Camtasia Mania: Using Video in Exemplary Online Course Design

This basis of our presentation is to share a method of creating a fully online course experience for the student. The LMS (Learning Management System) in our presentation will be Blackboard. Our presentation will include the course design (following a weekly syllabus or course weekly module, the various content areas of the course and most importantly, the rich media included in the course. Our presentation will also include the creation process via CAMTASIA, video production software.

Deakin Online: an evolving case study

This paper describes the planning, implementation and current progress of the Deakin Online Project which aims to establish a virtual campus for Deakin University. The project is built upon the WebCT Vista© learning management system. Strategies for eTeaching and eLearning are analysed and the dangers and opportunities are identified. Approaches to the preparation of both students and faculty for working in the online environment are discussed including online training, mentoring schemes and a dedicated teaching and learning support unit. An in-depth account of the project is presented which is potentially useful to any organization considering embarking on online teaching on a large scale.

The effect of focus on form in the written work of adult learners of Arabic

One of the key debates within SLA research circles concerns grammar
- whether and hov to include it in second language (L2) instruction. 'Noninterventionist' approaches to language leaching, which centre on focus on meaning (FonM) , have been found to be neither economical nor expedient in terms of use of learners' classtime (Long & Robinson, 1998). This paper is a study of the effects oj direct grammatical instruction within a communicative context (Focus on Form - FonF) on the accuracy rate of the use of noun-adjective agreement in the written work of adult learners of Arabic. Learning the systems oj noun/adjective agreement in Arabic presents problems for beginners since. unlike languages such as English. Arabic needs to be modified for gender, number. definiteness and case. Through teaching material and methods, first-year university English speaking students of Arabic were directly exposed to morpho-syntactic inflections relevant to noun-adjective agreement. In post-tests over an extended period. instructed students showed a higher accuracy rate of some forms than their uninstructed colleagues. suggesting focusing on form is beneficial to the Arabic learner and does not need to interrupt the communicative flow in the classroom (Ellis et al. 2001).

Performing on boards: the link between governance and corporate reputation in nonprofit arts boards

This paper is built on the hypothesis that good governance and reputation are inextricably linked. It takes the governance of performing arts organizations in Queensland, Australia as a case study, and focuses on the role of the nonprofit arts board and its practices of governance and measures of effectiveness. Because of the financial constraints under which arts companies operate, their sustainability relies on audiences and on government or corporate support. The reputation of the company flows from the board's capacity to manage finances, stakeholders and mission. In-depth interviews with board chairs and general managers revealed that strong management systems and rigorous financial reporting are the drivers of good governance. Innovation in product development and artistic excellence are secondary in reputation to these measures. The paper proposes a model of good governance for arts boards.

From the comforts of print to the possibilities of digital media: leading the way in teaching political leadership in a faculty of arts

Since it inception, Deakin University has been committed to the delivery of innovative, high quality course materials to its off campus students. Until recently these packages were predominantly print based, although augmented with audio-visual materials delivered in cassette format. Ironically, with the advent of information and communications technologies (ICT), and some select computer assisted learning and multimedia packages, there was an overall decline in the use of audio and video as important means of enhancing learning. Like many other universities, Deakin has moved to a strong, centralised approach to the provision of its digital and online corporate technology environment. With investment in these technologies has come a renewed interest in the ways in which text and audio-visual materials in digital form can enhance students' learning experiences. Moreover, the ways in which a variety of digital media supported by online developments can create new models and approaches to teaching/learning has figured prominently. This paper presents a case study of how this challenge has been taken up in a unit, Political Leadership, in the Faculty of Arts. The academic teacher's intentions in moving to a completely digital approach are examined along with students' experiences of learning in the subject. Issues are considered from the experience.

Use of plastic and textile media in polishing primary treated effluent

The majority of on-site sewage management systems in Australia fail to perform to expectations. About 60% to 80% of on-site systems reportedly fail to produce acceptable effluent quality, and there is an increaed concern about the risks associated with public health and environmental pollution. In Victoria, a large proportion of septic tank installations have been reported to discharge highly polluted waste to drains and streams. Users, often considered by regulators as operators, have to bear the costs of upgrade/replacement of their old systems to meet stringent water quality guidelines. Some of the common problems include clogging of the disposal fields due to solids and organic overloading and surfacing of highly polluted effluent. Large land application area is subsequently required for irrigating the effluent and/or installation of upgraded disposal fields.
This paper investigates the effectiveness of various types of textile and plastic media, in polishing primary tank effluent, downstream from a typical two-compartment septic tank system. Results to date show that high biochemical oxygen demand removal rates are achieved from the textile and plastic media (up to 86% and 83% respectively). At these removal levels, the performance of a combined conventional septic tank system and plastic/textile filters is comparable to that of an advanced aerated wastewater treatment system. This approach, subject to further investigation, could provide a less costly upgrade.

Future considerations for the training and development of Australian quality managers

Adequate, appropriate training of quality managers is essential to the development and implementation of effective quality management systems. This study reports on a survey of 235 Australian quality managers to determine their perceptions of their training and development needs, the extent to which these were being met, and their views on the future of their discipline. The study found that there was a general lack of systematization, most programs were short-term and delivered by a fragmented set of providers. Many managers had received no training in the past 5 years. While the respondents were generally satisfied with the training they had received, there was evidence that their insight into their own needs was imperfect. The respondents were divided between those who thought quality management would remain a discrete field and those who saw it being absorbed by other management systems. The challenges of developing an appropriate training and development regime in this environment are discussed.

C'mon guys! A program to facilitate father involvement in the primary school environment

This article is written to provide a case study example of a program developed to encourage fathers' engagement with their children in the primary school environment. C'mon Guys! was delivered in a Primary School in Victoria, Australia (unnamed to protect the privacy of the participants). The article begins by first describing the community in which C'mon Guys! was offered and goes on to outline the literature related to aspects pertinent to the program such as father involvement in the lives of children at school, and the role of the social worker in facilitating this type of groupwork in the school setting. Next, the aims of the program are discussed with particular reference to its design, social learning theory, systems theory and groupwork principles and processes. The outcomes of C'mon Guys! are then discussed noting the limitations of the program as well as identifying the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits for the children, their fathers and the community.

Online pedagogy and academic work

This paper emerges from a study that foregrounds the complex nature of the consequences of a decision to implement a range of new technologies including a Learning Management System at one university. The paper draws upon data from interviews with academics to provide insights into the experience of being academic in the 21st century during a time when new technologies of teaching, learning and administration impact on the work of professional academics. It focuses on how academics view and understand online teaching environments; how they make professional judgments about their use of online environments in their teaching and how they make professional judgments about pedagogy. In doing this the paper looks at the differing levels of uptake of new technologies by academics, their levels of engagement and disengagement, the complexity of their relationship with these technologies and their impact on the pedagogy of academics in the study as it looks at patterns of usage in terms of age, gender and levels of experience of academics. It demonstrates the importance of pedagogy to academics and the problems that academics face many of which can be attributed to the impact of measures of bureaucratisation and standardisation including the introduction of an LMS that some argue has lead to the homogenisation of the experience of teaching and learning for both academics and students.

The development of a wisdom autonomic grid

It is not a simple matter to develop an integrative approach that exploits  synergies between knowledge management and knowledge discovery in   order to monitor and manage the full lifecycle of knowledge and provides  services quickly, reliably and securely. One of the main problems is the heterogeneity of the involved resources that represent knowledge. Data mining systems produce knowledge in a form meant to be understandable  to machines and on the other hand in knowledge management systems the  priority is placed on the readability and usability of knowledge by humans.  The Semantic Web is a promising platform to unify this heterogeneity and, in conjunction with novel techniques for Web Intelligence it could offer more  then just knowledge - wisdom. The Wisdom Autonomic Grid is an original proposal of a knowledge based Grid that is able to configure and reconfigure itself under varying and unpredictable conditions and optimize its working, performs something akin to healing and provides self-protection, as  visioned in the IBM Autonomic Computing initiative. This paper presents an original framework for creating advanced applications to integrate  knowledge discovery and knowledge management in the Autonomic Grid  and Web environments.

Regional-scale models for relating land cover to basin surface-water quality using remotely sensed data in a GIS

Plant-based management systems implementing deep-rooted, perennial vegetation have been identified as important in mitigating the spread of secondary dryland salinity due to its capacity to influence water table depth. The Glenelg Hopkins catchment is a highly modified watershed in the southwest region of Victoria, where dryland salinity management has been identified as a priority. Empirical relationships between the proportion of native vegetation and in-stream salinity were examined in the Glenelg Hopkins catchment using a linear regression approach. Whilst investigations of these relationships are not unique, this is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a link between land use and in-stream salinity in the study area. The results indicate that higher percentage land cover with native vegetation was negatively correlated with elevated in-stream salinity. This inverse correlation was consistent across the 3 years examined (1980, 1995, and 2002). Recognising the potential for erroneously inferring causal relationships, the methodology outlined here was both a time and cost-effective tool to inform management strategies at a regional scale, particularly in areas where processes may be operating at scales not easily addressed with on-site studies.

Australian public sector adoption of EDRMS : a preliminary survey

Governments around the world are placing increasing emphasis on effective corporate recordkeeping within both private and public sector organisations, with some governments mandating such approaches: for example, The State Government of South Australia has required all its agencies to have 'an adequate records management program' in place by the end of 2009 (State Records of South Australia 2007). These demands are often met through the implementation of centralised electronic records management solutions – frequently, Electronic Document and Records Management Systems (EDRMS) – but not all implementing organisations adopt an EDRMS solution in the most optimal way; and many such systems fail to meet organisational needs, or gain acceptance form all (or even most) users. This paper reports on a Web-based survey of Australian public sector EDRMS implementation at three levels (federal, state and local government) and forms the first component of a multi-part investigation of Australian public sector records management. This preliminary survey was designed to identify the EDRMS solutions adopted by government agencies, as well as any guidelines or frameworks used in designing and implementing those solutions.

Standing on the shoulders of giants : Are ERP success factors relevant for EDRMS implementation?

Records management has been a central concern for organisations in both private and public sectors since the beginning of the 21st century. This new focus is due both to the introduction of laws, regulations and standards affecting corporate information management; and to the way records are changing from paper-based to “born-digital” and “made-digital”. The need for an effective automated system to manage records is now greater than ever, with Electronic Document and Records Management Systems (EDRMS) being the most likely solution. Despite their increasing popularity, however, successful uptake of such systems is not yet widespread and research into their implementation is still limited. This paper investigates the possibility of applying existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) models to EDRMS by analysing the substantial body of literature on success factors for ERP implementation, both qualitatively and quantitatively; and then comparing these with the still relatively limited literature on EDRMS.

Recognition of idle resources in time-driven activity-based costing and resource consumption accounting models

Despite its theoretical superiority over traditional volume-based costing models, the Activity-Based Costing (ABC) model has failed to replace traditional volume-based costing models in most organisations. In response to the problems of the model, Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) and Resource Consumption Accounting (RCA) models have been developed as costing models for next generation cost management systems. A key feature that distinguishes TDABC and RCA models from traditional volume-based costing models and the ABC model is the recognition of idle resources in resource pools.

This paper presents a discussion on implications of recognising idle resources in TDABC and RCA models on developments, maintenance and uses of cost management systems. A hypothetical case is presented to illustrate conversions of an ABC-based costing model to ones that are based on the TDABC and RCA models, and the resulting new allocation of resource costs.

Using large group methods to develop effective quality cultures

It has become evident that higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman are currently experiencing change, in particular when it involves implementing quality management systems. The underlying principles of quality management are participatory decision making. Our methods for conducting improvements in quality management, strategic planning and other topics model this principle. Large group methods or interventions involve gathering an entire organization to talk about, influence or invent needed changes (Bunker & Alban, 2002). Change is a result of purposeful social construction by organizational members. It involves a goal (approach/plan), implementation (deployment/act/so), evaluation (results/check) and modification (improvement). This paper explores the different large group methods being used in the field today and it proposes that large group methods allow a forum to overcome some of the hurdles and challenges that are being faced in Oman such as; How do you encourage sharing information in a fiercely competitive environment? And how do you establish an informal network of peers? We were witness to some of these challenges being over come when we used large group methods during various strategic planning workshops with members of staff from the different colleges in Oman. Results from the evaluations of the workshops highlighted that participants enjoyed the opportunity to network and share ideas with their peers as well as being involved in group discussions and brainstorming ideas. The paper will also propose that large group methods can be used effectively in Omani culture strengthening goals towards Omanisation.