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As part of the Education Strategy, we are establishing a sustainable, inclusive and impactful teaching excellence academy for Charles Sturt. We want an institution that recognises, rewards and values excellent teaching, with increased scholarly activity leading to greater research grant success and National and International Teaching Awards.
The Academy model is informed by the following:
Aligning Academy activity with University priorities and embedding it in our everyday activities, structures and processes will be essential.
Learning and teaching academies consistently endorse several broad areas of strategic activity as the potential benefits of an academy. A consistent theme is that the higher-order purpose of an Academy is positively impacting student learning and success. Other areas include:
These areas have been endorsed by surveyed staff as the expected ‘potential benefits’ of an academy and provide a framework for formulating a fit-for-purpose Charles Sturt strategy
This project will develop a Teaching Excellence Academy with open membership for all staff and students interested in learning and teaching.
The Teaching Academy will:
A ‘hub and spokes’ Academy structure is proposed to best fit the University organisation of central elements (hub) and discipline-based Faculties (spokes). This type of Academy structure values both whole-of-University and disciplinary identities aligning both institutional and faculty plans and priorities and facilitating both University and Faculty leadership of learning and teaching. The Academy’s work would be delivered through a range of strategic partnerships with university elements, professional learning networks and communities of practice.
Two-tiered membership:
A two-tiered membership strategy is proposed for the Academy: Open membership for all staff and students with an interest in learning and teaching and Fellowship standing for staff based on their achievements, scholarship and leadership in learning and teaching. This approach to membership is expected to optimise inclusion, aspiration, and impact.
Open membership:
Academy membership is open to:
We propose an ‘opt-in’ (open, inclusive and welcoming) approach to membership.
Benefits:
The benefits of Academy membership would include the following:
The Academy was benchmarked with over 60 national and international universities This benchmarking exercise aimed to identify best practices and potential teaching academy models. It investigated:
A survey for establishing a teaching academy was promoted throughout May. Eighty-six staff completed the survey. Survey responses came from across the faculties and divisions. Over 76% of respondents reported being a Subject Coordinator/Subject Convenor, a Subject lecturer or a Sessional Academic Staff.
Overall, survey participants indicated that:
They also indicated that membership should be open to all Charles Sturt staff interested in learning and teaching, encourage active participation and provide the following opportunities:
Staff identified some significant challenges in forming a teaching academy such as:
September 2022: Teaching Academy Drop-In Sessions occurred in September. These were 30-minute sessions where staff shared their ideas, thoughts and experiences.
September - November 2022: Approval via relevant governance committees with final approval by the Academic Senate. The Academy was endorsed by the Academic Senate in November.
December 2022: We will create a project plan which will include: scope, project schedule, risk management, resource management and communications in preparation for 2023.
First quarter 2023: We will implement our project plan, which will include (but not limited to):
with the Academy established by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
We are hosting a series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to inform the development of the Charles Sturt Teaching Excellence Academy.
Teaching Academy Drop-In Sessions:
Teaching Academy Drop-In Session recording:
Provide your feedback via our feedback form:
For further information about this strategic project, please email dltadmin@csu.edu.au