CQUniversity Annual Report - Central Queensland University

CQUniversity ANNUAL REPORT 2012
ENGAGED LEARNING AND TEACHING
OUR AIM: CQUniversity will attract and retain more students, helping them to achieve their educational goals regardless of their cultural
and family background or their country of origin. We will offer a range of ways for students to access higher education and reach their
educational potential. We will provide a stimulating environment that promotes and supports learner engagement utilising appropriate
technology and infrastructure.
ACHIEVING TEACHING EXCELLENCE
In 2012, the University maintained a focus on providing opportunities
for academic staff development. This included a restructured
orientation program for new academic staff and a revised Graduate
Certificate in Tertiary Education, with courses modified to better meet
the needs of CQUniversity’s academic staff. A number of learning and
teaching seminars were held in support of the assessment, engaged
learning and teaching, and teaching for success themes with speakers
from CQUniversity, across Australia and further afield, including
Visiting Professor Jonathan Weyers from Dundee University, Scotland.
The scholarship of learning and teaching is promoted through the
activities of the University’s two education research centres: the
Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC) and the
International Education Research Centre (IERC) which together have
over 100 members with shared interests in a wide range of aspects of
research and scholarship.
The University supports a number of Communities of Practice (COP) that
enable staff with shared interests to exchange ideas and formulate plans
to achieve outcomes on topics that have a direct impact on learning
and teaching, including aspects such as the first-year experience,
work-related learning and learning through simulation and teamwork.
The University hosted its Learning and Teaching Showcase in November
and produced a new issue of its learning and teaching magazine,
Learn, which aims to share good practice among staff through raising
awareness of the University’s teaching activities and successes.
CQUniversity recognises and supports staff for their contributions
to learning and teaching excellence and innovation through grants
and awards. The University’s Learning and Teaching Grants play an
important role in enabling staff to develop and test new ideas, aiming
to enhance learning and teaching practices to achieve better learning
outcomes for students. They also serve as a springboard for external
national grant applications. Nine Learning and Teaching Grants were
awarded in 2012.
The University’s Learning and Teaching Awards are designed to support
applications through a tiered process that can result in a national
citation or award. In 2012, four Learning and Teaching Awards were
presented. The University also celebrated the success of Professor
Kerry Reid-Searl and Ms Sherie Elliott, who both received a Citation
for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Federal
Government’s Office for Learning and Teaching. In addition
Professor Reid-Searl was presented with a national award for
Teaching Excellence particularly related to her ground-breaking
work in nursing simulation – this award was given to only 10
academic staff in 2012 and is the first time that a CQUniversity
staff member has received this award. Mr Nicholas Ralph
from CQUniversity Noosa won the Australian Nurse of the
Year (Innovation in Nursing) Award in 2012 for his work on
mobile clinical learning. In addition, CQUniversity staff were
successful in securing a share of $509 000 for two Innovation
and Development Grants approved and funded by the Office for
Learning and Teaching (DIISRTE).
In 2012, the Industry, Vocational Training and Access Education
Division established an Academic Articulation Steering Committee
jointly chaired by CQUniversity and CQ TAFE. Working toward the
University’s aim to become a dual sector university, the Committee
developed new pathways for trades and vocational students
into CQUniversity degrees and began the development of new
CQUniversity degrees with embedded diploma outcomes.
The Committee established 11 new dual awards, each with two
components: a vocational diploma and a university degree. Credit
articulation pathways towards the degree component are clear and the
dual offers provide direct entry into CQUniversity degrees, removing
the need for students to reapply through QTAC the dual offers also
provide interim exit points, with different qualification levels.
CQUniversity is the first university in Australia to appoint an Aboriginal or
Torres Strait Islander person as Chair of its Academic Board. The Pro Vice-
Chancellor and BMA Chair (Indigenous Engagement), Professor Bronwyn
Fredericks, has recently been appointed to the role for three years.
Additionally, the Office of Indigenous Engagement has worked with
Deans of Schools to increase their knowledge and capacity to deliver
Indigenous-specific content within courses as well as improve their
engagement of and service delivery to Indigenous students and
communities. An example of this is working with the Dean of Education
to increase the capacity of Education students to teach Indigenous
history, as well as teach Indigenous students. This is a requirement of
Education graduates in coming years. This work has also extended to
working collaboratively to participate in the national More Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiative (MATSITI).
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REVIEW OF OUR ACTIVITIES