Academics from Arts and Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Sydney College of the Arts and Sydney Conservatorium of Music were successful recipients of fifteen University of Sydney Strategic Education Grants ranging from $12 000 – $34 500 in the latest round.
Educational Innovation grants were awarded for projects that will significantly transform learning and teaching. The Department of Art History will implement a problem-based learning approach that will have students engaging with objects from the University’s museum collections. New assessments for second year Film Studies will scaffold students’ development in creating visual essays that reflect innovative modes of scholarship. The use of digital media such as blogs and wikis will also be incorporated into the teaching of literature and writing, while staff members in Spanish studies will be working to integrate the teaching of culture more closely with that of language.
A grant in the Project-based units category will see students working on real-world projects related to big data and security.
The remaining ten successful proposals were for Open Learning Environments (OLEs). These units will be available to students from all faculties from 2018 as part of the planned changes to the undergraduate curriculum outlined in the 2016-20 Strategic Plan.
The range of OLE topics includes participatory writing using Wikipedia, understanding creativity, engaging effectively with communities and developing audio-visual skills. The rich potential of a student cohort drawn from a variety of disciplines is attractive to many academics designing OLEs, as is assisting students to develop their University graduate qualities.
This OLE will facilitate students to become producers of knowledge that is available to all, including people who are disadvantaged by geography or economics.
Dr Frances Di Lauro, Lead academic, Participatory writing OLE
For more information about the Strategic Education Grants, visit the Education Innovation Strategic Grants website.
