Teaching induction MOOC principles and learning outcomes

Dear All

In the last two months the fellowship team has made great progress. We met at the end of October and developed a plan for a ‘semester long’ program of introductory modules about teaching topics for staff new to teaching. While recognising that staff can enrol and complete the mooc at anytime, we wanted to provide a planned approach for those who wanted to progress systematically through the content and pace themselves across their first semester of teaching. Below is an image of a possible approach.

Below also are our draft learning outcomes for the MOOC, the underpinning principles and the topics that we anticipate including. We would love to have your comment on any or all

I hope that everyone reading this blog has a very enjoyable break over the festive season and I look forward to being in touch in the new year.

Cheers

Kym

Principles

The MOOC is:

-       situated in and raises awareness of learning and teaching scholarship;

-       pragmatic (ie can be useful today) and contextualised (asks participants to explore their own institution for resources, contacts etc); and

-       aligned to criteria and standards (we are aligning with the UK PSF).

MOOC Learning Outcomes

Completing this program will raise your awareness of:

–      how teaching practice can be informed by L&T theories & conceptual frameworks;

–      the scope of your role as a teacher in higher education;

–      ways to create great student learning experiences.

Model

The MOOC model is currently expected to include:

-       an introduction;

-       the 11 introductory modules (e.g. teaching a first class);

-       a L&T self-assessment quiz which will help participants decide what modules they need to explore;

-       a well-being quiz;

-       documents which will help the staff member to locate particular resources in their university;

-       a glossary of terms; and

-       some specialty modules (e.g. teaching maths).

 

Learning and Teaching Induction program development review approach

Dear All

On October 24th and 25th the Teaching induction Fellowship team is coming together to workshop the development of the online Learning and Teaching Induction Program (LTIP). We will:

• discuss implications for LTIP of the teaching induction literature, a survey of current teaching induction programs that we are in the process of completing, and  reports from program directors of three different teaching induction programs from the sector;
• agree the outcomes of LTIP for participants and the principles that underpin LTIP;
• consider issues such as assessment, badging, certification;
• propose different models for LTIP, and agree a model;
• determine the topic areas to be covered in LTIP and begin outlining same;
• trial an approach that will enable consistency across LTIP; and
• discuss what we need from a MOOC platform.

In the original fellowship application, we proposed the following review process for our development of LTIP:

1. Post the workshop we will take the LTIP model that we have chosen, content topics that we have agreed, and other documents developed in the workshop and send those materials to a number of critical friends in the sector who have agreed to make comment on same, including the Fellowship reference group.
2. In light of that feedback, hopefully by the end of November, we will discuss and make changes to our model, content, documentation and begin the development of the LTIP curriculum.
3. As the content is developed, the curriculum will be reviewed by topic experts, members of the reference group, Fellowship team members and other critical friends.
4. When the content is developed in the platform we choose, the fellowship team and fellowship reference group members will review the program and provide feedback before LTIP is piloted in semester 2, 2017.

 I would be grateful for any thoughts fellowship team members and critical friends of the fellowship (i.e. anyone who reads this blog), have on both the workshop elements and the LTIP development review process proposed.
cheers
Kym

Content for a teaching induction program

Dear All

As part of the work that the Fellowship team will do to capture a snap shot of contemporary teaching induction provision in the Australian higher education sector, it would be useful to provide directors of programs a list of possibilities in order to determine the content coverage of current programs.

Below are examples of the some possible items for the list. It would be particularly helpful if you can suggest others. Of course we will provide the opportunity for program directors to indicate content covered that isn't in our list.

Teaching first classes

Online teaching

Key education concepts

Learning theories

Assessment

Feedback

Curriculum design

Learning and teaching policies

University Teaching expectations

Plagiarism

Reflection

Scholarly teaching

SOTL

cheers

Kym

Principles to underpin the online learning and teaching induction program

Dear Colleagues

I'd like to have your input into the sorts of principles that you think ideally would underpin the learning and teaching induction program that we develop through this fellowship. While we don't yet know the form that the program will take, we do know that it will be fully online and that it is unlikely that any one person will be moderating the program (so many things to consider in designing the program).

I believe that it will be extremely useful if we could identify some core principles that underpin the work that we do. In this way, when we have decisions to make about the program, we can go back to the principles when needed.

Below are some principles that the Fellowship Reference Group have suggested for our consideration. I would love your opinion on these and also other principles that you would like us to consider.

cheers

Kym

The program is:

1. engaging
2. based in the context of the participant's work environment - relevant, authentic
3. structured so that participants can easily see what pathway through the program best suits them
4. brief, providing layers of information so that the participant has the choice to engage at a surface level of the topic/module or to delve further
5. task oriented such that participants are asked to explore their own organisation and share what they find
6. linked to institutional imperatives.