Network of Australiasian Tertiary Associations: a space for discussion, collaboration and advocacy in tertiary education

This presentation explores the development of a network focused on enhancing network leadership in tertiary education associations. The Network of Australasian Tertiary Associations (NATA) is an Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) project that aims at facilitating a sustainable collaborative network between established higher education associations. NATA provides a space for discussion, action and advocacy on key issues pertinent to the Australasian tertiary environment. Members of NATA comprise Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite), Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-learning (ACODE), The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, (HERDSA), The Council of Australian Directors of Academic Development, (CADAD), Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA), Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet) and Netspot. Networks are important hubs for the development of new ideas and are discussion and dissemination spaces for individuals and communities. The project is now focused on progressing achieving the NATA's key objectives through three strategic activities. These comprise: ● Disseminating the ALTC Good Practice Reports through the development of asynchronous 'E' Resources, completed in partnership with report authors ● Conducting research into the network and network leadership through interviews, focus groups and surveys ● Supporting partner associations to engage in small-scale projects aligned with the key objectives of both the NATA and their association to provide value to the sector and strengthen communication and engagement of NATA partners. Through the creation of collaborative connected spaces for discourse and action, the NATA aspires to develop a model that will influence policy, research and learning and teaching in the Australasian tertiary environment

Assuring best practice in technology-enhanced learning environments

This paper documents the development and findings of the Good Practice Report on Technology-Enhanced Learning and Teaching funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC). Developing the Good Practice Report required a meta-analysis of 33 ALTC learning and teaching projects relating to technology funded between 2006 and 2010. This report forms one of 12 completed Good Practice Reports on a range of different topics commissioned by the ALTC and Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT). The reports aim to reduce issues relating to dissemination that projects face within the sector by providing educators with an efficient and accessible way of engaging with and filtering through the resources and experiences of numerous learning and teaching projects funded by the ALTC and OLT. The Technology-Enhanced Learning and Teaching Report highlights examples of good practice and provides outcomes and recommendations based on the meta-analysis of the relevant learning and teaching projects. However, in order to ensure the value of these reports is realised, educators need to engage with the reports and integrate the information and findings into their practice. The paper concludes by detailing how educational networks can be utilised to support dissemination

Living the new normal: reflections on the experiences of first-time distance learners

Significant challenges face traditional distance education. The conventional 'pack and post' model of distance education is under serious threat along with the performance of distance education providers as governments and funding bodies increasingly scrutinize retention, progression and completion rates. The objective of the current study was to contribute to the enhancement of services and resources available for first-time distance learners in the future. The study was framed around Design-based Research involving a mixed method approach over three phases. The third phase was the major component of the study, which involved gathering the lived experiences of 20 first-time distance learners, in their own words, using weekly video diaries for data collection. The research proposed seven key takeaways, alongside seven guiding principles aimed at distance education providers wanting to enhance the success of distance learners in the future

Superficial social inclusion? Reflections from first-time distance learners. A practice report

This paper reports on a research project that sought to investigate the experiences of first-time distance learners from their own perspectives, in their own words, through weekly video diaries. The research took place against a background of growing concern about low retention and completion rates among distance students, which raises questions about what actually happens to learners once they begin their study. While the project will ultimately generate evidence-based deliverables targeted at both distance education providers and distance learners, this paper reports on a selection of learner stories that highlight the nature of superficial social inclusion in the absence of support and engagement strategies that reach out at the point of need throughout the study lifecycle. The research challenges educators to reflect on the difficulties of supporting distance students to engage effectively with study amid other life and work commitments, at the same time as being mindful that to survive the distance they need to be independent, self-motivated learners

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

Lights, camera, action: gathering experiences of first time distance learners

This paper reports 'research in progress', which investigates the experiences of first-time distance learners with a strong phenomenological dimension. It takes place against a backdrop of challenges facing distance education in Australasia in which issues of recruitment, attrition (retention) and completion rates have come into sharp relief. This study will go beyond the current literature by producing a set of research-led deliverables that will enhance the supports and services available for first-time distance learners. The project is framed by an audit of initiatives designed to enhance the success of distance learners at two Australasian universities. The primary investigation gathered reflective video diaries from 20 first-time distance learners during Semester 2, 2011. The paper describes the methodological challenges of collecting learner stories through video and shares some of the preliminary qualitative data from this phase of the study

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

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

Stories of learning spaces from distant places

Digitally mediated distance education is the fastest growing sector of tertiary education. However, online and distance education providers frequently report lower completion rates than traditional face-to-face providers for reasons that are subject to considerable speculation. Against this backdrop, the objective of the current study was to seek a deep understanding from first-time distance students about their learning experiences. The overarching methodology was Design-Based Research, within which the study drew on phenomenological data gathering methods. The lived experiences of 20 first-time distance learners were captured in their own words in over 22 hours of video diary data. A grounded theory approach was applied to the process of thematic data analysis. The discussion reflects on deep insights into the complexities of life as a distance learner. The paper concludes that institutions should not take for granted that students who choose distant learning spaces are intuitively able to transform them into effective places for formal learning