EEL522 Foundations of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education addresses the needs of academic probation at CSU and is based on the criteria for becoming a Higher Education Academy (HEA) Associate Fellow. Dr Kristy Campion, Senior Lecturer in Terrorism Studies at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security recently completed the subject. Below are Kristy’s impressions:
- What were your thoughts commencing the subject? I had my reservations in commencing the subject. I came to the subject with nine years’ experience teaching across three universities, and two years already at Charles Sturt. I found, however, that there still remained more to learn. This was with reference to developing my own pedagogy, and in association with the unique CSU demographic and its novel use of online technology.
- What were the main teaching and learning content you took away from the subject? EEL522 gave me the opportunity to think more critically about how I approach teaching and learning, and challenged my assumptions about the student cohort, its needs, and practice. This then positioned me to learn more about my cohort, and to think more creatively about how they could be better engaged and supported. This led to a whole suite of new supports for the cohort, from bespoke reading materials, through to welfare support, peer engagement tasks, and strategic interactions with the teaching team. One of the consequences of this was it led to an enriched student feedback process, which has positioned us to be more responsive to their needs on a per session basis.
- How did you find the assessments? The assessments in EEL522 led to transferrable and applicable teaching products, such as refined assessment wording, new rubrics, and more engaging tasks. I was able to apply what I had learned in EEL522 directly to my own subjects.
- What are the features of the delivery of the subject you believe benefited you the most? The EEL522 made efficient use of learning and teaching technology. This became an opportunity to see things like padlet in action, and to give consideration to what technologies would make my subjects more interactive and engaging.
- What advice would you give to academics who have yet to complete the subject? This subject provided me with a valuable opportunity to take a forensic look at my own teaching practice, but also at specific subjects and assignments I am involved with. This led to two main outcomes; the first was a revision of my pedagogy to better suit the demographic I teach, and the second was a new rubric which had been developed and enhanced with the support of the EEL522 team.