June Book Group

The June Book Group will meet at The Known World Bookshop on Sturt Street at 2:00pm on June 13 and plough onwards through Joyce's Ulysses. In the older Penguin edition (black cover) we read from pp. 425 -532. In the newer Penguin edition we read from pp. 561-703. As the chilly weather descends why not arrive early and peruse the shelves of the bookshop before ordering a warm beverage?

Philosophy Series at U3A Hepburn Shire

Jane Mummery is running a series of philosophy seminars for the U3A Hepburn Shire from April through to June. The series is called 'Thinking Philosophically with Plato'. The inaugural seminar was held on April 20 and looked at 'Living the Examined Life'. Aided by her trusty philosophical side-kick Marnie Nolton, a lively discussion of Plato's Apology ensued between the twenty-or-so participants of the evening seminar series.

Jane Mummery describes the structured series of classes as a sequence that examines some of the most fundamental philosophical teachings of Plato, one of the founders of the western philosophical tradition. In consultation with U3A Hepburn Shire, the series specifically examines Plato's relationship with his predecessor and chosen protagonist of his dialogues, Socrates, via an investigation of philosophical thinking, and what it means to live well in the world.

Fighting Proposed Programme Closure(s)

We are under the general impression that the closing down of programmes of study in universities is a consequence of drastic budget cuts. Typically, we hear of smaller programmes being cut or pressured into performing in a particular strategic way. You know the story, it hovers over us here in BBSH in various incarnations. Try this programme cut for size: Middlesex University is trying to cut its philosophy programme. Let me try that again for anyone not involved in the humanities and social sciences. Middlesex is trying to drop its highly successful and internationally renown philosophy programme even though undergraduate and postgraduate enrollments are high and research output by both postgraduate and tenured staff is also high.

Such a cut has little to do with some of the positions that are usually forwarded for the threatened closure of programmes of study. Ordinarily it falls to reduced enrollments, lack of industry partner financial support, or the like. But like false reductive arguments everywhere, there are always more options than what are presented by senior management. Indeed, we often box ourselves into false dichotomies when we face pressures from 'strategic enhancing mechanisms designed to align our school priorities with university/sector-wide optimisation delivery systems to value-add to our customer base and play nice with the ARC mob'. Yes, I made that stuff up, just like any other good exponent of weasel words would.

The logic inherent in cutting a small program is just as faulty as the logic seeking to cut out a large and prestigious one. Perhaps a closer look is needed at the skills fostered by the discipline itself rather than the generation of dollars. I fail to see how a programme should be cut because of numbers. I'm not sure who lost that memo about quality vs quantity but if you look a little more closely at both school and university policies on graduate attributes and the obligations we have as a HE institution, then the argument from quantity is a weak one, even under our current business model approach to HE.

But back to the shenanigans at Middlesex. Management at Middlesex are closing down all programmes in philosophy including the internationally renown MA and PhD degrees. This will also mean the closure of the Centre for Research in European Philosophy which is the highest ranking RAE department at the university. If you would like to find out more about this proposed closure and lend a pen to put an end to the proposal for closure of philosophy at Middlesex, please follow the links below. Scroll down the Save Middlesex Philosophy link to 'Write to protest against the closure decision'. Close to 12,000 have signed the petition and they have a Facebook page too, with members numbering at 9,500 as of this posting.

This is no time to be complacent or to think that Middlesex UK has little to do with Ballarat Australia. Signing online petitions and demonstrating in an articulate and respectful manner can effect changes. Just two years ago I was involved in the petitioning to save the biblical studies programme at the University of Sheffield - a department at the forefront of progressive and critical engagements in biblical studies, with strong undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of study, big-name draw card academics and stellar research outputs. The petitioning saved the department. Whilst it is not always appropriate to comment on these matters in a public forum (re matters of policy and confidentiality), it is always prudent to be aware of changes in HE overseas, and to respond to them. Here's hoping others might come to our aid and lift their pens when we rally against the closure of programmes of study, large or small.

Times Higher Education article on the proposed Middlesex closure May 1, and the student protest on May 5. Find out more about the Save Middlesex Philosophy project here.

Ballarat title has noses out of joint

The University of Ballarat featured in the Higher Education section of The Australian on April 21, 2010 over a current hot potato, academic titles. Assoc. Prof. Jeremy Smith (from our School and champion of the NTEU), is concerned that gifting TAFE heads with the academic title of Assoc. Pro dimishes the pursuit of the academic pathway. VC Prof. David Battersby responded by stating that "it is unclear to me how any of these actions diminishes the the importance of the associate professor title".

Prof. Battersby has also responded to this issue in his VC's Blog. The entry is titled 'The Role of the Head of School' (April 21, 2010). It's certainly worth reading in conjunction with the Higher Ed story, as Battersby takes the time to unpack Senior Management's rationale for such a move - an opportunity he doesn't get in the Higher Ed. Having said that, Jeremy Smith's points amount to little but a soundbite and I wonder if this issue will be followed up by the Higher Ed community.

I've tried to link in with the VC's Blog previously, but as it is strictly an internal access blog, I am unable to place it in the right hand coloumn of Noteworthy Blogs in BSSH Bloggers (which is an external blogger site). I suggest people book mark it in their favourites to keep abreat of developments at UB. Meanwhile, here's the link to the piece in the Higher Ed:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/ballarat-titles-have-noses-out-of-joint/story-e6frgcjx-1225856114245

Overhead projectors & other Extinction Level Events

An extinction level event is usually classified as a catastrophic disaster in which the world as we know it is altered beyond our ability to survive the changes, indeed beyond the ability of other biologicals to survive the changes (and yes, I did make that word up). Think Tunguska and the end of dinosaurs and the subsequent arrival of the Ice Age. OK, yes, I am prone to exaggeration on the point of overhead projector removal at the University of Ballarat, and I haven't adequately demonstrated my rather tenuous link with extinction level events, but, hey, it seems like no one else in the University is listening to the people who still use these in classrooms. I'm not alone, I know of at least..er...one other staff member in my School who uses them on a regular basis. I feel like a dinosaur, a dinosaur waiting for the meteor strike. I'm a dinosaur on the edge!

Antiquated they might be (the overhead projectors, not dinosaurs like me) compared to mobile technologies but when you're modelling PHILO 1002 Logic & Reasoning on the fly, and have interactive lectures and tutorials in which student information needs to be added as you demonstrate, the old fashioned overhead projector is a winner. Plus I love using those snazzy coloured markers.

It's a technology that is already present, that is, you don't have to buy what you've already bought. It's reasonably reliable too, that is...if the bulb works, if the arm is still attached, if the power cord is still attached, if someone hasn't nicked off with it (like someone did 5 mins prior to my tutorial in week 5 - even though I had a legible A4 note on the glass plate) and if someone hasn't written all over the whiteboard with permanent marker...and done nothing about it. Ho-hum, back to the drawing board.

UB Pulse: tachycardia or myocardial infarction?

It's a good effort...if we were in the secondary school sector or possibly even TAFE. Oh wait, we are! The UB Pulse staff survey website promises to maintain a good working relationship, that staff feedback is needed, and that the results will be used to accurately gauge all manner of maladies and lead to action. I've mentioned previously that I'm teaching Logic & Reasoning this semester. Naturally, fortuitously, perhaps even ironically, this week's topic on hidden premises seems relevant to claims of UB having a pulse. There are, however, rules to attributing hidden premises, and they are firstly that one should do so only when the argument is either weak, completely invalid or utterly mysterious without attribution of the hidden premise; secondly, when attributing the hidden premise improves the argument's validity (an appeal to the Principle of Charity); and lastly, when there is reason to think that the author believes the hidden premise.

Take a look at the claims made above (taken from the web site's front page) and spot the hidden or implicit premises at work. Having spotted a number of hidden premises on the front of the survey, and having filled in a number of previous staff surveys over the last five years and seen little genuine effort to address serious issues, I'm not exactly filled with confidence about what this new survey might bring. And I'm not game enough to start unpacking whether it's all about UB having a pulse or the staff having a pulse. I'll leave that up to you to decide. Let's assume that something in/of the University has a pulse, and this is a survey about the state of that pulse. That way, we remain civil, if not collegial.

Now I know you're not enrolled in Logic & Reasoning (although you could if you really wanted to. Alternatively, you could gift someone else in the University with an enrollment, say, someone in Senior Management?) so, back to the survey. I might be guaranteed anonymity in filling the survey out as the FAQ page assures me, but I can't return and add things to the list. If I do, I'm told that I've already filled the survey out. I get one shot and one shot only to list and describe UB's strengths and weaknesses (only three of each?).

In my survey opportunity - throwing anonymity to the wind, given we have such a poor budget for it anyway - I griped about the heavy centralisation of IT generally, and the abysmal UB web presence specifically. I'm convinced that Ian Wright and his team are fighting with one arm tied behind their backs on this. UB's website is just plain embarrassing. Staff information is grossly out of date, crucial information is absent, and this is unacceptable given that a regional university such as UB is super reliant on what should be a formidable Internet presence in the highly competitive HE market.

I also commented quite freely on the lack of diversity in food choices on campus (another no-no when encouraging International students or acknowledging that many staff are vegetarian, coeliac or kosher), and I put a plug in for gardeners. With such a beautiful semi-bush location for our Mt Helen campus, why don't we have gardeners, horticultural students or our sustainability mob looking after and planting native vegetation - such efforts would employ locals, demonstrate a commitment to the workplace as habitat (for all manner of creatures, including undergraduates and staff) that has moral worth, and surely have a number of positive impacts on well being. The grounds, as they are, are positively slovenly. I'm confident that organising staff/student busy bees in conjunction with state/council re-vegetation programmes would be a successful endeavor.

I do like the health metaphor, it's just that I don't know whether UB's pulse will be gravitating towards tachycardia or the inevitable myocardial infarction we all dread given the current climate (not limited to UB, of course). At the bottom of the survey is the disclaimer that states "If we don't hear from you, we can only assume that your pulse rate is perfect". I wonder what you will be suggesting in your valuable feedback on UB Pulse? Will you be asking for a better security presence on campus (given we now start work earlier and finish later)? Better lighting in the car parks? Get your skates on and fill in (another) survey. Go on, you know its good for you!

http://www.ubpulse.com.au/

May Book Group

This coming month on May 9th, we meet to tackle a larger chunk of Ulysses. In the older Penguin edition we're reading until p. 425; in the newer Penguin edition, read until p. 561. We finish just prior to the passage beginning "The Mabbot Street entrance of nighttown" . We commence at 2:00pm at The Known World bookshop in Sturt St, where the coffee machine is back on and the hot chocolate can hold its own.

Meeting the Challenges of Change in Postgrad Education

This is a text that might be of interest to PhD supervisors and course coordinators in the School. Meeting the Challenges of Change in Postgraduate Education is an edited collection by Trevor Kerry and claims to take a radical look at the nature of adult learning in the postgraduate context and the implications of this for universities and their courses. Schools have had to undergo major re-assessments about how learning is developed into the curriculum, how learning is delivered to students, and how that learning is assessed. Universities has remained very largely detached from these pedagogical/andragogical issues.

However, the circumstances of higher education provision have changed. There is also real pressure now from vocationalism. Meeting the Challenges of Change in Postgraduate Education places these movements in both a UK and a wider context, examines the nature of learning and teaching in postgraduate education and opens up the debate for rethinking university provision. Trevor Kerry is Professor of Education Leadership at the Centre for Educational Research and Development at Lincoln University, UK. The book will be released June 2010 by Continuum.

April Book Group

April 11th sees the book group return to Joyce's Ulysses. We begin from the passage starting with "Urbane to comfort them, the quaker librarian purred:" (p. 235 in my Penguin Modern Classics edition, see photo above) and will read on up to the break at "The summer evening had begun to fold the world in its mysterious embrace" (p. 449). Depending on the edition you're using, it should be a little over 150 pages. For the time being, we will continue to meet at The Known World bookshop in Sturt Street at 2:00pm.

Argument Visualisation Software

I'm tutroing in PHILO 1002 Logic & Reasoning this semester and one of our Moodle weblinks is to a company called AusThink who specialise in developing critical thinking tools. I thought that since the Philosphy programmme at UB has grown from strength to strength in terms of the service teaching now done with Psychology and Human Movement, that I'd pop this info up for general distribution. I think the programme has solid structural and visual merit in terms of information organisation. Particularly appealing to dyslexics too.

Local company AusThink (affiliated with The University of Melbourne) have developed an exciting looking software package for called Rationale: Argument Visualisation Software that assists in the maping out of argumentative essays and workss to exercise critical thinking skills in particular. Currently available for Windows only, AusThink offers a free seven day trial which is well worth the trouble.

I've included the official AusThink Rationale video above, but I've also tracked down a shorter video (below) that includes some testimonials from teaching staff as well as the programme's creator (a lecturer in critical thinking himself). Well worth having a look at these. It would be interesting to see if the University could get a site license for this programme. I'd be interested to hear what other staff and students think about this one.

Blackboard Info Sheets

As of this year, I'm no longer the School’s Blackboard and Moodle Support technician, so I thought I'd point teaching and admin staff to a range of resources for Blackboard. The uptake of Blackboard by staff and students has been swift and deft, so you should have no fears about going solo at this point. There are, of course, numerous resources available now in place since I first started supporting the School in 2006, and these resources will help you when shelving older courses and creating new ones for teaching this semester.

I've uploaded a 'Blackboard Info' folder on the School's K drive. You'll find a range of how-to sheets from (re)categorising a weblink; managing groups; backing-up sections; adding/deleting students, creating assessments; working with columns; and troubleshooting for staff and students.

You can use QWeb (My IT@ UB job logging) on the Gateway page to request Blackboard help when removing an old or installing a new course. The drop down boxes will guide you through relevant information you’ll need to include in order to log a job in with service desk (such as course codes, teaching staff, etc). You can also use QWeb to follow up on any ongoing issues you have with IT generally at the University.

Please also avail yourself of the online teaching and learning resources being created by the ever-helpful LEWS team. You get to their repository by going through myIT@UB and selecting ‘LEWS’ followed by ‘Staff Help’.

Lastly, I’d like to thank you all for throwing yourselves into the deep end with the range of new techno-thingys that the School and University has been updating over the last three years. Whilst the Teknia newsletter will no longer exist, I will keep the BSSH Bloggers going for those interested. All the best for the coming teaching year be it online or face to face. Ciao!

The Other E-reader: Apple iPad

As promised in my last post re E-readers, here's the official Apple iPad trailer. If you can live through the OTT first 3 minutes as marketing reps gush about how you 'don't have to change to fit the product, the product changes to fit you', the presentation becomes much more practical in terms of the possibilities for use re education and of course, the all important mobility factor.

The iPad challenges Amazon's Kindle in the lucrative market of E-readers. Given the price of these E-readers, it remains to be seen whether they can actually be adequately utilised in education or remain the domain of those who can afford shiny new toys. I imagine that the opportunities for use in education and the development of EduApps are certainly a high possibility in the E-reader market, however we have yet to see something that really has the ability to make a difference (in terms of access - a key drive of education and social reform) and not just an amazing gadget that impacts upon the household/school budget.

Having said that, Apple are still on friendly terms with educators and continue to offer discounts to staff and students on their entire product range, but it would be nice (dare I say heart-warming?) to see an effort go into the development of delivery to those marginalised by what is increasingly looking like elitist shiny toy syndrome. Don't get me wrong, I'm an Apple fan from way back and I'd LOVE an iPad, but I find myself increasingly wondering when a company with Apple's resources is going to develop a technology for people in real educational need. I'm thinking here of the XO Laptop, of course, which currently has a programme for Haiti. However, I'm also a realist - I know that technology like the iPad or the XO for that matter, doesn't sow crops, provide clean drinking water, or assist women with small business loans to support their families and villages, but it would be a nice sea change if we could put a lot more consideration into the churning out of devices and apps.

What's on your Kindle? Understanding E-books and E-readers

The good folks at IPOL are running a seminar on understanding E-books and E-Readers for the University. If you haven't heard of Amazon's Kindle or it's upstart little brother the Apple iPad, then head down to this informative session with Deirdre Wilmott and Ian Knox to evaluate and come to better grips with the potential limitations and purposes of this mobile technology.

• When: Thursday 25 February 2010
• Where: Room F200, F Building, Mt Helen
• Contact: IPOL@ballarat.edu.au or 5327 9155
• Cost: [and I quote this] "No cost to UB Staff and Affiliates. $300 for Non-UB Staff and Affiliates" >:-0

Here's Amazon's official Kindle video. It's definitely worth a look. I'll post an entry on the Apple iPad later.

International Student Safety Debate

With increased violence against international students in general and Indian students in particular on the rise in eastern Australia, the publication of of a paper directly addressing this issue by Nyland, Forbes-Mewett & Marginson in the latest edition of the HERDSA journal is timely to say the least. The HE sector in Australia is largely driven by a (previously) perceived reputation (asset) for being able to provide a safe study environment in the international education market.

Nyland, Forbes-Mewett & Marginson's ARC funded work suggest that the 'industry' is having difficulty coming to grip with how best to address the safety concerns of international students following recent demonstrations by Indian students & those concerned for their welfare, and the framework of management responsible for exporting Australian HE as a site of safe and reputable education for internationals. The ramifications of what has/is happening to internationals whilst in Australian HE is impacting on enrollment numbers and the business sector. Their report tracks developments across the USA, New Zealand and the UK before focusing on Australia.

C. Nyland, H. Forbes-Mewett and S. Marginson, 'The international student safety debate: moving beyond denial', HERDSA Vol. 29, No. 1 2010, 89-101. Routledge website here.

March Book Group

The book group resumes in March this year with John Ajvide Linqvist's Handling the Undead. Another engrossing read by the author of Let the Right One In. We meet at The Known World bookshop in Sturt Street on Sunday 7th March at 2:00pm.