failure as feedforward for success (or have a plan b) · failure as feedforward for success! (or...

Failure as Feedforward for Success ��(or have a Plan B)

Professor Sally Ki. DVC (Academic), James Cook University

ALTC Senior Fellow; Discipline Scholar: Law

VTAS PromoGng Excellence Network Workshop: Failure as a Pathway to Success

24 June 2014

No (even tarnished) silver bullet.

2 hRps://www.flickr.com/photos/annguyenphotography/3267723713/

Overview

•  OLT Grants Program – Very compeGGve and Cat 1

•  Indicia of “good applicaGons” •  Elusive search for a “sure winner”?? •  The desirability of a Plan B

– EffecGve and efficient •  Many Cs

hRp://news.distracGfy.com/fun/fails/test-‐answers-‐that-‐are-‐totally-‐wrong-‐but-‐sGll-‐genius/

Depends on your definiGon of “failure”

Who/ What am I?

•  Law academic •  Promoted to Associate Prof & Prof primarily on teaching (60%) •  Learning & Teaching service roles

–  eg QUT Law Faculty Assistant Dean, Teaching & Learning (Law) 5 yrs •  Have some naGonal teaching awards (AAUT 2003; CAAUT PEL 2007) •  Have law publicaGons; also scholarship of learning & teaching pubs •  Some grant success (lead and partner) •  Presented externally & internally, naGonally and internaGonally at

law & general educaGon confs and at seminars/events like this •  2007 secondment to QUT DVC(A) as Director, FYE •  2006 ALTC Senior Fellow on FYE (2007-‐2009) •  2010 ALTC Discipline Scholar: Law •  2012: DVC(A) James Cook University

hRps://mcdn-‐sphotos-‐e-‐a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-‐ak-‐ash3/t1/s403x403/601219_552094681552033_1848614049_n.jpg

If at first you don't succeed; you are running about average.

M.H. Alderson

12/55

20/89

19/90

10/36

Start afresh

What to do?

hRp://www.olt.gov.au/system/files/OLT%20help%20sheet%20V1.1.pdf

hRp://www.olt.gov.au/system/files/2014_ID_Grants_InstrucGons_v2-‐0.pdf

OLT Innovation & Development Program 2014

Program Criteria for Assessment

•  Project Outcomes and Ra=onale –  Clear arGculaGon; clear argument re prioriGes, how address prioriGes

& enhance L&T •  Approach

–  TheoreGcal framework; considered, coherent & appropriate strategies for outcomes; aligned disseminaGon/embedding

•  Value [for money]/ Need for project –  For sector as a whole or par=c orgs within sector –  Na=onal approaches or policies –  Both u=lise and advance exisGng nat and internat knowledge

•  Project management –  Thorough approach (& prelim allocaGon of responsibiliGes to team);

quality & Gmeliness of leader’s previous work

•  Budget hRp://www.olt.gov.au/system/files/2014_ID_Grants_InstrucGons_v2-‐0.pdf

OLT HELP SHEET


Attributes of successful applications?

hRp://www.teachingandlearning.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2392596/OLT-‐Grant-‐WriGng-‐Workshop-‐Resources-‐handout.pdf

OLT Grants Assessment Reports 2012-2013: Good applications

•  IdenGfies important L&T area and awareness of issue that needs aRenGon •  Demonstrated knowledge of exis=ng work & explains how proposal differs

from/builds on this work (cf just “reference to”/ “claims to” build on) •  Considers project’s value, need & impact beyond the home/partner uni •  Realis=c project plan balancing projected outcomes with proposed budget •  Specified outcomes at appropriate stages •  Engage with Deans’ Council or other bodies to provide a co-‐ordinaGon role •  Strong project team & reference group •  A good understanding of the purpose & role of the evaluator •  Support from the parGcipaGng insGtuGons well demonstrated •  Been peer reviewed at insGtuGonal level •  Not insGtuGon’s core business •  Too much on “what I want to do” cf “what the sector needs”

hRp://www.olt.gov.au/grants-‐and-‐projects/innovaGon-‐and-‐development

hRp://www.olt.gov.au/system/files/Assessment%20Report_R2%202013.pdf

�� OLT: Grants Assessment Report Round 2, 2013

•  Think again about: –  Topic (priority area) & contemporary (but authen3c) spin –  CollaboraGon and scale – need & value for $$ –  Current & completed work on similar topics to your’s

•  OLT/ALTC •  Your own

–  Sustainability. Impact. Where is the need? •  An issue for your uni/discipline/sector is likely a shared issue

– How to differenGate/ persuade it’s a standout/ real need? •  Point of difference (eg, underfunded discipline/ issue)?

What to do?


How does the work build coherently?

hRp://www.olt.gov.au/system/files/2014_ID_Grants_InstrucGons_v2-‐0.pdf

OLT Innovation & Development Program 2014

Within these prioriGes, where is there the greatest need? What are the contemporary and emerging issues for the sector?

hRp://www.dehub.edu.au/wp-‐content/uploads/2013/07/Grant_ApplicaGon_Handbook_Report_V4_TD_240613_dehub1.pdf

hRp://www.herdsa.org.au/wp-‐content/uploads/HERDSA_Project_Final.pdf

“…invesGgate[d] the nature and impact of Australian Higher EducaGon research between 2007 and 2012 by reviewing the research and related publicaGons that have been generated from recent scholarship relaGng to Australian terGary educaGon learning and teaching. …looked for common themes and methodologies…Sixteen themes have been iden=fied which broadly capture the spectrum of educaGonal research that has been carried out in Australia over the last five years.”

(p v)

•  Widespread insGtuGonal involvement •  Only 28 lead inves=gators involved in > one project.

–  Assessed by measures of impact, these 28 made significant impact in other areas (eg journal & conference papers)

•  Almost 1/3 related to Assessment & Feedback, with Leadership & Professional Development featuring strongly, as did WIL, QA, and Transi=on & Reten=on.

•  Grants strongly around educa=on interven=ons, including online resources & databases, frameworks, policies & pracGces.

•  The types of research methods used involved qualita=ve & quan=ta=ve methods in equal measure.

Chapter Four: Carrick-ALTC Grants 2007-2012 (over 300 grants) ��


Overarching themes

•  Overarching themes re topics explored in Australian terGary educaGon and learning research & scholarship in recent years

•  EducaGonal Technologies (No 5) further broken down into 26 sub-‐themes in Chapter 2

•  NB interdisciplinarity hRp://www.herdsa.org.au/wp-‐content/uploads/HERDSA_Project_Final.pdf

OLT 2014 Successful Grants Round 1

hRp://www.olt.gov.au/system/files/Grants_R1_2014.pdf

Look at Fellowships also

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Summary Boud: Good models will share some common features: 1. Much more sophisticated learning design, 2.Really interesting and engaging experiences for students, 3. Compelling and validated portrayals of what has been learned, 4. The digital environment will be ubiquitous, unremarkable and unremarked

Kift: high quality, scalable, personalised learning

Crisp: more flexible, open, coherent & integrated provision

Poronnik: (how) can we prove that we are offering what students will need?

Goodyear: de-fragmenting; social and epistemic structures of connected learning

24

OLT Forum New models for the 21st Century

Learner?

Have a Plan B ��Make it work for you/ your team��

Plan other outcomes/outputs ��

•  Align your focus carefully: re individual, School, Faculty & Uni foci

•  Connect to/ build on exisGng knowledge base –  Including your own (disciplinary) area(s) of interest

•  Conduct rigorous inves=ga=ons re the L&T “problem” –  Guided by clear, arGculated research Qs and appropriate

methodology as for other high quality research •  Close the loop with SoLT (make public, available for criGque & in

a form on which others can build (Shulman, 1998: 6) –  Eg, Conf workshop/ paper might provide improvement ideas

•  Communicate/ disseminate effec=vely (with an eye to career progression and exploiGng the synergies of the TRN) –  Plan to publish (papers)/ disseminate (confs) (eg, meta analysis of OS

iniGaGves re Aust; Lit Review; pilot study; gap analysis) hRp://www.dehub.edu.au/wp-‐content/uploads/2013/07/

Grant_ApplicaGon_Handbook_Report_V4_TD_240613_dehub1.pdf

Key Change Lessons (1)��(adapted from Scott, 2004)

•  Set your prioriGes – can’t do everything •  Take some Gme to decide your personally & professionally

relevant career path and draw moGvaGon (& perseverance & resilience) from that

•  Tap into university/ sector prioriGes, rhetoric & culture •  Consider advantages (& disadvantages) of being an early

adopter of insGtuGon-‐led/ sector-‐led change –  where they align with your prioriGes & moGvaGon

•  Align yourself with a team of [change agents] and parGcipate / reciprocate (it is a two-‐way process)

ScoR, G. (2004) Change MaRers: Making a Difference in Higher EducaGon. In Australian Universi3es Quality Forum 2004.

•  Keep an eye on the bigger, longer-‐term picture/ environment (as well as present) to ensure conGnued relevance

•  Be prepared to take calculated risks – much of this is ‘acGon research’

•  Be persuadable to other ways of doing things –  Esp look outside your own discipline/faculty/insGtuGon

•  Change doesn’t just happen it must be led –  ‘Every member of staff is a leader of change in their own areas of experGse’ (ScoR, 2004, 7)

ScoR, G. (2004) Change MaRers: Making a Difference in Higher EducaGon. In Australian Universi3es Quality Forum 2004.

Key Change Lessons (2)��(adapted from Scott, 2004)

hRp://eprints.qut.edu.au/41086/1/Ki.HayBookChapter_forQUTePrints.pdf

Conclusion

•  CompeGGve and Cat 1

– Very good applicaGons are not ge|ng up •  Compelling narraGve

–  IdenGfied need; takes sector/ discipline further; addresses a big issue of the moment in a scaleable way that will be taken up

•  CriGcal friend/ Cri=que •  Career / Curriculum enhancing

– Feed into your day job – Plan B; Killing birds with stones.

hRp://esmondkhoo.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/ways-‐to-‐kill-‐two-‐birds-‐with-‐one-‐stone/

Thank you

VTAS PromoGng Excellence Network Workshop: Failure as a Pathway to Success

24 June 2014

failure as feedforward for success (or have a plan b) · failure as feedforward for success! (or...

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