1. Issue 4 of SaMnet’s monthly newsletter
This
month's question: What is the right balance between providing
support online and overloading or distracting students? How much online material should you provide
for students? How much online discussion
can you hope for?
2. Conferences & publication
26 Sept: 9am-12noon Workshops
12noon-2pm
SaMnet Scholars
meeting
2pm-5pm Discipline
Network workshops
27-28 Sept:
All day Conference
The Australian Council of Deans
of Science funded a study of the career choices of science graduates. They are not all research scientists. Surprise,
surprise.
A Background in
Science --
Current: ACSME
– 26-29 Sept: see above.
SaMnet Skypes – 23-31
August: see below.
Match up: Associate dean (T&L) or equivalent at a regional
university? Talk.
Luby
Simson (UCanb), Nina Fotinatos (Ballarat),
Andrea
Crampton (CSU & SaMnet steering committee).
4. SaMnet activity
Linking you
together …
Skype
meetings in August:
Thurs. 23rd
– Melbourne / Hobart teams
Fri. 24th – Perth / Adelaide teams
Wed. 29th – Lectures / FY / Transition projects
Fri. 31st – Labs / Inquiry projects.
Fri. 24th – Perth / Adelaide teams
Wed. 29th – Lectures / FY / Transition projects
Fri. 31st – Labs / Inquiry projects.
Click here to RSVP on our Doodle
chart.
5. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
HEA STEM: Qualitative Approaches to Pedagogical Research in the
Biosciences was a UK workshop held on 18 June 2012. Click
through for the presentations from the day.
They will be helpful beyond the biosciences.
Survey on educational research: Joint
initiative involving HERDSA,
AARE, ACDE, AVETRA, ascilite, and a number of other research
associations. The project aims to strengthen national capacity in education
research. Doing SoTL? Click Here for the Survey.
6. Leadership insights
“The
Disciplined Pursuit of Less”, George McKeown, HBR Blog Network. This
article suggests that success breeds an increase in opportunities. Take up too many of these opportunities, and
you can diffuse your efforts, thereby undermining chances of future
success.
‘Preferred’
patterns of academic leadership in different disciplinary (sub)cultures,
Jouni Kekäle,
Higher Education, 37: 217-238,
1999.
7. Team in Focus:
Development of Science and Maths skills in a pre-Tertiary science Pathway
course: University of Canberra
We are aiming to
develop base mathematical skills in students with low ATAR or minimal
background in Science at senior secondary level, who wish to access bachelor
degrees in science. The course is a Pre-tertiary Diploma in Science. It is designed
to raise skill levels in science, English, and mathematics via a highly
supported and scaffolded environment for students with poor study skills and
minimal background in science. In guiding students through this course, the
goal is to reduce rates of dropout and failure.
The course was run
with 20 students in semester 1 2012. Although the course has not yet been
formally evaluated, 75% of the class successfully completed semester 1. That is
compared to a 10% success rate of students with similar backgrounds entering
the mainstream first year units. We plan to extend to the program to around 70
students in 2013, as well as working towards delivery in regional centres
around Canberra.
Tamsin Kelly –
Research interests include clandestine drug chemistry, detection of drugs in
biological specimens including plasma, hair, meconium and urine, forensic
toxicology and the use of analytical instrumentation such as LC-MS, gas
chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE),
and chemometrics for a variety of forensic applications.Tamsin has extensive
experience in delivering first year university Chemistry courses to diverse
cohorts of students.
Glenys London –
Has headed the University of Canberra College since 1997. The College specialises in pathway programs
for students who do not meet the direct entry requirements of the University of
Canberra.
Jim Woolnough –
Has conducted research in physics education but most recently in the
relationship between pedagogical content knowledge and teacher education and
science curriculum development and delivery. He taught science for 20 years at
the secondary level before moving to the university, and he has extensive
experience teaching Science Methods units within Secondary Teacher education
courses and in the delivery of first year university science courses.
Luby Simson -
Research interests lie in the development and characterization of novel
treatments for cancer. In parallel to her role as the Associate Dean of
Education, Luby does research in learning and teaching encompasses: (1) Diploma
of Science: A model for effective management of a diverse student cohort in the
Sciences; (2) Internationalisation of the curriculum, and more specifically,
the impact of internationalisation on the Science-curricula; and (3) Embedding
work-integrated as an authentic learning experience in the tertiary curricula.
8. Classifieds
Sashi Kant of the University of Sydney
would like to know what others are doing in labs in protein biochemistry.
Do you know, or do you know who she can talk to?
Women in Engineering,
Science and Technology (WEST) -- Nominations are open for the 4th Arrow
Energy Best of the WEST Awards. They recognise achievements of outstanding
women and girls in STEM in rural Queensland.
