Learning leadership in higher education: the big and small actions of many people

With a focus on innovating practice, this paper details a research project which sought to understand institutional change in blended and flexible learning and distance education through stories of adaptation and leadership development at two major Higher Education distance providers, one based in Australia and the other in New Zealand. DeHub, a DEEWR funded research consortium designed to investigate best practice in distance education provided the funding and opportunity for this study

Fostering institutional change through learning leadership: a study of stories of adaptation in blended and flexible learning and distance education

This paper discusses the significance of a research project between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Massey University (MU) which aims to build knowledge and understanding of the impact of distributive leadership approaches to transforming teaching and learning in relation to distance education. Authentic, situated approaches to change offer a powerful conduit for building ―street level leadership, the sharing of knowledge, skills and information within and between schools and as a basis for whole-of-institution cultural change driven through practice. This research provides an opportunity for evaluation of authentic, situated approaches as a mechanism for institutional renewal of learning and teaching practices in relation to distance education (DE). Such a reorientation of practice affords CSU and MU a chance to increase the equity of student experience and engagement in learning through blended and flexible delivery

Wicked issues: higher education research, and institutional innovation for learning and teaching – a reflection

The authors recently completed a funded research project in learning and teaching in higher education during which dilemmas in method choice emerged. This showcase unpacks the research process undertaken drawing on the analytical framework devised by Buchanan & Bryman (2007) in their consideration of the field properties that shape method choice in organizational studies. It considers the 'wicked issues in situating theory in close-up research' Trowler (2012, p. 278) in a study conducted within a field of practice where funding bias supports empirical and descriptive studies congruent with improving the quality of learning and teaching, leadership capacity building and deliverables of use to the sector. This theory-method trajectory created a narrow space within which discursive and argumentative research problems might be pursued. Getting the 'balance right' in the case of our study was partially vested in methodology – but we came to the view that whilst epistemological and methodological clarity was important, struggling with theory-method and data-theory trajectories remained central to the development of critically engaged applied research

Not through women's eyes : photo-essays and the construction of a gendered tsunami disaster

Purpose – This paper aims to critically appraise the representation of women through photo-essays used immediately following the December 26, 2004 tsunami disaster. Through analysis of photo-essay images published online, the author argues that women were largely represented in the samples as helpless victims who are passive, prone and inhabiting domestic or quasi-domestic settings. The paper argues that a “disaster genre” has emerged, and that disaster images matter. The disaster community needs to care about the “ethics of seeing”, so that the viewer can “see” women, not simply as domesticated, vulnerable, passive and prone but in their diverse and complex lives and roles. Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilizes methodology developed within the emerging discipline of visual sociology, as applied to a sample of photo-essays published online by international aid agencies in the weeks following the tsunami disaster. Data sorting of the four visual essays was done in response to three interpretative questions. In total, 65 images were interpreted across four visual essays. Findings – A total of 26 images included women, and in these “the look” of the women suggested passivity, distress, and being in a state of being “cared for”. Relationally, women were represented in terms of domestic or quasi-domestic locales. About 60 percent of the images included men, whereas 35.5 percent included women. There were no images in the 65 surveyed showing women actively involved in the physical labor of disaster response. In comparison, 35 percent of the images showed men involved in physical labor associated with disaster recovery. Practical implications – The participation of women in pre- and post-disaster planning and recovery is complex, and this complexity should not be made invisible by the visual representation of their lived experience. Agencies should actively develop policies and practices to ensure that women's diverse participation in disaster recovery is reflected in their choice of photographic materials published online. Originality/value – High originality. The gendered nature of visual representation following a disaster is explored through the interpretation of four photo-essays published online. An argument is put that disaster images matter, and that aid agencies have a responsibility to ensure that the complexity and diversity of women's disaster experiences are represented

Improving the quality of non‐emergency leadership: a case study

The core business of fire-fighting organizations is typically seen as emergency response. For a range of reasons, however, fire-fighting organizations face increasing pressures to develop new capabilities. In the midst of multiple changes, individual organizations need to develop strategic plans that allow them not only to change the organization, but also to develop the capabilities of its personnel. This paper considers the case of one large Australian fire-fighting organization’s attempts to develop new in-house educational practices. These attempts can be seen retrospectively to build on previous cultural practices without causing industrial revolt, and at the same time to encourage aspiring middle managers to respond to emerging corporate goals

Improving the quality of non-emergency leadership : a case study

The core business of fire-fighting organizations is typically seen as emergency response. For a range of reasons, however, fire-fighting organizations face increasing pressures to develop new capabilities. In the midst of multiple changes, individual organizations need to develop strategic plans that allow them not only to change the organization, but also to develop the capabilities of its personnel. This paper considers the case of one large Australian fire-fighting organization’s attempts to develop new in-house educational practices. These attempts can be seen retrospectively to build on previous cultural practices without causing industrial revolt, and at the same time to encourage aspiring middle managers to respond to emerging corporate goals

Enabling practice-based learning and teaching scholarship : “I’m Not an Educator … But My Students Really Loved this!”

10 page(s

Imprisoned by a landmark narrative? : student/teacher ratios and the making of policy

200

Beyond training : new firefighters and critical reflection

This paper aims to initiate a conversation within the disaster community about the applicability of "critical reflection" to the professional work of firefighters. "Critical reflection" is a term commonly used within the nursing and teaching professions. Although it has contested meanings, it generally conveys the sense of purposeful enquiry about one's professional conduct, ethics and decision making. Fire fighting labor is no longer blue collar, and firefighters in western fire fighting agencies require increasingly complex capabilities and accountabilities. Could "critical reflection" be added to post-incident debrief as a core professional capability? The paper draws on the concept of "critical reflection" as it has been developed within the professional fields of nursing and teaching. It then considers the applicability of and importance of this concept to the professional field of firefighting. The meanings and applications of "critical reflection" vary, but the inclusion of dialogue about it exists within many nurse and teacher education courses. It can be argued to provide professionals with an opportunity to engage in dialogue about their labor, and thereby scrutinise their professional conduct and the ethical dilemmas of their work. This paper calls for a paradigmatic shift in the approach taken by educators who work with firefighters. It argues that instructional methods based on rote learning, chalk and talk, and show and tell training are insufficient as a means of developing firefighters capable of responding and adapting to the complex demands implicit within increasingly professionalized firefighting labor. Future firefighters will need to be adaptive, reflective and accountable; able to demonstrate discursive and inquisitive capabilities; and engage in reflected actions both on and off the incident ground. This is the first time the intellectual traditions and debates implicit within "critical reflection" have been linked to the work of firefighters

Counting women in the Australia fire services

This paper argues that it is time to take into account the existing and potential roles women do and could play as paid, retained and voluntary fire fighters in the Australian fire services. Specifically, it argues that women must be ‘counted’ and ’made to count’ more effectively through the adoption of more rigorous reporting of labour market statistics by agencies across Australia that deploy fire fighters. It presents an analysis of the inadequacies of current data reporting mechanisms, as exemplified by the statistical profile of women fire fighters for the period 2002-2003 in Australia. In concludes by arguing that there is an urgent need for the inclusion of productive diversity in the fire services in future national research priorities