MGSE staff news

MERI and MGSE Research News Updates in 2022

MERI is pleased to announce the introduction of their new blog site (https://meri-news.education.unimelb.edu.au), which will serve to inform MGSE staff about the latest research-related news, events, and updates.

Announced at last week's Setting the Scene, the new blog site will make research-related news and updates easier to access and find, items will be searchable and can be sorted by tags (events, grants, professional development, etc.).

Staff will be notified of blog updates/posts through email, with the ability to unsubscribe if preferred.

If you have any questions, please contact mgse-research@unimelb.edu.au.

Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG)

Staff with lived experience of disability, long-term illness, mental health conditions, and/or primary carers of disabled people are invited to join a Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG).

The Advisory Group's purpose is to provide input on University-wide issues affecting people with disabilities. We are committed to ensuring that the views of staff and students with lived experience are represented in the University of Melbourne Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2030.

The Advisory Group will initially advise the DIAP Reference Group on the development of a new Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) for the University.

The Advisory Group may also be consulted on other University initiatives related to accessibility and disability inclusion, such as:

  • Process review and improvement
  • Campaigns and projects e.g., digital / physical accessibility; communications and marketing
  • Policy review

Term and Time Commitment

The initial term is 12 months, with a review at the end of that period.

Meetings will be held every two months initially to support the completion of the DIAP by mid-year, with a review after 3 meetings.

First meeting: Late March, 2022 (Option for Zoom attendance)

EOI Process

The D & I Team will assess applications and will notify staff of outcomes during the week commencing 14 March.

Please submit your Expression of Interest by 13 March via this link

Headspace

We are excited to announce that licences have been purchased for all our Graduate Coursework and Research students to access the HEADSPACE app. In the coming days you will have receive an email from your course coordinator with this information. This initiative is aligned with our efforts to build skills for wellbeing within our student community.

Students register for their membership using this link: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/7yqi

Please assist us in communicating this information to students by downloading the headspace slides for your lectures and presentations and distributing this information through announcements.

Download headspace slides

Catherine Smith and Matt Harrison - Co-Directors of Student Experience

Hedley Beare Educator of the Year award

Congratulations to Enterprise Professor Sandra Milligan who has won the ACEL Victoria Hedley Beare Educator of the Year award.

Sandra was presented with the award on Monday, 7 March at the ACEL Awards Dinner, at which she gave the Hedley Bear oration to an audience of Australia’s premier education leaders.

OHS - Return to Campus

Many of us have not used our workstations on campus for some time, and returning to work at your University desk may feel different and unfamiliar. It is important that we ensure your workstation is set up comfortably and safely for you to use upon return to campus, and therefore all staff are required to complete a Computer Workstation Self-Assessment Checklist. The checklist is designed to assist you in undertaking simple adjustments of your workstation equipment such as your desk and chair to maximise comfort, and health and safety.

The completed checklist should be returned to your manager. If you identify any ergonomic or health and safety issues at your workstation, please send an email to ohs-enquiries@unimelb.edu.au and your local Health and Safety Business Partner will follow up with you directly.

Technology - Return to Campus

IT accessories have gone missing over the COVID-19 lockdown and now many desks are missing items! If you took IT accessories home to support your working from home in 2020 and 2021, now is the time to return them so we can all work effectively in 2022.

If you need IT accessories, please purchase these via eMarketplace.

To assist in set up of IT equipment request assistance ServiceNow IT > something else

MGSE Postdoctoral Fellow 2022

Congratulations to Dr Sarah Healy for receiving The Melbourne Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at MGSE. The awarded project ‘Digital dispositions: Children, technologies, learning and social connectivity at home’ is a timely study given the intensification of digital technologies during the pandemic. Sarah will be working with Dr Kathryn Coleman, Dr Dianne Mulcahy and Professor Sophie Arkoudis, in collaboration with MDAP. Using digital methods such as social listening, we will be researching children’s digital practices in the home and generating creative digital artefacts.

KU Leuven-UoM  joint PhD

In 2020 The University of Melbourne established the joint PhD program with KU Leuven and congratulations to Prof Lorraine Graham and Prof Marcia McKenzie have been successful in obtaining funding (scholarship and support funds) for two paired joint PhD projects each in the second cohort of this program.

Four paired funded projects are available on as part of a joint PhD collaboration between The University of Melbourne (UoM) and KU Leuven (Belgium).

Graduate Researchers (GRs) participating in the joint program will be enrolled at both institutions and will spend a minimum of 12 months at the host institution. The research work will be performed under joint supervision, with one primary supervisor from each of the two institutions.

Laura Bassi Scholarship

The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established by Editing Press in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed. The scholarships are open to every discipline and the next round of funding will be awarded in Spring 2022:

  • Application deadline: 27 March 2022
  • Results: 20 April 2022

All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of full-time employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline. Further details, previous winners, and the application portal can be found at: https://editing.press/bassi

Professional Learning: Sexual consent, sexting, and the law

Victoria Legal Aid is pleased to offer a series of free online professional learning opportunities to support Victorian teachers deliver education on the legal aspects of sexual consent and sexting education.

Sexual consent, sexting, and the law – Professional learning

In these sessions our non-judgemental and inclusive presenters will use plain language to unpack the law about:

  • sexual consent
  • age of consent
  • sexting, including a young person’s legal rights and responsibilities regarding production, possession, and distribution of intimate images.

Registrations

Register for these free online events via The Department of Education and Training’s Arc platform by clicking on the dates below.

Sessions are scheduled for 3:30pm – 5:00pm on the following dates

2022 Westpac Future Leaders scholars

Nick Parkinson has been named a 2022 Westpac Future Leaders Scholar.

Nick is currently pursuing a Master's degree in teaching English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D).His work in schools and with the Adult Migrant English Language Program inspired him to pursue this educational endeavour.

Presents, gifts, and gift cards

A friendly reminder that staff must comply with University’s policies when receiving or providing a gift:

  • Gift Policy (MPF1348),
  • Appropriate Workplace Behaviour Policy (MPF1328), and
  • Financial Code of Conduct Policy (MPF1338).

Providing a gift voucher or other form of gift is a gratuity. A gratuity is a token offering provided in return for a voluntary service as a gesture of appreciation for providing the service. For example, gifts can be offered to research participants (with ethics approval), focus group members and volunteers.

Gift cards cannot be used to pay staff. A gift is given with no expectations or obligations attached.

Gifts of a personal nature (maternity/retirements) should be funded personally or through a group collective such as, group together.  Permission to provide a gift of this nature from University funds needs to be approved by the Dean and administered by the Office of the Dean.

When procuring a Gift Card through an approved budget, the University’s preferred supplier of Gift Cards is Coles.  Please follow the instruction in this Knowledge Base.

Note: Audit requires you to keep a list of who the recipients are, the amounts, why they receive the gift card, and how they are being stored. Please use this Excel spreadsheet to record the details and attach them to Themis.

More information can be found at Knowledge Base - Finance and Commercial Services (service-now.com).