Hi everyone

We hope you find this May edition of the TechDem communication newsletter interesting and useful. One of our goals is to share, encourage and celebrate innovation in learning and teaching.

To this end, here are some questions to reflect on regarding innovation as a starter activity:

• What are you doing in your practice that is innovative?
• What would you like to be doing that is innovative?
• Is innovation important to you? In which areas - learning & teaching? research? service?
• How important is innovative practice in your School or section?
• How is innovation recognised, acknowledged and celebrated (and shared!)?
• What do YOU need to support innovation?

We don't have all the answers (well maybe some....) but we do have lots more questions. Start the conversation with your colleagues and attend a TechDem CoP or SIG session to share ideas!

In this edition you will find innovation (activities, ideas, products) to engage you and your colleagues. We invite you to consider how to leverage the FeedbackFruits pilot, rethink your approach online to ensure accessibility, plan to create a ThinkPiece, apply for a L&T grant, and become informed through reading hot conversations and topics starting with the recent Horizon Report 2023 that shares key trends, technologies & practices and implications for higher education.

At our recent TechDem session on May 11 Julie reflected on the purpose of this inclusive group (meaning anyone can join, attend, interact and collaborate) and why it has become a successful Community of Practice within UniSQ. The discussion ended in a quick participant survey whereby 73% indicated as a CoP we were doing well in these three areas: domain articulation, community activities and opportunities, and fostering practitioners to share and collaborate.

Watch the edited video from this section of the meeting below.

Also at our recent CoP session we were delighted to have Nikki Andersen speak about inclusive and accessible learning environments.

Nikki is the Open Education Content Librarian and the coordinator of the university’s Disability Network. She has won several awards for her work on inclusive practices.

This is a vital topic for all of us who work, teach and learn online.

Make sure you watch the video below of Nikki's presentation.

Also access the following resources:

• Nikki's book: Enhancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) in Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Inclusive and accessible learning environments resources Padlet
• Download Nikki's slides below (PDF file)

For the second year in a row TechDems offers UniSQ staff the opportunity to create a short video, a 'ThinkPiece' based on your idea, practice, research or other influence. This can be an individual or a group contribution.

Not sure what a ThinkPiece is?

• Read more about the project here
• Browse ThinkPiece contributions from 2022 here
• Watch the promo video below....

Then...sign up using this form.

Did you know that UniSQ, led by TechDem, will pilot Feedback Fruits starting in June? We have full access to the suite of tools now to prepare your courses and learning objectives.

To that affect we are running workshops and encouraging hands-on activities to foster better understanding of the usefulness of this tool.

On May 23 our first hands-on FBF workshop took place. This was designed to share and work with selected tools encouraging participants to consider HOW they want to embed one or more tools into their courses during the pilot.

We looked at THREE of the 15 tools in the suite. The workshop video shares this with others interested. Given there is some chatter on the recording the information below shares pertinent time markers for you to jump ahead as needed.

• 0:00 - General discussion about FBF and pedagogical applications (Julie)
• 5:00 - Overview of the Technology Demonstrators LTIs StudyDesk setup for reviewing the tools (participants are added as students on this site - if you would like access let Julie know) including the FBF Moodle Book (Lisa)
• Lisa shares the Discussion tool (like Forums on steroids!) but this was not captured on the recording. Read more HERE and access this at the top of the StudyDesk
• 17:45 - Peer review tool demo and discussion shared by Katrina. Read more HERE.
• 31:55 - Comprehension tool shared by Nina. Read more HERE

Share this with others in your school and discipline!

The next Workshop opportunity is on Thursday June 1, 9-10am in Engageli where we will explore 2-3 more tools and provide breakout time for those who want extra help.

Fill in the EOI form below to be included in pilot communication.

In 2023 applications are invited from academic and professional staff for a L&T Grant focussed on one of the following four categories:

• Innovative assessment – innovations in assessment design and feedback.
• Creative online learning pedagogies – creative online learning pedagogies that enhance student learning, engagement, choice and/or accessibility.
• Embedding employability and/or enhancing the first-year experience – enhancing students’ engagement with their chosen profession through learning and teaching activities; and/or strategic engagement with first-year students in programs and/or courses to enhance the first-year experience.
• Enhancing graduate outcomes – innovative approaches to support and enhance the achievement of graduate learning outcomes in programs and courses.

Applications are due by 5.00 pm, Wednesday, 7 June 2023. Submit your completed and endorsed application via email to teachexcel@usq.edu.au.

For further information about the L&T Grants, see the L&T Grants SharePoint Site.

A special mention to Janice Kann and Deborah Thomas who meticulously run the Awards and Grants section of the Learning and Teaching Futures Portfolio. This week they celebrated 30 years each of service at uniSQ - that's 60 years of institutional knowledge! If you want to know anything about the past at UniSQ......

A big thank you to both Janice and Deb for their work supporting learning and teaching and the upcoming grant applications.

During the month of May Dr Lisa Jacka (VoiceThread Certified Educator and UniSQ academic) is running workshops to upskill participants in the use of Voicethread.

Workshop 1 - For the Complete Beginner

Workshop 2 - Next Steps

Workshop 3 - Dig a Little Deeper

Workshop 4 - Bringing it All Together

Recording from these events are on the UniSQ Voicethread site along with lots of resources to learn more about this useful asynchronous tool.

The next MS for Teaching SIG is on Tuesday May 30, 1pm in Teams.

This event is convened by TechDem Learning and Teaching Quality Partner, Nina Usher.

Come along and share how you are using Teams, OneNote or other MS tools for L&T. Read more and sign up for the SIG on the Microsoft for Teaching website.

The next Pathways to Innovation SIG is on Tuesday June 6, 2pm in Engageli. This event is convened by TechDem Learning and Teaching Quality Partner, Katrina Cutcliffe.

At this session Ben Ingram, Co-ordinator Peer Learning, introduces us to Miro, an online collaborative whiteboard. Ben has used Miro extensively with PASS leaders and will share his experiences as well as suggestions for how you might use Miro in your teaching.

Read more and access resources on the Pathways to Innovation website.

The next Student Portfolio SIG is on Thursday June 15, at 2pm in Engageli convened by Julie Lindsay

We will continue conversations and sharing around student portfolios for learning and assessment (formative and summative) and employability (building the 'brand of me'). Also - the new WordPress self-serve site will be fully explained and demonstrated. Don't miss this one!

Episode 9 - Digital Transformation. Curious about Digital Transformation? We have a chat about our perceptions. Transcript also available (for the readers). Access all episodes here.

@julielindsay @LisaJacka. Join in the conversation on our new Twitter feed @balancingshift

Make sure you read all posts under Artificial Intelligence on our Conversations blog. Lots of resources to explore!

April 2023 - Join in and Collaborate

March 2023 - Innovation & EdTech

February 28, 2023 - AI and ChatGPT

February 1, 2023 - Creating the Future

...and there's MORE:

Technology Demonstrators (TechDems) is a UniSQ initiative designed to foster educational innovation, through active experimentation with, pilots, evaluation of and research into educational technologies and virtual platforms to continuously improve learning and teaching.

Click on the image below to read more about our team.

Senior Education Technology Advisor

Learning and Teaching Futures

Email: julie.lindsay@usq.edu.au
Phone: +61 7 46312890