UNSW Network in Learning and Teaching (UNILT)
The UNSW Network in Learning and Teaching (UNILT) provides a framework within which communities of practice in learning and teaching can both develop and flourish through the sharing of experiences, ideas, and strategies among colleagues. UNILT workshops are designed to involve participants in an active way, modelling current ideas of good practice in higher education.
The UNILT workshops are facilitated by academic and non-academic staff who have a demonstrated interest and expertise in learning and teaching, and come from different disciplines at UNSW. The facilitators design workshops whose topics take into account the needs of students and staff. Workshops are usually 3 hours long, and held on Fridays during session (10 am-1 pm). They are open to all UNSW staff, and are free of charge.
UNILT complements other programs, such as Foundations of University Learning and Teaching (FULT), in providing staff with opportunities for ongoing reflection, exploration, and development of learning and teaching. The program of workshops addresses issues that are of immediate concern to both students and staff.
Facilitators are also rewarded for their time through the Deputy Vice-Chacellor's UNILT Credit Scheme. Under the scheme credits can be earned by facilitating UNILT workshops and redeemed via reimbursement of expenses related to learning and teaching focussed research. Details of the scheme and the credit claim form are in the Guidelines.
We would like to provide topics that are relevant and useful for you, so if you have suggestions for UNILT topics, please let us know - contact Jacqui McManus.
For more information, contact us by email L&T@UNSW or phone 55989.
Past participants' feedback...
Firstly, I'd like to thank you for the two workshops on Improving Lectures. I thought that they were two of the best workshops that I've been to. I went away revitalised, stimulated to do better, and armed with a few ideas on how to do it.
I am one of those just starting out and gained a lot of insights from the [UNILT] workshops I attended this year on assessment, writing course outlines, and group learning. I have had great feedback from others in my school who have been impressed by the transformation of my approach to designing my course (now much more student-centred, focused on learning outcomes, and aware of the importance of clear communication via outlines etc).
I have found [UNILT workshops] incredibly valuable, and I would like to see them keep going. I find that the three hours I spend in the workshop are worth weeks of research about a topic, and the workshops are even more valuable if you are a presenter. Perhaps the most valuable aspect is that the workshops make you feel valued for the efforts you put into teaching. Spending time on teaching is not always a popular choice, because inevitably you make enemies when you try to change things. You also find yourself on the backfoot because good teaching takes time, especially in the development phase of a new course, and so research suffers.
Please continue to use academics (who have experience from the "field") for these workshops. It is important in running workshops for academics that people leading them are open and flexible and not threatened by the natural academic tendency to ask questions, test, and challenge etc. The good thing about this [Problem-Based Learning] workshop today was this flexibility.
Recognition of UNILT in promotions
As outstanding teaching becomes more important to academic promotion, and as federal government funding becomes more dependent on learning and teaching performance, ongoing development of the kind offered by UNILT will become central to everyday university life.
Those who attend and/or facilitate UNILT workshops can claim that they have undertaken continuing professional development through UNILT workshops in applications for promotion.