Dean's Report
Excellence in Research Australia (ERA)
I was delighted with MGSE’s success in the latest Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) report which resulted in the achievement of the highest ranking of well above world standard. We are the only university to have scored 5 on curriculum and pedagogy with no university scoring higher than 4 on Education Systems. This is testament to the skill, talent and sheer hard work of MGSE’s staff and I congratulate you all. If you are interested in further information about how the University scored in all disciplines, and to compare our results with other universities, you can read the report in more detail.
Engagement and Impact Assessment Framework
Still on the subject of success, as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA), the Australian Government introduced an Engagement and Impact (EI) assessment framework, to assess the engagement of researchers with end-users, and to show how universities are translating their research into economic, social, environmental and other impacts. The first engagement and impact assessment took place last year. The results released this week showed that Education at the University of Melbourne received a rating of 'High' for both Engagement and Impact, and ‘Low’ for Approach to impact. Another excellent result for MGSE.
Student Experience Forum
I encourage all staff to attend the upcoming session on Tuesday 16 April (Q230 from 1 – 2 pm) to discuss the Student Experience Green paper with Professor Richard James. This is envisioned to be a frank and open discussion about the student experience at the University, the proposed action areas identified in the paper and an opportunity for you to contribute your own perspective and ideas. While the Green paper concentrates largely on the undergraduate student experience, it has direct bearing on both the breadth subjects we deliver and the desire of undergraduate students to remain at the University for postgraduate study. Graduate students were included in the study and further work will be developed specifically around the graduate experience.
Annual Review
Our second digital Annual Review has just been published today and provides a snapshot of some of MGSE’s achievements in 2018. Take the time to browse through our successes in a year which, importantly, included the development of our new Strategic Plan which is now guiding us in the important work of realising our vision.
American Educational Research Association
Later today I will be heading off to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting in Toronto, Canada. This year its pertinent theme is ‘Leveraging Education Research in a ‘Post-Truth’ Era: Multimodal narratives to democratize evidence’. It looks like an interesting program and while I’ll be busy attending various forums, Deans’ meetings and sessions I also hope to find time to catch up with many international colleagues. During this time Professor Jan Van Driel will be Acting Dean from 3-5 April and Professor Helen Cahill with be the Acting Dean from 8-12 April.
Jim