Professor Liz Burd leading a conversation on the future of Technology Enhanced Learning 10-11am Thursday 22 August
Presented by UoN's Community of Interest in Online Teaching, Learning & Research
We're fortunate to have Professor Liz Burd, our new PVC Learning and Teaching, leading a discussion on the future of technology enhanced learning. Professor Burd has joined the UoN from the University of Durham in the UK, where she was Dean of Undergraduate Education and Chair of Information Technology. With an international reputation in the field of education, Liz is particularly recognised for her pioneering research into Technology Enhanced Learning. Liz is a member of key international bodies including Chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Pre-university Education Coordinating Committee, where she is responsible for promoting Engineering and Technology education to its 400,000 members, and 2nd Vice-President for the IEEE Computer Society, which hosts more than 75,000 members.
WHEN: 10-11am, Thursday 22 August
WHERE: Isabella Restaurant (upstairs), Callaghan campus
RSVPs: Yes please, to Liam.Phelan@newcastle.edu.au.
What is UoN's Community of Interest in Online Teaching, Learning & Research (or, the 'COI' for short)?
The COI was initiated in June 2012 and is open to all - academic staff, professional staff, students - with an interest in online teaching, learning and research (TL&R). We already have a whole lot of diverse expertise and interest in online TL&R across UoN, and the COI is an opportunity for folks to come together, share experiences, ideas and practices, and make collegial connections.
The COI meets at Callaghan and Ourimbah (so far!), and ideas for discussion topics, workshops and guest speakers come from folks in the COI. Liam Phelan, Online Teaching & Learning Coordinator, GradSchool, facilitates the COI. The COI is completely voluntary - folks only come along to things if they're interested and available.
Next COI catch ups will focus on Open Access and Open Education Resources and orienting online students new to university.
Interested to stay in touch? Shoot a note through to Liam.Phelan@newcastle.edu.au and Liam will add you to the COI's email contact list.
A draft set of working principles for the COI came out of the first COI catch up last year, as follows:
A. Things we're interested in:
1. BIG PICTURE: Including open access to materials, open education resources (OER) and creative commons (CC).
2. ONLINE TEACHING PEDAGOGY & PRACTICES: Comparatively we've got some good things going on here at Newcastle. There is also (always!?) scope for improvement in online pedagogy.
3. INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT, POLICIES & PRACTICES: Digitised (and mobile) resources and online/ blended education may serve as an invitation and tangible/ practical opportunity for academics to work with colleagues across disciplines; there is work to do towards greater internal acceptance of the benefits (& joys?) of online teaching & learning.
B. The merits of putting energy into a community of interest:
1. There are benefits in sharing, i.e. rather than always 'making new wheels'.
2. There are benefits in communications and networks across and outside disciplines, in relation to practices and interdisciplinary knowledge creation.
3. Getting together this way will likely create opportunities for engaging in collaborative online T&L research, and we anticipate exploring grant opportunities.
C. What this community of interest may look like:
1. We are interested in being inclusive and expansive in our approach, i.e. practically accessible to anyone in the UoN community with an interest in online T&L.
2. Our community of interest is an opportunity to bring focus to things that work well, to share practices, insights and ideas, and over time, draw in others who may be more tentative about online T&L.
3. There is interest in getting together face-to-face (at Callaghan and Ourimbah) and online, i.e. it's good to get together in person sometimes, it's good to ;'walk the talk' and do it online too.
4. We're experimenting with this as it evolves, and we're interested to see a mix of informal catch ups, resource sharing, practice workshops, seminar-style presentations by leaders in this field from UoN and elsewhere, etc.
5. We'll set up and use a standard Bb course site for learning as we go; we'll look at UoN's Yammer network too.
6. We anticipate getting together monthly or so, and mixing up meeting days and times given that there won't (can't?) be a time that will always suit everybody.
