Edith Cowan University
Centre for Learning and Development
A guide for
offshore tutors
and lecturers
Centre for Learning and Development Telephone: +61 8 6304 2554 Fax: +61 8 6304 2344
Email: cld@ecu.edu.au Web: http://www.ecu.edu.au/centres/centre-for-learning-and-development/overview
Offshore Tutors and Lecturers: Suggested
schedule
The following table lists activities suggested for offshore tutors and lecturers.
Week
Before
semester
starts
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Administration
 Accept offer.
 Check dates for
- teaching,
- assignments,
- exams,
- visits (if required).

Check list of all
attending class
 Ensure that all
students have Unit
Outline & Unit Plan
Check class list of all
enrolled students
Recommended class activities with students
 Check Blackboard (Bb) site for resources –
Unit Outline and Unit Plan;
 Contact unit coordinator to confirm that
you can access the learning materials on
Blackboard
 Read Unit Outline and Unit Plan, note
- unit coordinator’s email address;
- learning outcomes;
- teaching and learning processes; and
- assessments.
 Get to know your students
 Discuss Unit Outline & Unit plan with
students in class – note first assignment
due date and requirements

Discuss first assessment again noting
marking criteria.
 Show wording on assignment coversheet
and explain that students must sign that
the assignment is their own work.
 Think Pair Share activity on how to get
started on the first assignment.
Remind students of due
 How to cite and list references correctly.
dates for assignments.
 How to summarise an article relevant to
assignment
 Check that students know how to submit
their assignments online with cover sheet.
By the end of week 4 it is
Review your teaching – check with unit
recommended that you
coordinator for their preferred Week 4 Evaluation
provide feedback to
e.g. Ask students to write
students about their
1. What do you like about the unit?
progress in the unit. This
2. What is difficult in this unit?
gives students opportunity
3. What is one thing you would change in this
to withdraw or change
unit?
enrolment.
Use information from students’ review of your
teaching – discuss with unit coordinator and make
adjustments to your teaching as required
Week 5
Check confirmed class list
of all enrolled students
again as closing date for
withdrawals.
Through
semester
Contact unit coordinator if
any problems
Week 6
Mark assignments on Bb
within 10 working days of
due date. Provide written
feedback on all
assignments on how they
could improve their
assignment.
Send all marks to unit
coordinator within 10
working days of due date
Send at least 8
assignments across the
grades to unit coordinator
for review (if they cannot
access them in Bb).
Check confirmed class list
of all enrolled students
and any outstanding
assessments.
Confirm class list with unit
coordinator.
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Weeks 15
& 16


How to summarise an article relevant to
assignment.
Discuss the marking criteria and
assignments with students.
Check student learning by asking students to write
1. 3 things I learnt in class today
2. Something I liked about class today
3. Something I am not sure about from
today’s class
Checking answers and revise topics as needed.
 Explain what plagiarism is and
consequences.
 How to paraphrase an article relevant to
assignment.


How to use references relevant to
assignment.
How to cite and list references
How to summarise an article relevant to
assignment if there is an assignment.
Revise what students are not sure about.
If there is an exam,
confirm with unit
coordinator information
regarding the exam to give
to students.
Tell students your contact
times
If there is an exam, discuss the exam with
students. Discuss exemplar exam answers in class
if provided.
Review unit content and prepare students for
exam (if applicable).
If there is an exam, review unit content.
If there is an exam, review unit content.
Study Week
Exam weeks
Activities to do throughout semester
Throughout semester, you are advised to:
 Contact your unit coordinator if you have any problems.
 Mark assignments within 10 working days of due date. Provide written feedback on all
assignments with suggestions for how students could improve. Invite students to discuss their
assignments with you for further feedback. The preferred method of marking is online via
Blackboard. If you cannot access Blackboard you will have to send all marks and some sample
assignments showing your marking to unit coordinator.
 Check student learning by asking students to write
1. 3 things I learnt in class today
2. Something I liked about class today
3. Something I am not sure about from today’s class.
 Check students’ answers and revise topics as needed.
 Explain what plagiarism is and consequences.
 Teach students how to cite and list references correctly.
 Discuss assignment marking criteria with students several weeks before due date.
 Tell students your contact times – when you will be available for student consultations.
Think Pair Share Activity
The Think Pair Share strategy is a cooperative
learning technique that promotes student
participation and is useful for all year levels and
class sizes and is particularly useful in making
lectures and tutorials interactive.
How to do a Think Pair Share
What is a Think Pair Share?
The facilitator poses a question, problem, issue or
idea (that does not simply have one answer).
This can be up on the board or a Powerpoint slide
so everyone is clear as to the problem to be
discussed.
She/he introduces the Think Pair Share activity as
the method for discussing answers to the question.
Think Pair Share activity is a strategy in lectures or
tutorials, even online, to enhance student learning
by facilitating students’ thinking about an issue
then interacting with one peer to explain their ideas
and listening to their peer’s ideas.
The intention is to
1. facilitate students to think independently
about some problem; then
2. verbalise what they have learned about
that problem to another person.
By explaining what they know, students clarify their
own thinking as they have to articulate their
thoughts to someone else and in doing so they may
find out what they do NOT know.
The facilitator first explains how to do the activity.
Explain the timing. Revise listening skills. Try 60
seconds with a particular noise – say a loud knock
on the desk – to indicate the end of each step.
1. Think: Students then silently think, write
notes, draw, and/or calculate to answer or
solve the issue.
2. Pair: Students turn to a neighbour or move
around the room and select their Pair.
3. Share: One student explains their ideas
while the other student listens attentively
without speaking. When the facilitator gives
the time signal, the students swap roles.
Offshore Teaching and
Coordination: Roles
and Responsibilities
Access to Blackboard
Using Blackboard is ECU’s preferred method of
communication with offshore tutors and lecturers
to ensure that all receive the same information.
However, in some countries, internet and even
computers are not readily available to all students.
It is important to check that offshore staff have
access to the unit’s Blackboard site. If not, a CD of
the resources can be sent via ECUI.
Offshore Lecturer and Tutor Roles
As a tutor and/or lecturer in a partner college, you
are expected to
 access the unit’s Blackboard site
 contact the unit coordinator to confirm that
you can access the learning materials;
 check the class list of enrolled students;
 follow the unit coordinator’s resources to
guide each week’s lecture and/or tutorial
and its intended learning outcomes;
 contact the unit coordinator regularly and
especially if you have any problems;
 follow ECU’s policies, procedures and rules;
 discuss the marking criteria in tutorials and
lectures before students submit
assignments;
 teach how to paraphrase, cite and list
references so they do not plagiarise;
 assess students’ work fairly, objectively,
consistently and in a timely manner;
 provide students with adequate feedback,
specifying how to improve; and
 mark all assignments and return marked
papers to the students with a grade and
comments within 10 working days.
Resources
ECU Unit Coordinator Handbook
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/
0010/299593/Unit-Coord.pdf
Unit Coordinator Roles
The ECU unit coordinator is responsible for:
 the equivalence of teaching experience
between on and off shore units;
 the fairness of assessments;
 preparing learning materials and placing
them on the Blackboard site at least 4
weeks before the start of teaching;
 contacting offshore lecturers and tutors
regularly and responding within 3 working
days;
 writing the final and deferred exams and
loading them into the online exam system;
 marking exam papers within 10 working
days;
 ensuring equivalence of marks and grades
and completing a moderation report online;
 following and complying with all relevant
ECU policies, rules and procedures; and
 reviewing, sharing and using UTEI data for
revising the unit.
Non-Visit Model
ECU provides the learning materials to the offshore
partner who organises for a local lecturer to
facilitate the teaching and learning.
Visit Model
The ECU unit coordinator or another assigned
lecturer travels to the partner campus during the
semester and facilitate lectures and/or tutorials to
the enrolled students usually in an intensive
program. The ECU unit coordinator then returns to
ECU and the students are guided by a local
lecturer/tutor who provides the tutorials across the
semester and marks the assignments.
Marking assignments online via
Blackboard
Marking assignments online using Blackboard is
ECU’s preferred method for marking assignments
and collating the marks and grades. If you do not
have access to Blackboard, you must send your
marks and a sample of marked assignments (at
least 8 from various grades) to the unit coordinator
via ECUI. The unit coordinator is responsible for the
equivalence of all marks and marking throughout
the whole unit.
During teaching: marking and grading
Marking and
Moderating Offshore
Assessments
Moderation is the process of ensuring that the
whole assessment process is fair, valid and reliable
with equivalence and comparability e.g. between
offshore and onshore groups. The moderation
process usually involves review of expectations and
assessment criteria for grading levels before
marking begins. It may also involve preliminary
sample marking, as well as double marking to check
for consistency.
ECU policy requires that a process for moderation
of assessment must be used:
 whenever more than one person marks an
assessment item in a unit; or
 for units delivered off-shore in managed
courses (those delivered by ECU partners).
ECU policies for Moderation of Assessment, Course
and Unit Review and Assessment guide the process
of moderation for all units offered outlining specific
procedures for managed courses.
Marking Online via Blackboard
Online submission of assignments via Blackboard is
ECU’s preferred method for students to submit
assignments. Online marking via Blackboard is
ECU’s preferred method for marking assignments.
When you mark online, marks are recorded in
Grade Centre so the unit coordinator can access the
marks then you do not need to complete extra
forms. Check with your unit coordinator.
How moderation of assessments is
done
Before the assessment is set
All assessment items have been reviewed to
identify any item that:
 may advantage or disadvantage any
students; and
 have potential marking biases, cultural
issues or subjectivity.
If you cannot access Blackboard to mark online, as
you finish marking, complete the mark sheet for all
your students. You will also need to collect a copy
of 8 assignments (minimum of 10% of total
enrolment, or whichever is greater) across the
various grades, then send them to your
administration contact. These assignments will be
reviewed by the unit coordinator who will use the
Online Moderation System for reporting.
After teaching
As part of the ongoing improvement process for the
next time the unit is taught, provide feedback about
the assessment items to your unit coordinator.
The Unit Moderation Report (Online)
The unit coordinator completes the Moderation
Report. Comments in the report may include:
 student performances on assignments;
 discussion of exam questions done well and
questions done poorly; and
 issues to be addressed next time.
Once the online moderation report is completed,
the system automatically sends the report back to
the Partner Administrative Contact and a copy to
you as the offshore lecturer.
Resources
ECU Assessment Policy
http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/policies_db/policies_
view.php?rec_id=0000000028
ECU Course and Unit Review Policy
http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/policies_db/policies_
view.php?rec_id=0000000350
ECU Moderation of Assessment Policy
http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/policies_db/policies_
view.php?rec_id=0000000351
ECU Moderation of Assessment Resources
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/learning/for-academicstaff/curriculum-2012-resources/moderation-ofassessment
Evaluating your
Teaching
learnt during class. Ask colleagues who know your
subject or know your students to come to your class
to give you some feedback on your tutorial or
To know that your students’ learning needs are
lecture. Before the class, discuss with a colleague
being met and to improve your teaching, teachers
what you are hoping the students will learn and
evaluate what is working and what can be improved
how you are going to check that they have learnt.
both formally and informally. You can monitor and
evaluate your teaching in a number of ways,
UTEI Unit and Teaching Evaluation Instrument
At the end of each semester, all units taught at
including self-assessment, asking students, and
ECU are evaluated using the standard university
asking colleagues. Here are some examples.
Unit and Teaching Evaluation Instrument (UTEI).
Self assessment
After each tutorial, evaluate:

What worked well (when did the learners
seem most engaged?);

What needs improving?; and

What you will do to make your next tutorial
Some UTEI survey questions:
1.
The lecturer was well organised.
2.
The lecturer/tutor communicated clearly.
3.
The lecturer made the unit interesting and
engaging.
4.
The lecturer was approachable.
5.
The lecturer encouraged me to think in this
better?
Asking students
Ask your students about your tutorial. For example,
ask your students to write:

3 things I learnt in class today;

something I liked about class today; and,

something I am not sure about from today’s
tutorial or lecture.
Check that they learnt what you hoped they would
unit.
6.
I am satisfied with this lecturer/tutor.
7.
What aspect of this lecturer/tutor’s approach
to teaching best helped your learning?
8.
Would you have liked this lecturer/tutor to
have done anything differently?
9.
The tutor provided useful help and guidance.
10. The tutor assisted in developing my
understanding of the subject matter.
11. The tutor encouraged my learning. (The tutor
learn. If not, revise that section. Review what they
inspired and motivated me to participate in
wrote and make some changes to the way you
learning activities)
teach if needed. When you change the way you
teach, explain the improvements to your students.
They will appreciate that you help them to learn.
Asking your colleagues
Ask your colleagues what teaching methods they
use. Ask how they monitor what students have
12. The tutor assessed my work well. (The tutor
provided appropriate feedback on my
assignments in a timely fashion)
Resources on evaluating your teaching
ECU Student Evaluation of Units and Teaching
http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/policies_db/tmp/a
c066.pdf
Academic Integrity and
Plagiarism
When an ECU student submits an assignment, they
sign the cover sheet to confirm ownership of the
work and that any material drawn from other
sources has been correctly acknowledged.
All academic staff need to teach their students
about the need for academic honesty, how to
reference correctly and how to not plagiarise.
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is to knowingly or unknowingly present
the ideas or writings of another as one’s own work
without appropriate referencing.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
 Paraphrasing text without correct
acknowledgment of the source(s);
 Copying the text of another student’s
assignment; and/or
 Copying of visual representations (e.g.,
cartoons, line drawings, photos, paintings
and computer programs) without correct
acknowledgment of the source.
Plagiarism is different from paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing is using your own words to restate
someone’s ideas and must be correctly referenced.
How to Teach Students to Avoid
Plagiarism
Some ways to teach students about plagiarism and
its consequences are:
 Show the assignment cover sheet;
 Model correct referencing;
 Facilitate student activities to learn how to
summarise and paraphrase;
 Facilitate student activities to learn how to
cite references and how to list references
correctly;
 Ask students to view and summarise the
resources at home; then discuss in class as
preparation for assignments;
 Mark and provide feedback in assessments
of these skills.
Statement on assignment cover sheet
Students sign:
I certify that the attached assignment is my own
work and that any material drawn from other
sources has been acknowledged. This work has
not previously been submitted for assessment in
any other unit or course.
How to teach students to cite references
1. Give a link to the ECU Referencing guide to
your students or copy the page on citations.
2. Give students a journal article that may be
useful for their assignments and discuss it.
 Show and discuss the list of references for
books, journal articles and other sources.
 Show and discuss the literature review and
how references are cited.
How to teach students to summarise
1. Select a page from a textbook or journal
that you want the students to read.
2. Students read the page in class. You may
like to have a student read it aloud.
3. Ask students to cite and list the reference.
4. Collect the page so students cannot see it.
5. Ask students to write 3 key words from the
page.
6. List all words from students on the board.
7. Without looking back at the page, students
use their 3 words to write a short
paragraph in their own words to summarise
the page.
8. Pair activity: Ask students to share their
summaries with one other student.
9. Hand out the page again and ask students
to check their summary.
10. Show the correct citation and reference.
11. Whole class discussion: show a good
example from what students have written.
How to teach students to paraphrase
Use the activity for summarising. Students only
write the main points as notes, not sentences.
How to teach students to use references
Use the activity for summarising but give 3
references on the same topic. Students write the
main ideas from each. Then students write a
paragraph of their own words combining these
main ideas from the 3 references. They must cite
each reference individually.
Resources on academic integrity and plagiarism
ECU Academic misconduct and plagiarism
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/learning/for-academic-staff/the-little-red-book/teaching-and-learningresponsibilities/academic-misconduct-and-plagiarism
ECU Academic Misconduct Rules (Students)
http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/governance_services/resources_file/academic_misconduct_rules_(students)_1
20503.pdf
ECU Plagiarism
http://www.ecu.edu.au/service-centres/LIBRARY/pilot/Site_Resources/module6/6_5/index.html
ECU Plagiarism: Academic tip sheet
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/20624/plagiarism.pdf
ECU Plagiarism and cheating
http://www.ecu.edu.au/international/representatives-and-partners/partner-portal/partner-proceduremanual/section-3-academic-administration/plagiarism-and-cheating
ECU Plagiarism: Your responsibility
http://www.ecu.edu.au/service-centres/LIBRARY/pilot/Site_Resources/module6/6_5/6_5_1.html
ECU Referencing Guide
http://www.ecu.edu.au/centres/library-services/workshops-and-training/referencing/relatedcontent/downloads/refguide.pdf
ECU Self-plagiarism
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/learning/for-academic-staff/the-little-red-book/teaching-and-learningresponsibilities/academic-misconduct-and-plagiarism/self-plagiarism
ECU Student Charter http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/student/my-studies/rules-policy/student-charter
ECU University Rules: Admission, Enrolment and Academic Progress Rules
http://www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/governance_services/resources_file/admission_enrolment_and_academic_pro
gress_rules_council_approved_20111027.pdf
ECU What is plagiarism?
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/learning/for-academic-staff/the-little-red-book/teaching-and-learningresponsibilities/academic-misconduct-and-plagiarism/what-is-plagiarism
YouTube video clips on plagiarism
A Guide to Plagiarism (7.32 minutes) - explains types of plagiarizers - ghost writer, photocopy, remix,
customer, misinformer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnTPv9PtOoo
Avoiding Plagiarism: what do I need to cite? (1.05 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atTRlg6iaGo&feature=fvwrel
Ethics Video Series: Plagiarism (6.29 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDaKowkuuyc&list=LP7fI-IkcfDzM&index=6&feature=plc
How to avoid plagiarism (3.01 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=XeRfu4ohE9A&feature=endscreen
Plagiarism (1.25 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUAITrYV6j4
Plagiarism: How to avoid it (2.50 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=2q0NlWcTq1Y
What is plagiarism? (2.17 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P05vgxDoPU