AUGEN NEWS - April 2022
From the President
I hope everyone is travelling well with teaching in Semester 1. Here in Melbourne we are in week 8 of semester already, with exam preparation on the near horizon. I’m in awe of our students and the resilience and persistence they have shown. A return to campus learning has been embraced fully, but also respectfully, after two long years of disruptions. The level of engagement by students and their appreciation for the efforts of their teaching staff is so good to see.
There are a few good seminars and online events coming up (listed below), including our next AUGEN Conversation discussion group on Tuesday 17 May (see below and on the website for more information). Dom will lead us through his case study on the impacts of online lectures for student learning, a topic of interest to all. I look forward to seeing you there - remember there is no need to register for the Conversations events, just click the link at the appropriate time on the day.
Are you a member of the team at Monash University, Federation University, University of Adelaide, University of Western Australia, Curtin University, University of Tasmania, University of Sydney, QUT or the University of Queensland? We need your information for our subject survey - please see below!
And don’t forget to complete an AUGEN TEAM member profile to be included on our website and in a future newsletter https://forms.gle/kPk5YQwFDXh4S8vD8
Can you help? Later in the year we will be seeking sponsorship to cover the costs of our ongoing web presence. If your organisation is able to help please let a team member know!
Best, Sandra
A/Prof Sandra McLaren
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
University of Melbourne
AUGEN Conversations
A case study on student perception of online lecturing
Join us on Tuesday 17 May 2022
9 AM WA
(10:30 am SA, NT — 11 am NSW, Vic, Tas, ACT, Qld, PNG — 1 pm Fiji, NZ)
Join the AUGEN TEAM for our May Conversation where we will try to answer the question of the importance of online lectures for student learning. Given CV19 and the sudden forced shift from F2F to online lecturing, this is a hot topic. So come and join us to find out what students think! Abstract and more information on our Conversation webpage
Here is the link to join via CollabUltra - you don’t need to pre-register just click the link on the day!
For further queries, or to suggest a topic for Conversation, contact Dom
domenik.wolff-boenisch@curtin.edu.au
Next week! Have you registered yet for the upcoming free GPlates workshop?
GPlates is an open-source cross-platform plate tectonic reconstruction platform developed here in Australia by a fab team out of the University of Sydney. The presentation will begin with an introduction to the resource and will include some ideas on using GPlates in your teaching! You can join one, two, three or all four days of the course depending on your experience with the platform. The workshop will be led by our fabulous AUGEN TEAM member, Sabin Zahirovic
Register here: https://bit.ly/3pI9bYA
Meet the Team
Kamal Raj Regmi
The University of the South Pacific, Suva, FIJI
kamalregminp@yahoo.com
My current teaching role
Lecturer
Areas of special interest/expertise
Petrology, Structural Geology, Geochemistry, Fieldwork, First year geoscience teaching, Geoscience Education Research
Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!
Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?
Rock!
See all the AUGEN TEAM profiles online https://www.augenteam.net/team-profiles
WE NEED YOU! Complete the form at https://forms.gle/kPk5YQwFDXh4S8vD8 to be profiled on our website and in an upcoming newsletter!
Funding opportunity: ACDS Teaching and Learning grants 2022
Project proposals should align with one or more of the following themes:
Teaching delivery and assessment post pandemic
Improving employability outcomes of science graduates
Innovative science curriculum design at course or program level
Eligibility
Individuals or teams who are employed by member organisations of the Australian Council of Deans of Science may apply for an ACDS Teaching and Learning Project funding with the support of their home institution. Project leaders will normally be staff employed within a Faculty of Science or equivalent for at least the duration of the project. The list of eligible institutions is available from the ACDS website.
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Clearly articulated proposed outcomes that align with the aim of the ACDS Teaching and Learning Grants scheme and the 2022 priority areas. These outcomes must be tangible and of potential value to ACDS members. This could include for example, a teaching resource, a publication, a policy document, or guidelines for good practice.
A sound plan to carry out the project within the given timelines and budget.
Capacity for the project to influence best practice in science and mathematics learning and teaching within and beyond the home institution.
Capacity of the nominee to deliver the project.
Important dates
Call for applications: April 2022
Applications close: May 23, 2022
Selection: May-June 2022
Project commence: June 2022
Final report: June 2023
Full information is available in the Information and Guidelines document. Project proposals must be submitted with a completed application form, including endorsement of their Executive Dean (or equivalent).
Enquiries should be directed to ACDS Teaching and Learning. Applications must be emailed to acdsteachinglearning@gmail.com.
Who teaches what, and where?
Help the TEAM understand the current geoscience education landscape at different universities across the region.
We have set up a google spreadsheet and would like you to check and add/edit/complete the details for the Institution where you teach. We still need to know about subject offerings at:
Monash University, Federation University, University of Adelaide, University of Western Australia, Curtin University, University of Tasmania, University of Sydney, QUT, University of Queensland - PLEASE HELP US OUT!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EMe3x0EhLFuNnqoNXGw4gg2c8KZlZkc8ddMyuBvy88k/edit?usp=sharing
Note the level of detail we are seeking here is greater (and different) from the AGC ‘State of the Departments’ survey that is currently underway and which should have been sent to all Heads of Department in the latter part of 2021.
We will use the data to put together an opinion piece for TAG and other professional societies
Our Inspiring EMCR!
AUGEN TEAM and committee member Marissa Betts was recently profiled on the Australian Academy of Science webpage! https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/newsletters/emcr-pathways-newsletter/issue-26-april-2022/inspiring-emcrs
Health and wellbeing in field teaching
Did you know the most common age of onset of mental health concerns coincides with the age range of many of our undergraduate students?
Do you teach in the field? If so, you have almost certainly already completed First Aid training (perhaps even also Remote Area Training) but have you also completed Mental Health First Aid Training? This is highly recommended professional development for all field trip leaders and teaching staff. Check out availability at your institution, or ask your local EHS team to add this to your training options.
Upcoming seminars
AGU Distinguished Lecture Series
Dr Cathryn Manduca has nearly two decades of experience leading national programs to improve geoscience education and undergraduate STEM education. She is the Director of the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College. This work supports communities of educators in learning together and collaborating to create resources supporting widespread improvement
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/agu-distinguished-lecture-series-dr-cathryn-manduca-tickets-321133999437
NAGT webinar
“Towards a more inclusive geosciences: Teaching strategies and policies to support all students”
Wednesday 18 May at 6 am (AEST)
Registration: https://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/webinars/inclusive_geoscience/registration.html
HERDSA Webinar - Looking under the QILT: using QILT data in higher education research
Thursday 2nd June 1 - 2 pm (AEST)
Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) includes four national surveys across the higher education student life cycle. The Student Outcomes Survey (SES) which looks at the experience of current commencing and completing, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students, the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) which looks at graduate outcomes 4-6 months after course completion, the GOS-Longitudinal (GOS-L) which follows up GOS respondents about three years later and the Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS) which looks at data from the supervisors of GOS respondents. For this webinar Lisa Bolton, Director of QILT Research and Strategy, will explain the QILT surveys and how institutions can access the QILT survey data for higher education research. Professor Denise Jackson (Edith Cowan University) will then present a case study of her research which used QILT data to evaluate progress in developing employability and to determine influences on graduate employment.
Presenters: Lisa Bolton and Professor Denise Jackson
Further information: https://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-webinar-series
NAGT Featured Publication
“It’s not just a picture”: The effects of an international two-week field experience on student geoscience involvement and persistence
Evelyn Abagayle Boyd & Kelly Best Lazar
https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2022.2036045
Recruitment and retention are critical for geoscience and the need for innovative ways of building these bridges to the geosciences is growing. Field experiences are a common attractor for students to the field sciences such as geoscience, but many research- and field-based experiences are limited to those who are already majors. Innovative, experiential approaches to geoscience recruitment and retention could be a new way to attract more students to geoscience. International field and research experiences designed for undergraduates from any academic discipline aim to provide opportunities for students to explore their (geo)science interests and potential career paths. A single, exploratory case study approach with semi-structured interviews combined with quantitative pre- and post-survey results is used to highlight the experiences of four students and their plans for continuing in the geosciences. Students (including geoscience and non-geoscience majors) were found to have had inherent, pre-college, and college influences for participation in the field experience; all students indicated plans to continue in the geosciences. Two years after the experience, researchers followed-up with the students and found that three of the four were still involved in the geosciences. Many international geoscience field experiences are exclusively for majors, but experiential learning opportunities like these should also be considered for potential majors. These results are beneficial for departments interested in designing and adapting their recruitment and retention efforts to better train the next generation of geoscientists.
Through the lens
Fieldwork at Cape Liptrap and Walkerville with GEOL20002 (Earth Structure, Geophysics, Geodynamics) students at the University of Melbourne
WE NEED YOU! Do you have some geoscience photos to share? Email them to sandra.mclaren@unimelb.edu.au to be featured on our website and in an upcoming newsletter!
Contributions to AUGEN News are welcome! Please send your updates, commentaries, book or journal article reviews, photos and ideas through to the team - sandra.mclaren@unimelb.edu.au