Program - day 1 workshop 1

This workshop is aimed at all those parties with an interest in the contribution that Teaching and Learning Centres make to enhancing the student learning experience and outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to:

• DVC/PVC(Academic) or equivalent;
• Directors (or equivalent) of Teaching and Learning Centres;
• other staff of Teaching and Learning Centres;
• Associate Deans (Teaching and Learning) or equivalent;
• Associate Heads of School (Teaching and Learning) (or equivalent);
• Faculty (or equivalent) academic development staff; and
• students and student representative bodies.

 

Dr Di Challis
Dr Di Challis, Challis Consultancy, is a consultant to the ALTC funded project ‘Strategic Leadership for Institutional Teaching and Learning Centres’ and, in that role, as a senior researcher, has been closely involved with the research that underpins this workshop. Prior to setting up Challis Consultancy in 2006, she was a senior lecturer at Deakin University, working in the Institute of Teaching and Learning and headed academic professional development.

Dr Dale Holt
Dr Dale Holt is Associate Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning at Deakin University with active participation in Educational Design, Professional Development and Research. Dale has coordinated major academic professional development programs and his responsibilities see him heavily involved in the University’s Strategic Teaching and Learning Grant Scheme and in supporting staff applying for University and national teaching awards. He was awarded a Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in 2007, ‘For longstanding leadership and support for the professional development of teaching staff to advance student learning in the field of flexible, online and distance education’.

Dr Stuart Palmer
Dr Stuart Palmer completed his undergraduate degree with distinction in electronics engineering. During nearly a decade of professional practice he completed an MBA in technology management. In 1995, he joined the School of Engineering and Technology at Deakin University and lectured in the management of technology. During that time he was awarded the Australasian Association for Engineering Education McGraw-Hill New Engineering Educator Award, and completed his doctoral studies. His research interests include frequency domain image analysis and the effective use of digital/online technologies in teaching and learning. More recently, he has joined the Deakin University Institute of Teaching and Learning.

Professor Gail Huon
Professor Gail Huon is the Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Newcastle. She joined the University in November 2006 after 16 years of teaching and research in the School of Psychology, University of NSW. Her recent research has focussed on the student experience, roles of centres for teaching and learning and key aspects of teaching and learning, which have influenced policy development on educational quality and effectiveness across the university sector.

Associate Professor, Sandra Jones
As the Director of Learning and Teaching Unit at RMIT, Dr Sandra Jones has been engaged in a number of Leadership projects funded by the ALTC. Her interest is in identifying leadership models and frameworks that incorporate a broad range of strategy and professional development across universities to assist both Current and Early Career Academics to develop the skills necessary to lead enhanced student learning opportunities. Sandra is particularly interested in the role of centralised Learning and Teaching units vis-à-vis the distributed model of leadership and has recently completed a Report and Resource Manual on an ALTC funded multi-level distributed leadership model to improve student learning. To develop a holistic picture of the needs of academics, Sandra is currently engaged in a project to improve the student learning experience within the School of Management.

Professor Ian MacDonald
Professor Ian Macdonald, Director, Teaching Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia. Ian trained and worked as a mechanical engineer before moving into Physics teaching. Researching student learning, he gaining a Masters degree and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology. After three years as Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre at the University of New England he became the Founding Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at Victoria University. His research primarily deals with promoting learner metacognition, the development of effective learning environments, and teacher professional development at all levels.

 

In 2007 we received Australian Learning and Teaching Council (formerly Carrick Institute) funding for the project “Strategic Leadership for Institutional Teaching and Learning Centres: Developing a Model for the 21st Century”. The project is being undertaken collaboratively by six universities (Deakin, Macquarie, Monash, RMIT, University of Newcastle and University of New England). A further four universities will be involved in upcoming focus group discussions and 31 Australian universities have been involved through a survey of Directors of Teaching and Learning Centres.

The proposed workshop will:

• Inform participants of the relevant research findings to date. [By the time of the conference the interviews (37 respondents from the six partner universities), surveys (31 respondents from 38 Heads of Centres) and focus group discussions (10 universities) will have been completed and the data analysed].
• Draw on these data to engage participants in exploring the key questions identified above.
• Share exemplars and strategies. Please note that it is intended that information shared during the workshop will inform our on-going ALTC project.

Please note that it is intended that information shared during the workshop will inform our on-going ALTC project.

 

Workshop Phase	Duration
Presentation of project findings, as related to Centres’ contributing to student learning	15 mins
Activity 1 in small groups: Exploring the relationships between the key components of the Strategic Leadership Centre framework diagram	30 mins
Sharing of discussions with whole group	10 mins
Activity 2 in small groups: Examining strategies for addressing key areas of improvements and key constraints in Centre operations	30 mins
Sharing of discussions with whole group	10 mins
Summing up by project team members	20 mins

 

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Gray, K. & Radloff, A. (2006). Quality Management of Academic Development Work: Implementation issues and challenges. International Journal for Academic Development, 11(2), 79 - 90.

Havnes, A. & Stensaker, B. (2006). Educational development centres: from educational to organisational development? Quality Assurance in Education, 14(1), 7-20.

Knight, P. T. (2006). Quality Enhancement and Educational Professional Development. Quality in Higher Education, 12(1), 29-40.

Prebble, T., Hargraves, H., Leach, L., Naidoo, K., Suddaby, G. & Zepke, N. (2005). Impact of Student Support Services and Academic Development Programmes on Student Outcomes in Undergraduate Tertiary Study: A Synthesis of the Research. Wellington: Ministry of Education, New Zealand.

Taylor, K. L. (2005). Academic Development as Institutional Leadership: An interplay of person, role, strategy, and institution. International Journal for Academic Development, 10(1), 31-46.

Trigwell, K. & Shale, S. (2004). Student learning and the scholarship of university teaching. Studies in Higher Education, 29(4), 523 - 536.