Built Environments Learning + Teaching

Doctor David Kellermann’s Microsoft Inspire 2019 presentation blew us all away! The story of how he transformed a Mechanical engineering class of “500 islands” into a single learning community, continues to motivate educational institutions to achieve more (and even enterprises including groups at Microsoft). We have since been eagerly waiting to leverage his unique and remarkable brainchild – the QBot! Today, we’re thrilled to announce that QBot – the learning community bot – is available as an opensource app on GitHub.

Announcing the launch of The International Journal of Education in Architecture and Design!

Congratulations to Bachelor of Design architectural technology subject coordinators for their successful Learning and Teaching Initiative grant of $80,000 (Round 1 2020)! Terrific news!

MSD student Victoria King has won the RIBA President’s Silver Medal 2019 for her Independent Thesis project ‘Surface Tension: Blueprints for Observing Contamination in the Sydney Harbour Estuary’.

Future Tense, presented on ABC Radio National by Antony Funnell, and available via the ABC Listen app, offers a critical engagement with emerging technologies.This broadcast (10 Nov, 2019) explored AI, ethics and education.  It presents a peek at future education possibilities and expert perspectives on associated issues and challenges.

Find out more about the November Canvas updates from Project Evolve

A ‘Learning through immersive media’ workshop was held recently in the new Digital Learning Hub in MDHS. Hosted by Learning Environments, the workshop consisted of presentations on virtual reality, augmented reality and 360 video, as well as providing participants the opportunity to try out the latest equipment and educational applications.

From Wednesday 1 January 2020, the University will not reimburse any staff member the cost of obtaining a Working with Children Check (WWCC).

We are keen to hear about the experiences of ABP sessional teaching staff

Recent article on global edtech conferences and education published in the Campus Morning Mail.

Project Evolve jointly with Learning Environments is hosting a series of canvas Workshops to provide training ahead of subject migration consultations in preparation for the 2020 rollout of Canvas and Kaltura.

Action needed! Thank you to everyone who has filled in our blended learning survey. Some really interesting strategies as well as some deep thought provoking questions.

The Student Life White Paper describes the ambition for a new Melbourne student experience, and makes a series of commitments to deepen the relationship between the University and its students.

Congratulations to Wendy Walls and Dr Jillian Walliss for their successful application to the Round 2 of the Learning and Teaching Initiatives.

Learning Environments has been providing Canvas and Kaltura workshops for nominated staff involved in the Semester 2, 2019 Canvas pilot. These workshops are now open to all teaching staff.

Learning Environments have recently launched a winter series of five evenings focused on video storytelling. Researcher, teacher, professional, or passionate storyteller alike, everyone is welcome to come along and get inspired.

A better Future: A Celebration of 50 years of Urban Planning at Melbourne University launched on Friday 26 July with great success. Featuring artifacts, planning schemes, maps, and student work from the ABP library's extensive urban planning collections, the exhibition showcases a fifty year overview of the developing city of Melbourne and the associated educational and departmental context.

The Faculty has created an online Application for Extension for students enrolled in ABP subjects to use when requesting short extensions of up to 10 working days.The Application for Extension form can be accessed here: https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/resources/list-of-forms/application-for-extension. You may wish to publish an announcement on your subject’s LMS page informing students of this.We have created this online form as we have received feedback from a number of subject coordinators stating that the number of requests for extensions has increased and is taking up a significant amount of their time. BenefitsThis web form would allow us to track how many requests are being submitted for each subjectThe Student Programs Team would be able to run weekly reports and send them to subject coordinators as an Excel spreadsheet showing all of the applications for extensions that have been submitted for their respective subjectsDuring quiet periods of semester, the Student Programs Team would be able to audit a percentage of the supporting documentation for authenticity as the number of altered/forged documents submitted by students appears to be on the riseThe webform provides students with information about eligibility, processing times and information on when they must apply for Special ConsiderationStudents would no longer have to print out a paper form, sign it, scan it and email it back to their subject coordinator/senior tutorProcessAll ABP subject coordinators would put an announcement on their subject’s LMS advising students that any applications for extensions of up to 10 working days should be made via the following link: https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/resources/list-of-forms/application-for-extensionWhen students submit an online application for extension, it would be forwarded directly to the subject coordinator of the subject via email with any supporting documentation attached.The academic staff member would assess the application and advise the student of the outcome via email within 3 working days.Students granted an extension must attach the advice of the extension to their assignment when submitting via LMS or to the subject coordinator/tutor/studio leader.A copy of the application and supporting documentation would be kept on file in the abp-specialconsid@unimelb.edu.au inbox for auditing purposes.According to University policy, academic staff may grant extensions for submission of assessment of up to  10 working days, in certain eligible circumstances.  Please note that requests for extensions cannot be granted for the following ineligible circumstances:computer failureassessment tasks in other subjects dueemployment responsibilities and routine financial support needsstress or ‘normal’ anxiety, study difficultiesdifficulties adjusting to university lifelanguage difficultiesminor inconvenienceregularnormal life events, such as:family life,work,sporting activities,social and other commitments,minor interruptions and disruption to routine that might result from minor illness, mishap or other minor adversity.

Congratulations to our students who recently took out third place at the 12th Innovation Competition in Construction Engineering and Management (ICCEM), hosted by Tsinghua University.

In preparation for Semester 2, 2019, Learning Environments has put together a few useful links and resources. Click here for more information.

Find here the July updates on Canvas and Project Evolve

Melbourne InnovatEd is an incubation program for educational technology (ed tech) innovations at the University of Melbourne.

Learning Environments and the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education offer Designing for Learning with Technology workshops

A team of ABP Students, led by Dr Sofia Colabella, was awarded the bronze medal at the 2019 Tongji International Construction Festival and 2019 "Fengyuzhu" Plastic Polypropylene Sheet Competition. Congratulations!

This workshop series is designed for those teaching and academic specialists who are interested in researching their own curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) practices.

MSD students exhibited in Chateau of Chambord 500 year celebration exhibition in France.

On Wednesday 26 June, Michael Mack was presented with the Student Choice Award for Sessional Teachers 2018. Congratulations Michael!

Melbourne CSHE recently hosted a higher education policy discussion The Purpose of Higher Education and How Its Funding Can Be Sustainable.

A 40-minute online mental health training program has been developed by Counsellors from Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for staff who need to know the essentials in supporting students experiencing mental health  problems on campus.

We are keen to hear about the experiences of ABP sessional teaching staff

Find out more about the why, when and how of our move to a new Learning Management System (LMS).

The pilot BEL+T Sessional Session took place on Wednesday April 10. The focus was on Teaching for Inclusive Learning and it was terrific to share a focus and ideas with staff who are teaching, and supporting teaching and students, as well as student representatives.

It is great to celebrate colleagues’ success, and two ABP projects funded through the 2019 Learning and Teaching Initiative grants (Round 1). These projects were both successful in the FlexAP-focussed Intensive, Summer and Winter stream.Dr Siqing Chen has received a grant to redevelop ABPL90319 GIS in Planning, Design and Development;Prof Michele Acuto, Dr Ihnji Jon and Dr Derlie Mateo-Babiano have received a grant to develop a new subject focussing on City Leadership and international urban planning approaches, and aligned to the Connected Cities Lab.

A team of Masters students from the Melbourne School of Design have won the 2019 CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 4.0 in Hong Kong.

The Semester 1 Subject Experience Survey (SES) runs from Monday 20 May to Sunday 9 June.