Office for Learning and
Teaching
Learning and Teaching Forum
Charles Darwin University, Darwin
3 September 2015
Office for Learning and
Teaching
Dr. Paul Corcoran
Director, Grants and Fellowships
Office for Learning and Teaching
What do we do?
• Lead sustainable quality improvement in higher
education learning and teaching
How do we do it?
• Provide support to explore, develop and implement
innovation in learning and teaching through a suite of
awards, fellowships and grants
• Work with leaders across the higher education
system to identify, and support work on, issues of
strategic importance to higher education learning
and teaching
Office for Learning and Teaching
New Institute
• From 1 July 2016 a new learning and teaching
institute will be established, with $28 million in
funding, to promote excellence in teaching and
learning.
• This will involve administering the grants, fellowships
and awards under the Promotion of Excellence in
Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
programme.
• Universities will be invited to bid to host the new
institute.
Opportunities in 2016
Grants
• Innovation & development: < $500k
• Strategic priority commissioned work: > $220k
• Closing date for this round is 2 November 2015
Fellowships
• Up to 8 National Teaching Fellowships: $90k
• Up to 4 National Senior Teaching Fellowships: $250k
• Closing date for this round is 1 February 2016
Opportunities in 2016
Citations
• Open: February 2016
• Close: May 2016
Awards
• Awards for Programmes that Enhance Learning
• Awards for Teaching Excellence
• Award for Australian University Teacher of the Year
• Career Achievement Award
• Open: May 2016
• Close: July 2016
OLT priority areas for grants
2016 priority topics
• Academic standards
• Assessing equivalence of qualifications and learning
outcomes
• Assessment and promotion of student learning
• Designing learning for the future
• Employability skills for the future
• Improving institutional pathways across higher
education
• Improving access to and outcomes in higher
education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people
• The contemporary PhD
OLT priority areas for grants
Strategic Priority Commissioned grants…delivered in:
2014
• Professionalisation of the academic workforce
• Academic integrity
2014/15
• Technology-enabled learning
• Learning analytics
• Graduate employability
OLT priority areas for grants
Strategic Priority Commissioned grants…delivered in:
2015/16
• English language support
• 21st century student experience
• Developing global perspectives
2016/17
• The future of the academic workforce
• Personalised learning in a massified higher
education system
• Academic integrity and good practice in
assessment
ETMST Programme
Enhancing the Training of Maths and Science Teachers
• To support collaboration by mathematicians and
scientists with educationalists to create new
approaches and higher education courses for preservice teachers
• 5 Projects:
• Opening real science: Authentic mathematics and
science education for Australia (Macquarie)
• Step up! Transforming mathematics and science
pre-service secondary teacher education in
Queensland (QUT)
ETMST Programme
Enhancing the Training of Maths and Science Teachers
• 5 Projects (cont’d):
• It’s part of my life: Engaging university and
community to enhance science and mathematics
education (SCU)
• Reconceptualising mathematics and science
teacher education programs (Melbourne)
• Inspiring mathematics and science in teacher
education (UQ)
OLT Fellowships
The Fellowships Programme encourages excellence in
learning and teaching in higher education by supporting
individuals who have the educational expertise and
leadership skills to:
• identify educational issues across the higher education
system and to facilitate approaches to address these
issues
• devise and undertake a significant programme of
activities that will have substantial impact on students,
staff, institutions and the higher education system
OLT Fellowships
• stimulate strategic and systemic change in higher
education institutions
• raise the profile of learning and teaching in higher
education and the prestige associated with the pursuit
of excellence in teaching
• show leadership in promoting and enhancing learning
and teaching in higher education and exploring new
possibilities
OLT Fellowships
• establish and build on national and international
partnerships in learning and teaching in higher
education
• foster national and international collaboration and
collegial networking for sharing research, innovation
and good practice in learning and teaching
• contribute to the growing community of scholars in
higher education learning and teaching.
OLT Awards
Features of a strong nomination
• Demonstrates students’ engagement
• Demonstrates development of innovative teaching
strategies
• Shows sustained impact on the discipline and the
sector
• Demonstrates how you go above and beyond your role
as an educator
OLT Awards
Identifying your contribution
A six word teaching memoir.
Tell your story in six words:
Statistics fun? Always gets a giggle.
Building technologies for better student learning.
BuDI. Best friend for first years.
Reform through education in Indonesian Papua.
Sustained excellence in supporting doctoral students.
Biomechanics excellence through authentic student
engagement.
OLT Awards
Building a nomination
Set the
scene
(context)
Make the
claim
Support the
claim
(focus)
(evidence)
Show the
impact
(you make a
difference)
OLT Awards
Context
• Assumptions of the assessors’ prior knowledge or
expertise on the subject
• Present any special teaching circumstances
• Cover the landscape and the attractions
• Balance between description and evidence or claim
OLT Awards
Focus
• Carefully choose your focus, i.e. your claim, which
facilitates addressing the criteria
• Highlight your excellent work, not just a description of
what you have done
• Make you or your programme special, like a selling
point
• Relate to enhancing students learning outcomes
OLT Awards
What is strong evidence?
• Evidence attests to the claims you make
• Effective evidence comes from a range of sources, and
is purposefully sought (broad and depth)
• Evidence is written into your nomination, not a standalone
• Give voice to those who matter to you
• Be prepared to let go
OLT Awards
What makes evidence accountable?
• Evidence is identified by source, context, date
• Authenticity is validated by you and the nomination
process
• Quote accurately
• Honesty
OLT Awards
How to collect evidence
• Keep a portfolio for evidence in your office
• Built it in your programme timeline or project plan
• Seek data from the central units
• Collect from your network
Form of evidence
•
•
Peers
peer review of teaching, course
materials, course content, assessment
practices
scholarship of teaching, publications
teaching and learning strategies
leadership and management roles
various levels of peers – senior,
supervisor, reviewers, colleagues etc
recognition
uptake of ideas
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Student Reactions
student evaluations of teaching
student interviews, focus groups
informal class student feedback
formal surveys and questionnaires
unsolicited student feedback
student logs and journals
on-line feedback
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Student Learning
students’ self-reported
knowledge/skills gained
rates of attrition, failure, progression
to honours/postgraduate
grade distribution
evaluation of generic
skills/outcomes/attributes
student work - assessment, thesis,
projects
employer/workplace feedback
approaches to study questionnaire etc
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self
teaching journal
teaching philosophy
self reflections, analysis & evaluation
responsiveness to student feedback
publications
leadership roles
innovations
•
•
•
•
•
Adapted from a framework from Nicoll and Smith, no longer accessible online.
OLT Awards
Supporting materials
• References
• Teaching materials
• a three minute video
• website
• 10 pages of teaching materials
• CV
See these as cohesive elements alongside the written
statement
OLT Awards
Style
• First person in active voice
• Professional presentation with accessible formatting
• Your voice
• Plain language
• Keep students and student learning upfront
OLT Awards
A few reminders
• Evidence, evidence, evidence
• Be focussed and spell out your achievements
• Use your network
• Read other applications
• Give yourself time and space to write and reflect
• Be yourself
Any questions?
Visit our website: www.olt.gov.au
Phone and talk with us: 02 6240 0625