Dear colleagues,

The University has gone through its late summer metamorphosis, and at last semester is properly underway.

Now that thousands of students are back to fill our campus with life and energy, we are once again immersed in the fascinating, challenging, ever-changing experience of university teaching.

As an institution and a Faculty, teaching forms the absolute bedrock of what we do. It provides us with our sense of purpose, not to mention the lion's share of our funding. Although preparing for the new teaching year can be frantic and even harrowing at times, we should never lose sight of what a gift it is to be enthused by and engaged with this aspect of our work. Perhaps now that the year is properly underway, we can all take a leaf out of Douglas Adams' famous book and find a way of making those vital words "Don't Panic" float across our screens at soothing intervals. 

With this in mind, I'd like to invite you to get acquainted with the Faculty's Teaching & Learning team and the support and development services we offer.

This semester there is a range of training and development events you can participate in, as well as resources and services available to support both you and your students. All are designed to help you reflect on and refine your teaching methods, and make the Faculty's course offerings more relevant and accessible to our diverse and technologically adept student body.

Feel free to browse the topics listed in the contents box on the right, and by all means contact us if there is a teaching and learning question you'd like answered.

Looking forward to encountering you in the corridors and committee rooms -- and happy teaching!

Carole M. Cusack
Pro-Dean (Teaching and Learning)

2013 will be an exciting year for the portfolio as we work towards achieving the Faculty's strategic goals in teaching and learning, staff support and development, eLearning and enrichment of the student experience.

We hope to work with you over the course of the year to ensure that, as an academic community, we identify and address some of the most pressing issues affecting our professional lives, in particular our relationships with students and the quality of our teaching.

Here are some of the ways we intend to support your teaching work this year:

• by strengthening the range of tools and support options at your disposal so that we can enhance our flexible delivery capabilities.
• by providing you with information about how we might tailor our teaching methods to deliver a meaningful and inclusive educational experience to all our students.
• by participating in continuous improvement of our curriculum, with this year's focus the alignment of learning outcomes with the University's graduate attributes.
• by ensuring that our student support programs are well-targetted and effective.
• by listening to you about what skills and support you need to make the most of your life as an academic.

Student Support Programs help to promote a supportive and engaged learning environment for students in the Faculty.

Working closely with the Faculty Student Services Office, as well as with University-wide student services and organisations such as the SRC and SUPRA, SSP aims to support our students’ learning experience and help them establish a strong sense of their identity as valued members of our Faculty learning community.

Major activities include:

The Arts Network Mentoring Program: this Program identifies and trains student mentors enrolled in senior years of study, and matches them with first year students who register for assistance with making the transition to life at university. The program hosts a Welcome Day for first year students during O-Week, and facilitates ongoing contact between mentors and their first year groups during the first weeks of semester.

Arts on Track: the Arts on Track Program is part of the University’s Staying on Track initiative, and is designed to provide Faculty support to students who are not currently meeting the progression requirements in their program of study. This usually means that the student has failed 50% or more of the credit points for which they were enrolled in the previous semester.

Students are linked with a member of academic staff–an academic adviser–who provides guidance and support over the course of one semester. In this program we can also connect students to services and networks of support that can continue to assist them throughout their degree program.

Student Liason Program: this program aims to create a transparent avenue for communication between the student body and Departments and Schools in the Faculty. Each semester, elections are organised for one new Student Representative in each participating department or program. Reps serve their term in the semester in which they are elected and in the following semester. This allows a system of mentoring to develop, in which new Reps are introduced to their role by experienced peers.

Student Communication and Engagement: Student Support Programs liaise with internal and external stakeholders to design and coordinate program events, materials and student communications throughout the academic year. Recent projects have included collaboration with the Careers Centre in delivering a career development workshop for Student Representatives and Mentors; and development of a suite of trans-media videos for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Enrolment Planner (a part of the 2012 Sydney Student online enrolment pilot).

More information on SSP is available at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/student_support/index.shtml

Academic Support and Development offers a range of initiatives to encourage the professional development of academic staff in teaching and learning. Initiatives are developed for staff at all career levels and in various roles, whether sessional or permanent, newly arrived or experienced, tutors or coordinators. The Faculty wishes to promote critical reflection on teaching practice for the benefit of students’ learning experiences.

Programs offered by Academic Support and Development include:

The Teaching Development Program: this is an articulated development program that couples with Sessional Teacher Orientations and the Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) Principles and Practices Program (or the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education). The program develops techniques for face to face teaching, lesson planning, assessment and marking, and review of teaching practices. TDP includes sessions on both conventional and blended learning.

Workshops and seminars: Academic Support and Development offers regular workshops to enhance teaching practice and also a guided peer observation program to assist staff in reviewing specific areas of their teaching and learning.

Excellence in Teaching Awards: in its endeavour to support excellence in all areas of teaching practice, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences encourages outstanding teachers to apply for competitive teaching awards at Faculty, University and National levels. These excellence awards give staff the opportunity to demonstrate reflective teaching practice and engagement with higher education research and to provide clear evidence of effective teaching for student learning.

First Year Coordinators' Group: This initiative was launched in late 2011 and is closely linked to the activities of the University's First Year Experience Working Group. The Group will work throughout the year to provide coordinators of first year units of study with the resources and support they need to rise to the challenge of providing a quality learning experience for first year students.

For more information on the activities of the Academic Support and Development Program, contact our Administration and eLearning Liaison Officer, Stewart Nestel, tel 9114 0632, email stewart.nestel@sydney.edu.au

The Faculty's eLearning Team, in collaboration with academic staff, drives continuous improvement of curriculum design to create a rich and flexible learning experience for students. The unit is focused on the needs of Arts and Social Sciences students and staff, and is strongly committed to the development of reflective pedagogical practice and the enhancement of scholarship in eLearning.

Arts eLearning’s mission is organized around two main areas of activity:

1. the provision of guidance and support in the pedagogical design and development of blended learning, eg.

   a. getting started with eLearning,
   b. selecting effective blended learning activities for particular
       contexts,
   c. using the appropriate technical tools.

2. the conduct of research in blended learning and its impact on student learning and pedagogical practice, eg.

   a. analysis of student evaluation data,
   b. involvement in eLearning research projects,
   c. providing staff with information about innovations in eLearning and
   d. assistance in the development of project proposals, publications,
       symposia and training programs on critical eLearning issues.

More information about our eLearning team and its agenda is available at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/eLearning/

Critical thinking and writing skills underpin the core attributes of scholarship, lifelong learning and global citizenship that we aim to pass on to our students through high quality teaching and engagement.

Within the teaching and learning portfolio, Drs Bronwen Dyson and Louise Katz provide writing support to the Faculty's postgraduate research and coursework students. While The Writing Hub, which focusses principally on the acquisition of writing skills for undergraduate students, has transitioned this year to become a unit in the School of Letters, Art and Media, T&L retains strong ties with its staff and strongly supports its objectives.

You can find out more about postgraduate writing support programs at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/pg_writing_support/index.shtml and about the Writing Hub at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/writing_hub/index.shtml.

Professor Carole Cusack was appointed the role of Pro-Dean Teaching and Learninng in January 2013. She has already served the Faculty in a variety of senior roles, including Degree Director of the Bachelor of Arts, Associate Dean (Undergraduate), Acting Director of Academic Support and Development, and Chair of the Department of Studies in Religion.

In her role as Pro-Dean, Carole intends to work closely with staff across the Faculty to integrate effective teaching and learning strategies into their planning for course delivery and curriculum design. In particular she will assist with developing initiatives to  ensure the provision of high-quality, well-designed units of study to our large and diverse student cohort, as well as tools to track their success. Carole will also represent the Faculty's interests on University-wide committees and, in collaboration with the Dean, make policy recommendations to the University's senior management from time to time on T&L initiatives appropriate to the needs of staff and students in the humanities and social sciences.

You can contact Professor Cusack on 02 9351 6837 or by email at carole.cusack@sydney.edu.au.

Dr Martin Gibbs commenced as Director Academic Support and Development in January 2013. He has been teaching in the Department of Archaeology since 2005. Martin has won Vice-Chancellors' Excellence in Teaching Awards both here and at James Cook University, and has been awarded grants to develop enhanced teaching tools such as online video clips for learning archaeological excavation methods, and First Year Archaeology
Teaching kits. His research interests in archaeology are wide and varied, and are currently being applied to a range of projects on the historical and maritime archaeologies of the Australia-Pacific region. Like all the best teachers, his research features strongly in and informs his teaching.

Martin will lead the Academic Support and Development Program in 2013, including skills training, induction for new staff, the Teaching Development Program, and the Faculty's annual Excellence in Teaching Awards. Later in the year he will convene a series of events intended as opportunities for all staff to explore and reflect on key issues affecting our experience of academic life.

You can contact Dr Gibbs on 02 9036 6010 or via email at martin.gibbs@sydney.edu.au.

Dr Rebecca Johinke has been the Director of the Faculty's Student Support Programs since January 2012. In recent years, she has also served as the Degree Director of the Faculty's Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BAS) programs.

Rebecca leads the Faculty's Arts Network Mentoring and Arts on Track programs, both designed to support and enrich the student experience. The Arts Network Mentoring Program connects first year students with student mentors to help them successfully make the transition to university life. Arts on Track is part of the University’s Staying on Track initiative, and is designed to provide Faculty support to students who are not currently meeting the progression requirements in their program of study.

Rebecca is also a member of the Department of English where she is teaching two Masters units in 2013 and supervising a number of postgraduate students.

You can contact Dr Johinke on 9351 4516 or via email at rebecca.johinke@sydney.edu.au.

Within the teaching and learning portfolio, Drs Bronwen Dyson and Louise Katz provide writing support to the Faculty's postgraduate research and coursework students. Critical thinking and writing skills underpin the core attributes of scholarship, lifelong learning and global citizenship that we aim to pass on to our students through high quality teaching and engagement.

Bronwen Dyson provides one-on-one advice for postgraduate students and teaches two units of study for thesis writers -- "Introduction to Thesis Writing" and "Writing a Thesis Chapter". These are both non-award courses for students enrolled in PhD or Masters by research programmes. Bronwen has extensive experience teaching in universities, adult education and secondary schools. Most recently, she taught Second Language Acquisition at Macquarie University and English Linguistics, academic writing and English as a Second Language (ESL) pedagogy at the University of Western Sydney.

You can contact Dr Dyson on 9351 5794 or via email at bronwen.dyson@sydney.edu.au.

Louise Katz joined the university in 2009 and currently teaches ARTS7000: Academic Communication for Postgraduates, a Faculty-wide unit of study for students enrolled in postgraduate coursework programs. Previously she taught creative writing at the University of Technology. Louise’s background was originally in visual arts, coming later in her career to the teaching of communication skills in industry contexts, and from there to teaching writing in the Academy. Her doctoral thesis was concerned with writing and other creative practices.

You can contact Dr Katz on 9036 5099 or via email at louise.katz@sydney.edu.au.


You can find out more about postgraduate writing support programs at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/pg_writing_support/index.shtml.

The Arts eLearning team's Educational Designers are your one stop shop for expert advice on effective curriculum design and BlackBoard site optimisation. They can also assist with planning to use other online tools such as PebblePad and Turnitin to develop an effective, efficient and engaging online presence for your unit of study.

Through their active involvement in research projects in curriculum design and flexible learning, our designers are able to provide pedagogical guidance and design support informed by the latest research findings.

Each School in the Faculty has a dedicated Educational Designer.

School of Economics: 
Jennifer Dowling, tel 9351 6084, email jennifer.dowling@sydney.edu.au

School of Letters, Arts, and Media:
Samuray Ozay, tel 9351 3700, email samuray.ozay@sydney.edu.au

School of Languages and Cultures: 
Charles Humblet, tel 9351 4774, email charles.humblet@sydney.edu.au

School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry:
Bec Plumbe, tel 9351 7513, email bec.plumbe@sydney.edu.au

School of Social and Political Sciences:
Jennifer Dowling, tel 9351 6084, email jennifer.dowling@sydney.edu

Our dedicated and professional support team has a vital role in keeping the T&L show on the road.

Rowanne Couch (Executive Officer, tel 9351 7490, rowanne.couch@sydney.edu.au) assists the Pro-Dean with strategic planning, communications and budgeting, and acts as secretary for the Teaching and Learning Committee.

Deborah Rodrigo (Student Support Programs Officer, tel 9351 6594, email deborah.rodrigo@sydney.edu.au) supports the Director of Student Support Programs and coordinates the operational planning and communications of the Student Support Programs area.

Stewart Nestel (Administration and eLearning Liaison Officer, tel 9114 0632, email stewart.nestel@sydney.edu.au) provides organisational and communications support for the eLearning team, and has a coordinating role in activities for the Academic Support and Development program.

Dan Smith (Administrative Assistant, tel 9351 2950, email dan.smith@sydney.edu.au) provides administrative support across all areas of the portfolio and is our resident technical wunderkind.

Looking for inspiration about how to incorporate multimedia resources in your unit of study? Sample this selection of the latest educational design resources from around the world.

The Assessment Practices and Resources site: this website was developed to showcase the skills and practices of our own Arts and Social Sciences staff. It contains a wealth of information about 'best practice' assessment design principles, and examples of innovations that have proven effective in increasing student engagement and reinforcing learning outcomes. Please tell us if you have success stories to add to this site so that we can build on this valuable resource base.

Open Educational Resources (OERs): a university-curated collection of links to free educational resources and materials (such as courseware, multimedia objects and e-Textbooks) that can be used and/or repurposed by anyone who follows the licensing instructions.

Mindgate Media: the site for a US company that collaboratese with US Universities on visual media for education. See in particular the Yale Visual Law Project and their collection of films 'selected by professors, for professors'.

eLearning Examples: infographics, interactive graphics, multimedia journalism and learning tools (more journalism than education-oriented, but still worth a look).

The Padagogy Wheel -- an application of Bloom's taxonomy to iPad apps by Allan Carrington, a highly prolific and engaged learning designer at the University of Adelaide.