Applying for an OLT CitationINSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

INSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING 2015 DR ALISON KUIPER , SENIOR LECTURER

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Welcome to this session

› Learning outcomes for today

› So you will

- increase your knowledge about making an application for an award

- get answers to questions

- reflect on your teaching

› and be able to

- confidently access whether to make an application

and

- prepare a quality application for an award

Aim: to provide information and support

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Welcome to this session

› What awards are available?

› What is an OLT Citation and where do they fit?

› Looking at what’s required

› The criteria – choosing one and the changes for 2015

› Making a successful application

Today

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› Introductions

- Who and why you are here

- What you would like to take away from this session

› Questions throughout

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Awards managed by the ITL for the Education Portfolio

- VC’s Awards

- Outstanding Teaching

- Support for the Student Experience

- Excellence in Research

- Systems for Collective Excellence

- Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT)

- Citations

- Awards

http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/awards/vcawards.htm

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Other awards

› Faculty awards

› Indigenous Education strategic bonus awards offered by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services)

› The VC’s Award for Outstanding

Contributions to Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander Strategy

› The University Co-op Excellence in

Teaching and Community Award

›

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Who does what ?

› ITL has support role

- workshops and resources

- individual help - as far as possible but limited

› and administrative role

- including arranging and supporting selection panels

› for

- VC’s Awards

- OLT Citations and Awards

› Decisions made by Committee appointed by the VC (not by the ITL)

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Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2015

› 4 for Outstanding Teaching, including Early Career Awards

- 1 or more of which may be Early Career

› 2 for Excellence in Higher Degree Research supervision

- may include one Level C and below

› 2 for Support of the Student Experience

and

› 1 for Systems that Achieve Collective Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Up to nine awards annually, each worth $10,000

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Early Career

› No more than five years’ experience teaching in a higher education setting

› This should be interpreted as five cumulative calendar years

› and includes all tutoring, part-time teaching, and teaching at other higher education institutions

›  

OLT definition

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Office for Learning and Teaching Awards

• Biological Sciences, Health and Related Studies (including Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Medicine, Nursing etc)

• Early Career

• Humanities and the Arts

• Law, Economics, Business and Related Studies

• Neville Bonner Award/s for Indigenous Education

• Physical Sciences and Related Studies (including Architecture, Building and Planning, Engineering, Computing and Information Science)

• Social Sciences (including Education)

• High impact strategies for progression, retention and attainment (2015 Priority Area)

- The University can submit two nominations in each category

Awards for Teaching Excellence

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Office for Learning and Teaching Awards

› Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning

- Widening participation.

- Educational partnerships and collaborations with other organisations

- Innovation and flexibility in curricula, learning and teaching.

- Postgraduate education.

- Student experience and services supporting learning, development and growth in higher education

- Global citizenship and internationalisation

› The university can submit one nomination in each category

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Citations are prestigious national awards

› Citations For Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning recognise and reward the diversity of contributions made by individuals and teams to the quality of student learning. They are awarded to academic staff, general staff, sessional staff or institutional associates who have made a significant contribution to the quality of student learning.

› In 2015, up to 150 Citations, including the Early Career category, with prize value of $10,000 each, are available nationally

› The University can submit six nominations

Awarded by the Office for Learning and Teaching

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University process

› Internal applications due 5pm Tuesday 17 March through ITL webpage

› Selection panel meets, reviews applications to choose up to 6 for the University to nominate

› Applicants advised; support available for successful applicants

› Resubmission by 5pm Friday 24 April

› After signoff by VC, University submits applications to the OLT by 5pm Friday 1 May

›

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Choose one of four criteria

› By the evidence it gives of having

› Influenced student learning, student engagement or the overall student experience

› Gained recognition from fellow staff, the institution and/or the broader community

› Been sustained for a period of no less than 3 years (2 years for early career)

Your contribution will be judged

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Choosing a criterion

› This may include

- fostering student development by stimulating curiosity and independence in learning

- participating in effective and empathetic guidance and advice for students

- assisting students from equity and other demographic subgroups to participate and achieve success in their courses

- encouraging student engagement through the enthusiasm shown for learning and teaching

- inspiring and motivating students through effective communication, presentation and interpersonal skills

- enabling others to enhance their approaches to learning and teaching

- and developing and/or integrating assessment strategies to enhance student learning

Approaches to teaching and the support of learning

that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn

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› This may include

- developing and presenting coherent and imaginative resources for student learning

- implementing research-led approaches to learning and teaching

- demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of the field of study in the design of the curriculum and the creation of resources for learning

- communicating clear objectives and expectations for student learning

- providing support to those involved in the development of curricula and resources

- and contributing professional expertise to enhance curriculum or resources

Development of curricula, resources or services

that reflect a command of the field

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s

› Evaluation comprises making judgements about the quality of programs and activities that are part of the academic, cultural and social experience of higher education. This may include

- showing advanced skills in evaluation and reflective practice

- using a variety of evaluation strategies to bring about change

- adapting evaluation methods to different contexts and diverse student needs and learning styles

- contributing professional expertise to the field of evaluation in order to improve program design and delivery

- and the dissemination and embedding of good practice identified through evaluation

Evaluation practices that bring about

improvements in teaching and learning

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› This may include

- participating in and contributing to professional activities related to learning and teaching

- innovations in service and support for students

- coordination, management and leadership of courses and student learning

- conducting and publishing research related to teaching

- demonstrating leadership through activities that have broad influence on the profession

- providing innovative learning and teaching for different contexts, including technology enhanced environments, for large and small class sizes and/or to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort

- and influencing the overall academic, social and cultural experience of higher education

Innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced

learning and teaching and/or the student experience

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Stages in process of making an application

› 1 Read the application form carefully

› 2 Note the requirements • Written statement with citation, summary and statement addressing criteria• References• Photo

› 3 Read the resources on the ITL site

› 4 Think Draft Gather evidence Revise

- Gather supporting evidence

- Seek help from colleagues and mentors

Stages

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What makes an effective teacher?

› Some common characteristics

- All encourage student learning

› But not all effective teachers are the same

› Key question is whether what you do works for student learning

- Can you provide evidence of this happening?

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›Tell your story

›and provide the evidence

in the form of triangulated data

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Providing evidence

› Evidence should be of supporting student learning over time

- Quantitative

- USE or other survey data

- Show data for sequential years – evidence of improvement is valuable

- Dates, class sizes and response rates are required

- Comparable data for similar course (discipline, class size, year, program level) may be useful

- If that’s not available use faculty data

- Use percentages, rather than means which can be misleading

- Reflective comments provide connections between data and your teaching

You need to make your case and support it

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Evidence

- Qualitative

- Comments from USE or surveys

- With name of unit of study and date

- Other student comments

- With name of unit of study and date

- Note whether solicited or unsolicited

- Peer review

- With name of colleague, date source e.g. email etc. and whether solicited or unsolicited

- Other comments from colleagues, invitations etc.

- With name of colleague, date, source e.g. email etc. and whether solicited or unsolicited

http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/programs/teaching_insights/pdf/insight7_evidence.pdf

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A possible approach

› Clear articulation of aims

- What do want the students to be able to do?

- What is the situation?

› Description of approaches and strategies

- In the classroom, in assessment, overall

› Account and evidence of achievement

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My questions

› What is your story?

› What is the evidence to back this up?

› And your questions……..

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Resources

› Handouts on the webpages

› http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/awards/infosession.htm

› http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/programs/teaching_insights/pdf/insight7_evidence.pdf

› Copies of past successful applications held in the ITL

› People!

› Colleagues, mentors, A/Deans, past winners

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OLT Teleconferencing workshop

› Session 1 10-11am in the ITL (but please book)

› Session 2 1-2 pm (log yourself in)

- Overview of the OLT programmes

- Workshop on how to write good award nominations

- Panel session for sharing from award recipients and assessors

- Roundtable discussion on effective support for award nominees and building award networks

- RSVP via https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015OLTawardsworkshop

- Registration closes two working days prior to the workshop.

Thursday 19 March 2015

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Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching Awards

› Do I have enough evidence to apply?

› Will it look bad if I apply more than once?

› How can I get a peer review?