Forum on Leadership of Learning and Teaching
28-29 June 2007

 

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Congratulations on your nomination as a participant in this year’s IRU Australia Forum on Leadership of Learning and Teaching. In putting your name forward for this Forum, your university has acknowledged your capacity to influence the directions and development of learning and teaching at one or more levels in your institution.

The Forum presents an opportunity for you to share your experiences and achievements with others in leadership positions in IRU Australia member institutions and to learn from each other. The Forum also aims to provide an opportunity to build cooperation and collaboration between and within member universities in developing and researching the leadership of learning and teaching.

To this end, the Forum is designed to enable the sharing of good practice and some of the challenges of leading learning and teaching in IRU Australia institutions. Four themes will be explored, with parallel discussion groups examining specific topics drawn from the experience of participants. In order to provide stimulus material for discussion, we are inviting you to submit a short case study or scenario, or an account of policies, practices or processes that relate to Themes 1, 2 or 3 (see below).

Forum dates and venue

The Forum is jointly organised and hosted by Macquarie University and the University of Newcastle. It will take place on 28-29 June 2007 at Macquarie University, in the SAM Function Rooms, Level 3, SAM building.

The SAM Building is located on the northern side of the main courtyard. You can view a campus map here.

Forum programme

Themes

Forum sessions are organised around four key themes, which build on each other as the Forum progresses:

• Identity challenges: what it means to be a leader of learning and teaching
• Leadership in practice: sharing stories of good practice; building understanding
• Challenges in the leadership of learning and teaching: a problem shared…
• Building capacity for quality leadership of teaching and learning

Presentations and parallel discussion sessions will explore the first three themes in response to stimulus material provided by Forum participants. Discussions around the fourth theme will focus on using outcomes from earlier sessions to plan strategic actions aimed at building learning and teaching leadership capacity both within and, collaboratively, between IRUA member institutions.

Stimulus material

In order to maximise the relevance and usefulness of the parallel sessions, we would like to base these discussions on accounts of real scenarios, policies or processes drawn from the lived experience of participants. To this end, we invite you to submit a short case study or scenario illustrating one or more points relating to Theme 1, 2 or 3. These case studies or scenarios may be an account or narrative illustrating examples of good practice, a leadership challenge and its resolution (or lack of resolution) or examples of policies or processes.

Case studies/scenarios should be no more than 400 words in length, and should be submitted online using one of the templates (link) provided on the Forum website. Please submit your contribution by Friday 1 June.

On the templates page, you will also find a number of questions under each theme. These have been formulated to guide the development of stimulus material, but are by no means prescriptive or exhaustive. Please feel free to raise other issues relevant to both your chosen theme and your own experience of leadership if you so wish.

Final programme

The Forum Programme can be viewed here.

Travel, accommodation and meals

Travel to Sydney airport:
Your institution will fund your travel (flights and tranfers), so please make these arrangements locally. Most institutions expect that it will be done within your organisational unit, although funded by the office of the DVC or PVC (Academic). For questions about travel funding and other allowances not covered by the IRUA, please contact your DVC or PVC (Academic) office (see Forum Contacts page).

Travel to Macquarie University:

• Taxi (from airport) fare around $50-$60, all taxis take Cabcharge vouchers or cards
• Public transport

Accommodation for non-Sydney residents will be provided by IRU Australia at Travelodge Macquarie for the evening of 28 June, and 27-28 June for participants from Murdoch University. Please do not book directly with the hotel; accommodation bookings are being handled with Registration.

Extra accommodation costs such as room service, additional nights, internet connection fees and mini-bar will not be covered by IRU Australia and must be met by either participants or their institution.

All meals during the Forum will be provided, and breakfast is included in your accommodation package. Please notify any special dietary requirements on your Registration Form. Participants from Murdoch University will also be entitled to claim reasonable dinner expenses for the evening of the 27 th of June – claims forms will be available at the Forum.

Registration

Please register for the Forum using the online Registration Form. If you have any questions about Registration, accommodation or facilities, please contact Helen Cluff, Forum Administrator, at helen.cluff@newcastle.edu.au or (02) 4921 8602. In order to assist the Forum Organising Group to finalise the Forum Programme, please register by Friday, 25th May. You will subsequently receive an acknowledgement of your registration and confirmation of your accommodation arrangements.

Leisure and other facilities

Participants may wish to use the Macquarie University Sport and Aquatic Centre. As a guest of the university you are entitled to an initial visit free of charge; subsequent visits are at the casual rate of $14.00 per visit.

For less structured activity, Macquarie offers extensive grounds for walking and jogging. Feed the ducks at the lake and see how many other bird species you can spot – our record is 13! For a slightly longer walk, take the shared (pedestrian and cycle) path from just outside the MGSM, under the M2 and down through the bush to Brown’s Waterhole, generally regarded as the source of the Lane Cove River.

You might wish to undertake a self-guided tour of the Sculpture Park. We will be visiting the Macquarie Art Gallery for pre-dinner drinks on the 28 June.

The Macquarie Shopping Centre, just across Herring Rd, offers shopping, cinemas and a wide variety of places to eat, including two licensed restaurants and a cinema complex.

Forum Organising Group

The Forum of Leadership of Teaching and Learning is being organised on behalf of IRU Australia by staff of Macquarie University’s Centre for Professional Development and Newcastle University’s Centre for Teaching and Learning. Members of the Organising Group are:

Professor Stephen Marshall (Director, CPD)
Professor Gail Huon (Director, CTL)
Ms Helen Cluff (CTL)
Dr Laurie Field (CPD)
Ms Cathy Rytmeister (CPD)

Follow the link at left for contact details.

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