacher, and perhaps also as a learner”.

Enrolment for the 2013 course is closing soon! To apply click here.

For more information about the Graduate Certificate and answers to FAQs please click here. If you have any queries then please don't hesitate to contact the Program Coordinator, Dr Graham Hendry.

First Year Higher Education Conference 2013 - Proposals due 25 January

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The FYHE (First Year in Higher Education) 2013 Conference will be held in Wellington, New Zealand in the wonderful Te Papa national museum 8-10 July 2013.

The 2013 Conference focuses attention on institutional cultures, programs and practices that enable all students, and particularly students from diverse backgrounds, to realise their potential in higher education.

The call for submissions is now open, and closes 25 January 2013.

HERDSA Conference 2013 - Proposals due 22 February

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) promotes the development of higher education policy, practice and the study of teaching and learning.

The annual HERDSA conference is an opportunity for you to to disseminate and showcase your scholarly work on teaching and learning. The 2013 conference is being held from 1-4 July, in beautiful Auckland at the Auckland University of Technology.

The call for papers is now open. You are invited to submit proposals about your work for posters and showcase presentations (20 minute presentations with audience discussion), as well as for full refereed papers. Accepted papers will be published in the refereed proceedings of the conference.

If you would like to discuss your proposal before submission then please contact us.

Proposals are due 22 February 2013, and registration opens 3 December 2012. For more information about the conference click here.

Season's Greetings and Happy New Year

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Season's Greetings and a Happy New Year from all the staff at the ITL.

We hope you have enjoyed reading Teaching@Sydney throughout 2012. The readership continues to grow and we are delighted to have been able to highlight some of the fantastic teaching work happening around the Univeristy.

We wish you a refreshing summer, and we look forward to bringing you the first 2013 issue of Teaching@Sydney in February.

Thinking of going for promotion?

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Garton, will chair a Career Development Information Session on Wednesday 21 November for academic staff interested in applying for promotion in the next few years. The information session will assist you in planning a strong application for promotion.

The session will include presentations from the Director, Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor Simon Barrie, and Chair of the Academic Board, Associate Professor Peter McCallum. After each speaker there will be a 10 minute Q & A session.

Please click here to register your interest.

OLT call for 2013 Fellowships

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) has announced the call for applications for 2013 Fellowships.

Nominations close Friday 1st February 2013 with successful Fellows announced in late April/early May 2013.

There are two types of Fellowships available:

National Senior Teaching Fellowships are awarded to outstanding scholars who are respected leaders in learning and teaching in higher education. Up to four National Senior Teaching Fellowships are available in 2013. Maximum funding available for each National Senior Teaching Fellowship is $250,000.
National Teaching Fellows are prominent scholars in their disciplinary fields, recognised by their home institutions for their capacity to make significant contributions to educational leadership into the future. They are normally early or mid-career academics engaged in the scholarly practice of learning and teaching in higher education. Up to six National Teaching Fellowships are available. Maximum total funding available for each National Teaching Fellowship is $90,000. National Teaching Fellows will be expected to commence their Fellowship between 1st July and 31st December 2013.

For more information please see the announcement on the OLT website. For essential information about applying click here.

The technology enhanced curriculum

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

This Sydney Teaching Colloquium session was structured around two sub-sections: Large Undergraduate Cohorts, and Innovations. From the range of speakers who presented in this session, two themes emerged.

The first theme was Excellence using University-wide supported technologies. Gareth Denyer (Molecular Bioscience) presented on a project designed to replace traditional laboratory notebooks with PebblePad based lab notebooks. He described implementing the change across one semester and provided a number of insights into the challenges in such a rapid transition across a large teaching team and student cohort. By contrast, Elizabeth Gresser (Year 4 student in Music Education, Sydney Conservatorium) described how she had used PebblePad. This personal and reflective report demonstrated the utility and value of PebblePad to individual students, while the whole cohort project reported by Associate Professor Denyer was a cautionary tale about hastening slowly. The contrast between the teacher’s perspective provided by Gareth and the student’s perspective provided by Elizabeth was valuable and provided much food for thought.

Other speakers included Ilektra Spandagou (Education and Social Work) who presented on using Adobe Connect to teach distance students with local students in a postgraduate Master of Special Education program, and Bruce Isaacs (Arts and Social Sciences) who reported on the development of digital objects within the Learning Management System (Blackboard) which facilitate teaching about the transition from analogue to digital media in film.

The second emergent theme was developing and using custom designed projects for technology supported learning and teaching. Some of the externally sourced solutions presented included Matt Todd’s use of Open Source software such as LabTrove for Chemistry teaching, and commercial applications included Rosanne Quinnell’s extension of Leica’s SlidePath for teaching Botanical histology. In these examples, it was clear how important collaborations are in developing new technological solutions. Additionally, time for both conceptualising and development appeared to be essential in successful implementation.

Finally, Karen Scott (Sydney Medical School) presented ongoing research examining how medical students are using their 3G/4G devices in wards and at bedside in clinical settings. Preliminary findings suggest they are looking up clinicially relevant information and emailing tutors and other students. A number of ethical issues such as patient consent, medical record security and privacy were discussed in the context of generational change and the response of both the hospital and the university to these changes.

Resources from this session of the Colloquium are available here.

A better climate for your RHD students

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Ways of improving the learning climate for higher degree research students - that was the focus of a Sydney Teaching Colloquium session that brought together leaders, supervisors and students to share and exchange ideas.

Among the key strategies discussed were the following:

Create an ongoing program in which research students get together to discuss the challenges they are facing and possible solutions. An example was provided by Professor Anita Bundy and research students Nicola Hancock and Justin Scanlan, of the Faculty of Health Sciences. In a program called Participation in Everyday Life (PIEL), PhD students meet two hours a week to discuss anything from getting published to getting enough research participants.
Offer a course on thesis and dissertation writing, which links writing support with research supervision, and which provides particular support to students who are writing in English as an Additional Language, given the isolation they often experience. Dr Bronwyn Dyson spoke about piloting such a course in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Offer a course, or a series of courses throughout the degree, on research. Dr Arlie Loughnan spoke about a course in the Faculty of Law (‘Legal Research 3’) which students take towards the end of their candidature and which comprises a planning session before the start of semester and a presentation session at the end of semester, with students working in pairs in between these sessions to swap and comment on each other’s work.
Create a student group focused on writing, editing and publishing their work. Research students Zoe Alderton and Johanna Petsche, of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, spoke about the benefits of being part of such a group themselves; this led to guest-editing a journal, which involved liaising with postgraduate and academic authors and referees.
Schedule gatherings well ahead of time so that research students who may be spread out geographically can take part. An example mentioned in a group discussion was the Sydney Nursing School’s Research Week, which is planned well in advance so that research students can come together from different parts of the country and abroad for a week of seminars and other activities.

More ideas discussed included the following: getting research students involved in research communities via faculty and cross-faculty networks, conferences, professional associations, or external collaborators; doing a training needs analysis to identify what skills and knowledge the students will require during their candidature and where they might develop these; and creating fora in which experienced supervisors share with colleagues and/or students their expertise in doing research.

For further information about this Colloquium session, please click here. To discuss ideas for fostering research communities in your part of the University, please contact Cynthia Nelson.

Assessment and learning standards: The big picture

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The main aims of the ‘Assessment and learning standards’ session on Day 1 of the Sydney Teaching Colloquium were three-fold. They were to share colleagues’ successful approaches to developing program learning standards and assuring graduate outcomes; engaging students with assessment task standards; and using team-based learning as a foundation to develop graduate attributes for communication and teamwork.

At the session approximately 150 participants listened to three short presentations, before discussing, in round table format, the application of the issues which had been presented. Volunteers then shared their own examples and this was followed by a Q&A session.

Participants commented that that they enjoyed the sharing and interaction and also valued hearing about the big picture: the AQF and TEQSA threshold standards projects that require universities to show evidence of graduates’ achievement of program learning outcomes. Some participants found it useful to hear about the University’s approach to evidencing outcomes with the QVS project. They heard from the discipline of History of how this approach resulted in a revised curriculum and the introduction of a capstone assessment task. Other participants commented positively on the use of exemplars of student work to help unpack assessment task standards and apply the new standards-based assessment policy. The discussion around developing and assessing team skills through a whole-unit approach using team-based learning was another highlight of the session.

Faculties contributing speakers were Business, Arts and Social Sciences, and Education and Social Work.

Resources from this session of the Colloquium are available here.

Fostering students' skills of enquiry through CELT

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

This engaging Colloquium session showcased in a round table format, Community-engaged learning and teaching (CELT) initiatives from Business; Education & Social Work; Nursing & Midwifery; Medicine; Architecture, Design & Planning and Law. The session provided participants with opportunities to hear about a variety of projects and to share information and ask questions.

Participants learnt how CELT fosters students’ skills of enquiry through activities outside the classroom and they explored the community benefits of CELT projects.

The projects that were showcased each addressed one of the six key issues for CELT:

Principles and approaches used to create strategic partnerships (Service Learning through partnership with local indigenous agencies);
Logistics and matching of student/student groups to community partners (Pre-service Teachers' Community Development Projects);
Authentic assessment (Nursing clinical home project);
Identifying the educational outcomes in community initiated projects (CELT through service learning in Broken Hill);
Scholarship of learning and teaching from CELT projects (Engaged practice collaborations); and
CELT as part of the formal or informal curriculum.

One of the organisers of the session reported being moved to tears by the report on CELT through service learning in Rural Health at Broken Hill where students have been helping children who needed speech pathologists but could not access them in a remote community. They were making a real difference in the lives of children and their parents: children who previously could not be understood by classmates and teachers were now able to be understood.

Student presentations, in person or on video, highlighted the depth and breadth of their learning experiences and the impact in the community.

Participants were inspired to engage in CELT projects with presenters reporting that academic staff from other schools and faculties had approached them for support in setting up projects.

Resources from this session of the Colloquium are available here.

Becoming engaged and effective learners

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The aim of this Colloquium session was to share initiatives and good practices in those aspects of curriculum which support the transition of students becoming engaged and effective learners, particularly within the student’s first six weeks at university.

An introduction to the concept of a curriculum which aids transition to university raised the key questions for the session: how can we, as staff, encourage this transition and what activities in the first six weeks will aid students in their transition?

After participants discussed these questions in round table format, a panel of students addressed the issues, speaking frankly of their experiences when new to the university and when acting as mentors to new students. In round table sessions, participants shared and evaluated the strategies that had been aired to aid successful transition.

Speakers from Arts, Education, and Science presented lively examples of practices which they use to inspire and engage students, including a scavenger hunt, community visits, group projects, guide books and ways in which they encourage students to build relationships with each other and the university and establish the foundations for university study.

Speakers from the Education Portfolio and the Library explained how their work complements that in the faculties, by for example, providing first year students with a road map for accessing the resources available from the library.

Further discussions in the round table format were facilitated by staff from many parts of the university before the session concluded with the final responses and comments from the students.

Graduate Certificate triumph

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (Educational Studies) concluded this month with inspiring and engaging presentations from participants of their scholarship of teaching and learning projects. Participants collaboratively worked on eight group inquiry projects:

Perceptions of stigmatisation in accessing academic writing support services - Jocelyn Bussing, Frances Di Lauro, Sunil Dubey, Stephen Howlett
Can we continue to justify the grading of tutorial participation in 2012? David Large, Atilla Orel
Mandatory completion of Unit of Study Evaluations: A student perspective - Janine Coupe, Wes Hamilton-Jessop, Vijaya Murthy
A pedagogic gap? Exploring student perceptions of learning quality in large-size tutorials - Jillian Barnes, Shé Hawke, Alana Mann, Gaby Ramia
Do student perceptions of group work change over the course of a tertiary degree? Tash Hamilton, Kaiying Ji, Vincy Li, Daniel Ryan
Teachers’ purposes and students’ perceptions of group work - Feike Dijkstra, Wayne Palmer, Dagmar Reinhardt
An anti-fog solution for novice dental students in the Preclinical discipline of Tooth Conservation - Susie Dracopoulos, Cathie Spiker
Teaching inclusively to EAL students in the Faculty of Health Sciences; do staff feel equipped? Natalie Allen, Kerrie Lante

All the projects and presentations were of a very high standard, and a highlight was the presentation by Susie Dracopoulos (Dentistry) and Cathie Spiker (Medicine) of their inquiry into the benefits for students’ learning of a marking guide and a video exemplar of clinical skills. Susie and Cathie made their five minute video during semester with the expert assistance of staff in Audiovisual Services.

For more information about any of the projects above please contact the ITL and we will forward your enquiry.

Enrolment for the 2013 Graduate Certificate is now open. To register with the ITL and find out how to enrol online click here.

Register now: Technology-mediated course design

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Would you like to learn more about how you can use technology in the design of your unit of study or degree program?

In one of the sessions in the Sydney Teaching Colloquium this year, some participants sought further clarification on current working examples and principles of technology-mediated program design at the University.

A workshop will be held in November for those interested. Facilitators will be Jo Lander, Meg Vost, Dorian Peters and Rob Ellis.

If you:

Haven’t gone down the path of thinking about technology at the program level (or unit of study level) and you want to get an idea of what’s happening;
Want to learn from the experiences of others in their faculties;
Want to contribute to some shared principles for how to go about this; and/or
Want to understand how the University is pursuing a vision of integrating physical and virtual learning and teaching space ...

then please register with Melanie Young. Please RSVP by Monday 12 November 2012.

Learning analytics and MOOCs: What do they mean for you?

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Register now for a UTS conference later this month to find out more about social learning analytics and massive open online courses (MOOCs).

The UK Open University's research into the development of social learning analytics – analytics that can be used to understand and support how learners build knowledge together in different cultural and social settings, both inside and outside formal education, will be showcased by Rebecca Ferguson from the UK Open University at the Southern SoLAR Flare conference on Learning Analytics, 29/30 November.

Other presentations and papers are related to the rise of MOOCs. For more information, or to register, click here.

An institutional conversation about curriculum

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Challenging Curriculum, the second Sydney Teaching Colloquium, was held on 3 and 4 October. The Colloquium was designed to build on the institutional conversations about curriculum renewal started through the work of the SEG Curriculum and Course Planning Committee by providing an opportunity for reporting, disseminating and encouraging the excellent curriculum renewal work underway in faculties.

Engagement by the University community in the event was excellent with presentations representing all faculties and 1448 session registrations across the two days, representing 351 individual staff. Members of the university community attended the plenaries and were also actively engaged in the discussions in the eight theme sessions addressing faculty and university strategic foci for curriculum renewal.

The event was opened by the Vice Chancellor with a keynote address from Stephen Atherton, of Apple Australia, on ‘Disruptive technologies and the curriculum’. This was followed by an address from Ms Donherra Walmsley, President National Union of Students and past president of the SRC, who spoke on ‘A learner’s curriculum’.

The second day opened with a session on the University’s curriculum renewal strategy. Participants particularly welcomed the opportunity to hear Deans, teachers and students sharing their ideas and accomplishments. The University’s curriculum renewal strategy seeks to link the considerable work of faculty-led curriculum reviews into a more coherent institutional conversation about curriculum. The strategy ensures that the valuable learning from faculty led curriculum reviews can inform institutional decision-making and that institutional strategic priorities can more directly inform local curriculum development. It recognises that it is only through our learners’ experiences of their curriculum and the co-curriculum that the university’s education vision will be realised.

The University has identified six key institutional priorities to work with faculties to embed in future curriculum reviews:

Embed Engaged Enquiry to foster graduate attributes
Broaden curriculum and co-curriculum to foster graduate attributes
Ensure pathways and coherence
Ensure alignment with external imperatives
Develop curriculum governance structures
Inform resource renewal.

The feedback received on this year’s Colloquium suggests it was extremely successful in achieving its aim of disseminating and encouraging exemplary curriculum and teaching initiatives in relation to these priorities. Now that the university has started a conversation about curriculum, it is up to the faculties to join that conversation by sharing their learning from their own curriculum reviews.

There is more about the university’s curriculum renewal priorities, and more on how faculties can link course curriculum reviews with those institutional conversations, on the ITL website.

Theme sessions, Tweets and Teaching Excellence

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The overall purpose of enabling conversations about Curriculum renewal was key to the planning of the eight two-hour theme sessions which took place over the mornings and afternoons of the two days of the Colloquium.

A report on four of the sessions is included in this issue of Teaching@Sydney: Technology enhanced curriculum; Indigenous Education Strategy; Inclusive education and widening participation and Research-enriched learning and teaching. The remaining sessions: Assessment and learning standards; Community-engaged learning and teaching; Research higher degree learning and Transition to learning at university will be covered in the November issue.

Resources from all the theme sessions will be posted on the Colloquium website over the next few weeks.

As well as comments from staff, feedback has included comments from students:

It was awesome to be part of the teaching colloquium last week. I learnt heaps!

Thank you for having us at Today's Sydney Teaching Colloquium. It was very worthwhile and an eyeopener for us students and academics alike.

The collated tweets on the Colloquium, organised by Amani Bell, which are available at http://sfy.co/nA14, include such comments as Thanks @AmaniBell for #sydteach12. I had teaching commitments so couldn't attend. Its great to be able to read the updates! Thanx

On Wednesday afternoon the Team Trivia session (see later item) was followed by A/Prof Simon Barrie, Director of Teaching and Learning congratulating those who had been recognised for their excellence in teaching by their faculties, the University and with national awards from the ALTC or the OLT. He acknowledged also all those who had applied for awards, along with those who have not done so but contribute directly or indirectly to the excellent teaching across the University.

A/Prof Barrie announced the winner of the 2012 University Co-Operative Bookshop Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr Siegbert Schmidt, from the School of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science. The Selection Panel noted that Dr Schmidt’s applications successfully demonstrated his enthusiasm for his discipline and his students and his commitment to life-long learning evidenced by very impressive peer and student comments. The Panel commended him for his work in developing a first year text book written specifically for Australian Chemistry students which for the first time allowed them to access a single textbook that covered all of first year chemistry using nomenclature and conventions consistent with curricula at Australian universities.

The day ended with those present enjoying the performance of the Chris Long Ensemble from the Sydney Conservatorium. The Steering Committee would also like to acknowledge the numerous members of staff and students who contributed in so very many ways to making the Colloquium both an enjoyable occassion and one which contributed to the University's conversation about, and progress towards, Curriculum renewal.

If you registered for the Colloquium you will have received a short set of evaluation questions. The Steering Committee looks forward to your feedback so that we can plan next year's colloquium to again make a significant contribution to teaching and learning across the university.

University receives seven OLT Citations

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Professor Rick Benitez is one of the seven recipients from the University of Sydney of a 2012 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. These national awards, previously administered by the ALTC, are now awarded by the Office for Teaching and Learning (OLT). The Citations for NSW and ACT Recipients were awarded at a ceremony at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 25th of September and also acknowledged at the Colloquium.

Rick was awarded his Citation for outstanding contributions to learning both directly through respect and support of students and indirectly through the leadership in teaching. For him, the Citation “ is really an affirmation — of my own teaching, of the teaching culture of my Faculty, and of the attention to quality teaching at the University.” The most enjoyable aspect of teaching is the learning. “It's always a pleasure. It's terrific to see the students light up when they understand something. The spark created when someone learns spreads to others, including me. I'm always learning from students.”

Rick pays tribute to the assistance he has had from the ITL. “One of the most effective things is to put yourself in the students' place. Knowing how they understand things is the key to effective teaching. I've learned a lot from my colleagues in the ITL about how many ways there are to do this.”

The other six Citation recipients are:

Professor Anita Bundy, for more than three decades of skilful mentoring of research students: shaping the journey to match students' unique interests, abilities and skills.
Associate Professor Rafael Calvo, for scholarly approaches that influence and enrich engineering students' experience of academic writing.
Giuseppe Carabetta, for sustained excellence in experiential and collaborative learning experiences for Business Law students at both foundation and senior levels.
Dr Kirsty Foster, for outstanding support of medical students and clinical tutors and contributing significantly to the development of an effective learning environment in the clinical setting.
Dr Patricia McCabe, for leadership in the development and implementation of innovative case-based speech pathology curricula to facilitate an evidence-based approach to learning and professional practice.
Dr Siegbert Schmid, for a decade of novel and effective approaches which inspire students and exceptional scholarship in chemistry education which has enriched the student experience.

Indigenous Education Strategy

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

There were four facets to the Indigenous Education Strategy session which provided a broad overview of a range of projects. The session, which had contributions from the Koori Centre, Arts and Social Science and Education, covered: cultural competence in teaching and learning, processes which incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education into teaching and learning, hearing from students how Aboriginal education adds value for all students and turning face-to-face Aboriginal cultural teaching and learning into an on-line program.

The strategy for increasing Aboriginal engagement and Faculty roles at the University of Sydney was presented by Lynette Riley and Prof. Shane Houston while Sharon Galleguillos, with Rachel Jackson and Jaimie Lord, explored non-Indigenous student’s experiences in Indigenous Education. Participants valued hearing non-Indigenous students’ stories on what they got out of studying Aboriginal education. Hearing what the students gained from their direct involvement in practicums with high Aboriginal student enrolments was illuminating for all those present.

A/Prof. Janet Mooney and Dr Deidre Howard-Wagner presented a research project on Indigenous on-line cultural teaching and sharing. This was complemented by Vanessa Lee’s discussion of the processes involved in incorporating Indigenous Education into teaching and learning which addressed how to support faculties and centres in making this happen.

Inclusive Learning and Widening Participation

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

In the Inclusive Learning and Widening Participation session participants gained practical strategies for inclusive teaching and learnt about widening participation projects from student and staff presenters from five faculties.

Students from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Virginia Ricketts, Brian Lam and Allison Grech spoke about the student-facilitated peer-mentoring program they have been running under the guidance of Dr Melanie Nguyen. Because of its results in helping first year students feel included and supported, the program will be expanded next year through the Belong@FHS program to cover the entire first year cohort in the Faculty.

Pre-service teachers from the Faculty Education & Social Work, Ashlee Horton and Karina Scott, in presenting perspectives on inclusive learning within their degree programs, included a video of current students’ views of inclusivity. Several units of study have helped Ashlee and Karina create supportive learning environments for their students.

Dr Stuart Fraser, who teaches Physiology, Anatomy and Histology in the School of Medical Sciences, includes students in assessment design. In a lab project called ‘MasterCell’, students research and design their own protocols to turn stem cells into other types of cells. Stuart showed an image of a beating heart cell created by one of his students. When she looked down the microscope and saw the cell, the student exclaimed, ‘This is the best prac ever!’

Student Bella Osborne, had participants out of their seats singing the ‘loose tooth’ song, complete with actions, as she did with students at Bexley Public school. Bella and other first year students worked with three COMPASS schools in Dr Jennifer Rowley’s "Music learning Through Community Service" project which culminated in a concert at the Con where together uni and school students performed one of their own collaboratively-created compositions.

Dr Sandra Seno-Alday presented findings from her project, ‘Work Integrated Learning in Business education’ which reveal that industry wants greater emphasis on work-integrated learning programs that are aligned with the curriculum.

The session was co-organised by Mary Teague and Amani Bell, of the Social Inclusion Unit and ITL which together have established the Widening Participation Scholars Network to support staff with an interest in widening participation. Click here to join and here for web-based resources.

For more details on the session, please click here.

Research-enriched learning and teaching

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

"I was so pleased to be part of the RELT session. The speakers were amazing. Never did I think I would be wanting to give a standing ovation to a speaker on an assessment task [from a discipline area so different from my own]!"

This comment from one of the participants at the RELT session suggests that one of the key aims of the session was achieved, that is, to inspire our collective efforts in enabling student engagement in research and inquiry.

The plenary presentations were a highlight and showcased the diversity of RELT at Sydney, with contributions from both students and teachers and from teachers with a range of roles.

Round table sessions were themed around common curriculum structures such as first year units of study, professionally-accredited PG degrees, etc. However, participants at each table were from a range of faculties, all discussing together how to increase the opportunities for students to engage in research and inquiry.

Eight faculties and other parts of the university were represented at the session by staff who were either plenary speakers or table hosts. The faculties were: Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and IT, Health Sciences, Sydney College of the Arts, Education and Social Work, the Institute for Teaching and Learning, Sydney Business School, Veterinary Science, the Charles Perkins Centre, and Agriculture and Environment.

Masters of Trivia

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Did you know that grammar, logic and rhetoric are the three original trivia of higher education? These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the 'quadrivia' of higher education, and hence the material of basic education and an important building block for all undergraduates. The word trivia was also used to describe a place where three roads met in Ancient Rome.

Whether Hubble Trouble, the winning team at the 2012 Colloquium Team Trivia competition knew this is unclear. However they beat off stiff competition in answering challenging questions posed by Quiz Master, Marie Carroll, to take the trophy won last year by Grain Brains. The team was led by Clare Woodley. Other members from the Science Faculty were Yvonne Cheng, Eleni Khoury, Kath Farrell and Paul Weber but the contributions of Peter McCallum and Stephanie McCallum and one so-far-unidentified mystery member were also significant to their victory. In addition to the magnificent trophy, each of the winners received a well-deserved bottle of wine.

Further investigation into the history of the word trivium reveals that it had become forgotten until, in the 1960s, nostalgic college students and others began to informally trade questions and answers about the popular culture of their youth. Since then, the plural, trivia, in particular has widened to include knowledge that is nice to have but not essential, specifically detailed knowledge on topics of popular culture. The expression has also come to suggest information of the kind useful almost exclusively for answering quiz questions.

One of the most testing questions of the evening was the origin of the trophy, a special piece of University of Sydney history. If you were not there to find out what it was, you will have to find someone to ask, or wait and enter a team to compete for it next year.

Acknowledgements to Wikipaedia for the trivia(l) information.

New blog on doctoral writing

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +1000

If you supervise doctoral students you may want to alert them to a new blogsite for doctoral students and those who work with them; supervisors, academic developers, literacy lecturers, writing teachers and others in the doctoral education community. DoctoralwritingSIG began at the QPR (Quality in Postgraduate Research) Conference in Adelaide in April this year, when Claire Aitchison, (UWS), Ally Guerin, (University of Adelaide) Susan Carter (Auckland University) and Inger Mewburn (RMIT) got together to discuss ways of building community around doctoral writing.In September they launched the blog DoctoralwritingSIG.

Click here to view the blog.

You don’t have to be a member of QPR or be involved in any way with QPR to use the site – simply visit, browse and enjoy. Some posts to date include discussions on self plagiarism, a memorial to the late Prof Alison Lee, ‘writing up’ – an everyday job, using voice recognition software, academic literacy versus English language competence and so on. An open invitation has been issued to join in on the conversations, share resources, tips and experiences.

For those new to blogging: to read the blog, once on the site, look around at all the links and parts. Click on the blog heading itself and then you can see and/ add comments in the box below or open the ‘Comments’ button at the top of the blog (to read what has been said by others). If you write something it goes to the moderators first - to eliminate spam – and then becomes public. If you don't want to identify yourself, use a pseudonym. Enjoy.

This item was sourced from HERDSA News.

Register now for the Sydney Teaching Colloquium

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Come along to the Sydney Teaching Colloquium: Challenging Curriculum which will be held on the 3rd and 4th October in MacLaurin Hall, the Quadrangle, Camperdown Campus. The Colloquium offers opportunities to celebrate and challenge the university’s involvement with the changing nature of teaching and learning. Register now – for the whole two days, or for individual sessions.

Here are just some of the sessions and social activities planned…

Hear Stephen Atherton from Apple Australia present the challenge of Disruptive Technologies to the Curriculum
How will technology change the way we think about curriculum?
Consider the response from a student point of view from Donherra Walmsley
Engage with Deans on their visions for curriculum change
What is happening in the faculties?
What are the implications for teaching and learning?
Respond to student contributions to the curriculum
How do students extend their learning?
How do they contribute to the learning of their peers?
Contribute by offering a curriculum innovation to showcase
See the webpage if you have something to offer
Compete for the inter-faculty Team Trivia trophy
To enter the Team Trivia, form a team of eight people from your faculty, give yourselves a name and get the leader to register you on the Colloquium website. Earn bonus points by registering by Friday 21 September.
Participate in a choice of theme sessions on key topics in curriculum renewal.

In all sessions the emphasis will be on informing the debate on curriculum and engaging with colleagues and students in discussion.

Curriculum image: Purple from Bronwyn Bancroft’s Life Weaving series was chosen as the artwork for the 2012 Sydney Teaching Colloquium because it reflects the interweaving of the many strands of the curriculum offerings at the University.

Engage with colleagues during the theme sessions at the Colloquium

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The theme sessions at the Sydney Teaching Colloquium have been planned to address issues that are key for teaching and learning and curriculum renewal. Join in these sessions and bring your questions. All sessions will have time for discussion and the sharing of ideas.

Assessment

Learn about implementing the new standards-based assessment policy
Hear from colleagues who have used successful approaches
Find out how to assure standards in your programs: Are you confident that your graduates meet the bar?

Inclusive education and widening participation

Learn about practical strategies for inclusive teaching implemented in five faculties
Discuss the outcomes of these strategies with the student and staff presenters
Hear about the implementation of Widening Participation projects

Technology enhanced curriculum

View examples of great elearning initiatives across campus
Find out how to design and implement elearning in postgraduate coursework
Hear student views on elearning

Community-engaged learning and teaching

Learn how CELT fosters students skills of enquiry through activities outside the classroom
Hear about, and discuss, CELT projects in a round table format
With staff and students engage with the issues to plan for extending CELT at Sydney

Research-enriched learning and teaching

Learn more about different models of RELT (Research Enriched Learning and Teaching)
Hear from students and teachers from a range of faculties involved in degree programs with a strong RELT emphasis
Learn about RELT-focused funded projects in the University
Workshop ideas, with colleagues, for offering more RELT opportunities for students in your area

Indigenous Education Strategy

Learn about cultural competence in teaching and learning
Find out about processes which incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education into teaching and learning
Hear from students how Aboriginal education adds value for all students
Learn about turning face-to-face Aboriginal cultural teaching and learning into an on-line program

Research higher degree learning

Learn about the University’s new initiatives to enrich the learning climate for research students
Find out about some innovative practices and investigations that are taking place in faculties
Exchange ideas about enhancing the research learning climate in your part of the University

Transition to learning at university

Learn what’s significant about a transition curriculum
Hear from students of their experiences of their first six weeks at university
Hear about strategies which aid successful transition
Discuss these strategies and investigate the feasibility of adopting them

Key success factors for students from low SES backgrounds

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

What are the key success factors for students from low SES backgrounds? Professor Marcia Devlin recently presented the findings of her national OLT-funded project to the Widening Participation Scholars’ Network.

Led by Deakin University, in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology and Charles Sturt University, the project team conducted interviews with 89 students and 26 staff to find out what helps students from low SES backgrounds to succeed in their studies.

The key findings for teachers have been categorised into 6 themes:

Know and respect your students: Understand that students from low SES backgrounds are time poor; embrace and integrate their diversity and enable contributions of their knowledge to everyone’s learning.
Offer flexibility, variety and choice: While upholding academic standards, offer students from low SES backgrounds flexibility, choice in assessment and variety in teaching and learning strategies.
Communicate your expectations clearly and in plain language: Speak and write in plain language to ensure students understand the concepts being taught, the expectations of them and what is required to be a successful student.
Scaffold student learning: Take a step-by-step approach to teaching to ensure students build on what they bring to higher education and are taught the particular discourses necessary to succeed.
Be available and approachable to assist student learning: In addition to being available, be approachable so that students may make use of your expertise and guidance to improve their learning and performance.
Be reflective about your teaching: Take time to think about your teaching and how the learning experiences of your students might be enhanced.

The slides from Professor Devlin’s presentation are here, and further resources can be found on the project website.

Student ePortfolio Showcase

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

All staff are invited to attend the University of Sydney’s Student ePortfolio Showcase at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from 9am-1pm on Friday 28th September. The Showcase is part of an OLT-funded project, led by Dr Jennifer Rowley, Senior Lecturer in Music Education. The national project, with partners at five universities, will create ePortfolio ‘templates’ so that students can easily document their academic and other learning outcomes.

At the Showcase you will see how students from a variety of disciplines create and use their ePortfolios. You will also have the opportunity to ask students and staff about ePortfolios in their program of learning.

For registrations please click here.

Call for posters: Curriculum innovations that promote student research and inquiry

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

On Day 2 of the Sydney Teaching Colloquium (Thursday 4 October) there will be a session on Research-Enriched Learning and Teaching (RELT), 11am – 1pm in MacLaurin Hall.

We would like to invite you not only to register to attend the session, but also to prepare a one-page poster-style handout to share with others during the session.

You can either (1) bring copies with you on the day for distribution at your table, or (2) email a PDF to itl@sydney.edu.au by Monday 24 September 2012 and Colloquium staff will arrange for a large A2 colour version to be printed and displayed on the poster boards in the Hall + have 20 colour A4 copies waiting for you when you arrive.

Requirements:

Posters should describe curriculum innovations that are designed to develop students’ capacity for research and inquiry
Innovations should be described in context of the whole degree or major curriculum i.e. where they occur in the students’ learning program and how they build on either students’: previous research and inquiry learning, link with concurrent research learning, or prepare students for future research learning
Posters should outline the reason the change was introduced, and some evaluation of the innovation’s success in terms of students’ learning experiences or outcomes
Posters should be one A4 page in length, include colour, and be saved as a PDF

Examples of innovations:

Capstone projects
Collaboration between concurrent units of study e.g.:
- shared or complementary assessment activities that develop students’ capacity for research and inquiry
- shared or complementary learning activities (face-to-face, or online) develop students’ capacity for research and inquiry
- sharing a common theme/s (e.g. idea, time period, or issue) across units from different disciplines
A re-sequencing of the progression of research and inquiry knowledge and skills in a degree or major curriculum

Queries regarding the RELT session or the call for posters can be emailed to Kathryn Bartimote-Aufflick or Rick Benitez.

Award for contributions to the University's Indigenous Strategy

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy seeks to promote, recognise and reward outstanding contributions to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategy at the University.

It is being offered for the first time this year. The award is for the sum of $10,000.

For information on eligibility and how to apply, please contact the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services.

The closing date for 2012 is 20 September.

Co-op Bookshop Excellence in Teaching Award

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The Co-op Bookshop Excellence in Teaching Award is offered annually to promote, recognise and reward the innovative use of academic and support resources in teaching, including technologies, which contribute to an engaged, student-centred learning experience. The innovation may be in the development or use of new resources, or the innovative use of existing resources.

The Co-op Bookshop will award an individual member of the University teaching community who can demonstrate outstanding achievement in student focused teaching. Recommendations for the award will be made by a committee appointed by The Co-op Bookshop.

The panel will be looking at the degree of innovation and creativity displayed in the teaching methods and the resources used in conjunction with the demonstrated effectiveness of the innovation. Quantitative and qualitative evidence of student feedback and formal evaluation will also be considered favourably by the panel.

Previous applicants (and winners) have used resources such as social media, mobile technologies, blogs, chat forums and QR codes to enhance the student learning experience in an inventive and creative fashion.

The Award is being offered this year in conjunction with the Sydney Teaching Colloquium and the winner will be announced at the Colloquium on Wednesday 3rd October. Applications close Friday the 21st of September.

Call for proposals: EARLI conference 2013

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The biannual European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) conference will be held in Munich, Germany 27-31 August, 2013.

Proposals to present your work in a variety of formats at the conference are due 31 October 2012. You can find the first call here and submission requirements here (pdf).

Stephen Atherton from Apple on ‘Disruptive technologies and the curriculum’. Register now for the Sydney Teaching Colloquium.

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The theme of the 2nd Sydney Teaching Colloquium, ‘Challenging the Curriculum’, has been chosen in order to stimulate conversations about teaching and the curriculum across the University. The opening speaker, Stephen Atherton (National Development Executive, Higher Education Apple Australia) is guaranteed to provoke discussion with the challenges inherent in his topic of 'Disruptive Technologies and the Curriculum'. Other plenary speakers, including students and faculty Deans, will also present their vision for curricula.

The Colloquium will be held on October 3 and 4, 2012 and is open to all members of the University community. Registrations are now open, and the event is free for all University of Sydney students and staff.

The eight theme sessions will provide opportunities for showcasing work being undertaken in faculties and discussing your own work. The sessions are: Technology-enhanced curriculum, Indigenous education, Assessment and learning standards, Inclusive learning and widening participation, Research higher degree learning, Community engaged learning and teaching, Research enriched learning and teaching, and Transition to learning at University.

The event will also feature performances from staff and students, including jazz to accompany evening drinks during the Team Trivia Competition. Winners of the Trivia Competition earn not only prizes but also the coveted trophy. Teams (up to 8 members) gain bonus points for registering by 28 September, for including specific members, such as Deans, and for a creative team name.

If you have questions or suggestions about the 2012 Colloquium, please contact the ITL.

New resource: Assessing group work

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Deciding whether, and how, contributions of differing quality from students in a group are given different marks, can be a difficulty for many academic staff assessing group work. A procedure that distributes a group mark according to a combination of peer and teacher reviews of individual contributions is described in the Assessing Group Work section of the new ITL Assessment Resources site.

The site includes entries on designing assessment, writing grade descriptors, giving feedback, online assessment, and more. Each topic is linked to the relevant section of the 2011 Assessment Policy and Procedures.

The site is an evolving resource - if you have any assessment materials or processes you consider will be of interest to other staff in the University, please contact Keith Trigwell.

Academic honesty is the best policy

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Are you concerned that some of your students are plagiarising in their written assessment tasks? The Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in Coursework Policy, 2012 states that “students should be educated in the academic writing and referencing conventions of their discipline from the commencement of their studies”.

In last month's Teaching@Sydney Fiona White and Caleb Owens outlined the exemplary work they have been doing in the School of Psychology in educating students about academic honesty, for which they won the Vice Chancellors’ award for Support of the Student Experience. Although they have been using WCopyfind (open source software) rather than Turnitin® (for which the University has a license), the educational principles and strategies are the same.

Fiona and Caleb report that over a five year period (2007-2011) a combination of interventions (including tutorial exercises and online quizzes) led to a significant reduction in cases of plagiarism in large first year cohorts. This is just one of three case studies of best practice in fostering academic honesty around the University. These case studies build on other examples of best practice already available.

The ITL’s new Academic Honesty website provides an introduction to the use of Turnitin® at the University, and a set of practical guidelines to inform the use of Turnitin® by unit of study coordinators and faculties for the purpose of educating students about academic honesty.

If you are planning on using Turnitin® in your unit of study this year or in first semester 2013 (and you have your faculty's approval) then you should register for Sydney eLearning’s extension workshop ‘Introduction to Turnitin’.

Suggestions for and further contributions to the Academic Honesty website are welcome; contact Graham Hendry.

New national student experience survey

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

In August this year, a sample of University of Sydney first and final year undergraduate students will be contacted by email and asked to complete a University Experience Survey (UES). The UES is similar to the Student Course Experience Questionnaire (SCEQ) which is administered by the University of Sydney every second year (next in 2013). Some example items in the UES are:

At university during 2012, to what extent have you received support from your university to settle into study? Not at all / Very little / Some / Quite a bit / Very much
In 2012, how frequently have you interacted with students outside study requirements? Never / Sometimes / Often / Very often
During 2012, to what extent have your lecturers, tutors and demonstrators commented on your work in ways that help you learn? Not at all / Very little / Some / Quite a bit / Very much
Thinking of this year, overall how would you rate the following learning resources at your university? Online learning materials. Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent / Not applicable

Details on the full range of items are available on the ITL website.

The UES is administered online by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), an independent and not-for-profit national research organisation. Students selected to participate in the survey will receive an email from ACER. They will be encouraged to participate but involvement is voluntary.

Materials that may be used to promote the survey have been provided by ACER. They include short videos, Powerpoint slides, text to be included on Blackboard Learn sites, as well as posters and flyers. If you wish to make use of any of these materials, electronic copies are available on the ITL website.

For further information contact Keith Trigwell.

Walk a mile in your students' shoes

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

What are the experiences of our students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds? The Walk a Mile project, funded by a Widening Participation grant, investigated the transition experiences of 14 Sydney University Equity Scholarship recipients. The report outlines four key recommendations:

Support students to have active and varied social lives by keeping students informed of what is happening across the University throughout the year. As the year moves on, and the intensity of O-Week fades, students speak of becoming less aware of the events, activities and programs on offer.
Encourage lecturers to talk through their expectations with incoming 1st year students. Students struggle to move between and make sense of new subject disciplines. It’s helpful when lecturers talk through their expectations and assessment criteria.
Make academic staff, advisors and/or mentors available to 1st Year students. Students sometimes find it difficult to find a real person to speak for advice. In particular, more mentoring programs would be helpful.
Play your part in engaging 1st year students, and helping them become motivated about their learning. Students understand that their learning at university needs to be self-motivated, but it can be easy to lose engagement and get left behind. Lecturers can have a key role in turning this around.

If you would like to join the Widening Participation teaching scholars network, or read more about inclusive teaching strategies, or the work of other grant projects, please click here.

B-HERT Awards for community-engaged learning and teaching

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Does the program of study you offer your students include the opportunity for collaboration with publicly and privately owned companies, associations, or recognised community and welfare organisations? If so you may be interested in applying for one of the awards offered by B-HERT.

Their aim is to recognise outstanding achievement in collaboration between business and higher education in the fields of research and development and education and training and enhance links between industry and universities.

The awards which close on 7 September are:

Best Research & Development Collaboration
Best Higher Education & Training Collaboration
Best Vocational Education & Training Collaboration
Best Community Engagement Collaboration
Excellence in Accounting Teaching Collaboration
New: B-HERT Award for Outstanding Excellence in Collaboration – $10,000 prize to the overall winner of the above categories
Ashley Goldsworthy Award for Sustained Collaboration between Business and Tertiary Education
Best Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year Award
Award for Outstanding Philanthropic Support of Higher Education

Updated HERDSA Guide: Peer observation partnerships

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +1000

HERDSA has just released the 2nd edition of the widely used Guide on 'Peer Observation Partnerships in Higher Education'. This is a guide for those interested in developing their teaching collegially.

This Guide is one resource about peer observation of teaching amongst many available to teachers at the University of Sydney. Also see the ITL's Teaching Insight on 'Peer Observation of Teaching', and resources provided by the faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science, and Business. You can also read about the recent experiences of academic staff in this paper.

Take part in the Sydney Teaching Colloquium this October

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Following the success of the inaugural Sydney Teaching Colloquium in 2011, the second Colloquium will be held on October 3 and 4, 2012. Challenging Curriculum is the theme for the two-day event, which provides an opportunity for stimulating conversations about the curriculum renewal work that is currently going on across the University. The Colloquium will enable staff and students to learn about innovations and achievements in teaching and learning and share their knowledge of successful practices.

Last year’s Colloquium, with theme of Engaged Enquiry, elicited positive responses such as 'Congratulations on organising such a huge and fantastic event! I really learnt a lot, and it was wonderful (as usual) to engage with colleagues from across the faculties.' Planning for the 2012 event is underway and enrolments will open in August.

The three plenary sessions, which start the proceedings on Wednesday and Thursday and also close the Colloquium, will feature invited national speakers and University leaders and students. The six theme sessions will provide opportunities for showcasing work being undertaken in faculties and for discussing key areas of curriculum.

Assessment and learning standards
Inclusive learning and widening participation
Research higher degree learning
Community engaged learning and teaching
Research enriched learning and teaching
Transition to learning at University

The event will also feature performances from staff and students, including jazz to accompany evening drinks during the Team Trivia Competition, which was rated a highly successful event at the 2011 Colloquium. Start thinking about your team now so you are ready when enrolments open.

If you have questions or suggestions about the 2012 Colloquium, contact the ITL.

National learning and teaching grants awarded

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Congratulations to Ms Michelle Dickson and Ms Suzanne Plater (pictured), from the Sydney Medical School, and Mr Jonathan Birch, from the Sydney School of Public Health, for their success in being awarded a $50,000 Seed grant by the national Office for Teaching and Learning in the first round of OLT grants this year.

Their project is entitled 'Creating a collaborative learning community for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion students – enhancing access, progression and learning in higher education'. The project aims to increase access to, and engagement in, the graduate diploma in Indigenous health promotion. The team members are excited about the grant, Ms Dickson said, because the project will help build bridges between campus learning and community learning, and between theory and practice, in the field of health promotion. The project will bring current students together with staff and alumni to form a learning community that fosters collaborative knowledge exchange.

Academics from The University of Sydney are partners in several other successful grants from the OLT, namely: ‘Building leadership capacity in university first year learning and teaching in the mathematical sciences’, led by The University of Melbourne ($220,000); ‘Work-based assessment of teamwork: An interprofessional approach’, led by The University of Queensland ($220,000); and a specially commissioned project grant for 'Academic integrity in Australia – understanding and changing culture and practice,' led by Macquarie University ' ($227,000).

Applications for the University’s Widening Participation grants are due by 5 pm Friday 27th July. For further information about these internal grants, which are managed jointly by the Social Inclusion Unit and the Institute for Teaching and Learning, click here.

Applications for the second round of the national OLT grants are due internally at the same time: 5 pm Friday 27th July. For further information, click here.

Teaching Insight: Tackling plagiarism through effective teaching

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

The best way to deal with student plagiarism is to ensure that the vast majority of your students never commit it. When plagiarism is found, it is upsetting for everyone involved - particularly if the situation has arisen because a student has simply misunderstood what is required of them, or has not been taught how to reference properly.

Over five years from 2007-2011, our Constructive Feedback and Plagiarism Reduction (CFPR) Program involved several educational strategies and materials deployed in our course manual, in tutorials, in lectures, and online. We believe our most effective strategy was to give students a brief extract from a published source, state that source clearly, require students to write a short paragraph based on the source material, and then directly show students whether they had plagiarised, either by copying material out verbatim or by taking the facts but failing to specify their origin.

We first tried this exercise on a large-scale in 2008. In tutorials, more than a thousand students were given a paragraph from a published article, its source clearly stated, and they were simply asked to write a paragraph based on the article, and submit it online. We ran these student paragraphs through our software and a week later students were shown a wide variety of outcomes. Some students had simply copied the published paragraph word for word, and others had paraphrased it but failed to reference the source. Importantly, we also included examples of writing where students had actually digested what they had read, and produced something original and interesting. We continue to present this real feedback on real writing each year as an online learning module, but we have also discovered that more immediate feedback is even more compelling.

Our in-class strategy is similar: we show students paragraphs from published papers, and begin by asking them to write a single sentence based on that material to get started. Without delay, students swap seats, and are then ‘trained’ in marking their peer’s work, that is, the tutor instructs them to grade the sentence as plagiarised if it is unreferenced. In the first semester of our first-year course that often involves everyone in the room, and students look back at their own computer with dread just as they themselves are instructed to mark work in front of them as plagiarised. A second exercise involves a paragraph with a secondary source embedded, and even the newly emboldened students will often fall into the trap of leaving out the primary source. Within a flurry of ten minutes students suddenly realise the responsibilities they have when writing.

Over the past five years our rates of plagiarism in Psychology have plummeted and stayed low. A straightforward educational exercise on referencing, writing and feedback, which involves the participation of all students, can quickly remove any fears and misunderstandings about plagiarism and, hopefully, remove academics’ need to deal with it.

Associate Professor Fiona White and Dr Caleb Owens, both from the School of Psychology, were recent team recipients of a Vice Chancellor’s Award for Support of the Student Experience for their five-year and ongoing program - Constructive Feedback and Plagiarism Reduction (CFPR) in Introductory Psychology.

Helping students from low SES backgrounds to learn effectively

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Join Dr Marcia Devlin from Open Universities Australia for a presentation on ways of effectively teaching, and providing learning support to, students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds.

Dr Devlin’s August 8th presentation will cover a conceptual framework of inclusive teaching in higher education, research findings from interviews with students from low SES backgrounds, and practical strategies for university teachers. After the presentation there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.

From 2008-2012, Dr Devlin was the Chair in Higher Education Research at Deakin University. As a qualified psychologist with a PhD in higher education, her research involves theoretical, conceptual and practical investigations into contemporary higher education, pedagogy, curriculum, policies and practices. She is part of a multi-institutional research team on an Australian Research Council Linkage grant examining federal migration policies and their impact on international students. She recently led a national grant from the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) on leadership in teaching and learning, and is currently leading another OLT grant on effective teaching and support of university students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Hosted by the Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) and the Social Inclusion Unit as part of the Widening Participation program’s scholars’ network.

Event details
Date: Wednesday 8 August
Time: 2pm-3.30pm
Venue: Education Lecture Room 424, Camperdown Campus
Cost: Free

For more information and resources on teaching and supporting low SES students, see Dr Devlin’s project website.

Cat food, honey and seeds: Primary students doing research

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Giving primary school students a taste of life as a scientist – that’s what Associate Professor Dieter Hochuli is doing with a Widening Participation grant, in partnership with Annandale Primary School.

‘We wanted to find a way of bringing the university to schools’, Associate Professor Hochuli said. ‘We’ve adapted an experiment used by second year uni students which is based on our research on urban landscapes. The primary school students put out cat food, honey and seeds, and see which ants get attracted to the different baits.’

The experiment gives students a chance to get outside and observe the natural environment. The students also develop scientific knowledge, such as becoming aware that ants and plants are in a partnership, because the ants move seeds around and bury them.

According to Associate Professor Hochuli, ‘The students become aware that this is what university people do. We also tell them how little we really know – we only know the names of about half of all Australian ants, let alone anything about their biology, so there’s a great opening for future research.’

After an initial trial at Annandale Primary School, the project team is hoping for the activity to be rolled out in primary school across Sydney.

The Widening Participation grants are part of a joint initiative of the Social Inclusion Unit and the Institute for Teaching and Learning, and are aimed at promoting inclusive teaching and learning and a more diverse student community. July 27th is the due-date for the next round of grant applications.

Lecturing for active learning

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

When giving lectures, it is helpful to have some different strategies that you can use to engage students in active learning.

Below are six practical suggestions taken from research studies on this topic, with weblinks for further reading.

1. Use a multiple-choice question (MCQ) or two in order to gauge your students’ understanding of a concept you’re explaining.
At the beginning, ask the students to individually select an answer and give a confidence rating from 1 to 5. Then 15 or 20 minutes into the lecture, ask them to do this a second time before discussing their answer with a classmate for one minute and then answering the question a third time. Make up your own MCQs, or access ConcepTests on the web for a variety of disciplines. Piepmeier (1998).

2. Integrate readings (and interaction based on the readings) into your lectures.
Select relatively short excerpts from journal articles, the media, or other sources, for students to read in the lecture. Set questions for them to answer in writing as/after they read, and questions to discuss with a classmate afterwards. The questions should assist students to identify key issues in the excerpts, and to develop, express, and argue their own views on the issues. Stewart & McCormack (1997) available through the University Library.

3. Set up cooperative learning teams that operate outside and inside of lecture classes.
Divide your lecture classes up into teams of about 12 people. Provide problems electronically and ask them to work on them together in between class meetings. In the lecture, call on each team to read out their answer, and then facilitate a whole class discussion of the various solutions. Read more.

4.Give your students index cards (or similar) so they can write out their answers to problems, and then exchange their answers.
When you have an interesting question to ask, or want to emphasise an important concept – distribute index cards to the students, ask them to write an answer, then exchange their card with other students, and discuss their answers in groups of two or three. Butler et al. (2001) available through the University Library.

5. Use clickers with MCQs to gauge understanding quickly, and then discuss the relative merits of each of the response options with students.
Explain which answer you would have chosen and why. Clickers are available through the University’s AV service, or an alternative is http://www.polleverywhere.com/ where students use twitter, SMS or the web to respond. Mayer et al. (2009) available through the University Library.

6. If your subject matter includes experiments, use interactive lecture demonstrations to increase understanding of key concepts.
An experiment is described, students are asked to record their outcome prediction and discuss this with a classmate, the experiment is performed, students are asked to compare their prediction to the outcome, and the misconceptions underlying a variety of incorrect predictions are discussed as a whole class. Sharma et al. (2010).

Higher education for refugees

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

June 20 was World Refugee Day, and a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has brought attention to the need for refugees to have better access to a university education.

Worldwide, about 43.7 million people have been forcibly displaced, including 850,000 people currently seeking asylum. Given the scope of the problem, it is crucial to double the number of refugee students in tertiary education over the next five years, according to the UNHCR (2012-2016 plan). Achieving this will require increasing the number of scholarships on offer, using new technologies for open and distance learning (including e-books), and improving access to universities, among other things.

According to a report by the higher education program of the UK-based Refugee Support Network, entitled I just want to study: Access to higher education for young refugees and asylum seekers, universities can help ensure that young people who have been forcibly displaced have an opportunity to contribute to society. This would involve universities providing asylum seekers and refugees who have academic potential with the following: fee waivers, advice about their rights and entitlements with regard to higher education, and individual advice and support as needed.

At Canada's York University, the Centre for Refugee Studies is undertaking a project on Borderless Higher Education for Refugees, which seeks to enhance opportunities for long-term refugees to access higher education by, among other things, developing online qualifications that not only meet international standards but also are ‘portable’ in the context of refugee camps.

For more information, click here.

Five ways to improve your writing

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +1000

Too much academic writing is impersonal, stodgy and jargon-laden – and this includes writing on teaching and learning in higher education. So says Helen Sword, who has recently published Stylish Academic Writing (Harvard University Press, 2012).

In her book, Associate Professor Sword (University of Auckland) presents inspiring examples of excellent writing, as well as examples of poor writing. The book provides many practical suggestions for academics on how we can improve our writing, such as the following:

Engage the reader by using personal stories, first-person pronouns, anecdotes and examples to explain abstract concepts.
To make your research more interesting for readers, try a text structure that is different from the typical IMRAD structure – that is, introduction, method, results and discussion.
During the writing process, activate your creativity by experimenting with techniques such as free writing, free drawing, mind mapping or verbal brainstorming.
Submit a 100-word-plus writing sample online at www.writersdiet.com to check whether your sentences are ‘flabby’ or ‘fit’. This free online tool calculates the ‘fitness’ of your writing sample in each of five grammatical categories.
Encapsulate your research with a catchy title – but be wary of colons, which Sword says can lead to information overload as two titles are essentially crammed into one.

If you’d like to spend some time writing in a collegial atmosphere, come along to Shut Up and Write from 9.30-10.30am every Monday morning at the Darlington Restaurant (174 City Rd, Darlington, next to the Institute Building).