A sharecase of Innovation in Learning & Teaching at Victoria University
Academic and researcher in Victoria University’s College of Law and Justice, Ruth Liston is applying the principles of Design Thinking, an approach commonly used in the design world for software development, to a law setting instead. At VU’s recent Learning and Teaching Symposium, Ruth explained that Design Thinking focusses heavily on the empathy of the […]
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Clinical reasoning is considered a core skill in healthcare and this is a skill that is difficult to teach using traditional teaching methods. Amy Lawton, Academic in Victoria University’s College of Health and Biomedicine explains that there is no ‘cookie-cutter’ approach when it comes to teaching clinical reasoning. It it is a combination of areas […]
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For many teachers – students not turning on their cameras in Zoom can sometimes feel like teaching in a black hole. Paul G Moss suggests that most students are actually “on the fence” about turning their cameras on, and can be persuaded by the benefits if you clearly articulate them. Benefits like: increasing student attention […]
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Micro, macro, alternative, badges, certificates & short courses – it’s hard to keep track of the trends (and hype) in this area. What we know is that demand for learning outside of the traditional bachelor or postgraduate degree is up (Oliver 2020), and that Australian universities, especially given the recent opportunities to provide commonwealth supported […]
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Lesson plans are standard issue in primary and secondary education but to date, have been less commonly used at the tertiary level. In Block Mode at VU, lesson plans are used extensively to assist learning design, prepare for and facilitate active and engaged learning. Listen to VU academics discuss how and why they use lesson […]
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It is a new year with new possibilities, yet for many of us, it looks like 2021 is going to be another year of remote and blended learning. The difference? This year, with hours of practice and peer collaboration under our belt, we are going to do it better. Why not try some new tools […]
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At Victoria University’s recent Learning and Teaching Symposium, keynote speaker Associate professor Phillip Dawson presented ‘Developing students feedback literacy for study, work and life’. Together with over 300 staff, we gained insights and debunked some myths around feedback. Phill’s four key takeaways from the keynote are: We need to focus more on what students do […]
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A challenge many instructors are facing, not only in the online classroom but the physical classroom as well, is how to keep students active and engaged. In this podcast, we get to meet Nick Lekakis, a Learning Designer at Victoria University and expert on gamifying learning. Listen to the podcast below to find out what […]
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In this video, we get to meet Nick Cooper, the Unit Convenor of Live Performance Management at Victoria University. Nick explains how he helped his students to deliver real live music events online during COVID-19, including local emerging and established artists and superstar DJ’s! “Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many serious they considering […]
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Active learning is a term you probably come across frequently if you work in Higher Education. Extensive research shows that students learn more when they are actively engaged, but the question is how is it received by students? A recent article by Louis Deslauriers et al. explains why students’ perception of active learning is often negative […]
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In this video, we are meeting Dr Christine Connelly a senior lecturer in Environmental Science at Victoria University. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Christine couldn’t take her students on their usual field trips and therefore she decided to create virtual field trips for her students instead! Watch the (4 min) video to find out […]
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How do practical disciplines like hairdressing adapt to the new online study environment? In this short video, we meet Veronica Di-Girolamo, a teacher in Certificate III Hairdressing at Victoria University Polytechnic. It turns out that this challenge has led to new and better ways of teaching and engaging with industry. Watch the (3:45 min) video […]
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How does the online study experience compare to face to face learning? Let’s see what VU students had to say about this…
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By now most of us are familiar with how to facilitate sessions online using Zoom. But how do we keep our students engaged online? That’s the million dollar question… Watch this video to find out how to use engaging visuals in Zoom!
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If you want to record material that is highly visual, consider using a pen-enabled device (or Tablet PC) such as a Surface Pro or iPad to give your screencast videos an extra dimension. With these devices, you can quickly make sketches or draw pictures as you explain your ideas in the video. You can also […]
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On the 26th of September, VU saw over 200 delegates attend the 2019 Learning and Teaching Symposium. With 60 presentations in concurrent streams, as well a students, industry partners and University leadership involved in panels and demonstrations, it was a fantastic opportunity to share practice and innovation. Chancellor George Pappas attended and said: “In my […]
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Are you familiar with ‘Flipped Learning‘? Flipped Learning is a great approach for academics that are teaching in the Block Model, as it encourages a dynamic and interactive learning environment for students! Martha Ramirez explains in the video below how she flips her classes. One important take away from this video was that Martha raised […]
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In this podcast, Cheryl E. Ball tells us about her “Editorial Pedagogy” approach. She discusses the real work of the publishing process and how students can learn how to write better by using “real-world projects.” Cheryl has also written a series of articles where she first introduces the approach. In this episode Cheryl E. Ball […]
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Find out about deep talks and power walks in BMO2005 Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This 2nd year unit was recently taught for the first time in block mode. Academic Selvi Kannan explains how she took advantage of the four week block format to create deep learning experiences for her students.
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What excites you about teaching this year? Tell us about it! Submit a 300 word abstract by July 15th to present in the: 5 minute lightning round 25 min plenary sessions the active learning room the tech garden More information about the 2019 Learning and Teaching Symposium. Come to our drop-in information sessions until the […]
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Max Winchester from the First Year College suggests trying the 10:2 (or more like 5) rule….. For every 10 minutes of content have at least 2 minute break or some activity. Here are some ideas of what to do during the 2 minute break: Download the Basic Engagement Techniques presentation from the workshop. In groups or […]
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6 takeaways from a session with Brett Vaughan from Melbourne Uni on how to improve your MCQs: BLUEPRINT – map your learning outcomes, to your content, to your MCQs Focus one ONE concept per question with significant meaning and consequence Don’t use not, double negatives or all/none of the above The cover test. Can you […]
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“What is the defining image of the academic side of undergraduate life? For many centuries, it has surely been the student bent over the exam hall desk or library table, scribbling furiously. And although the modern library image would more accurately feature a computer screen with a vast amount of tabs open, the time spent […]
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Check out this H5P to learn about the muddiest point activity and other ways to check your students’ understanding.
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Most of you will be designing and redesigning units sooner or later, and decent learning outcomes at the right AQF level are the best place to start. This little interactive is for you. It’s 5 minutes. Really. Just 5 minutes. Download: Learning outcome verbs for AQF levels-4-10 Using AQF to guide learning
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So what really goes on at the VU HIVE? Are you new to VU? Or maybe you are one of our awesome VU veterans, but have not ventured in to the strange yellow fish bowl at the bottom of A building. Checkout this interactive 360 Virtual Tour: Want to make your own interactive 360 images? […]
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Are you about to film a welcome video for your redesigned unit? Senior lecturer and Head of Curriculum for the First Year College, John Weldon, lays it down. First – what not to do… Here’s something better… Still really not your thing? Record your audio only or ask some of your students to introduce your […]
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Check out our VU Lesson plan info and template and presentation regarding Lesson Plans for Active Learning:
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Three strategies found most helpful in the continuing quest to better manage the grading workflow and stay out of trouble.
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