1.
Issue 36 of SaMnet’s monthly newsletter
This
Month’s Question:
Interest in the Professional Recognition of University
Teachers among SaMnet Participants
One
of our SaMnet Scholars, Dr Beth Beckmann PFHEA from the ANU, has been
awarded a National Teaching Fellowship to explore the interest in professional
recognition for university teachers in Australia. She would be very grateful if
other SaMnet Scholars would take the time to participate in this 8-12 minute
survey about the kinds of outcomes that individuals gained from SaMnet
participation, and the level of institutional recognition that was
achieved.
Any
questions about the survey, the National Teaching Fellowship or professional
recognition can be addressed to Beth at elizabeth.beckmann@anu.edu.au
Support
for this activity has been provided by the Australian Government Office for
Learning and Teaching. The views expressed in this activity do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and
Teaching.
Congratulations to those
recently announced as 2015
OLT National Teaching Fellows, including Adam
Bridgeman (USYD), Kelly Matthews (UQ) and Mauro Mocerino (Curtin).
2. Conferences &
publication
Curtin University and Murdoch University, Perth,
30 September – 2 October, 2015
This year’s theme is “Transforming practice:
Inspiring Innovation”.
Early bird
registrations close August 7th.
Monash
University, 25-27 November, 2015
Universities
are invited to send two person teams to showcase a laboratory experiment for
improvement. EOI for experiments to be evaluated at the workshop close on
Monday 17 August 2015.
Call
for Abstracts and Papers – Special Edition: International
Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education (IJISME)
“The
Link Between Tertiary Science Education and Employability”
Interested
authors should submit a 250-word abstract for consideration to s.beames@uq.edu.au. Abstract submissions close Monday 28 August 2015.
Flinders
University, Adelaide, 28 September – 1 October, 2015
Registrations
are now open for the event, which includes a public lecture by Professor
Terence Tao (UCLA) on Monday 28 September 2015.
Past:
STARS Conference 2015 – Melbourne 1-4 July.
Future:
Curtin University and Murdoch University, Perth,
30 September – 2 October, 2015
This is the main gathering and sharing event
on the SaMnet calendar each year.
Flinders University, Adelaide, 2 October, 2015
This workshop will focus on the experiences of
“individualised study plans” in the US and potential options for implementation
in the Australian environment.
Registration is free, but required for
catering.
Canberra, 21-22 October, 2015; Sydney, 5-6
November, 2015; Melbourne, 10-11 November, 2015
A pricey, but valuable opportunity for
aspiring leaders in the SaMnet community.
4. SaMnet activity
This month, members
of the SaMnet project team published
a paper in the International Journal for Academic Development titled “Social
network perspectives reveal strength of academic developers as weak ties”.
The paper looks at the application
of social network perspectives to the contributions of academic developers in
SoTL projects conducted as part of the SaMnet project.
Congratulations
to lead author Kelly Matthews (UQ) and the other SaMnet scholars involved with
the paper. We look forward to further publications from the SaMnet project
team.
5. Scholarship of Teaching
and Learning (SoTL)
Adeline Koh in The Chronicle of Higher
Education Blog
The
author describes a hands-on approach to teaching research methodologies by
letting students loose within the library to gather, synthesise and present on
a number of discussion questions. Would this approach work to develop an understanding
of the process of research methodology in a scientific or mathematical context?
How could we improve the transferability of different teaching methodologies
across disciplines?
Jon Bergmann for Turning Learning on
its Head
Starting
out with new teaching practices can be daunting, particularly for those just
starting to branch out from the traditional teaching models. This page provides
a number of resources for those considering “flipped classrooms”, from how to
start flipping the classroom to teacher and student experiences of the model.
6. Leadership insights
Nathan Bennett in The Chronicle of Higher Education
Adapting and
responding to the multiple challenges facing academic institutions today requires
the identification of leaders within the institution and providing them
appropriate training and support. How are potential leaders identified within
your institution? Are you given the appropriate level of support to develop and
enhance your leadership potential?
Judith Sherven, Executive Coaching for the Brightest and Best for
Linkedin Pulse
Critical feedback
is often refrained upon due to fears about “hurting someone’s feelings” or
“acting mean”. However, effective critical feedback can positively influence
the professional and personal growth of recipients. How has critical feedback
influenced your professional and personal growth? How can you deliver critical
feedback that both respects the recipient and allows for continual development
in their professional and personal lives?
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 School of Mathematics
and Statistics is seeking to expand its expertise in Pure Mathematics.
Successful applicants will be required to lead research programs and have a
strong commitment to the teaching and supervision of research students at
undergraduate, MSc and PhD levels. Candidates with a background in Analysis are
strongly encouraged to apply, with applications closing Sunday 11 October 2015.
This
is a teaching-focussed role; the Department is undertaking a major, multi-year
revision of its undergraduate pedagogy and curriculum with the goal of
producing a truly superb undergraduate experience in physics. They are looking
for candidates with a strong background in university teaching who are familiar
with current developments in physics education research. Applications close
Sunday 16 August 2015.
