Sessional Staff Induction

James Cook University sessional staff who are new to teaching or returning after more than three years are required to attend induction as part of their ongoing appointment. The program is presented as a 4-hour workshop and is available for new teaching staff at the beginning of each semester. Visit the Sessional Staff induction page for session information and instructions on how to register.

6 March: Townsville Multifaith Blessing of the Academic Year

You are invited to come together to celebrate our common humanity, our faith, our culture, and "Our Journey Together" at the 2019 Multifaith Blessing of the Year.

Morning tea will be shared after the blessing, so please RSVP by 4 March to the JCU Chaplain, Crystal Greive, on either 4781 5447 or crystal.greive@jcu.edu.au.

20 March: Cairns Multifaith Blessing of the Academic Year

You are invited to come together to celebrate our common humanity, our faith, our culture, and "Our Journey Together" at the 2019 Multifaith Blessing of the Year.

Morning tea will be shared after the blessing, so please RSVP by 13 March to the JCU Chaplain, Crystal Greive, on either 4781 5447 or crystal.greive@jcu.edu.au.

27 March: Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Community of Practice (CoP)

The WIL CoP meets three times a year to share and disseminate practice. If you wish to be added to the mailing list, please email deanltse@jcu.edu.au.

This session will feature Mr Ross Shaw, Project Officer, Office of the Provost, who attended the IRUA WIL Change Academy in February. Ross will update us on the IRUA WIL strategies from the contributing institutions.

Bring your own lunch!

3 April: Inclusive Learning Design - Quality and Accessible Learning

The Inclusive Learning Design workshop focuses on the quality and accessibility of learning for JCU students.  

This workshop explicitly integrates:

• quality learning design (knowing your students, learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment)
• accessible design informed by AccessAbility staff at JCU, and UDL and WCAG2.0
• embedded learning analytics to view and analyse learner engagement
• ALLY, a new tool in BB Ultra that provides opportunity for file conversions for staff and students (e.g. word doc. to mp3).

This is intended to be an informative and hands-on workshop, so please bring your own device to the workshop.

To register, please click here, and select "3 April: Inclusive Learning Design - Quality and Accessible Learning" from the drop-down box.

16 April: Mental Health First Aid for Suicidal Persons

*Due to unforeseen events, the April offering of Mental Health First Aid for Suicidal Persons will not go ahead. We hope to reschedule the course in in the near future*

For further information, please contact Larissa Siliezar, Manager Student Equity and Wellbeing on Larissa.Siliezar@jcu.edu.au

1 May: Course Coordinator: Essentials Workshop

The Course Coordinator Essentials Forum aims to enable Course Coordinators to fulfill their responsibilities as per the Charter of Academic Responsibilities for Academic Quality and Governance. The forum comprises five essential topic areas led by various JCU presenters.

Topic 1: Higher Education Legislative and JCU Policy Environment: An update will be provided on the current national and institutional policy and regulatory imperatives.

Topic 2: Learning and Teaching Standards: An introduction will be given to JCU’s Academic Performance and Development Framework (Learning and Teaching) and the Indicators for Learning and Teaching.

Topic 3: Assessment, feedback and moderation: Advice will be provided on enacting a whole course team approach to assessment, moderation and feedback.

Topic 4: Student Support and Student Data: An outline will be provided on the learning and teaching data available to course coordinators and the ways in which this can be utilised to enhance learning and teaching.

Topic 5: Course Leadership and Management: Discussion will be facilitated on forming and leading a course team and establishing procedures for administration and management.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or other mobile device to this forum. Materials will be provided electronically, or by hard copy on request.

Registrations are now open through My HR Online. Please follow the procedure outlined below, and select the Learning, Teaching & Student Engagement option for your campus.

For catering purposes please register to attend this event. Please also advise your line manager that you have registered as they will need to approve your attendance.

7 May: Re-imagining WIL webinar - Partnerships with Government

There are some innovative examples of work integrated learning (WIL) in Australia and internationally. Hear from WIL experts in a quarterly webinar series that will push the boundaries of thinking around WIL. The third webinar is about partnerships with government that are providing students with valuable WIL experiences.

Jason Weigel, the Chair of GovHack Australia Limited and educator at the University of Queensland, will discuss how GovHack, an open data hackathon, has grown from a small data mashup event to an international competition that brings over 3,000 people together to collaborate and apply their creative skills to open government data. People from from all ages and backgrounds come together to participate in the hackathon.

The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) is an eInternship program for U.S. citizen students at college-level and above, to work on projects throughout the U.S. Government. VSFS eInterns work remotely from their school, home, or other locations, reporting by email, phone, or video link to supervisors. Bridget Roddy & Nora Dempsey, Directors of the VSFS, will discuss how the VSFS has grown since its commencement in 2009 to involve 33 government agencies, with 5,000 students participating since its inception.

Tuesday 7 May 8-9am AEST | 7.30am ACST | 6am AWST | 

31 May: Subject Coordinator: Advanced Workshop

Assuring academic integrity and accessibility are current hot topics in the higher education sector. This workshop will support you with actionable strategies to review and refine your subject in order to promote academic integrity and assure accessibility for all students.

Registrations will soon be open through My HR Online. Please follow the procedure outlined below, and select the Learning, Teaching & Student Engagement option for your campus. A Zoom connection will be available for staff in remote locations. Please email ltse@jcu.edu.au for details.

For catering purposes please register to attend this event. Please also advise your line manager that you have registered as they will need to approve your attendance.

3 June: Introduction to IELTS and EAL Pedagogy

This workshop will introduce the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (Academic). The IELTS (Academic) test is the English language test which governs entry into Australian Tertiary institutions for students from non-English speaking countries. Many students who study at JCU have a first language or dialect other than English. These students often have different learning needs to native English speakers.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own curriculum documents for a discussion on how best to use English as an Additional Language (EAL) pedagogy to support EAL students at JCU.

Registrations are now open through My HR Online. Please follow the procedure outlined below, and select the Learning, Teaching & Student Engagement option for your campus.

4 June: Exit Standards for English Language and Numeracy Proficiency

This capstone experience workshop will focus on exit standards for English language and numeracy proficiency at conferral.  The session will look at national standards, JCU policies, and practical advice about the development and assessment of final year competency levels in those areas.

To register, please click here, and select "4 June: Exit Standards for English Language and Numeracy Proficiency" from the drop-down box.

4 June: Studiosity Presentation

Join Nicole from Studiosity for an introduction to Studiosity services, followed by a question and answer session in Townsville.

What is Studiosity?

Studiosity is a free, after hours, online learning advice service, that is available to all pathways, undergraduate and postgraduate students, enrolled at JCU Australian Tropical Campuses.

When students need help with their studies outside of normal office hours, they can connect to Studiosity. Studiosity provides advice about academic writing, referencing, sentence structure, study skills, exam preparation, online search skills, numeracy, statistics, accounting, and more.

For more information about Studiosity, visit the the Studiosity web site.

To register, please click here and select "4 June: Studiosity Presentation" from the drop-down box.

5 June: Engaging Employers: Optimising Industry Connections

If you would like to boost employer interactions in your courses, join us for this quick session to hear tips on how to jumpstart engagement.  The workshop will explore how to approach employers, leverage their input, manage common challenges, and look at options for different budgets and durations. We will explore alternatives to industry panels and how to weave the employer voice into courses via various mediums.

To register, please click here and select "5 June: Engaging Employers: Optimising Industry Connections" from the drop-down box.

19 June: The Edge Project: Evidencing Entrepreneurial Capabilities Through Innovative WIL

Webinar presented by the Australian Collaborative Education Network

There is increased industry demand for graduates with enterprise capabilities (FYA, 2017).   Innovative entrepreneurial WIL models are supporting students to develop these capabilities giving them an employability edge for an ever-evolving and complex future. These WIL models are also challenging the adequacy of traditional assessment approaches to generate credible evidence of students’ enterprise capabilities.

The ATN Edge Project is addressing such challenges through the co-design of scalable and sustainable WIL models, assessment approaches and online modules. Led by Associate Professor Judith Smith (QUT), the Edge Project team from Curtin University, QUT, RMIT University, University of South Australia, UTS and the Australian Industries Group, has partnered with entrepreneurs, employers, alumni and students in the co-design of these WIL models.

This webinar will provide an opportunity for participants to:

• Hear directly from academics who have implemented entrepreneurial WIL approaches in courses
• Unpack assessment strategies and challenges around evidencing enterprise capabilities

Explore the online modules developed by the Edge Project which are assisting students to develop skills for these WIL experiences

For full details and to register for the webinar, please click here.

20 June: Workshop your Citation Nomination

JCU Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning are awarded to individual academics or teams of academics who have demonstrated an outstanding and effective contribution to student learning and success.

This workshop will help you determine your innovative and creative learning practice(s), explain the criteria, outline the procedure and timelines, and provide examples of narrative text and evidence bases for you to refer to in your compilation.

To register, please click here, and select "20 June: Workshop your Citation Nomination" from the drop-down box.

24 - 25 June: Mental Health First Aid

*NB: The Cairns offering has been postponed. The Townsville offering is going ahead.

The Standard Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) course is based on the international MHFA Guidelines. Curriculum content is evidence-based, and has been created with the input of mental health professionals, researchers, and consumer advocates. This 12-hour course teaches adults how to provide mental health first aid.  Mental health first aid is the help provided to a person who is developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem, or who is in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until the appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.

Course Content

The SMHFA course teaches adults how to provide initial support to adults who are developing any of the following mental health problems, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem, or mental health crises:

• Developing mental health problems
• Depression
• Anxiety problems
• Psychosis
• Substance use problems.
• Mental health crises
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Non-suicidal self-injury
• Panic attacks
• Traumatic events
• Severe psychotic states
• Severe effects from alcohol or other drug use
• Aggressive behaviours

Cost: Standard Mental Health First Aid costs $80 for the 2 days, including materials and delivery (self-catered).

The course will run from 9:00 am - 5.00 pm on both days, and is capped at 25 participants. To register for this event, please click here.

For more information, contact Larissa Siliezar, Manager Student Equity and Wellbeing at Larissa.Siliezar@jcu.edu.au

26 June: WIL Case Studies QA Webinar

Did you know ACEN can help turn your good practice in WIL into a  published case study? If you’re successfully challenging the ‘norm’ in WIL practice, or just doing something exceptionally well, we want to hear from you.

Join us at a Q&A webinar on 26 June to find out how to turn your WIL practice into a peer-reviewed case study which will be published on the ACEN website. 

We’ll look at

• what's involved in developing a case study for submission,
• talk through the review process,
• look at current examples and, importantly,
• explain what’s in it for you.

Our aim is to recognise and share good and innovative practice in WIL across the ACEN network. Attend our webinar and find out how to get your work noticed.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 12 noon AEST by Zoom

For full details and information on how to register, please click here.

27 - 28 June: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Writing Retreat 1 - Framing Your Paper

LTSE is convening a 2-day writing retreat for staff interested in framing a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) paper for publication.

Writing Retreat #1 will ask staff to present a project that investigates a learning and teaching question in practice, hence creating a nexus of teaching and research.  During these two days participants will create an abstract, commence a literature review, construct a writing and ethics plan, and participate in cross-discipline sharing.

Writing Retreat #2 will be held in November to polish your paper, and undertake peer review.

To register, please click here, and select "27 - 28  June: SoTL Writing Retreat 1" from the drop-down box.

These online modules address the core responsibilities of the Subject Coordinator, as outlined in the Charter of Responsibilities for Academic Quality and Governance and can be completed at your own pace.

Registration for the modules opens on 22 January, 2019 and closes on 31 May, 2019. 

To register, please click here and select "TP1 Subject Coordinator: Essentials Online (closes 31 May)" from the drop-down box.