This
Month’s Question:
As we move towards the end of the
year, we are reviewing the SaMnet workshops conducted this year. Here is your
chance to have your say on future workshops! Suggestions for future workshops
have included stronger engagement with STEM education literature, understanding
the leadership environment within your university and leading change in your
university beyond your unit.
What other elements do you think are vital for SaMnet scholars to experience in future workshops? Let us know at samnetaustralia@gmail.com
The
Australian Government has announced the establishment of a
new National Institute for Learning and Teaching to begin on 1 July 2016. This
will replace the current Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT). This follows a
report on the strengths and weaknesses of the current programme, completed
after extensive consultation with the higher education sector. The report is
available here: https://docs.education.gov.au/node/38401
2. Conferences & publication
Parkroyal Melbourne Airport,
Melbourne, 11 December 2015
Science faculties are invited to
nominate 2 or 3 leaders responsible for the development and/or delivery of WIL
programs in science or mathematics, as delegates to the Forum and members of
the new network.
RSVPs are to be sent to kally.kneale@deakin.edu.au with delegate details (name, email, dietary
requirements). No registration fee, but numbers are limited.
Along with the launch of the new WIL
in Science Network, the Forum will also introduce the WIL in Science Lighthouse
Projects, “action-learning projects designed to establish visible WIL
organisation and leadership in science-based faculties.” Expressions of
interest for projects are now open.
The special issue invites papers from
education, neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology and computer science
researchers on the topic of “Brain, mind and education: Understanding learning
in digital environments.”
Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth, 29 June -2
July 2016
The STARS conference makes its way to
Perth in 2016.
Past:
National ASELL Science Workshop – Melbourne,
VIC
LaTrobe University, Melbourne, 4-5
December, 2015
This is the inaugural Australian
regional conference of HAPS, the largest society of human physiology and
anatomy teaching professionals.
Shine Dome, Canberra, 8-10 December
2015
This forum will see the launch of the
Bioscience Education Australia Network (BEAN), the new umbrella network
combining CUBEnet and VIBEnet; as well as hosting the Mathbench Symposium,
which will launch and demonstrate the Mathbench-Australia website.
Parkroyal Melbourne Airport, Melbourne,
11 December 2015
Join discipline leaders and TL
champions from across Australia at this inaugural national forum to launch the
new WIL in Science Network.
University of Technology Sydney, 11
December 2015
4. SaMnet activity
As we approach the end of the calendar
year, SaMnet is interested in what you have achieved this year and what you
have planned for next year.
Do you have an initiative, project or
interest to chare with the community that you would like feedback on? Do you
have any publications that you wish to disseminate to the wider SaMnet
community? Please contact us at samnetaustralia@gmail.com
5. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
Carl Wieman for Change Magazine
"Current
methods of evaluating teaching at colleges and universities fail to encourage,
guide, or document teaching that leads to improved student learning outcomes." Carl
proposes the Teaching Practices Inventory, an evaluation approach which monitors
the extent to which academics employ teaching practices that are known to work.
Would this be an effective mechanism of promoting change in teaching practices amongst
academics within your institution?
Mark Francek, Professor of Geography
at Central Michigan University
Mark
outlines three key elements that he considers to necessary for good teaching:
building a sense of community within the classroom, holding students
accountable for their learning and relevance to student perspectives. Are these
elements embedded within your teaching practices? What other elements do you
think are essential to teaching?
6. Leadership Insights
Philip Shapira, reviewing Designing the New American
University by Michael M. Crow and William B. Dabars
Aligning your
initiatives with the goals of those higher up within your institution is one
means of driving change in the institution. The article highlights some of the
pressures and trends in the American system that allowed for a new cultural
environment within Arizona State University. Are these trends evident in the
Australian system? How could you combine those with external cultural shifts
outside the classroom to effect change in your instutition?
Ellen
Harries, Rachel Wharton and Rob Abercrombie, supported by LankellyChase
Foundation
SaMnet aims to foster 'distributed
leadership'. That is part of a strategy touted in this report on how to
change complex social systems - like your department, faculty, university, or
discipline. This report provides a nice, reasonably succinct, conceptual
overview of how different disciplines and professions have defined systems and
how they can change. It also outlines principles about pursuing 'system
change'.
7.
Classifieds
The SMART Directory indexes useful
websites relevant to teaching and learning in science and mathematics, with
annotated resources and a rating system indicating the usefulness of the
resources. The Directory is ready for testing, and the developers welcome
feedback and comments on the site, which is available in beta here.
The
Department of Mathematics at The University of Auckland is advertising for
a Professional Teaching Fellow in Mathematics. This is a teaching-focussed
role; the position is intended for candidates with a PhD in Mathematics, or a
closely related discipline, who demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence in
the teaching of Mathematics at the undergraduate level. Applications
close Sunday 13 December 2015.
The School of
Mathematics and Physics is advertising for a Learning Designer. The successful
appointee will work on a University of Queensland Technology-Enhanced Learning
project to develop dynamic, interactive simulations to enhance student
learning. Candidates should possess qualifications in a relevant discipline
such as mathematics, physics, engineering or similar and be comfortable with
web-based technologies and programming. Applications should be sent to A/Prof Tim
McIntyre either via mail or emailed to t.mcintyre@uq.edu.au. Applications close
Monday 14 December 2015.
The School of Mathematical Sciences is
advertising for a Research Fellow in Mathematical Sciences. The successful
applicant will conduct independent and joint research in areas related to
financial mathematics; they will also be expected to teach financial
mathematics at a Master’s degree level. The position is intended for candidates
with a PhD in a relevant discipline, strong knowledge in the area of financial
mathematics and the ability to teach it at a Master’s degree level.
Applications close Sunday 10 January 2016.
