June 30, 2014

Academics join forum to discuss industry best practices

On 17 June the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Eeva Leinonen welcomed nearly 100 UOW colleagues to the 2014 Learning, Teaching & Curriculum Forum at Innovation Campus.

The one-day forum was themed around Curriculum Transformation. Colleagues were able to learn more about local and sector directions as well as share some of the innovation and good practice happening in teaching and learning at UOW.

Director of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum (LTC) Associate Professor Romy Lawson said representatives from all faculties plus a range of professional units attended the forum.

UOW educators were joined by Professor Sally Kift, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at James Cook University who shared her extensive research on the First Year Experience and managing transitions from first to final year with a focus on employability.

Associate Professor Nicolette Lee, from the Centre for Collaborative Learning & Teaching at Victoria University spoke about Capstone Curriculum across disciplines - synthesising theory, practise and policy to provide practical tools for curriculum design.

“We were so pleased to have such high profile speakers join the forum,” Professor Lawson said.

“Sharing their invaluable knowledge and expertise, inspiring us to challenge what we each do in the teaching and learning space.”

Also presenting at the forum were UOW team members and 2013 OLT Teaching Fellows Associate Professor Garry Hoban and Associate Professor Romy Lawson.

Garry provided insight to Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL), demonstrating innovative examples of student-created digital media and exploring two key questions: What should be the driver of TEL – the technology or the learning?; What is the role of academics in implementing TEL?

Professor Lawson discussed quality assurance of learning and introduced tools to support curriculum design using collaborative practice to streamline processes.

Visit the LTC website for more information.