Academic-Industry Collaborative Lifecycle to Support Work-Integrated Learning.

Simi Kamini Bajaj (Western Sydney University, Australia)

Work-integrated learning (WIL) refers to student learning through industry engagement to bridge the gap between theory and practice-of-work. The aim is to develop professional capabilities to prepare students for professional workplace environment. WIL has its learning benefits apart from adaption to meeting the professional accreditation requirements. This paper presents a model developed for students in a non-capstone unit and that offers them authentic engagement within a purposefully designed curriculum and approach. The model is improvised with an action research approach, fits well with a 4+1 architecture of industry academia model inspired by Kruchten’s software architecture model.

Sustainable Assessment and Philosophies of Education.

Phillip Ebbs (Charles Sturt University, Australia)

The assessment techniques used in university curricula are often influenced by the educational philosophy to which the educator (or course designer) ascribes. In this presentation, we examine a range of educational philosophies and their related assessment techniques. We propose that truly sustainable assessment may only be achieved if the educator values both the contributions from a range of educational philosophies, and the assessment techniques those philosophies espouse. A practical diagram is then presented for discussion. The purpose of the diagram is to help educators consider the use of assessment techniques from a range of perspectives.

Professional Development for Assessment: A Graduate Certificate for Learning and teaching as a Case Study.

Greg Auhl, Sally McCarthy, and Denise Wood (Charles Sturt University, Australia)

Many institutions have requirements for new academic staff on their initial appointment, frequently as part of probationary requirements. This paper examines the approach of one institution to meet this need. The Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education is an innovative program that involves students as active participants in identifying and meeting their own learning needs, while providing significant professional development on approaches to quality assessment. This paper also describes the structure of the program and its unique approach to assessment, examining how new academics (in particular those with no background in teaching) are introduced to quality assessment principles.