Teaching future-ready graduates: Implications for changing academic practices

Tuesday 2 July: Pre-conference parallel workshop, 9:30am – 12:30pm

Venue

Room 206-302

Facilitators

Susan Geertshuis
University of Auckland
s.geertshuis@auckland.ac.nz

Narissa Lewis
University of Auckland
narissa.lewis@auckland.ac.nz

Qian Liu
University of Auckland
q.liu@auckland.ac.nz

Presentation type

Pre-conference workshop, 3 hours.

Overview of workshop

The workshop explores the needs of future graduates and the implications this has for our teaching practices. The implications for teaching and learning will be explored. The workshop will introduce participants to a nationally funded AKO project and describe a model for transformational teaching. A self-reflection tool will be introduced and participants will work on shared scenarios and personal teaching plans. The workshop will provide a safe place for sharing ideas and engaging with colleagues.

Target audience

The workshop will be of interest to senior managers, tertiary teachers and learning support staff who are interested in preparing graduates for their future careers and lives.

Intended outcomes for participants

Participants will leave the workshop with:

• An understanding of the needs of future ready graduates.
• A model for delivering transformational teaching.
• An action plan that can be executed within their current teaching.
• Ideas for the directions that institutional change might take.

Outline of activities

10 mins – Introductions and welcome.
10 mins – Small groups draw their future ready graduate.
10 mins – Whole group – Feedback and agree commonalities and differences.
10 mins – Review of current teaching practices and their fitness for purpose.
10 mins – Whole group briefing and discussion – Pedagogies for transformation – introduction to some evidence-based tools and models.
10 mins – Individual task – Self review of courses.
20 mins – Small group tasks – Applying the tools to teaching challenges.
30 mins – Break.
15 mins – Individual Action planning of teaching transformations.
15 mins – Peer review and sharing thoughts.
20 mins – Thinking big – institutional implications – a shared creativity exercise and discussion.
10 mins – Whole class – agreeing the implications for governance and management.
10 mins – Summary, reflections and celebration.

Relevance to sub-themes

The workshop is directly relevant to the conference title of Next Generation, Higher Education: Challenges, Changes and Opportunities. The workshop engages participants in imagining the future needs of the next generation of graduates. Participants will identify the challenges they as teachers face and the changes in practice that may be necessary. The workshop takes a positive approach and introduces tools and guidance designed to equip staff to embrace opportunities.  Within the students sub-theme the workshop is relevant to ‘future graduates’. Participants consider the capabilities that our future graduate will need. They are introduced to research and will reflect on the extent to which teachers do, and the extent to which they should, attend to these needs.

Within the academics sub theme the workshop contributes to changing academic practice. In the workshop, participants work together to solve seemingly intractable curriculum design changes. They also plan changes in their own practices. Within the tertiary sub-theme the workshop culminates by considering the implications of the changes for governance and management. While many participants will be accustomed to thinking about their own teaching, this exercise invites them to engage at a strategic level.