Workshop on mapping Graduate Attributes to Program/Plan Structure

This workshop for Deputy Heads of School, Program Coordinators and selected course leaders will utilise an approach to mapping graduate attributes to Programs or Plans of study at ADFA so that Schools can efficiently and effectively monitor and manage the development of attributes across plans or a programs of study. The mapping exercise will clearly indicate the contribution of individual courses to overall development of attributes across a plan or program. The exercise provides the Head of School and academic staff visibility of where attributes are expected to be developed across a program or plan. This visibility can guide future course revision and provide academics with the confidence to focus on specific developmental outcomes in courses.

The workshop will result in each School having a mapping of graduate attributes for one or two undergraduate programs or plans in the School. This outcome provides each School with the experience and way ahead to attempt the mapping exercise for other programs as required by the Teaching and Learning Plan 2006 - 2008.

UNSW@ADFA Sessional Staff Learning and Teaching Development Workshop 

Dr Peter Looker, of the UNSW Learning and Teaching Unit, facilitated sessions for the 17 sessional lecturers who attended the workshop.

To frame the workshop, Associate Dean (Education) Associate Professor Stephen Yeomans provided a briefing (ppt) on the Academic Environment of UNSW @ ADFA.

The full program (pdf) for the workshop can be downloaded.

The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Dr Elizabeth McDonald, Director, Grants Scheme and Company Secretary, of the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, made a presentation to UNSW@ADFA on the Carrick Institute, its role and how it supports the improvement of University Learning and Teaching.

The Carrick Institute provides a range of support for the improvement of University Learning and Teaching and ADFA has, or is attempting to, receive some of that support. Dr Frances Miley of the School of Business recently received a commendation from the Carrick Institute for her teaching of accounting at UNSW@ADFA and another UNSW@ADFA academic is part of a team seeking grants from this institution. Come along and find out just what these opportunities mean and how the Carrick Institute can help you to improve your learning and teaching approach.

Dr McDonald spoke on:

•  An overview of the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education programs
•  The principles underpinning the Grants Scheme
•  The differences between the three types of grants – Leadership, Priority Projects and Competitive grants within the Grants Scheme
•  The project assessment process
•  An update on what has happened this year under the various programs.

Dr McDonald took up the appointment as Director-Grants Scheme and Company Secretary, the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, in January 2006. The Carrick Institute is an initiative of the Commonwealth Government It has a charter to advance and promote learning and teaching in Australian higher education. Prior to this appointment, Elizabeth spent a year on loan from the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) to the Carrick Institute to assist with the development of the Institute and was engaged in all aspects of planning during that year. In 2003-04 she was Director, Teaching and Learning Unit, Higher Education, DEST during the early implementation of the higher education reforms arising from "Our Universities: Backing Australia's Future". In 2001-02 Elizabeth ran the secretariat for the National Review of Nursing Education.

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Course outlines information session

As you may know, one of the Learning and Teaching Performance Indicators that are used to judge each Faculty is the "Quality of course outlines".  Peter Looker and Craig Turnbull, from the Learning and Teaching Unit at Kensington, presented information sessions on what is required in a course outline and what marking criteria are used to evaluate course outlines. 

Aims
- To provide an opportunity to review and discuss the intent of course outlines and the principles underpinning effective course outlines
- To clarify the University's requirements for course outlines by reviewing and discussing the assessment sheet and marking criteria being used to evaluate course outlines as part of the Faculty Learning and Teaching Performance Indicators process
- To clarify the relationship between course outlines and relevant guides and policies such as the UNSW Course Outline Template, the Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching at UNSW, and Graduate Attributes
- To provide you with an opportunity to work collaboratively on a new or existing course outline

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ADFA Learning and Teaching Forum, June 2006

The ADFA Learning and Teaching Forum for 2006 comprised two 3-hour workshops (which also serve as two modules for FULT), two 45-minute discussion groups and a final plenary/discussion session.

Session 1: “Constructive Assessment” Monday, 26 June, 9.30-12.30. University assessment is currently a hot topic.  How can you design assessment that realistically and meaningfully measures desired learning outcomes and avoids plagiarism?  How can you design grading criteria to help students learn? This session encourages participants to think outside the box and to design assessment where the learning outcomes within the assessment task are measured, rather than the ability to do the task - or can they be the same thing? 

Session 2: “Provocative Tutorials” Monday, 26 June, 1.30-2.15

A short facilitated discussion on how tutorials at UNSW@ADFA can be genuinely exploratory, and get away from the pressures of peer conformity. 

Session 3: “Writing Effective Lectures”, Monday, 26 June, 2.45-3.30 The second facilitated discussion explored lectures.  What do you wish to achieve in lectures?  What does not work?  What kind of preparation is necessary?  How can you structure lectures?

Session 4: “Effective Student Feedback for Learning”, Tuesday, 27 June, 9.30-12.30
Student evaluations and surveys generally complain about a lack of adequate feedback.  This may partly be a problem of what they regard feedback as being.  How can you communicate with students that the feedback you give them may be useful for their learning?  How can you provide more useful feedback?  When and how can you give feedback that will be formative, and help students improve?

Session 5: “Ask not what you can do for your students but what they can do for themselves: increasing the culture of independent learning at UNSW@ADFA”, Tuesday 27 June 2.00-3.30
The final plenary session focused on ADFA-specific issues in learning and teaching and to some extent picks up the issues discussed in the two Monday afternoon sessions.  What particular strategies might be used at ADFA to encourage cadets to learn more independently, and to be independent-minded?  Can this be achieved in the way courses or assessment are structured?

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TLC Semninar: Research Based Teaching

Research based teaching appears to be the latest "buzz phrase".  There is a growing literature extolling the virtues of research based teaching but what does this phrase actually mean?  How do you do it?  What are the benefits to your students?  Will it mean completely redesigning courses?

Dr Frances Miley from the School of Business started to answer these questions and raised a lot more.  Frances recently received a Rector's Commendation for Teaching.  She has a UNSW Learning and Teaching Award and has been nominated by the university for a Carrick Institute Award for her sustained contribution to motivating student learning and to the scholarship of teaching and learning.