I have always been one of those people who likes to be connected, work in collaboration with others, maintain contact with peers and students and actively engages in making links with people and institutions outside of my immediate work circle. I work best as a part of a team and find working with others both motivating and rewarding. In fact there are very few, if any, of my major projects that I have done in isolation.

For example during the Italian for Opera Singers project I worked with my Italian colleague Grazia Micciche’. My team also included Alan Hicks from the ANU School of Music.

I also like to challenge myself and work in areas that are not strictly within my area of expertise. For example this year I have helped in the creation of a blended learning pilot course for the School of Medicine called “Improving your teaching in medical education”. Additionally, in the last 3 years I have collaborated with a colleague at the University of Canberra providing technical expertise in a course in the Faculty of Science for undergraduate programs.

In the area of technology and learning I see myself as an “enthusiast” who is happy to share this enthusiasm with colleagues, students and anyone who is interested in teaching.

My contribution towards enhanced learning is grounded in research and pedagogy but I have learned that targeted practical examples can assist in grasping concepts in learning design in a much more powerful way. Little snippets of innovative teaching here and there, showcased or shared, can have a snowball effect and word of mouth on ideas that work and projects students engage with are sometimes all it takes for change.

In the last two years, for example, I started an informal way to help/share my expertise in Wattle with colleagues called “Wattle Bites” making myself available during lunch one day a week in the Staff Common Room. During these sessions people just ‘pop in’ and ask questions or help or share all sorts of Wattle and technology related topics. Sometimes there is a room full of people, sometimes there are only a couple of academics who come along. The number present is not important, what is important is that they know I am there if they need me and that small problems can be solved simply over a cup of coffee and lunch.

In many instances, as academics sit and wait for their turn to talk to me, they hear what others are talking about and curiosity prompts them to learn more about what is happening in other courses.

Here some comments at the conclusion of Wattle Bites for 2011

I have also contributed to attracting students to ANU by offering my expertise in demonstrating the capabilities of our teaching spaces to future students on Open Day and during school visits:

As well as keeping in contact with other institutions such as CIT and UC I am often invited to present at conferences and seminars in Technology and Learning.

My contribution is sustained not only at a personal level with colleagues and students, but also on the world wide web. To cite just one example my Moodleposium Wikispace site, dedicated to technology and learning using Moodle, has regular visitors from across the world.

Finally I also believe in being proactive when it comes to supporting change and I like to keep up to date with technologies that will affect the academics I support within my role at the College of Asia Pacific.

For example the portfolio space you are currently using has been created using Moodle 2 to show that I am already learning to use the new version of our future Learning Management System and I am ready for the challenge in supporting my colleagues when ANU will implement the new version on Wattle and build further on the Moodle 2 platform.

I have also made this space available for other Educational Designers to enable them to test the system long before ANU had provided a testing space.

To conclude, enhancement of students learning, recognition from colleagues and the wider community and sustained contribution to the overall learning environment at ANU can only happen if someone is prepared to be open to new ideas, research, innovation and then share it with others. In this new world that is shaping in front of our eyes, the only competency that matters is continuous learning and I have demonstrated throughout my work that I am always keen to do that.