Project: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning in the Quantitative Disciplines

This statement applied to the initial trial of the unit in 2011, and has been left in place for reference only

You are invited to participate in a study that will evaluate the teaching capabilities of lecturers and tutors working in quantitative disciplines. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the value of teaching and learning and embed these skills in the professional development process of early and mid-career academics. The project team will provide practical ways of sharing and developing best-practice teaching strategies. Your experience is very important to this project, and your input into this process is valuable because it will help improve the teaching capabilities of teachers in the quantitative disciplines.

This project is funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC). The study is being conducted by Macquarie University, Murdoch University, Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney and University of Tasmania.

If you decide to participate, you will be asked to join academics from Australian universities all over Australia to take part in a professional development program. This program will be fully online. For the duration of the program, you will be invited to take part in, and evaluate, twelve learning modules to promote best practice in teaching and learning in the quantitative disciplines. The learning modules, including designing and planning lessons and developing learning environments, will involve individual reading, reflection, group discussion, and/or written responses. You will be required to complete all compulsory activities. You will be graded and receive feedback on assessments. The design of the learning modules are similar to those you have experienced in foundation or induction professional development programs at your university.

Any information or personal details gathered in the course of the study are confidential and no individual will be identified in any publication of the results. The pilot program evaluations will be published in a project report that will be available from http://www.austms.org.au/ALTC, and in bi-annual project reports to the ALTC, at conferences and in journal publications. The information gathered will not be used as an individual staff performance evaluation tool. The project team will have access to the data. A summary of the results of the data can be made available to you on request to any of the above researchers.

You will receive a copy of the teaching resource that is developed from this project and, pending approval, you will be eligible for a form of teaching accreditation from the Australian Mathematical Society.

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary: you are not obliged to participate and if you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw from further participation in the research without having to give a reason and without consequence.

The ethical aspects of this study have been approved by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have any complaints or reservations about any ethical aspect of your participation in this research, you may contact the Committee through the Director, Research Ethics (telephone (02) 9850 7854; email ethics@mq.edu.au). Any complaint you make will be treated in confidence and investigated, and you will be informed of the outcome.

Project team

• Leigh Wood, Macquarie University (Project Leader) leigh.wood@mq.edu.au; 02 9850 4756
• Nalini Joshi, The University of Sydney (Project Deputy Leader)
• Walter Bloom, Murdoch University
• Matt Bower, Macquarie University
• Natalie Brown, University of Tasmania
• Diane Donovan, The University of Queensland
• Birgit Loch, Swinburne University of Technology
• Jane Skalicky, University of Tasmania
• Tori Vu, Macquarie University (Project Manager)