Change is confronting, and difficult and many of us try to avoid it. In education, change comes slowly - too slow sometimes. There is a lot to consider including workloads and mental health of staff and students, or whether the change proposed is for the 'sake of change' or deliberately planned and supported. If we follow the ADKAR model - are we:

• AWARE of the need for change?
• DESIRE the change?
• Have the KNOWLEDGE to affect the change?

....and so on....

Commentary on online learning

Gone are the days at UniSQ when anyone should be saying online learning is a second-rate experience. Post-COVID many universities globally have brought students back to campus - mandatory. We are an online university with some on-campus opportunities. We need to be the best at what we do and that requires good edtech tools, increased awareness of why students will benefit, and supporting frameworks for adoption, implementation and management of learning that is online, hybrid, synchronous and asynchronous.

UniSQ Digital Initiatives 2024

Under the umbrella of Technology Demonstrators (the CoP for edtech in Learning and Teaching Futures) we start 2024 with a basket of digital initiatives that imply 'change', and for some 'significant change,' in the way we teach, design for online learning, assess, communicate and collaborate.

Two of these tools - Engageli and Create@UniSQ WordPress portfolios - having been piloted for 2-3 years and are now fully implemented as ongoing opportunities for ALL staff and students.

Read more below about how you can be the change you want to see - TechDems is here to encourage and support.

Have you seen this yet? It was released on Feb 21.

• The full report is HERE
• The summary file is available HERE.

On pg. 15 of the Word doc it states:

• Quality learning and teaching. Institutions and course sizes are increasing and technologies like the virtual classroom and artificial intelligence are becoming even more widespread. The Review found that, as students look to more accessible means of studying, there is a need to improve the quality of learning and teaching.
• The Review called upon the Australian Government and universities to use the full potential of new teaching technologies, encourage minimum teaching qualifications for higher education teaching roles and ensure professional development opportunities for staff.

You are invited to our first TD CoP for 2024. We are excited to have a guest speaker join us to share ideas and experiences.

Dr Debra Hoven is a Professor in Open, Digital, and Distance Learning from Athabasca University, Canada and is no stranger to UniSQ. In this session she will share updates and approaches to digitally infused learning with a focus on ePortfolios. As you know student WordPress portfolios (Create@UniSQ) are a major focus across the university for employability, FYE and assessment.

A special invitation to the Student Portfolio SIG members and to those implementing portfolios into courses and programs.

Also on the agenda:

• Updates and announcements about opportunities in 2024
• Digital initiatives and AI
• .... and more!

This session will be hybrid and those in Toowoomba can join Debra on campus in room T357. Others, please jump into Engageli (using Chrome or Edge) as always.

UniSQ is known as an excellent online university. Our focus is the continuation of this reputation by continuing to implement better tools and pedagogies for student engagement and success. Therefore, ask yourself:

• Do you want to balance synchronous and asynchronous learning to provide all students with a close-to-equivalent experience?
• Does the recording of a 3-hour tute provide a satisfactory experience for those who cannot attend synchronously?
• Are your students engaged with their learning?

ENGAGELI is a tool piloted at UniSQ 2022-2023 across 5 semesters. It is now part of our online learning toolkit and we invite you to join us on this exciting and innovative adoption of this game changing learning environment.

We now use the WordPress platform, hosted by CampusPress, as the preferred method for student online/digital portfolios. Many disciplines are embedding portfolios from Year 1 through to the capstone course with great success. If you are new to this practice and want to know more:

• Start here - Student portfolios using WordPress
• Browse the Create@UniSQ website
• Read the For Staff page to learn more about WHY and HOW

To start 2024 we are piloting the following tools:

• CADMUS - an online assessment tool that allows educators to create and students to complete written assessment tasks in a dedicated environment that can be accessed via LMS environments.
• Gradescope - helps educators seamlessly administer and grade assessments in both online and face to face settings.
• Nolej.io - uses AI to generate engaging, interactive content from existing materials such as text books, videos, audio and other online media resources.

Contact edtech@unisq.edu.au to find out more.

The AI for Learning and Teaching Collective, is an inclusive university-wide (everyone) coming together in order to ".... comprehensively address the opportunities and challenges presented by the intersection of AI and education."

Organised by the Educational Technology unit within Learning and Teaching Futures, the Collective encourages input, sharing, suggestions and opportunities for learning more about the impact of AI on higher education.

The first AILTC Symposium in 2024 is on Wednesday, April 17 at 2-3:30pm AEST. We invite colleagues to speak about their AI adventures, success and of course questions into how we best use AI for learning and teaching in higher education. Not on the AILTC VIP list yet? Add your details to the Event below.

Don't forget to browse and contribute to the AI News and Info Padlet.

The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is a global network collaborating to make change through accessible, quality open, flexible and distance learning. It is an independent, self-governing, non-profit and non-governmental organisation. It is governed by its members, who are represented or elected as representatives to three key decision-making bodies.

Read more HERE by exploring their website.

The next ICDE World Conference will take place 10-13 November 2025 in Wellington, New Zealand, hosted by Te Pukenga/Open Polytechnic and Massey University.

The theme of the next World Conference is Ako Tuwhera: Open Learning for Open Learners and will invite conversations related to equity, artificial intelligence, the Indigenisation of education and education systems.

Register your interest now and be the first to hear updates about the next ICDE World Conference!

UniSQ again has an institution-wide membership to ICDE. That means everyone can access resources and opportunities for you and your students.

• Access the Members area on the website using the current password: 2024icdemember

The UniSQ main contact for ICDE is Dr Julie Lindsay. Please get in touch if you have questions.

UniSQ is co-hosting the 2024 OEGlobal Conference in Brisbane

In the video below, Dr. Adrian Stagg, Manager (Open Educational Practice), Library Services Academic Division, University of Southern Queensland, invites open educators to OEGlobal 2024 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. OEGlobal 2023 co-hosting is a partnership between the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and State Library Queensland.

Key dates:

The Technology Enhanced Learning Collaborative (TELC) is focused on research within and across disciplines investigating how technology can be made integral to learning and therefore enhance formal and informal education.

TEL is conceived as a combination of an educator’s practices and understandings around learning and teaching, paired with the appropriate use of technological tools to achieve pedagogical aims and maximise learner outcomes and experiences. Pedagogical aims include learners as co-creators, and educators as connectors and collaborators. Leadership and implementation of technology enhanced learning potentially positively impacts first year experience (FYE), workplace integrated learning (WIL) and employability.

TELC currently has four themes:

• Online engagement
• Embedding technology
• Learning environments
• Immersive technology and AI

If this sounds interesting to you, and if you are researching technology for learning and teaching then come and join! The collaborative is based within the Institute for Resilient Regions at the University of Southern Queensland and is led by Professor Petrea Redmond. Join the IRR and you will be added to TELC mailing lists and teams.

Episode 14: Global Connections Part 1: Switzerland

Julie and Lisa talk global connections with their special guest Carola Brunnbauer from The Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH).

Listen to all episodes of Balancing the Shift - yes this is a real podcast - you can subscribe through Spotify and other services.

The artefacts below have all been read over 500 times and provide many valid resources and examples for the use of edtech in learning and teaching. We encourage you to browse and share. We also encourage you to be a sharer/presenter in 2024 - get in touch, volunteer!

• AI for Learning and Teaching Symposium November 2023 - Special edition
• September/October 2023 - Telling Your Story
• August 2023 - Learning's endless road
• June/July 2023 - Making the Most of Opportunities
• July 2023 - Create@UniSQ Student WordPress Portfolios
• May 2023 - Moving towards Innovation
• April 2023 - Join in and Collaborate
• March 2023 - Innovation & EdTech
• February 1, 2023 - Creating the Future

ARCHIVED Newsletters from September 2021

Technology Demonstrators (TechDems) is a UniSQ initiative designed to foster educational innovation, through active experimentation with, pilots, evaluation of and research into educational technologies and virtual platforms to continuously improve learning and teaching.

All activities and support in 2024 are provided by:

• Dr Julie Lindsay (Senior Education Technology Advisor)
• Dr Lisa Jacka (Senior Lecturer, Curriculum & Pedagogy)

Connect with us! Email: edtech@unisq.edu.au

Dr Julie Lindsay

Senior Education Technology Advisor

Learning and Teaching Futures

Email: julie.lindsay@unisq.edu.au
Phone: +61 7 46312890