Learning Futures e-bulletin

This e-bulletin from the Learning Futures Portfolio will keep you up to date with what's happening in learning and teaching at Western. 

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Welcome from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)

Welcome to Learning Futures. NOW. which will be a great way of keeping the university community connected with major initiatives relating to learning and teaching that affect us all. There are many significant projects currently underway in the Academic Division. I'm pleased to see the 21st Century Curriculum project which was originally envisaged through the Transforming Western Sydney University program is generating a high level of interest. I'm particularly excited about the level of engagement with the School curriculum pilots that have recently commenced.

The Vice-Chancellor recently announced the outcomes of the second round of promotions. Congratulations to those who have been successful in the first two rounds for 2017. I hear that round three will be a major exercise, but I am encouraged by the high level of participation in the new promotions process. It's always a great pleasure to understand more about the achievements of our colleagues and to be able to reward outstanding staff.

We are very excited about the launch of our first programs with Online Education Services (OES). The School of Business and the School of Social Science and Psychology are the first to offer programs in partnership with OES, and new courses are now being considered for 2018. Staff involved in designing their units for online delivery have been positive about their experience and are looking forward to the opportunity to use new learning assets in all versions of their units. We look forward to expanding our offerings in this space as we continue to learn from staff and student feedback.

It's also been exciting to be working with staff of the Schools of Nursing and Social Sciences on the design of the new vertical campus in Liverpool CBD. We have learned a lot from the Peter Shergold Building, and the facilities at Liverpool will be even better as a consequence. Thanks to everyone who has contributed their ideas to this.

It's just over a year since the two new portfolios of Learning Transformations and Digital Futures were operationalised, and it's great to see staff working collaboratively to deliver leadership and high-quality support and service to the University.