[HERDSA] News on Wed 16th June 2010

[Roger Landbeck]

Dear List Members

This week we have

	A Forthcoming Conference

	Position Vacant in Wellington

	Ways of encouraging interdisciplinary activities. Can you help?

	Bringing about Change in Teaching and Learning at Department Level-A
UK Report

	News from Higher Education

	

1) FORTHCOMING CONFERENCE

UniServe Science/IISME Annual Conference, Wednesday 29th September- Friday
1st October
Creating ACTIVE minds in our Science and Mathematics students.


We are pleased to advise that both our online registration and online
submission portals are now available for delegates to this year's UniServe
Science/IISME conference and we are now looking forward to receiving your
papers and registrations. We invite submissions from tertiary science and
mathematics educators and students. Science and mathematics for this
conference encompasses biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences,
information technology, learning and cognitive sciences, mathematics and
statistics, molecular and microbial sciences, physics and psychology as well
as the applied sciences including agricultural science, health sciences,
engineering and veterinary sciences Full details and links are available on
the conference website.  (http://sydney.edu.au/iisme/news/conference/)
 
Important dates to note are
Monday June 21st - Closing date for full papers 
Saturday July 31st - Closing date for early bird registrations.
 
On the  website are details of our two Keynote speakers - Associate
Professor Simon Pyke, Associate Dean (Learning & Quality) in the Faculty of
Sciences at the University of Adelaide and Associate Professor Garry Hoban,
Science Education Coordinator in the Faculty of Education at the University
of Wollongong.




2) POSITION VACANT IN WELLINGTON

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Academic Development at Victoria University of
Wellington

Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand is looking for a qualified
academic developer to take up a three-year academic appointment with the
great team at the University Teaching Development Centre (UTDC). The role of
Lecturer/Senior Lecturer Academic Development is to provide professional
development in teaching and learning for VUW's academic staff, to contribute
to a postgraduate programme in higher education learning and teaching and to
support the work of the UTDC in policy advice, consultation, and research
into teaching and learning. This is a three year fixed-term appointment to
cover the absence of a permanent staff member on secondment.

Applicants should possess a PhD or equivalent academic and research
qualifications, preferably in an area related to higher education, and a
strong background in academic development. Applicants should also have
experience in university-level teaching, course design, course and teaching
evaluation, and workshop design, facilitation and evaluation.

For more information, please visit the following website:

http://vacancies.vuw.ac.nz/positiondetail.asp?p=5225




3) Ways of encouraging interdisciplinary activities. Can you help?

Colleagues

A Working Group within Massey University is looking at how we can break down
barriers across previously separate units and/or qualifications and
investigate different ways of encouraging interdisciplinary activities. 

This Working Group is specifically looking at gathering ideas with the aim
of; developing shared understanding of the value of interdisciplinary
approaches to learning and teaching; consider options for (and make
recommendations on) mechanisms to support integration (and/or
interdisciplinary activities); and consider options for a broader approach
to integration across the university, 

They have asked my Centre to have some input and I would appreciate it if
there was anyone that was able to share their experiences, suggest
people/Universities I might contact or provide any up to date and helpful
references relevant to this area.

Thanks very much
Regards

Gordon Suddaby Director: Academic Development and eLearning
Massey University
Private Bag 11-222
Palmerston North
New Zealand

Phone: 64 (0)6 350 5799 extension 5421
Email: g.t.suddaby at massey.ac.nz
http://cadel.massey.ac.nz
President: Australasian Council on Open, Distance and Elearning (ACODE)
www.acode.edu.au




4) Bringing about Change in Teaching and Learning at Department Level

A note from Prof Mick Healey, University of Gloucestershire, UK (who is well
known to a number of subscribers down under)

Dear Colleagues

Some of you may be interested in this report, which analyses the experience
of a year long initiative to support teaching and learning changes in
university departments.  It applies some of the processes developed by
Change Academy (an initiative developed by the HE Academy and the Leadership
Foundation to foster complex change in institutions) to the level of the
department.  

Bringing about Change in Teaching and Learning at Department Level analyses
an initiative undertaken by the HE Academy Geography, Earth and
Environmental Sciences (GEES) Subject Centre (based at the University of
Plymouth, UK) with the support of the Centre for Active Learning (CeAL),
University of Gloucestershire, UK.   

The principles are, we feel, applicable to supporting departments planning
curriculum changes regardless of discipline or country, while recognising
that the opportunities and barriers to change will, of course, vary.

The report is available at:
http://www.gees.ac.uk/events/2009/deptchg09/deptchg09.htm and
http://insight.glos.ac.uk/TLI/RESOURCES/TOOLKIT/EAL/Pages/default.aspx . 

Best wishes
Mick
Email: mhealey at glos.ac.uk  (Best way to contact me)

 


News from Higher Education

Something a bit different this week.


1) South African universities and the 2010 world cup
Alison Moodie
Football fever has swept across South Africa. While stadiums play host to
jubilant fans and football superstars, through a variety of initiatives
universities are bringing their expertise and resources to bear on the 2010
FIFA World Cup. Research projects, accommodation for teams and fans, access
to sports facilities, exhibitions and soccer events have brought the
monumental contest to campuses.
Full report on the University World News site
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100612161404440


2) Australian Socceroos meet squatter camp kids
Geoff Maslen
"The smiles could have lit a stadium as Socceroo stars Mark Schwarzer, Brett
Emerton and Luke Wilkshire kicked a few balls with kids from the squatter
camps on the western outskirts of Johannesburg." The Australian football
team was training township kids who benefit from a volunteer programme run
by the South African campus of Melbourne's Monash University. 
Full report on the University World News site
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100611213017320v


Roger Landbeck
List Moderator