These are the notes compiled from the audience’s feedback during Suzi Hewlett’s keynote address at the Networking to Succeed Workshop on 29 October 2012.
1. Like about OLT
- Good response from office
- Seed projects
- Continuity with ALTC
- Recognition as Cat 1 grants
- Approachability of the OLT
2. Possible improvements
- To communication via alert process
- What are the ‘hot’ areas
- Feedback on why a project was or wasn’t successful
- Publication – who is lead author, how is work among team represented
- Turnaround time was tight – hard to assimilate
- The website – resources more accessible
- Stats on success rates on programs
- Improve dissemination of outcomes
- Blended learning and doing it better – beyond just putting it up, and MOOCs conversation
- Communication around policy issues, eg around thee pause
- The PEN network – how OLT can optimise links with them
- Skills seminars: e.g. using technol to enhance learning
- Using outcomes of grants to build upon
- Need guidelines and transparency around assessment of applications to OLT, as it is difficult to coach people on preparing applications
- Collaboration on grants & need for partners
- Disjunction between policy on practice, & academic resistance due to lack of connection and meaningful opportunity to inform policy. E.g. move to online. (John’s comment: Note that this was an additional issue added after the session, and may be an issue more relevant to institutional processes rather than the OLT)
3. Strategic
- How to work/find out about new teaching focused positions
- Internationalisation – ongoing major issue
- MOOCs and what it mean, impact on international programs
- Different perceptions of online L&T: diversity, managerialism
- Supporting strat directions: e.g. Implications of facilitation funding cut from 2014
- Focus on embedding scholarly teaching practices in Schools
- Can OLT be a voice for policy change, eg SoTL doesn’t necessarily count for research outcomes
- Opportunities to engage with OLT strategic directions, e.g. scholarships
- Lifelong learning and increasing diversity of learners, e.g. need to address older population, learners with specific needs
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