Sunday 23 February 2014

February Newsletter




 1.  Issue 22 of SaMnet’s monthly newsletter    This month's question:  What steps are you going to take to exercise or develop your leadership capacity, e.g., within your institution or your discipline? Reply to samnetaustralia@gmail.com.   2.  Conferences & publication  International Conference of STEM in Education – July 12-15, 2014, Vancouver, Canada. Proposals due December 9 2014 for papers, poster presentations, panels, workshops, symposia and innovative showcases.  IJISME Special Issue: Inquiry and Problem-Solving in the Undergraduate Science Curriculum. Abstracts due February 28 to Stephanie.Beames@uts.edu.au; manuscripts due April 14.   3.  Connections/Events    Past:  WA Teaching and Learning Forum 2014 – University of Western Australia, 30-31 January. Theme: Transformative, Innovative and Engaging.   Manju Sharma presented for SaMnet, 20+ new faces.     Future: February 2014 SaMnet Leadership-development workshops.  • Adelaide, Tuesday 25th of February, The University of Adelaide (Contact: Amanda Able) • Melbourne, Tuesday 25th of February, Monash University (Contact: Gerry Rayner) • Brisbane, Friday 28th of March, Griffith University  (Contact: Sarah-Jane Gregory)   HERDSA Conference 2014: Higher Education in a Globalized World –  Hong Kong Baptist University, 7-10 July 2014. Proposals due 7 March 2014.   Match up:  Experienced SaMnet Scholars willing to support newcomers?  We have many new people joining the workshops next week.   We will be looking to you to provide support.      4.  SaMnet activity    The three leadership-development workshops in February and March are top priority. Excitingly, we expect many new faces in attendance. These workshops are being hosted by SaMnet Scholars from each institution, exercising ‘distributed leadership’ in this 2014 workshop series.  Work continues on dissemination of SaMnet project outcomes and results. We look forward to sharing publications with you soon.   5.  Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)    Refreshing Engagement: NSSE at 13 Alexander McCormick, Robert Gonyea and Jillian Kinzie, The Magazine of Higher Learning The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has been used in American institutions now for 13 years. What questions can the results now answer? Do students invest enough time in their studies? What distinguishes engaging institutions? Is there evidence of improvement?  Purdue U. Software Prompts Students to Study-and Graduate Hannah Winston, The Chronicle of Higher Education Speaking of engagement, Purdue University has been employed technology to measure engagement using “about 20 data points” and signalling to students how they are doing. Would this feedback on their engagement help your students to stay on track?   6.  Leadership insights   The start of semester is always hard, two articles that could help from Forbes Magazine:  Ways leaders maintain their composure in difficult times Glenn Llopis, Forbes “The composure of a leader is reflected in their attitude, body language and overall presence.   … It is clear that leadership is not only about elevating the performance, aptitude and development of people – but more so about the ability to make people feel safe and secure.”    How to Handle a Bad Boss: 7 Strategies For ‘Managing Up’ Margie Warrell, Forbes According to Warrell, having a “not-so-inspiring” boss is an invaluable opportunity for developing executive leadership skills. How is your head of school or dean leaving you with “space” to develop your leadership capacity?      7. Initiative in Focus:    Tell us what you are doing that is worth sharing – an initiative that is ‘working’.  For example, got data on the performance of others’ students that shows how a change initiative is taking hold?  Here is a chance to share evidence of progress.  Begin articulating something worth publishing as SoTL or big-noting in an application for an award or promotion.      8.  Classifieds   Have you used - or are you using - conceptual surveys with students at your university in 2014? E.g., the Chemistry Concept Inventory.  Many science academics are sharing their results to give a national perspective on student learning in lectures. Contact h.georgiou@physics.usyd.edu.au for more details or to get involved.  Historical data from previous years is also most welcome!



This month's question:
What steps are you going to take to exercise or develop your leadership capacity, e.g., within your institution or your discipline? Reply to samnetaustralia@gmail.com.


2.  Conferences & publication

International Conference of STEM in Education – July 12-15, 2014, Vancouver, Canada. Proposals due December 9 2014 for papers, poster presentations, panels, workshops, symposia and innovative showcases.

IJISME Special Issue: Science Communication in the Undergraduate Curriculum. Abstracts due March 7.


3.  Connections/Events  

Past:                      WA Teaching and Learning Forum 2014 – University of Western Australia, 30-31 January. Theme: Transformative, Innovative and Engaging.
                                Manju Sharma presented for SaMnet, 20+ new faces. 


Future:                 February 2014 SaMnet Leadership-development workshops.
·         Adelaide, Tuesday 25th of February, The University of Adelaide (Contact: Amanda Able)
·         Melbourne, Tuesday 25th of February, Monash University (Contact: Gerry Rayner)
·         Brisbane, Friday 28th of March, Griffith University
(Contact: Sarah-Jane Gregory)
                               
Hong Kong Baptist University, 7-10 July 2014. Proposals due 7 March 2014.


Match up:           Experienced SaMnet Scholars willing to support newcomers?
We have many new people joining the workshops next week. 
We will be looking to you to provide support.
 

4.  SaMnet activity 

The three leadership-development workshops in February and March are top priority. Excitingly, we expect many new faces in attendance. These workshops are being hosted by SaMnet Scholars from each institution, exercising ‘distributed leadership’ in this 2014 workshop series.

Work continues on dissemination of SaMnet project outcomes and results. We look forward to sharing publications with you soon.


5.  Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) 

Alexander McCormick, Robert Gonyea and Jillian Kinzie, The Magazine of Higher Learning
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has been used in American institutions now for 13 years. What questions can the results now answer? Do students invest enough time in their studies? What distinguishes engaging institutions? Is there evidence of improvement?

Hannah Winston, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Speaking of engagement, Purdue University has been employed technology to measure engagement using “about 20 data points” and signalling to students how they are doing. Would this feedback on their engagement help your students to stay on track?


6.  Leadership insights

The start of semester is always hard, two articles that could help from Forbes Magazine:

Glenn Llopis, Forbes
“The composure of a leader is reflected in their attitude, body language and overall presence.   … It is clear that leadership is not only about elevating the performance, aptitude and development of people – but more so about the ability to make people feel safe and secure.”  

Margie Warrell, Forbes
According to Warrell, having a “not-so-inspiring” boss is an invaluable opportunity for developing executive leadership skills. How is your head of school or dean leaving you with “space” to develop your leadership capacity? 


7. Initiative in Focus: 

Tell us what you are doing that is worth sharing – an initiative that is ‘working’.  For example, got data on the performance of others’ students that shows how a change initiative is taking hold?  Here is a chance to share evidence of progress.  Begin articulating something worth publishing as SoTL or big-noting in an application for an award or promotion.  


8.  Classifieds


Have you used - or are you using - conceptual surveys with students at your university in 2014? E.g., the Chemistry Concept Inventory.  Many science academics are sharing their results to give a national perspective on student learning in lectures. Contact h.georgiou@physics.usyd.edu.au for more details or to get involved.

Historical data from previous years is also most welcome!