1. Issue 3 of SaMnet’s monthly newsletter
This
month's question: Can you create a
discipline related capstone experience when your discipline only offers service
teaching?
2. Conferences & publication
Groups of SaMnet Scholars, ranging in size up to 14, met at
the following recent conferences:
·
First Year in Higher Education conference in
Brisbane
·
Chemistry Education meeting in Adelaide
·
HERDSA conference in Hobart
·
Physics Education conference in Istanbul
IJMEST call for
articles: Special issue - Quantitative skills in science: integrating mathematics
and statistics in undergraduate science curricula. Call for
articles by the Quantitative Skills in Science project -- http://www.qsinscience.com.au/get-involved. Submissions due January 2013.
Future: Skype meetings in early August. Invitations coming soon. RSVP to connect with other SaMnet project
teams who share your focus.
Match up: Maria Parapilly, Silam Siddiqui, Lisa Schmidt
and Joe Shapter ought to talk to Chris Thompson, Gerry Rayner, Theo Hughes and
Cristina Varsavsky as your projects are both addressing learning in labs. You
may find it worthwhile to compare the approaches and affects of active and
inquiry learning.
4. SaMnet activity
Additional action-learning projects are
coming on line. Welcome new SaMnet Scholars – Karma Pearce (UniSA), Nina
Fotinatos (Ballarat), Jessica Vanderlelei (Griffith), Carmel Coady (UWS), Andy
Broderick (UWS), and Peter Whipp, (UWA).
Coordinators of the science discipline networks and SaMnet
addressed the Australian Council of Deans of Science conference on education this
week.
Liz Johnson, a member of the SaMnet
steering committee, has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship to explore
possible components of a proposed national centre on university science and
mathematics teaching.
5. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
(SoTL)
A clear and succinct piece about
structuring a SoTL article is “A Framework for Writing and/or Evaluating
Research Papers” by Carolyn L. Braddom (1990, American Journal of Physical
Medicine & Rehabilitation, 69(6), p333-335).
6. Leadership insights
A respected guru of managing change in
educational systems is the Canadian, Michael Fullan. His views on systematic
change will reinforce what you encountered in SaMnet’s workshops. The articles
are easily digestible and based on research in school systems, with
implications for our university system. E.g., www.michaelfullan.ca/Articles_06/8ForcesforLeaders.pdf.
7. Team in Focus:
Improve cohesion within subjects and introduce inquiry-based learning: ANU
Current learning activities and lecture
content will be re-arranged and refined to better demonstrate linkages among
topics and to threshold concepts. Some inquiry-based learning activities
(currently absent) – e.g., hypothesis development, statistical analysis and
elementary research (1st year Biology level)-- will be scaffolded to
replace some student discussion and answer writing assessments in order to
enhance student engagement and learning of research and reporting skills while demonstrating the relevance of
assessment tasks. More recently, the group has decided to conceptualise their ideas
around learning outcomes and are looking at some of the strategies being
implemented in later years to see how they might fit and scaffold some experiences
(e.g,. reflection). This focus will help the project align with the
university’s goals as well as the interests of the team. Attending the
SaMnet Leadership Development Workshop in Melbourne earlier this year was very
beneficial for the project, and connections have
since been made with members of CUBEnet and VIBEnet enabling access to
up-to-date information on how learning outcomes are being developed for the
discipline on a national level.
Juliey Beckman – Biology lecturer and
first year coordinator, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment . Among
other endeavors, Juliey has been working on a Teaching Enhancement Grant,
evaluating Science teaching spaces at ANU in relation to collaborative and
active learning pedagogies and learning and teaching in laboratory settings.
Isabelle Ferru -Lectures in Biology at
ANU. Isabelle’s education research has included
the design of new courses to extend student skills; comparing work placements for medical students to coursework
alternatives and designing new forms of assessment.
Beth Beckmann -Beth Beckmann supports
CEDAM's professional development program for early career academics, including
convening the Foundations of University Teaching and Learning course. With
special interests in evaluation, flexible learning and educational
technologies, Beth provides assistance with educational design and review of
courses and programs.
Barbara Van
Leeuwen - Head of Biology Teaching and Learning. Lectures in Biology. The major
focus of her research is the impact of new biotechnologies on the individual
and society, including ethical, legal, regulatory and societal issues.
Barbara’s current education research examines how ethics is taught to
undergraduate science students.
8. Classifieds
Suggestions, please. We need to know what
functions of SaMnet you would like continued beyond 2013. Send to: SaMnetaustralia@gmail.com.
