2008 initiative - Life - Charles Sturt University

DIRECTOR’S REPORT
2008 was a year of expansion for The Education for Practice Institute (EFPI).
In each of the Institute’s key portfolios (Research, Scholarship, Education,
Research Training) substantial progress was made in pursuit of the Institute’s
mission to advance the quality of practice‐based education at CSU.
In the field of scholarship publications increased from 49 in 2007 to 119 in
2008. Three books were published by the EFPI team and we were contracted
to produce a book series for Sense Publishers around the theme of Practice,
Education, Work and Society. A book currently in production in this series is
titled Education for Future Practice.
Primary educational targets met in 2008 were debates on education for
practice, continued networking and working with schools and faculties,
particularly in the development of fieldwork education.
Multiple research projects and consultancies were conducted during 2008 and presentations of research
findings were made at numerous conference in Australia and overseas. A highlight of the year was attendance
by a group of EFPI staff and students, along with numerous CSU staff at the 2008 WACE (World Association for
Cooperative Education) conference in Sydney. Key areas of research included fieldwork education, university
clinics, fieldwork education management systems and training of fieldwork educators. EFPI’s seed grant
program was successfully implemented again this year.
The EFPI team has a growing number of PhD students and celebrated three graduations in 2008. We welcomed
four new students. Training retreats for staff and students and mentoring of new supervisors formed a large
part of the research training portfolio activities. The Australian Learning and Teaching Council awarded me a
citation for two decades of exemplary contributions that blend personal and research capabilities development
to postgraduate research training through supervision, mentoring, group learning and scholarship.
In 2008 the regular roles of EFPI were combined with four major initiatives:
a) commencement of a teaching fellows program. This has proved to be a rewarding innovation, an excellent
opportunity for staff development and a rich avenue for expanding research and development into
education for practice.
b) global alliances supported educational exchanges, seminars, scholarly collaborations and visits by
international colleagues to CSU and by EFPI staff and students to key international centres participating in
practice‐based learning. Several CSU events with international visitors showcased the role of CSU and EFPI
in promoting practice‐based education.
c) fieldwork education development. Extensive work commenced on profiling fieldwork education as the first
stage of establishing standards and internal benchmarking around practice‐based education.
d) preparation for the 2009 Australian Universities Qualities Agency (AUQA) audit, particularly around Theme
2 “Professional Education and Practice‐Based Learning”.
Professor Joy Higgs
Director, EFPI
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