Teaching & Learning Connection

With well over 100 staff and 600 internal students identifying themselves as being of non-English speaking background, UNE’s Armidale campus is a genuinely multicultural environment.

Conversations and other forms of spoken communication between people of English-speaking and non-English speaking background (ESB and NESB) are a daily occurrence. When they go well, as they often do, these interactions are of great benefit. Not only in do they provide important opportunities for international students to improve their English, they also help domestic students and staff build competence in intercultural communication, a skill increasingly valued by employers.

On the other hand, there are various kinds of problems that can arise in intercultural spoken communication. These can not only cause frustration on both sides. Worse, since spoken communication is a key medium of learning, they can act as a significant barrier to education, as emphasised by AUQA’s Good Practice Principles.

TLC is starting a series of projects aiming to foster effective spoken communication between ESB and NESB participants. The first, starting soon, is a survey to find out what is already working well and where there is room for improvement. We hope many staff and students will take a few minutes to complete the survey - and go in the draw to WIN ONE OF FIVE $20 iTUNES VOUCHERS!! Information about how to participate in the survey will be circulated shortly.

Results from the survey will be used to develop workshops, materials and strategies to build on those aspects that are already working well, and bring about improvement where this is needed.
In the meantime, if you have comments or suggestions about intercultural speaking and listening, if you would like help with any speaking and listening problems you may have, whether from the ESB or the NESB perspective, or if you would be interested to join a Community of Practice and help foster effective spoken communication, please contact Dr Helen Fraser or x2681.

Melanie Fleming

UNE’s 5 year implementation plan signifies its commitment to embedding graduate attributes across the curriculum. To assist staff with this task, a number of workshops have been held in different schools over the last month which have looked at the constructive alignment between assessment, learning outcomes and assessment. These workshops have been targeted at the particular needs of academics and their disciplines. This has involved academics in group discussions about what the particular graduate attributes mean in the context of the profession or discipline. Learning outcomes and graduate attributes have been revised during the workshop for use in 2010. It has helped staff to identify the different achievement levels expected of students by academics at different years of their studies. These workshops have been organised upon request and with the involvement of the staff from the respective schools.

Further information is available from melanie.fleming@une.edu.au

Want to learn about technologies and techniques for online teaching? The new Staff eLearning Commons is open for business in the Teaching and Learning Centre. Work with either Mac or PC, as a group or one-on-one with specialist assistance, to explore a variety of information technologies and create a wide range of online teaching features.

Hands-on tutorials, demonstrations and information sessions for groups

• Audacity
  Learn to use Audacity, an open source cross-platform audio editing tool to make your own presentations for podcast.
• Blackboard essentials
  A single three-hour session to help you prepare your Blackboard online teaching site. Learn the ‘bare essentials’ for logging on, home page set up and management, using discussion forums and adding a file.
• Effective discussions
  Focus on creating, editing and managing Blackboard discussions: Create topics and categories, edit messages, set up groups and generally explore the benefits of online discussions for students.
• Free from the web
  Be guided through the types and sources of resources available from the Web for your teaching. Learn how to find material that is out-of-copyright, free for educational use or available under Creative Commons licences to use in online units.
• Podcasting 101: Mac
  Ever wondered what that little guitar-shaped icon was all about? Learn how to capture lecture audio and sync it with PowerPoint slides to create easy and effective podcasts using GarageBand.
• Social Networking in the Classroom (suitable for both PC and Mac)
  Mystified as to how ‘Facebook’ became a verb? Clueless as to what a ‘tweet’ is? Learn to navigate sites like Facebook, Ning and Twitter, and explore how they can be used effectively in your teaching.
• Using images in your online units
  Take the opportunity to find out how to make use of images appropriately and legally in their online units.
• Using video, DVD and sound in your online units
  Find out about the copyright issues and licence requirements that need to be managed before sound, moving images and music can be used.
• Underpinning computer literacy skills for educators
  Learn to master a handful of basic HTML concepts and practical skills that will empower you with a skill set that has broad application, including producing and publishing HTML based content for your Blackboard unit.
• Vodcasting 101 for PC
  The ultimate in creating digital content - create video podcasts from lecture footage, screenflow capture, PowerPoint and more using Windows Movie Maker!
• Vodcasting 101 for Mac
  The ultimate in creating digital content - create video podcasts from lecture footage, screenflow capture, PowerPoint and more using iMovie!
• Wimba 1 (PC only)
  An overview of this amazing software that lets you write your unit materials in Word, then convert them with a click to a set of web pages for upload to Blackboard.
• Wimba 2 (PC only)
  A ‘clinic’ session for those working with Wimba Create.
• Your Mac: Better, Smarter, Faster
  Using the additional features of OSX 10.5 (Leopard) to streamline your workflow, give more effective presentations and reduce the time spent on routine tasks and inefficient habits.

One-on-one

Arrange a time to work with specialist assistance on an aspect of teaching with technology, or book a space in the Commons to pursue your own interest in developing online teaching features.

For further information: Catherine Clarke, ext. 3395

For a full program and to make a booking: Kerryn Reeves, ext. 2339.