* HERDSA Special Interest Group: Assessment Quality
* Early bird registration closes in 10 days for I-MELT + full draft program now available
* Webinar: MELTing to drive Evidence based decision making
* Lecturer Position - School of Nursing and Midwifery - Monash University
* 2 Positions Vacant: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Learning Academy, Charles Sturt University
* Positions Vacant UNSW: Educational Developer & Project Manager, Education Focused Career Support
* BEAN17, the annual Biosciences Education Forum
* Higher Education in the Headlines

To submit an announcement for this list complete the online form at http://herdsa.org.au/herdsa-notices

A full list of HERDSA Notices is online at http://www.herdsa.org.au/latest-news

To unsubscribe or change your email details see http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/herdsa

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HERDSA Special Interest Group: Assessment Quality

Our group is interested in supporting those within Higher Education directly involved in designing, marking and reviewing assessment and feedback practices to enhance quality. It also aims to support HERDSA's aims and wider membership in a better understanding and application of meaningful assessment, and effective quality improvement of assessment. 
The group's membership spans academics, professional staff, part-time teaching staff, casuals and students – you don’t have to be a HERDSA member to join, but I am sure we can persuade you of the benefits of HERDSA! 

We communicate via our Facebook site, and try and meet up at assessment meetings such as the Transforming Assessment Webinar series, workshops like the Peer review series and conferences throughout Australia. Our next opportunity is the Assessment and Review Summit in September and then the TEQSA conference in November, both in Melbourne. We also make a big effort to meet up face-to-face as a SIG once a year at the annual HERDSA conference. 

We are an active but small group and welcome new members. Want to join? Either contact me or Jo! Or simply search for the Facebook group: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339105516444526/ 

Contact SIG Leader: Simon Bedford sbedford@uow.edu.au
Contact SIG Deputy Leader: Jo-Anne Kelder jo.kelder@utas.edu.au

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Early bird registration closes in 10 days for I-MELT + full draft program now available
30 September

The the full program (draft) of Keynotes, presentations and workshops is now available for the International conference on Models of Engaged Learning and Teaching (I-MELT), National Wine Centre Adelaide, 11-13 December 2017. See: www.i-melt.edu.au

There are presentation streams on research skills, problem based learning, work skills, critiques, system/university-wide thinking, e-learning, schooling, authentic learning and partnerships. Workshops will run in parallel to presentation sessions, so that you may have a change of pace during the 3 day program, and find time and ways to adapt MELT to your practice and context.

Consider registering in the next ten days under the early-bird rate (until 30 September) and join colleagues from SE Asia, the Pacific, Europe, North and South America and across Australasia for a conference that may MELT your mind.

Please contact me if you have any questions
John Willison
University of Adelaide
john.willison@adelaide.edu.au

Further information www.i-melt.edu.au

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Webinar: MELTing to drive Evidence based decision making
6 October 2017

Dear colleagues

Join presenters from four Higher Education institutions in South Australia for a webinar on their various uses and adaptions of the Models of Engaged Learning and Teaching (MELT)for Evidence based decision making.

See www.melt.edu.au for details on the MELT.

Date: Friday 6 October
12.30 pm Central Daylight time 
1.00 pm Eastern Daylight time
12.00 pm Eastern Standard time
10.00 am WA
(+10.30 GMT/Universal time)
URL: https://adelaide.zoom.us/j/602861578

The Zoom platform is web-based and user friendly 
Equipment: A headset is good for speaking quality, but not essential- you may just want to text chat or observe.
Please run a sound-check within Zoom before commencement time. Click on the arrow next to the mic icon, bottom left, choose ‘Audio options’ and click ‘Test computer mic and speakers’.

I hope to see you online
John Willison

Further information john.willison@adelaide.edu.au

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Lecturer Position - School of Nursing and Midwifery - Monash University
Closing date: Sunday 8 October 2017

Are you an enthusiastic Lecturer committed to creating a dynamic learning environment with a desire to contribute to the development and delivery of courses in Nursing and Midwifery? Monash University has just the role for you! We are seeking a dedicated communicator to fulfil the role of Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences.

Further information http://careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/job/567449/lecturer

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2 Positions Vacant: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Learning Academy, Charles Sturt University
Applications close: 15 October 2017

Lecturer or Senior Lecturer – 2 positions available
Work Place Learning or Assessment Quality 

Position reference number: 96038

• Fixed-term Full time or Part-time (up to 2 years)
• Level B/C - $92,117 - $130,114 pa. (plus 17% Superannuation)
• Bathurst, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Canberra or Port Macquarie

The Lecturer/Senior Lecturer will provide support in peer review of educational practice and the scholarship of learning and teaching to contribute to the quality and advancement of education at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in general. In common with all Learning Academy staff, the Lecturer/Senior Lecturer will design and teach subjects/modules in CSU’s Graduate Certificate Learning & Teaching in Higher Education and contribute to the implementation of CSU’s Graduate Learning Outcomes. However, one position will have a focus on our work in enhancing university assessment practices and the other will have a focus on enhancing university practices in Work Place Learning. 

The Division of Learning and Teaching (DLT), comprising of 5 Units, works in partnership with Divisions, Faculties and Schools to enhance the quality of teaching, curricula and student learning at CSU. The Learning Academy unit promotes academic development, reward and recognition for teaching, peer review of educational practice, scholarship of teaching and learning and educational leadership development. 

Both positions are teaching focused. Those seeking a fractional appointment are welcome to apply.

Applicants are expected to apply online and address the selection criteria listed in the position description. Further information about the positions are available directly from https://www.csu.edu.au/jobs/vacancies

Further information Contact Name: Associate Professor Kogi Naidoo Contact Phone#: 02 6933 4804 Contact Email: knaidoo@csu.edu.au

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Positions Vacant UNSW: Educational Developer & Project Manager, Education Focused Career Support

Educational Developer (Academic Development Services)

• 3 Year Fixed Term
• Full Time (35 hours per week)
To be successful in this role you will have:
• Demonstrated experience in leading, designing, developing, facilitating and evaluating professional development programs, award bearing courses and events to build individual capability in leading learning and teaching.
• A scholarly and reflective approach to technology-enabled learning and teaching as demonstrated through knowledge and application of higher education pedagogy for professional development.
• Postgraduate qualifications with relevant experience in an area of study and work relevant to learning and teaching in higher education.

Project Manager, Education Focused Career Support
• Fixed Term (4 years)
• Full-time (35 hours per week)
This role will provide scholarly career development support for Education Focused roles across UNSW. Education Focused roles will play a key role in the delivery the UNSW Scientia Educational Experience, part of the UNSW 2025 Strategy. 

To be successful in this role you will be:
• Designing, coordinating and facilitating professional development activities in response to the career needs of the Education Focused academics, including support for applications for teaching fellowship status relevant to Education Focused roles
• Promoting career development opportunities for Education Focused academics
• Developing resources to support the collation and documentation of evidence required for academic promotion of Education Focused roles.
• Developing and implementing a strategy to provide effective communication between the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor and other UNSW staff involved in supporting Education Focused academics and faculties.

For either role you should systematically address the selection criteria listed within the position description in your application. Please apply online - applications will not be accepted if sent to the contact listed.
https://www.jobs.unsw.edu.au/

Further information marina.harvey@unsw.edu.au

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Please save the date for BEAN17, the annual Biosciences Education Forum – this year returning to the Shine Dome, in Acton, Canberra on Monday, 11 and Tuesday, 12 December. By popular demand, we’ll have another the forum dinner at the Monster Kitchen and Bar, which is now rated as one of the top venues in Australia!

This year’s theme will be “Back to the Future: Rethinking Curriculum”. No more reinventing the wheel folks, let’s find the other three and drive off into the brave new world! We are working to a more interactive format this year – with keynote talks and interactive sessions where you can learn some new tools and methods. We will also welcome posters and some short presentation from those of you doing interesting new “stuff”.

These BEAN conferences are designed to be of interest to colleagues across all of STE(A)M, as we really seek to explore ways in which to best prepare ourselves and our students for learning in the 21C. In particular, to explore how we can collaborate to enhance the curriculum from an interdisciplinary perspective that draws from all areas of academia. Please encourage your colleagues from other disciplines to join us!

Speakers include:

v  Orkan Telhan who is Associate Professor of Fine Arts - Emerging Design Practices at University of Pennsylvania, School of Design. He is an interdisciplinary artist, designer and researcher whose investigations focus on the design of interrogative objects, interfaces, and media, engaging with critical issues in social, cultural, and environmental responsibility. He runs a course called Integrative Design Studio: Biological Design that introduces life sciences and biotechnologies to designers, artists, and non-specialists to develop creative and critical propositions that address the social, cultural, and environmental needs of 21st century.

v  Frances Valintine who is an “education futurist” and the Founder and Chair of The Mind Lab by and Tech Futures Lab in New Zealand. In 2014 The Mind Lab won Best Start-Up in Asia Pacific judged by Richard Branson and Steve Wozniak. In 2015 Frances was named NEXT Woman of the Year in education and in 2016 she was named one of the Top 50 EdTech Educators in the world.

v  With the ever increasing interest in creativity in the curriculum (for example) we will be joined by Anna Reid (Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music). In addition to her current research, which includes creativity in student learning and identity formation and ecological and cultural heritage and sustainability, she has also made significant contributions in the area of creative engagement with statistics and maths education.

v  Zoe Doubleday and Sean Connell from the School of Biology and the Environment Institute at Adelaide University will talk about their new article in Trends in Ecology and Evolution on “Publishing with objective charisma”.

v  Abelardo Pardo (IT Engineering) and Pippa Yeoman (Education) from Sydney will hold a “conversation” about new strategies for course redesign including analytics and feedback and provide take home examples for you to experiment with.

v  Master animator Chris Hammang will talk about his new approach the reinvigorating LMS and will also give a hands-on tutorial on how to make a red blood cell using the free software package Blender. We will then show you how to put it into a VR environment. This simple workflow will demystify these important new methods and give you some hands on experience as we start to build capacity in these areas that are rapidly becoming mainstream.

Registration info will be announced soon, and as always we will try to keep costs to a minimum.

Further information: if you have any questions please contact our trusty organiser, Steph Beames at s.beames@uq.edu.au

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Higher Education in the Headlines

Ration uni places to cut costs | BERNARD LANE | Australian Higher Education | 20 September, 2017
Mark Warburton says it was a mistake to abolish the student learning entitlement in 2012.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/lh-martins-mark-warburt...

Can Design Thinking Redesign Higher Ed? | Lee Gardner | Chronicle of Higher Education | 15 September, 2017
Many academics are drawn to the philosophy’s reputation as a fount of innovation. But can colleges really get on board with “a bias to action”?
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Can-Design-Thinking-Redesign/241126

Some European nations in ‘real trouble’ on HE funding, OECD warns | Simon Baker  | Times Higher Education | 14 September, 2017
Latest Education at a Glance data show danger of governments failing to make decision on right path for policy
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/some-european-nations-real-tro...