Scaling up Active Learning in Charles Sturt University’s Learning Spaces

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Philip Hua, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Abstract

Charles Sturt University provides learning spaces that stimulate active learning by aligning spaces, pedagogy, technologies, furniture, and strategy. At its core this strategy comes down to marrying digital and physical means to educational ends. The visual materials presented here display award-winning learning spaces on some of CSU’s eight campuses in New South Wales along with reflections on how effective these spaces have proven to be. They explore how people are creatively using blended — physical and digital — spaces, and the optimal design and layout of such spaces.

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Sessional Staff Traversing Diverse Learning Spaces: A Review

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Prue Gonzalez,* School of Environmental Sciences, and Phillip Ebbs, School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Abstract

Sessional academic staff are employed in a number of academic roles, from lecturing to field trips to course improvement. What distinguishes them from other academic staff is that they are employed on a short-term, contract basis, much like adjunct faculty in the United States. Today they are a dominant feature of the global higher education workforce whose contributions over the past 20 years have been significant.
It is conservatively estimated that sessional academics deliver more than 40% of university teaching in Australia, where the authors live and teach. While the higher education sector’s reliance upon these staff is expected to increase, our knowledge and understanding of these staff is poor. This compromises the development of policies, strategies and programs designed to engage, support and improve the high quality contributions of the sessional academic workforce over a sustained period. A more informed approach to sessional academic engagement, support and quality improvement is an essential component to operating effectively in a modern higher education sector. This paper reviews the challenges associated with the effective and sustainable engagement of the Australian sessional academic workforce.

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Developing a Learning Analytics Tool to Empower Teachers to Conduct Analysis of Learners Online Behavior

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Dr Christine Armatas,* Ada Tse, & Chun Sang Chan, Educational Development Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, and Bruce Li, School of Accounting and Finance, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

Abstract

A tool for conducting analysis of students’ learning management system (LMS) behavior shows promise for putting powerful learning analytics (LA) capabilities into the hands of front-line teachers. The combination of advanced analyses and visualisations with explanations to aid interpretation and guide action provides teachers with LA capabilities not previously available. Teachers can use the tool as an early warning system, to predict student performance and to analyse discussion posting information. While teachers’ feedback on the tool is positive, this initiative has highlighted remaining challenges, which include ensuring that data is available for analysis and user perceptions of the tool and its usefulness.

Keywords: learning management systems, Excel tool, learning analytics, teacher development

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How University Teachers Perceive Incentives and Obstacles in Modernizing Their Teaching

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Barica Marentič Požarnik,* Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

What obstacles impede introducing necessary innovations in teaching in higher education? What can be done to overcome them? These basic questions were analyzed on the basis of opinions gathered from five groups of participants from different disciplines that attended a course on improving university teaching at the University of Ljubljana in 2013-2014. Those findings cannot be generalized, as participants represented a specially motivated group of teachers (they volunteered to attend the course). Nevertheless, they can give us some valuable insights into forces that shape university teachers’ everyday teaching practice.

Keywords: pedagogical excellence, faculty incentives,  student evaluations

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