student feedback and leadership - Office for Learning and Teaching

Part A: Developing a Distributed Leadership Model - Secton 6: Networking ALTC Projects
6. Section Six:
Networking ALTC
Projects
The RMIT Distributed Leadership project in the use of student feedback is one
of five projects funded by the ALTC in 2006 and 2007 that have Institutional
Distributed Leadership as their focus (rather than an Institutional Positional/
Structural focus). The other four projects are:
––
Development of a Distributed Institutional Leadership Capacity in Online
Learning and Teaching (ACU).
––
Promoting Learning and Teaching Communities (ANU).
––
Distributive Leadership for Learning and Teaching: Developing the
Faculty Scholar Model (Wollongong, Tasmania, Flinders, LaTrobe).
––
Leadership and Assessment: Strengthening the Nexus (Macquarie).
While each has a different focus upon which leadership capacity is being built,
each is underpinned by a focus on developing leadership capacity across
the university beyond that of positional/structural leadership (Parker 2008).
In addition one project [Leadership and Assessment: Strengthening the
Nexus (Macquarie)] adopted an Action Research methodology similar
to that underpinning the RMIT project.
In addition, two projects that relate to positional/structural leadership, have
adopted Action Research methodologies which involve the engagement
of leaders representative of a distributed leadership approach. These include:
––
Leadership for implementing improvements in the Learning and Teaching
Quality Circles (Monash).
––
An Institutional Leadership Paradigm: Transforming Practices, Structures
and Conditions in Indigenous Higher Education (Bachelor Institute & ACU).
A consolidating Leadership Grant EOI was submitted to ALTC in conjunction
with Woollongong University, Australian Catholic University and Maquarie
University in March 2009. The EOI that aims to explore synergies between
the projects in the thematic issues, theoretical underpinnings and processes
and practices that have emerged from these projects has been accepted for
full proposal. The project aims will be to action what Parker (2008, p.50)
identified as the need to explore synergies between these projects to:
To maximise the sector-wide benefit …these kinds of synergies, together
with effective strategies for disseminating the Project outcomes across the
sector need to be investigated.
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