Learning and Teaching is, and always has been, core to our purpose here at Macquarie, evidenced by a strong track record of achievement and progress.

With the release of our Student Success Strategic Framework earlier this year and a shared commitment towards ongoing and continuous improvement – right across the University – it’s now time to refresh our Learning and Teaching strategy and prioritise L&T activities with a reenergised focus on student success. With this in mind, let’s take a look at three of the key areas on Professor Dominique Parrish Pro-Vice Chancellor, Learning and Teaching’s radar.

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Learning and Teaching Strategic Framework Refresh:

A key piece of work happening within (DVC-A’s) Learning and Teaching is a refresh of the existing Macquarie University Learning and Teaching Strategic Framework: 2015-2020. Guiding the refresh is the alignment to our strategic frameworks, most significantly ‘Our University: A Framing of Futures’ and our Student Success Strategic Frameworks. Importantly however, the Learning and Teaching Strategic Framework refresh will focus on understanding and meeting current students’ needs within the Learning and Teaching space at Macquarie and the promotion of a future-focused educational enterprise for Macquarie.

Consultation with students and staff, and a review of the current learning and teaching environment is currently underway, with more to follow in the coming months. Broader consultation with the University community will follow. The release of the refreshed Learning and Teaching Strategic Framework is planned for the end of 2019.

Digital Learning and Teaching:

There’s lots of opportunities to empower our students towards success and prioritise activity in the Digital Learning and Teaching area! Off the back of the Learning and Teaching strategic framework refresh, technology-enhanced learning and teaching priorities for Macquarie will form the core of our Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy. Like non-digital Learning and Teaching, our digital educational offerings must deliver a connected, creative and engaged learning experience for students, and embrace innovation in both curriculum and pedagogy, however they must also promote digital best practice and ultimately meet the needs of our students. Other initiatives currently underway across the university will intersect with the Digital Learning and Teaching strategy and its implementation this includes alignment with the curriculum architecture, Program Beacon, Program Illuminate, academic professional development, our partnerships with Coursera and OUA and our learning spaces’ refresh.

Program Illuminate (Micro-credentials):

Another key Learning and Teaching program of work you’ll be hearing lots more about very soon is Macquarie’s exciting new micro-credential initiative, which has kicked off this year under the banner of “Program Illuminate”.

A micro-credential is a certification-style qualification that an individual might choose to study to improve their skills or build knowledge in a particular subject area. The demand for and investment in micro-credentials is increasing across the education sector, not just because a micro-credential is portable, targeted and more often than not aligned to industry and market need, but because it can also be flexibly combined to provide credit towards formal qualifications, and enables the student to evidence their discrete learning, capabilities and achievements.

A framework for conceptualising and quality assuring micro-credentials has been developed and endorsed by the Program Illuminate Steering Group. Several micro-credentials are currently being piloted across Macquarie, and the necessary systems and infrastructure to support micro-credentials are also being explored. Micro-credentials are being considered for a broad range of audiences including undergraduate, postgraduate, future students and study-interested workers.

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If you have any questions, feel free to contact the PVC Learning and Teaching team at pvclt@mq.edu.au.