Learning and Teaching: Priorities for Victoria

1. Learning and Teaching: Priorities for Victoria Penny Boumelha

2. Change and innovation • ‘Learner-led’ initiatives: changes in student body; changes in preferred learning styles and habits. • ‘Teacher-led’ initiatives: increased management of teaching; institutional learning styles; graduate attributes.

3. Internationalisation of the curriculum The aim: to ‘give international and intercultural knowledge and abilities, aimed at preparing students for performing (professionally, socially, emotionally) in an international and multicultural context.’ B. Nilsson, ‘Internationalisation at Home from a Swedish Perspective: The Case of Malmo,’ Journal of Studies in International Education, 7 (2003), 1.

4. Internationalisation of the curriculum Components: • intercultural competence (attitudes) • global perspectives (ethics) • internationalisation of the curriculum (discipline knowledge and skills). V. Clifford and C. Joseph, Report of the Internationalisation of the Curriculum Project, Melbourne, Higher Education Development Unit, Monash University, 2005

5. Responses to digital literacy • ‘Digital Natives’ vs ‘Digital Immigrants’( Prensky) • video and audio capture, podcasting, iTunes Store • virtual fieldtrips • online assessment tasks • wikis • virtual worlds: Second Life ( Marc Prensky (2001) Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon: 9)

6. Planning goals From the Strategic Plan 2009-2014: Values : We are committed to excellence in teaching Goal: Strengthen Victoria’s high quality research- led learning and teaching environment, and reward and celebrate learning and teaching excellence in all its forms.

7. What is the vision? Educational vision: Victoria will be an inclusive University, offering its students a distinctive educational experience of high quality and its graduates a qualification that is recognised and valued worldwide. Its services will be integrated, accessible and responsive, will enhance learning, and will enrich the student experience.

8. The context for planningExternal drivers: • new Tertiary Education Strategy • TEC performance-based funding • capped student numbers • international developments in large-scale curriculum review • academic audit report and recommendations.

9. The context for planning Internal environment: • managed enrolment: academic, strategic and funding consequences • newly approved L&T and Equity Strategies; new development budgets • focus on recruiting the best students • recent curriculum restructures in some core degrees.

10. Opportunities • Managed enrolment may increase student motivation and engagement. • Strategic opportunities to refocus and clarify Victoria’s educational mission and to differentiate ourselves. • New Tertiary Education Strategy broadly supports our own directions and commitments. • Academic audit report adds urgency to reforms; • Performance based funding brings public scrutiny and incentives for improvement.

11. Threats • PBRF focus may make it hard to maintain momentum. • Financially constrained environment limits capacity to invest. • Capped EFTs will threaten access pathways for equity group students. • Our discipline and student profile not well suited to some aspects of a performance-based funding regime. • Lack of co-ordination means we don’t always get the full benefit from local successes.

12. Issues for Victoria • Students in the managed enrolment environment: supporting for success; transition and first year. • Impact of performance culture: retention, success, satisfaction, outcomes; good QA cycle. • Financial constraint: activity should be tailored, targeted, transformative rather than added on; collaboration for efficiency and cost effectiveness; focus on what adds value. • Changing student expectations with higher costs.

13. Principles and Priorities Provide a distinctive and excellent learning experience for Victoria’s students by: • developing inclusive learning and teaching practices that meet high international standards and take account of emerging global trends • fostering a student-centred view of learning linked to our graduate attributes • generating aspiration and celebrating achievement • drawing upon Victoria’s strong culture of research to nurture research-led teaching • balancing educational breadth, student choice, and sustainability of programmes.

14. DVCA priorities for 2010 • Use the new Learning and Teaching development budget to support initiative and improvement, and to build engagement and leadership. • Review use of third trimester. • Develop academic directions, policy and management for flexible and distance learning. • Conduct an external review of the UTDC and SLS. • Develop new approaches to ‘second chance’ assessment.

15. Some priorities for 2010 • Focus on fostering and supporting student success, especially by supporting transition and first year. • Develop student leadership skills through formal programmes and extracurricular activities. • Review student evaluations and give students feedback on how they have been used.

16. Some priorities for 2010 • Recognise and celebrate successes in learning and teaching. • Make pathways for progression clear and accessible for students. • Recognise in teaching approaches the different learning needs, styles and preferences of students.