“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
~ Sir Isaac Newton
This quote is famously attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, and the sentiment is the same for my first post. While I do not hope to create a theme park full of dinosaurs (yes, a reference to Jurassic Park) I acknowledge all the past Sub-Deans Learning and Teaching (SDLT) and their work in this space.
My ideas do not come from me alone. I rely on the ideas and knowledge passed on by those who came before me, and the new ideas, conversations, and knowledge I will pick up along the way in this role.
The evolution
The BJBS News (blog) has always been a great space to share and to learn from each other, and it will continue to do so in the regular sections:
We will add new and further develop recently added sections along the way:
- Discourse | this section was established in 2024 by my predecessor Dr Troy Whitford and our Executive Dean. Faculty staff are invited to submit articles of analysis or opinion between 500 and 800 words on current events, ideas, or research communications. It can complement your social media presence by providing a place where you can expand upon ideas and opinions using links from your social media post to the blog page. You can find the submission guidelines here.
- Ergo Cogito | this is the updated podcast section of BJBS News. Dr Troy Whitford intially setting this up as conversations and interviews in 2023. I am picking up the baton and curating stories from our pool of experts across the Faculty. We all know the power of story, so look out for my invitation to share your passion and to provoke further inquiry. Ergo Cogito is borrowed from Descartes original quote, “Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum” (translated as: I doubt (or wonder), therefore I think, therefore I am). I want to thank Prof Zahid Islam and Dr Arif Khan for jumping onboard for our first episode, available now.
Preparing for 2025
It is that time of year when we all look ahead and plan. This includes the Performance Planning Development & Review (PPDR), formerly known as the EDRS. I am hopeful that many of you will be looking back at all the wonderful things you accomplished in 2024, and see where that takes you in 2025. It doesn’t even have to be a big thing or many things, as the Change One Thing award illustrates each year.
In the learning and teaching space, there are many things happening across the scholarly environment. I thought I would remind us all of what the CSU scholarly environment model (SEM) looked like. I find revisiting this and mapping it to what applies to my teaching practice helps me to manage my own SoTL expectations. Watch this space!
In summary
BJBS News summary of recent posts and a new message from our Executive Dean will be sent to your inbox quarterly, but this doesn’t mean you only visit then, please feel free to visit as often as you like.
Reach out via FOBJBS-News@csu.edu.au if you have a question, or you just want to connect. I look forward to learning more!
