Transitioning to online learning in the middle of a pandemic requires institutions to think about the delivery of courses in a new way, educators to learn to use new tools and try new teaching techniques.  There are a myriad of pathways to implementing technology-based education but how do you determine what is the right tool for you as an educator and for your students?  Here are our top suggestions on how to do this based on class activity.

Or download this guide here.

Tutorial:  closely connected

Tutorial class sizes are typically small and involve a high level of participation and discussion.  Use virtual classroom technology like Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to create real-time interaction, discussion and participation.  Virtual classroom tools for educators to consider:

• Microphone: activate the microphone to allow for real-time interaction between you and your students.
• Video: use the video to provide a stronger sense of connection with your students.  If the group is small enough, allow students to turn on their own video. If you encounter issues with connection speed and quality (freezing or jittering) just use the video to initially connect with your students and then disable it to save on connection bandwidth usage and increasing the user experience for students with a poor internet connection.
• Presentation and screen-sharing: share your slides or screen.
• Chat: facilitate discussion via text chat.
• Breakout room: use breakout rooms for students to work on activities in small groups and then regroup in the main room to share feedback.
• Recording: as a part of an emergency response, record your tutorial sessions for students who are unable to attend or have connectivity issues.
• Attendance: use Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to automatically record attendance to your Blackboard Learn Grade Centre.

Find out more about Blackboard Collaborate or activate your Virtual Classroom in minutes.

Workshop/Seminar:  formal and practical communication

A workshop or seminar provides educators with the best of both worlds; we recommend treating this activity like a lecture with additional participation in discussions or task-based activities.

• Record the presentation part of the workshop and present it to students within the LMS.
• Whilst a real-time chat tool like that which is available in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is an obvious choice to facilitate discussion, use a non-real-time tool like a discussion board.  Moving the discussion to an asynchronous mode relieves the time-pressure associated with an emergency response to moving teaching online.  A moderated discussion board will allow you and your students to participate in a rich discussion on the material being studied, allowing for a more thoughtful and in-depth participation than a real-time chat could facilitate.
• Other task-based or collaborative activities can also be facilitated in non-real-time using collaborative tools such as wikis, collaborative documents (like Google docs or Office 365), mind-mapping software or other tools that are available in your institution.

View our range of help resources for real-time collaboration in a virtual classroom and enrol now to get the training you need to scale your digital teaching and learning.

Laboratory/Practical:  hands-on approach

Of all the activities available to educators, those involving a laboratory or practical are the most challenging to rapidly move online during an emergency response.  Although that’s not to say it cannot be done, there are a number of specialised software solutions that aim to help institutions move these kinds of activities online.  If your students already have access to the appropriate hardware and software from home, it is possible to move a computer laboratory online and apply the same tools used in tutorials and workshops. 

Find out how Blackboard Learn Ultra can help instructors provide all the necessary course information and links for a practical lab within your LMS.

Lecture: reaching the masses

With the number of students attending a lecture hitting in excess of 400 or so at any one time and with minimal interaction, the challenge for educators is keeping your audience engaged.  Going online doesn’t mean you need to compromise; you can still create interest and a presence using a non-real time (asynchronous) recording of your lecture presentation.

Find out how Kaltura can make education more engaging, interactive and effective with their lecture capture technology.

Institutions are likely to continue operating in an environment of shifting circumstances for some time.  The opportunities for thinking beyond conventional teaching methods, to consider how course content can be more accessible and continue to engage students as they move through their course towards completion will always remain the primary goal for educators. 

For more information, please review our Continuity of Education portal or you can download this guide here.

Tyrell joins Tafe Directors

Former Australian Government international education counsellor to Beijing and Thailand Jen Tyrell has been appointed director of international education for TAFE Directors Australia (TDA).

In a statement announcing the appointment, TDA chief executive Martin Riordan praised Tyrell’s “considerable skills in articulating international education policy” as part of the grounds for her selection.

“Our TDA members … will benefit from Jen’s depth of experience through China and in South-east Asia,” Riordan said.

After holding positions at the Department of Education and Training’s vocational education branch, Tyrell has carried out consultancy work for the Go8 and since 2014 has been director of marketing and admissions for Nord Anglia School Shanghai.

New chancellor for Monash

Monash University has officially installed Simon McKeon as its eighth chancellor at a ceremony carried out in late April.

McKeon was recognised as Australian of the Year in 2011 and has a background as a social entrepreneur, investment banker, and champion yachtsman. He succeeds Dr Alan Finkel, who took up the role of Australia’s chief scientist in January.

Speaking at McKeon’s installation, Monash vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner said of the new chancellor: “[His] contributions over many years to industry, education and the community have been unparalleled and his leadership will be invaluable for the university.”  

UK tech czar joins UniSA

Professor Anthony Finkelstein has been appointed adjunct research professor at the University of South Australia’s Future Industries Institute.

The UK-based Finkelstein, who has most recently held the position of chief scientific adviser for national security to the British Government, will also continue his present role as chair in software systems engineering at University College London, where he is also a research leader at UCL’s Alan Turing Institute.

UniSA vice-chancellor David Lloyd said the appointment underlined the strength of the relationship between the two universities and offered enormous potential to foster globally engaged research in South Australia.  

New medical dean for Melbourne

Professor Shitij Kapur has been unveiled as the University of Melbourne’s new Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences dean, as well as its assistant vice-chancellor, health.

Kapur will join UniMelb in October from King’s College London, where he is presently executive dean of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

Kapur said of his impending appointment: “I have been lucky to work in some world-leading centres of medicine and the University of Melbourne stands out in its scope, scale and potential. It will be a privilege to serve as the dean and work with so many talented colleagues and students.”  

ASQA gets new commissioner

The minister for vocational education and skills, Scott Ryan, has appointed Mark Paterson as the new commissioner for regulatory operations at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).

Paterson is a former chief executive of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, and a former secretary of two Australian Government departments: Innovation, Industry, Science and Research along with Industry, Tourism and Resources.

“The reputation of the VET sector has been tarnished by a few dodgy providers,” Ryan said. “Mr Paterson’s extensive experience will add valuable perspective to ASQA’s leadership, allowing the agency to build on its achievements to date and enhancing its ability to regulate the sector.”  

CDU welcomes new chancellor

In what was billed as the first ceremony of its kind in the Northern Territory, Charles Darwin University has officially installed its third chancellor, Neil Balnaves.

Balnaves takes over from outgoing chancellor Sally Thomas, who steps down after two terms.

CDU vice-chancellor Simon Maddocks said he was extremely pleased to welcome Balnaves into what he described as a highly “important and demanding” job.

Maddocks also thanked Thomas for her service and for having shown “absolute dedication to the role, with the result that the university has benefitted immeasurably from her leadership and her commitment, and grown to become a world-class university.”

Getting published in an academic journal is a career highlight, and one that takes plenty of preparation and hard work.

“The path from manuscript to publication can present many hazards not met during the research itself, and involves a new and quite different type of learning process,” says John Creedy from the University of Melbourne Faculty of Economics, in his paper “From Manuscript to Publication: A Brief Guide for Economists”, which The Australian Economic Review published.

“The first thing you need to think about is your audience and where you want to pitch your article,” adds associate Helen Dickinson, professor of social and political sciences at Melbourne University, who has had more than 25 papers published. She also edits the Journal of Health Organization and Management and co-edits the Journal of Integrated Care.

“In the journal world, it’s worth thinking about your article as part of a conversation amidst a community,” she says. “One of the things you often find is that people will write a paper or something that they think is interesting, but they don’t have a particular journal or outlet in mind.

“It’s also important to think about the submission process. It’s not always obvious about what’s supposed to happen and when, and people sometimes do get a little disheartened.”

Creedy and Dickinson shared their advice on how to get published and make it through the submission process.

Think about your audience

“Writing a great article without thinking about where it’s going to be placed isn’t enough,” Dickinson says. “It’s worth thinking about what sort of things people who read that journal are interested in. Don’t be so niche that you are the only person who can review it because you’re the only person who has the expertise, and don’t be so broad that it can appeal to anybody.”

Limit your submission to one paper at a time, and focus on the needs and wants of the journal’s readers.

“The single, most important propriety for authors to recognise is that a paper can be sent to only one journal at a time,” Creedy says.

Research the publication

“There is a lot of preparatory work you need to do to support yourself in the publication process,” says Dickinson, who adds that it’s important to read though author guidelines and previously published papers.

“As someone who edits a couple of journals, I am surprised by the number of people who will send in a submission that doesn’t conform to the layout or referencing conventions.  Every journal will have their author guidelines on their website and they will be explicitly written, down to little details like what font and size to use, and the orders of subheads. There is editorial detail around most guidelines.

Creedy advises, “Never send a paper to a journal without first looking through some recent issues to check if there are earlier related articles and whether it covers suitable fields and methods. Many papers are rejected without even being sent to referees [or reviewers] because the editor immediately considers them unsuitable for the particular journal.”

Dickinson adds that, “A good covering letter is helpful if there is something [in particular] that might make that paper stand out to the journal, so it’s a good idea to convey that to the editor when you’re submitting a paper.”

She and Creedy also say a succinct abstract is important when capturing an editor’s attention.
“The first things the editor looks at are the title and the abstract, so it is important to make these as clear as possible,” Creedy says.

For the writing process, Dickinson says her first step is to formulate her structure.

“The structure is the most important thing when it comes down to the physical writing,” she says, “so set down a series of subheadings, and put bullet points under them in terms of what you are going to write about in each one.

“It can be a lengthy process, and sometimes people get disheartened when they sit there for two days and all they have to show for it is a series of bullet points, but it makes writing the paper a lot easier.

“Writing can be a big task if you’ve never done it before. And it can be quite a difficult thing to do,” Dickinson says. “It can sometimes be helpful to co-author with other people, preferably somebody who has been through the process before and can advise you.

“Or, if you choose not to co-author, make sure you have a critical friend who will be able to read your paper and comment on it before it goes off to a journal.”

Don’t expect your paper to be accepted as is, both Dickinson and Creedy say. Most published articles go through a series of revisions from editors and reviewers.

“An invitation to revise and resubmit is usually the best that can be expected,” Creedy says. “After receiving a ‘revise and resubmit’ letter, do not delay in making revisions. It may often be difficult to return to a problem that is no longer fresh in the mind and when new work appears more attractive – but revisions should be given priority.

“[And] don’t simply make the minimum changes demanded. Take the opportunity to look closely at the whole of the paper, even if referees do not ask for many changes, to see if the clarity of the argument can be improved.”

Dickinson says, “Most papers go through some revisions, and it’s amazing the amount of people who drop out of that process as you go along. Using [the revisions] is about improving your paper and it’s a process that will make the end result better.”

And be prepared to wait.

Creedy says, “One of the first things authors need to develop is patience.” The average time between submission and publication can be anywhere from six months to two years.

Dickinson adds, “Most journals however have an online early-sight system and once it’s accepted, it will go online and later appear in print. But even if you get through the process quickly, you’re looking at a minimum of five to six months.”

You’ll also need to develop a thick skin. As Creedy says, “The most frequent response from a journal editor is an unequivocal rejection. [Even] the most published authors usually also have the most rejections along the way.

“In dealing with rejections, it is necessary to find a balance between self-confidence, which is a fundamental prerequisite for any kind of research activity, and a willingness to learn from criticism. It is necessary, though never easy, to develop a thick skin.

Dickinson says, “I’ve probably published 25–30 peer review journal articles over 6–7 years, and I’ve probably had the same number of papers rejected. Everybody goes through the process of having papers rejected all the time.”

If you’ve been rejected, she says, learn from it and don’t be discouraged from further submissions.

“It can be disheartening, but it’s not always a bad thing,” she says. “Look at the reviewer comments and see what the issue is. Is there a fundamental flaw in what you’ve done, or is it simply in terms of how you have crafted it? I had a paper that was rejected from two journals recently that were good – but not amazing – and I got good reviewer feedback, so I re-wrote the paper and sent it in to the top journal and it got accepted. Think about the comments that you’ve been given, and if you can use them to reshape your article it will be a much better paper as a result and you can use that to increase your chances of getting published.”

The University of Newcastle’s deputy vice-chancellor research and innovation, Kevin Hall, speaks to Antonia Maiolo about the importance of developing a marketing strategy for your next research project.

CR: Why is marketing important to academic researchers and the success of their projects?

KH: Through targeted marketing of researchers and research, institutions can increase research’s impact beyond academic circles. This can provide opportunities for knowledge mobilisation, exploitation and commercialisation, with a potential to capture the intrinsic economic value of research.

Additionally, successful marketing can create interest from the public and from private business, helping to attract funding from sources outside public research institutions (eg, industry, foundations, privately funded institutions).

Marketing can help differentiate a researcher’s output from others in the field, thus creating a brand. Often, marketing can assist in obtaining funding for [work on] topics that may not be in favour with government-funded and/or politically or ideologically driven agencies (for example, environmental and climate change issues, the dark side of extractive industries, poverty/international development). Marketing can be used to:

• Highlight the importance of a project and its results to society, business, policy, etc.
• Extend the life and reach of results
• Show sustainability
• Influence public policy
• Attract access to a wider range of potential collaborators; for example, international researchers/sites and international funding agencies
• Increase opportunities for partners in commercialisation and upscaling

Certainly a big part of marketing is advertising – in what ways can researchers invest in this area in a cost-effective way?

Cost-effective mechanisms of advertising may include the effective use of social media – for example, use of Twitter throughout research not just for findings or results. This encourages audience engagement and interest and will help with the dissemination of results. Other options include creating a website for a research project with links to Facebook, Twitter, etc., to actively encourage engagement and followers. It is often advantageous to create societal interest in a research topic; for example, potential links to innovation in popular trends and topics – such as quality of life, health and nutrition and environmental issues – help show the public the true value of university research. Researchers should capitalise on partnerships and use their marketing and advertising resources.

Could you describe popular marketing avenues researchers use, as well as other methods academics generally ignore?

Although there is significant variation amongst fields of research, popular marketing avenues include:

• Own or institutional websites to highlight publications, awards, media attention and funding
• Books based on research
• Academic journals for academic audiences
• Practitioner journals for executives and managers
• Consulting
• Industry associations and boards
• Op-ed pieces
• Blogs
• Media appearances on news shows as experts
• Talk shows
• Lectures in academic venues

Traditional methods of marketing academic researchers often ignore include:

• Paid advertising in newspapers and trade magazines
• Executive education opportunities to reach decision-makers directly
• Notes, abstracts and executive summaries for audiences such as public policymakers, industry executives, industry associations and trade magazines
• Self-produced press releases to popular media
• Crown funding, both for research and for promotion and commercialisation or upscaling
• Marketing/PR firms
• Town hall meetings with audiences outside academic circles
• Websites outside a researcher’s own personal or institutional pages

What are some selling techniques researchers can use when trying to market their projects to industry?

Researchers must emphasise the applicability of their outputs to the individual business or industry. In doing so, they should focus on improving industry’s understanding of research results. In many cases, economic drivers are critical, so researchers should provide an indication of the dollars spent, the potential leverage and the potential for upscaling and the possible benefits to the bottom line through innovation. Some industries may evaluate [the results for] other industries or contexts. Emphasis on [the scope of the supply/value chain and increased access to it] can show the true worth of outputs to appropriate industry partners.

What are some of the pros and cons of academics taking to social media to market their projects?

Pros

• Reach wider audiences with greater access to the public and other potential stakeholders
• Instant feedback from audiences
• Signals on changing trends and ideas
• Build a reputation
• Crowd source opinions, reviews, potential gaps and interest levels of audiences
• Potential crowd funding
• Become widely known as the expert or trend setter in the field

Cons

• Difficult to differentiate academic research from opinion pieces
• Vast amount of noise in social media, hard to be heard
• Uninformed criticism may damage interest in project
• Competitor risk – may provide access to proprietary data or findings

Student accommodation has come a long way from the days of dorm rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms. Today it’s more likely to include studio-style living with private bathrooms, cafes and recreation facilities and high-level support systems designed not only to help students take their first steps towards independent-living, but also help universities recruit and retain students.

“It’s about enhancing the student experience and that’s a catch-cry that you will hear at every institution across the country,” says Michael Heffernan, the CEO of Campus Living Villages, whose organisation runs 9000 beds across Australia. “And that’s not just limited to the classrooms, it’s the food outlets, the gymnasiums, and the recreation halls that universities have [for students].

“What we find is that student accommodation can do a lot to help [institutions] improve their retention of students and that’s a key goal of universities. If students are having a quality experience in their accommodation, then they are more likely to stick out their studies.”

Professor Ned Pankhurst, senior deputy vice-chancellor at Griffith University, agrees.

“The University Village has been a huge asset to the campus,” he says. “It provides, in particular, the opportunity for students who are in their first year away from home to feel their way into university life but in a very managed and controlled way.

“[Students can] experience what we see as the fully connected university village, from the recreational facilities to the accommodation, through to the learning and teaching spaces.”

Meeting the demand

Whatever the style, the fact remains that Australia needs more student accommodation. Whilst new developments have been approved at several institutions – including the University of Tasmania and Australian Catholic University’s Camperdown location – Damian Haber, CEO of The Pad Student Living, says less than 10 per cent of students requiring accommodation can be placed in a purpose-built facility.

“The majority of students are left to source accommodation in the private rental market,” Haber says. When compared with the UK and US, [Australia’s supply is well below] what is considered a sustainable level and in response we are seeing a real shift in the market to deliver additional supply, particularly in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, where about 85 per cent of the Australian student market choose to study.”

The situation is changing. Haber says metropolitan cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have recently recognised the demand in their planning regulations. Charles Sturt University has added more beds to its on-campus housing.
“CSU has added 900 beds to its accommodation stock over the last five years,” says the director of residence life at CSU, David Griffin. “This program has been in direct response to market demands, and decisions on future expansion will be made depending on ongoing demand.”

What students want

As more students see the value in living on-campus, there is an increased focus on what students want when new buildings are designed.

“Increasingly, amenity and comfort are important,” Griffin says. “As is a choice between shared facilities and self-contained accommodation, which provides options for students to remain on campus instead of moving into the private rental market as their needs change.

“Communal areas for passive and active social interaction are important for community building and quiet study spaces to support academic pursuits are essential.”

Campus Living Villages’ Heffernan adds, “We did some independent market research in 2012 and we’re definitely finding that the youth market is very dynamic and they are changing what they are looking for. We found that a lot of students placed particular importance on having their own private bathroom and their own private study area – they were the two main things that came out. Communal areas were also becoming important and so it’s about asking the customers, ‘Do you get value from having music rooms? Would you prefer gymnasiums and swimming pools, or media rooms?’ It’s about asking the students what they are looking for.”

And whilst media rooms and gymnasiums may seem like luxury, Heffernan says it’s still a long way from what’s on offer in the US.

“We run 20,000 beds in the US and those facilities and the competing facilities are set up like mini-resorts,” he says. “We’re talking tanning beds, and slippery slides going into pools… it’s quite an amazing experience.”

Support systems

For many students, moving into student accommodation is the first time they’ve lived out of home, so support systems are vital.

“It’s a huge responsibility that [parents] place on providers in trusting their young sons and daughters to come and live with us, and that’s why having that strong community connection is important,” Heffernan says.

The Pad’s Haber adds, “Universities are arguably better resourced in this area, with student support service departments being offered to students. Local governments are also investing heavily in this area, with larger [metropolitan areas] hosting citywide welcoming events for international students and arrival information typically either at the airport, online or in conjunction with the universities.”

Even so, there is always more that can be done.

“There are always improvements that can be made in response to emerging issues,” CSU’s Griffin says. “CSU operates a comprehensive Student Support Scheme that employs 15 full-time staff and 100 student employees across its five campus locations. Their focus is entirely on supporting students in their out-of-classroom development.”
Similarly, Campus Living Villages runs student support programs to help students adjust to university living – in particular the First Year Uni program.

“We teach students how to cook, how to clean, how to do the washing – it’s amazing how many 17-year-olds move out of home to university without [ever having] put a load of washing on. Our catchphrase is that we take students from dependence to independence,” Heffernan says. “A lot of the benefits around student accommodation come down to that pastoral care that can provided with this style of accommodation. If you’re in the private rental market, there’s nobody there keeping an eye out for you over your shoulder, and making sure that you’re OK or keeping an eye out that you’re not becoming withdrawn or that stress and anxiety is getting to you. And we also liaise closely with university student services and counselling as well, to work together to address any issues that might arise.”

Griffith’s Pankhurst says these types of support programs have a huge impact on students’ experiences and uni outcomes.

“The major impact [the First Year Uni program has had] is the excellent retention rates,” he says. “This is higher than our first year average (by a country mile). Satisfied students are our best ambassadors, both while they are with us and as alumni. The cumulative impact on the university is high, both in terms of reputation but also retained earnings. I think this also shows the importance of early engagement.”

Looking towards the future

So what’s the next step in student accommodation? Whilst US resort-style facilities might be a long way off due to the costs, Heffernan says it’s time for providers to become more innovate with their offerings.

“It’s what you can do that adds value to that experience,” he says. “Providers and universities have to find that point of difference and I think we will see some changes in how student accommodation is designed coming into that innovative branch.”

As part of that, Campus Living offers a Go Explore program, which allows students to travel to any of the four countries the provider operates in, and stay for two weeks free, at any available student accommodation.

Meanwhile, The Pad’s Haber says the first step towards the future is the introduction of minimum standards.

“Similar accreditation schemes have been implemented in the UK, which have developed into a strong success with higher levels of safety and amenity for students, and the overall standard of residential accommodation for students enhanced as a result,” he says.

Griffin agrees. “The market is becoming increasingly competitive,” he says. “A lack of response to market needs may lead students looking for other options.”

On May 23, Kangan Institute and Bendigo TAFE formally announced they have agreed to merge. The premier of Victoria announced the state’s allocation of $38.65 million from the TAFE Structural Adjustment Fund to assist with the integration.

The money will support strategies to ensure that the integrated institute operates successfully. These strategies include enhancing technology-enabled delivery, course development and reshaping the business to increase our market share and establish clear points of difference in a competitive open market.

In addition, the state government will provide $25 million to help develop a centre of excellence in health and human services, subject to a business case being approved.

Kangan Institute is already the product of several prior mergers and name changes. Broadmeadows College of TAFE changed its name to Kangan Institute back in 1995 in honour of Myer Kangan, the founder of Australia’s TAFE system. The institute has a rich history, one that reflects success and growth after various organisational changes.

Today, the VET sector continues to change. Whilst the focus of most people has been on the immediate effects on funding, these changes reflect a new operating model that all registered training organisations have to adapt to in a strategic and timely manner.

The pace of the changes and the shift to self-sufficiency of TAFE institutes require new and innovative approaches. Most institutes have fixed-cost operating models that do not align with the need and intent to be agile. Institutes must generate better returns to support their large asset bases. If you fast forward to what success will look like for a TAFE institute in the future, a key outcome is that it must be able to reinvest back into itself. It must not be in a position of planning one year at a time to keep its nose just in front of financial results.

It was against this backdrop that the boards of Kangan and Bendigo started to explore options for creating an exciting future with the student at the centre of all considerations. An independent and robust due diligence process was undertaken. This examined a number of options for how the two institutes could work together. The analysis recommended that a merger was the best strategy to develop growth, sustainability and eminence.

The analysis also reinforced that to be successful in the current VET environment, scale and volume are important. It appears that for RTOs of a particular size and structure, additional volume will provide real value. Of course at the other end, a small RTO with low overhead and a small asset base can be viable. However, once there is a significant asset base and inherent cost structure, scale is critical.

The merger will create scale and critical mass. It will also allow costs to be spread over a larger revenue base. Both institutes have growth corridors in their reach. Kangan has viewed the growth corridors in Melbourne’s north and north-west as important to its future. These will feed into the Bendigo and central Victoria growth areas. In addition to these physical footprints, the merger provides close alignment to the key program areas of each institute, along with specialisations such as health education that both institutes had already planned for the future.

The boards also took into account a number of other considerations in deciding to merge. The new entity will be an attractive partner for universities and it results in increased purchasing power across a range of services. Contributors to future growth should include:

• A reputation as the market-leading VET provider in the region, with eminence in specialisations
• Increased presence in the national VET market
• Branding as an institute that is innovative in its approach to teaching delivery
• Demonstrated growth and recognition as a market leader within priority program areas
• Increased international presence
• Proactive re-investment to continuously improve course offerings, delivery models and outcomes.

The merger commenced on July 1. It was a busy time within both institutes. There is work around the statutory and governance requirements, notifying and consulting regulatory bodies and reviewing existing agreements.

Concurrent with this work has been the establishment of a Project Management Office (PMO), which will be responsible for implementing the integration. Within this PMO, there are four work streams: organisation and change; systems and data integration; course development; and delivery integration.

The most important stream is the first one – organisation and change – which will involve designing the new organisation’s structure. Understandably, this is an uncertain time for staff of both institutes, and we are mindful of this. Consistent and regular communication will be critical.

Even more important is how we actively engage staff in the integration. One of the immediate tasks of the PMO is to clarify the methodology for integration. Whilst we will use subject matter experts as required for implementation, we will also draw heavily on our staff for their ideas and contributions. This cannot be a technical implementation plan. We are in the business of people and the success of this merger will be largely determined by our people.

There are many challenges ahead of us. One of these is establishing one culture that will support the merged institute in achieving its desired state. How we go about integration will set the tone and early signals for this culture. We are keen to develop a values-based organisation and establish a vibrant and supportive workplace – one that people want to stay in and others want to join.

The legal name of the merged entity is Bendigo Kangan Institute; however, both brands will continue in the market and for current students there is no change.

The merger is built around a future growth strategy to position the integrated institute as financially strong with an ability to reinvest back into itself and further enhance outcomes for students and industry partners. The goal is to create one of the state’s largest and most innovative providers of vocational education.

Grant Sutherland is the CEO of Kangan Institute.

When it comes to applying for a position as a lecturer or academic in a university, handing in a standard CV is not enough to land a job, experts in recruitment say. In this issue of Campus Review, we talk to staffing specialists about how candidates can improve their chances of securing a position in their chosen institution.

The approach

Rodney Waterson, recruitment manager at Sydney Recruitment, at the University of Sydney, says LinkedIn is a good resource when looking for a position, but adds the market for academic staff is global. “All academics should also consider working overseas,” he says. Applicants should also consider taking up any casual teaching work that they can find, as it can sometimes lead to more permanent appointments, he adds.

When applying for a position, acting associate director of organisational and staff development services at the University of Western Australia, assistant professor Lucienne Tessens, suggests making contact with the appropriate head of schools and introducing yourself to them, taking in an updated CV and discussing your research.

Waterson thinks that another important step is “making an appointment to speak with the hiring manager to gather information about the position, establish if it is the right position for you, and tailor your application to the role.”

When meeting with a potential employer, Tessens says she is impressed by people who have done their homework. This includes knowing about the university that applicants are applying to, looking at its website and becoming familiar with its strategic priorities.

“They need to look at the whole picture; they need to look at what that particular school is on about and they need to explain how they can be part of that,” she says. She adds it’s important for each participant to explain what they were trying to achieve through their research and discuss how they can be a part of where the university aims to be.

Michael Toohey, principal of UniRecruit, a search consultancy company exclusively focussing on the higher education sector, agrees preparation is important and notes it’s good to feed back the information gathered, in the form of comments or questions, during interviews. “That really impresses the selection committees, because they think ‘this person has done their homework, this person is serious’,” he says. “As soon as they detect that level of commitment then you find that they become much more disposed towards a person.”

Tessens says it can be difficult for academics to talk themselves up. “I think they need to learn how to sell themselves without going overboard. It’s a tricky business selling yourself without coming across as arrogant.”

Beyond the typical things that are focussed on in most application processes, Toohey says the next level is finding out what is driving a person and what they are looking for.

He says if a person is motivated and can articulate what they want to get out of a position then it is easier to place a person. “People that don’t really know what they want to do and where the want to do it are very hard to sell, and they will find it very hard for themselves as well,” he says.

Toohey believes it is beneficial to run through potential questions pre-interview. “I like to talk to people about the sorts of questions they should expect,” he said, adding he goes through around half a dozen typically-asked questions with an individual, such as ‘What is your vision for this role?’, and ‘What difference will you have made after you’ve been here for five years?’.

“That really makes a difference, because you would be surprised the number of very highly qualified people who go to an interview and just think it’s a chat. It’s not a chat, its serious stuff,” he says, adding universities invest a lot of money in their academic employees, who could be with an institution for many years.

The package

“Academic applications are assessed on the quality of the applicant’s research, teaching and administrative experience, as well as the contribution the applicant has made to the broader university community,” says Waterson.

He adds that industry or professional experience is also valued in some disciplines. “However, the way in which an application is presented will assist a selection committee in properly evaluating it,” he says.

Applications should hold a current résumé outlining qualifications, position history, publications, teaching experience and extracurricular contributions, Waterson says, which “should be accompanied by a cover letter outlining your reason for applying and a document addressing each of the selection criteria contained within the advertised materials.”

He suggests a list of appropriate referees should also be included.

Tessens says these should be valid and interviewees should check with their referees beforehand. “Sometimes we check referees and they’re not saying something positive about the person, so checking with the referees [is important],” she says.

When it comes to submitting an application, Tessens says candidates must look at the selection criteria – something she believes is often overlooked.

“If they don’t give a good evidence-based report as to how they best complete all the selection criteria then they’re not going to come into consideration,” she says. “You want to stand out. You want to make sure that your CV and your cover letter really point out why you are the best candidate for the job,” she says.

Toohey agrees that candidates can improve their chances through the documentation they produce and by providing measurable responses to the selection criteria. “[For] evidence of higher degree research supervision for example, just say over the last five years I have supervised the following people in their PhDs,” he says. “The greater the quality of your responses to the selection criteria the more competitive you are.” He adds this also makes them come across as more motivated.

Tessens says it’s also important that the applicant’s academic portfolio is up-to-date. “It needs to be evidence-based,” she says, adding applicants shouldn’t just tell employers that they are the best teacher, they must back it up with evidence through metrics such as student evaluations and spot results. She says most universities now have academic portfolios, so it’s very easy to put one together.

“They also need to make sure that they keep up their publications,” she says. “Someone who has got a higher publication record will of course have more of a chance of getting a position than someone else.”

Sealing the deal

On top of evidence regarding their teaching and research, Tessens says it’s beneficial to include additional information such as conference presentations and community engagement. “They might have been on a committee, they might have been on a school’s councils, so it’s to show that they are involved in the community as well,” she says. “That goes down really well.”

Tessens says candidates should also show how they have made an impact as a result of their engagement, adding this is important regarding the role universities play in the community.

Toohey says it is important that applicants never give the impression they’re not passionate about getting the job through being too laid back or casual about the role or the process. “Some people do give that impression – they think it’s cool to be a bit laid back – but it doesn’t work, because people want people who are keen and ready to hit the ground running,” he says. “If anything, I’d say sit up straight, listen, answer properly, be keen, be enthusiastic and let that come through; you will have a much better chance.”

He says professors can sometimes neglect to think about how they look, and urges applicants to dress in appropriate businesswear. “Look at the way people dress in the corporate world – that’s the sort of thing that they need to do.”

It is also important for people to know and to explain when they would be available if they were selected for a position, Toohey adds. “It’s a little thing, but an important thing. I find it comes up all the time,” he says. “You’re going to be asked the question, so find out if you were given the job when you could start.” This helps because when it comes to decision time, selection panels look at their candidates and discuss potential starting dates.

According to Toohey, in a lot of cases the competition is pretty close and applicants tick the same boxes. “Often it will come down to presentation and personality and so on; we’re all human beings, remember, and human beings pick up on these little nuances and non-verbal traits,” he explains. “I’ve seen a lot of really brilliant academics who have absolutely no personality, and they are at a disadvantage, because they’re being interviewed by other human beings – we need to see their spark.”

Some university vice-chancellors seem to want to determine what level of Commonwealth support students enrolling with their competitors should receive. This is akin to Qantas allocating landing rights to Virgin at Sydney airport.

The Council of Private Higher Education (COPHE) is strongly supportive of the reforms in the federal Budget. We are concerned, however, that the scare campaign, driven essentially by some public university and union self-interest, has generated fears that fees in an uncapped system would increase so dramatically as to make higher education unaffordable. Such irresponsible exaggerations that students will all be left with debts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars are damaging higher education in the public mind, and in the eyes of our future students, in a way that will take years to overcome.

Has there been any media comment anywhere recognising that support for humanities students would increase by $600 a year? Similarly, the original reason why, for example, dentistry and medicine or engineering courses are so heavily subsidised is obscure. The review will reduce student subsidies by $3200 a year in medicine and dentistry and $4700 in engineering but graduates in these professional fields can expect high incomes – they can afford the increased cost. Simply sticking with the current system will accelerate a slide into mediocrity, as many of the VCs recognise.

Reforms that extend Commonwealth support to all higher education students, beyond the 87 per cent now enrolled in public universities, will deliver equity for students who choose to study in other institutions. Current policy on student support is discriminatory and runs counter to competition policy. Taken together with the deregulation of university fees, the reforms will ensure our higher education sector can overcome current constraints in an increasingly global market.

Our Australian system for student support, underpinned by the income contingent loans system (HELP, but commonly referred to as HECS) leads the rest of the world. What is important is that students get good outcomes and value from their education. Competition enhances that. However, effective competition requires a level playing field.

CSP funding is made under the Higher Education Support Act (HESA), which states in Part 30-1 (1), “A grant under this Part is payable, as a benefit to students, to a higher education provider.” That seems to make the intent of CSPs clear and they are paid at levels that vary in accordance with the particular course units students undertake. The act does not specify how the provider is to spend the money.

In the university sector, cross-subsidy often occurs when significant income – from, say, a large business faculty that conducts little research – is extracted to support research in totally unrelated disciplines. Such a practice is rarely transparent, delivers no perceptible value to the business student and seems difficult to defend. In such a case, the university needs to demonstrate that intensive research so benefits undergraduate students (who are the students for whom the CSP is provided) as to make it a good value proposition for them.

If a private provider wishes to put emphasis on quality teaching and learning, then it will prioritise spending appropriately, focusing on its value proposition. In other words, different providers apply funds in a variety of ways to support a mission that meets the needs of students. So whilst supporting an environment that reflects active scholarship, including research, what we would want to see is that achieving good outcomes for students is the first priority for all higher education institutions.

The origins of the idea that non-university providers should be paid less for CSP arose from responses to the Lomax–Smith Higher Education Base Funding Review in the context of some non-university providers having CSP for teaching and nursing. The review refused any data from non-university providers. The proposal for reducing funds paid to such entities came from the university sector, on the basis that only they are required to do research. This self-serving observation overlooks the fact that academics teaching in all institutions delivering master’s courses are required by TEQSA to demonstrate research activity for accreditation. The view that non-university institutions do not undertake research is simply wrong.

The Higher Education Standards Framework’s Threshold Standards require non-university providers to ensure that “the higher education provider’s academic staff are active in scholarship that informs their teaching, and are active in research when engaged in research student supervision”. 

Most non-university institutions accredited for bachelor’s degrees also offer master’s degrees. At least 10 COPHE member institutions also deliver research degrees, including PhDs, despite the lack of any funding support. Others amongst our member institutions are entirely post-graduate.

Research activity, in practice, often reflects the employment of scholarly academics who expect to maintain their publishing activity and continue to contribute to scholarship in their field. Institutions in the sector compete in the employment market for such people.

The key distinctive feature of higher education teaching, as described in the Higher Education Standards, is that it is informed by scholarship. Research, or discovery, is the important element of scholarship that is mandated by all our universities, something peculiar to Australia. However, the nation needs to embrace teaching-focused universities, too.

We were also reminded by the Go8’s Private Higher Education Providers in Australia backgrounder (released on July 15) that in Australia today the distinction between public and private institutions is not easy to define. The authors of the Bradley Report labeled the distinction obsolete way back in 2008. “In fact,” the Go8 document states, “by OECD definitions, Australian public universities could be considered private providers.” (https://go8.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/publications/backgrounder_-_private_higher_education_providers_in_australia_final.pdf)

As we look to a more diverse range of higher education provider types that moves beyond the dominant research-intensive university model, it is appreciated that there are going to be challenging times for the existing institutions.

The reforms proposed in the Budget will enhance equity, expand choice for students and deliver more diversity in types of institutions. The student funding model adopted must ensure that institutions that are not public universities are able to compete and continue to support students effectively. The students will be the beneficiaries.

Adrian McComb is the CEO of the Council of Private Higher Education. cophe.edu.au

Encouraging the participation of university staff in decision-making can help create a positive attitude toward change and improve university operations.

Graham Winter, founder and director of the organisational development consultancy Think One Team, spoke to Campus Review about how collaboration between students, academics, support units, alumni, and communities is integral to an institution’s future.

CR: What are the biggest concerns or challenges universities generally approach you with?

GW: The issue we hear most often is how to evolve from a hierarchical, silo-based model to a culture where people collaborate and co-create across non-traditional boundaries. The concerns, challenges and needs typically fall into one or more of four types of relationship linkage:

Leadership teams. This is about developing the unity of purpose needed to address the many adaptive challenges faced by all universities – problems that don’t fit neatly into functional units, schools and research centres, but instead require a cross-disciplinary approach.

Major projects. This can range from infrastructure through to issues such as the student e-experience and whole-of-university learning strategy.

Team-to-team collaboration. As with the major projects linkage, there is a need within schools and faculties and the support units to develop effective teamwork. It is fair to say that often the first challenge is to get the leadership teams in the schools/faculties to establish a clear framework before they can then effectively partner with other teams.

Performance conversations. Old-style corporate-style performance management tools add little value in industry and are often counterproductive in a university setting. Accordingly, there is a lot of attention from the education sector for more credible tools to hold effective two-way performance conversations.

All four of these examples reflect the need for a less siloed approach to address the challenges being created by forces such as international competition, funding and budget pressures, disruptive technologies and social change.

Improving performance is often a key driver for an institution to make changes – what advice can you offer?

Across the tertiary sector we see many definitions of what performance means, and even more variations in the priorities that are selected to enhance performance.

Frankly, there is a tendency in some to go after the easy-to-measure items and ignore those that are more difficult. That is not to say that universities aren’t aware of what’s needed, or that the evidence in some form isn’t available (there is plenty of data). Too many leaders won’t tackle sacred cows such as quality of teaching, integration of research into undergraduate courses, ever more courses with little new demand, poor leadership, and fiefdoms within traditional faculties.

Our advice is straightforward. Start from a strong values base and make decisions with reference to these values – and communicate how that has been done and what tradeoffs etc have been made where there are conflicting priorities.

• Be unequivocal about the desired culture and expected behaviours.

• Instil strong feedback loops about outcomes and behaviours, starting with senior staff.

• Wherever possible, instil co-creation as the central theme in any major change initiative.

• Be wary of handing over the cultural aspects of change to large consulting firms. They can usefully provide the means to collect data and the models for debate and reflection, but effective leaders do not outsource strategy decisions and change leadership.

Many large organisations, not just universities, make the mistake of treating complex adaptive problems as if they are complex technical issues. The ongoing struggle to integrate services with needs of schools and research centres is a typical example.

These issues don’t carry a right or wrong answer – leaders and teams can only resolve them by experimenting, while at the same time building the agility that enables living with ambiguity and tradeoffs. Technical solutions enforced by leaders who implement consultant recommendations risk disempowering, disengaging and deskilling their organisations for the price of short-term certainty.

Can you provide examples of how you have assisted universities to better the student learning experience?

The assignment that we feel best epitomises our approach is our role in the development, building and implementation of the University of Adelaide Student Learning Hub. This project was a chance to not just create a space in the geographic centre of the city campus, but also to transform the way the university tackled major cross-organisation projects.

In partnership with the university, our organisation designed and facilitated a ‘co-creation’ approach that put students, academics, services and project people at the centre of the project. We collected data on prevailing attitudes and cultural norms to a one-team approach, then designed a series of activities to help people clarify and share ownership in what they wanted during and from the Hub project. Think One Team tools and methods were then used to bring the benefits to life.

The result was described by the vice-chancellor as “everything we could have wished for” and approximately 50 per cent of students described it as “awesome”.

A wonderful legacy of this project is that co-creation is now viewed as the way that the university tackles its major projects and it has retained that capability inside the organisation.

Why is it important for universities to think about their employees as having a portfolio of skills, and what simple steps can they take to help them build those skills?

There have been numerous changes in the workplace over the past two decades and these are driving universities in the same direction as other organisations that employ talented people.

Two that come readily to mind are the flattening of organisational hierarchies – which is reducing the opportunities for people to advance their careers by climbing the ladder– and the opening up of organisations (and the whole economy) to a myriad of collaborative practices, expanding the need for what might be called non-technical skills (such as team skills, facilitation, mentoring and influencing).

Management expert Charles Handy coined the term “portfolio worker”: people developing both a portfolio of capabilities and a network of relationships with whom they can capitalise on and further develop those capabilities.

For every organisation, the messages about employees’ career portfolios are clear and the steps available are relatively straightforward:

• It is essential that employees have the opportunity to regularly discuss their portfolio with their direct manager (and that the manager knows how to do this).

• Give people exposure to projects outside of their day-to-day work, so they learn from other people and experience different contexts.

• Ensure that human resources specialists assist managers with ideas about how to build the portfolio.

Given the massive emphasis on blended learning in the schools and faculties, there is no lack of knowledge of how to build a portfolio of skills, so it comes down to universities prioritising the development and retention of talent – arguably the foundation stone on which the organisation stands.

How can universities encourage their employees to contribute to the institution in a meaningful way?

The key words here are institution and meaningful, because they already do contribute, but more often it is not seen or believed to be in the context of the institution but more so in the campus, school or research entity to which they ‘belong’.

Encouragingly, we hear people talking about issues like small-group discovery, seamless integration of research and teaching, and integrated services, which highlights a major shift is underway.

Our view is that the answer is co-creation. Evidence and experience supports the notion that people have a greater sense of ownership, meaning and purpose when they see and are part of a bigger picture.

Two elements create meaning for employees:

The student and their experience. This is not something that necessarily sits comfortably with the old-school, but the reality has always been that student experience matters – it just matters in a more tangible way now that competition is so intense. The more everyone can be connected to and feel that they impact the student experience, the more the sense of meaning.

The impact on the community. A cursory glance at the strategic plans of half a dozen Australian universities shows that their reputation, connection to community and ability to shape those communities is fundamental. This is arguably the ‘big picture’ for universities, because the great universities don’t just adapt to what’s happening in the world, they shape it.

A Swinburne University of Technology lecturer has received an international education award for his outstanding and long-standing contribution to software engineering education.

Professor John Grundy, dean of the school of software and electrical engineering at Swinburne, has taken home the 2014 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Technical Council on Software Engineering (TCSE) Distinguished Education Award. The international award recognises people who have demonstrated sustained and meaningful contributions to the theory and practice of the information science.

Australian National University’s professor John Hosking, who provided one of the three nominations for the award, says, “Professor Grundy is innovative in his approaches and his ability to inject real life industrial and research experience into his teaching is extremely well received by his students.

“He is always willing to experiment with new methods of delivery and new pedagogical styles and to use evidence to understand the effectiveness of his approaches.”

In this issue of Campus Review, we speak to Grundy about his work in the area of software engineering, his approach to teaching the subject and the changing nature of the field.

CR: What has your work in the area of software engineering and teaching involved?

JG: I was a major leader of the development of the software engineering program in the University of Auckland, which was the second of its kind in New Zealand, and I was the director of the program for three years. More recently I also led the development of the software engineering program at Swinburne University of Technology, which in some ways is a reboot; we used to have a software engineering degree at Swinburne. It became defunct a number of years ago, but we’ve restarted it now and developed a brand new program.

What has your research into pedagogical issues involved?

I’ve had a number of projects. One area that I’ve been particularly interested in is how to run team projects effectively and how to set those up, and assess and manage them. That involves studying the design of capstone and team projects as well as their assessment mechanisms.

The other area I’ve become very interested in the last few years is the impact of personality on people using peer programming – particularly for learning to program; to understand the effect of personality on different areas of software engineering that might predispose people to being better at one area than another. Or, if they want to move from one area to another, how they might do that most effectively for their personality type, learning type and of course interests and so on.

How do you approach teaching the subject?

I’m a hands-on teacher, so I love demonstrating at the front of the class and using in-class simulation activities. I’m not a big fan of listening to my own voice for 50 minutes or an hour and a half, so I like to break up the classes and have the students interact and interact with me. I prefer tutorial teaching to lecturing; I really like wandering around a small class situation, and supervising capstone or team projects is one of my personal teaching specialities. I like to have the students be active learners.

How does this approach benefit students?

I think students engage more; they find it more interesting. They seem to like it – they respond well. They engage more with the discipline as well as the content, so they get a better sense of where they’re going and their own strengths and weaknesses more clearly than a ‘chalk and talk’ type approach. And of course they learn to work in a team effectively, which is important.

Is a focus on teamwork important for building a workforce that’s prepared for the future?

Absolutely. One of the misconceptions of computer science and software engineering is that you work alone in a dark room with a glowing LCD screen in front of you – but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s a very human-centric discipline: you have to interact with customers and stakeholders and colleagues very deeply and broadly. It’s absolutely critical we have graduates who can go out and do that in the workforce effectively.

What are the challenges of the growth of software engineering that have come about recently?

The challenges we’ve had – more generally than just software engineering, but in ICT – have been recovering first of all from a large downturn throughout the world after the dot-com crash in the early 2000s. It hit Australia particularly hard, so we’ve been building up our numbers in software engineering, computer science and information systems, and they’re starting to show some positive trends, particularly in universities such as Swinburne, RMIT, University of New South Wales and Monash.

Recruiting staff, developing curricula, improving the assessment for students and linking the assessment to learning outcomes for the programs in much more structured ways have all been things that we’ve been focussing on throughout Australia, but also the rest of the world, over the last several years.

What are some of the benefits of the changes that we’ve seen in this area?

Students are coming out with better qualifications, they’re more skilled, they’ve got deeper educational knowledge and a deeper and broader background in a range of software engineering competencies, all the way from project management and requirements engineering to designing coding to testing and maintenance.

We’ve also been focussing on getting more industry-engaged learning into our programs, so that’s something that I’ve found very attractive in Australia, particularly at Swinburne where there’s a big emphasis on giving students an experience of the workplace in several different ways. That’s challenging, but also has tremendous benefits for students when they move into the software industry.

What will the future of software engineering look like?

We’ve got the mobile device evolution, so there’s huge emphasis now on enterprise mobile applications, as well as personal applications, games, social applications and so on. We get more and more wearable and tangible interfaces; we can interact through touch, through gesture, through voice, movement, and so on. There’s just a plethora of technologies now being rolled out by vendors in that space.

We will have far more sensors around us that gather huge amounts of interesting – and perhaps challenging – data to deal with, so there will be a lot of big data problems and data analytics problems. Of course, security engineering has now become extremely important, so having a good skill set and knowledge of that is really critical for practitioners and our graduates.

Will teaching need to evolve as the industry does?

It has to – and we need to keep deep industry engagement, as ICT is a very vocationally-oriented discipline.

People come into the discipline to get a good job, work on interesting projects and solve problems of the world, and the world’s got lots of problems that ICT can address and must be used to address. Keeping oneself current with rapidly changing technologies and processes and approaches and so on is absolutely critical, so it’s that sort of lifelong learning. Now, with the amount of knowledge that we have on the internet that’s accessible, the way one goes about solving problems and teamworking and so on has evolved dramatically. We need to expose our students to that in our delivery of our curriculum.