Speech Pathology students from MQ Health Speech & Hearing Clinic are taking part in the annual Speech Pathology Library Talks campaign to help support children’s language and literacy development.

Speech pathologists are the professionals with unique skills and knowledge to help build children’s language and literacy. The free Speech Pathology Library Talk will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about how to help develop a child’s language and literacy and set them up for success in their early years.

The talk will go for an hour and some of the topics to be covered in the presentation include:

• Choosing the right books and how the University Library can assist this
• Ways parents and teachers can help to build language and literacy
• Encouraging interactions with books
• How to support multi-lingual children through book reading
• What to do if a child is having difficulties with reading

The presentation will demonstrate practical book reading techniques to implement in the classroom or at home using one of the ‘Association’s Book of the Year’ winning books in the 3 to 5 year category.

We invite education students, parents and others interested in children’s language and literacy development, to attend a virtual talk and book reading in November.

When: 4 November, 12-1pm

Where: Zoom

Register: Email Neha Sethi neha.sethi@mq.edu.au to receive a meeting invitation with a Zoom link.

It embodies the best of what we are as an institution – technology, innovation and sustainability coming together to house knowledge, research and collaboration.

August marks 10 years since the opening of our iconic and modern library building.  The 2011 opening event bought the whole University community together, with staff, students and honoured guests  forming a human chain to move the first of the Library’s extensive collection of books (fittingly, a copy of Moving Library Materials) from the old library building to its new multi-million dollar home.

The new building’s sustainability features were an impressive testament to the University’s commitment to green design and construction. The Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) in particular has wowed many a guest over the last decade, housing 80 per cent of the library’s physical collection, reducing the building’s footprint by more that 11,000 square metres and saving approximately a million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year.

University Librarian Belinda Tiffen says the anniversary is a great opportunity to reflect on how much libraries have changed in a very short period of time.

“We’re much more digital now – something that has really assisted us to continue serving the Macquarie community in our current circumstances,” she says. “Today we have more than one million ebooks and journals, and our community can access assistance anytime via our website.”

Since our new Library opened in 2011…

• there have been more than 19.4 million visits to the building (with 16,000 visits being the daily record)
• more than 2.1 million physical items have been loaned
• Library staff have taken more than 700,000 enquiries and consultations
• their information literacy workshops have had more than 70,000 attendees
• users have taken some 96 million actions in MultiSearch
• staff have added more than 57,000 records from Macquarie researchers into researchonline.mq.edu.au.

Despite the huge shift to digital, the Library continues (under normal circumstances) to be important as a physical place to study, research, write and think. When the new library building opened in 2011 it had almost three times as many seats as the original library and more than double the physical collection space.

“Over the last 10 years our spaces have evolved in response to feedback from our clients and the changing needs of our students,” says Belinda. “We hope the Library continues to be a place that inspires curiosity and intellectual inquiry for many years to come.”

Were you part of the Library’s opening celebrations? Share your favourite memories of Macquarie Unversity Library over the last 10 years in the comments below.

This Week thanks the Library team for their assistance in putting together this story.

This week, we take a look at the talented staff from Macquarie University International College (MUIC), Macquarie University’s English Language Centre (ELC) and the Library.

The 2020 Learning and Teaching Awards ceremony will be held virtually on Wednesday 2 December. Register now >>

Dr May Kocatepe
Student nominated award

Dr May Kocatepe is a teacher of academic literacies and a moderator of the Focus on Academic Honesty (FOAH) module. She is praised by her students for her useful workshops and positive guidance.

“My role as moderator of FOAH involved providing academic guidance to students who had been found guilty by the University Disciplinary Committee of academic misconduct. The personal and academic needs of these students were different to other student cohorts in MUIC,” she says.

“During zoom meetings, a number of these students appreciated my non-judgemental tone and described me as being “like a mentor and not a teacher”.

“I care about the learning and wellbeing of students and I view students not simply as ‘learners’ but as ‘participants’ in academic communities. I provide opportunities for students to participate in the social practices associated with academic communities and I encourage them to question their own (in)visibility within academic contexts and the implications of this. Such an approach promotes the idea that students are active and valuable participants in academic communities.”

Daniel Lombardo
Student nominated award

Daniel Lombardo is a valued teacher within MUIC’s department of Engineering and Information Technology who creates engaging classes and learning material for his students.

“Computer Science is a particularly difficult topic to create resources for and teach at an introductory level. In my opinion, there is this consistent perspective that computer science is a very difficult and boring field which hinders students’ ability to succeed,” he says.

“One of the great joys of teaching for me is destroying this perspective and building a new one where students realise that they are in control of the computer, they are the boss and they just need to tell it what to do. An approach that I use to foster this transformation of perspective starts with breaking problems into very simple pieces. This challenges the student’s perception as they realise that it is not actually difficult. Finally, I pose simple questions to help them identify how to combine the smaller pieces into the final solution.

“I believe that a strong rapport is critical. To establish a rapport with students I genuinely speak with them about their interests, share my interests and encourage everyone to get involved.”

Dr James Mackenzie
Student nominated award

When teaching Media Studies, Dr James Mackenzie places transformative learning at the centre of his teaching practice. He does this by introducing students to something they already know and allowing them to look at it in a completely different way.

“My lessons usually begin with the student’s own experience. Then once they have shared their ideas about a topic, I introduce the conceptual framework offered by Media Studies, so suddenly a new perspective is given on what they have already discussed,” says James.

“This is transformative for the students because they feel that after their lessons they can look at things that matter to them in a whole new way. This everyday strategy of fostering student engagement through transformation was also systematically included in the three units I designed for MUIC.”

“I will admit that when I first started teaching, I did feel the need to give the impression that I knew it all. But now when I don’t know something, I admit it to the students and we approach it as an opportunity to learn together. This sense that we are peers on a learning journey helps students feel respected and included as part of a mutually beneficial educational environment.” 

Rose Harvey
Early career award

Rose Harvey is an Academic English teacher within Macquarie’s English Language Centre. She develops innovative lessons to improve language skills and prepare students for study at Macquarie, develop an understanding of Australian tertiary environments, facilitate interaction and promote self-confidence.

“My students enter my class shortly after arriving in Australia with a unique set of needs and with linguistic, cultural and educational diversity,” says Rose.

“In order to create a classroom environment in which students feel motivated to learn and safe to experiment, I treat my students as co-creators of knowledge. My approach draws on facets of constructivism, specifically the assumption that learners are not “empty vessels to be filled with knowledge” and in contrast are actively involved in the creation of meaning and the selection and pursuit of learning.

“My work designing and implementing innovative and transformative curricula has led to improvements in the ELC’s Direct Entry programmes, which articulate students into MUIC and Macquarie. The new courses better prepare students for tertiary study through content, activities and experiences which develop relevant skills and knowledge.” 

Trish Behan
Educational leader award

Trish Behan has been an integral member of Macquarie University English Language Centre since 2003. Over her career she has supported students and staff academically and in recent years, she has added a large focus on student mental health and wellbeing to her Senior Teacher role.

“To effectively address such issues in our institution, I engaged ELC and MQ PACE students as collaborative partners in developing initiatives unique to the ELC and Macquarie as well as showcasing these initiatives to key stakeholders in the ELC, Macquarie and the sector nationally,” she says.

“In 2018 I created a workshop to de-stigmatize mental health issues with international students and in 2019, I took this one step further, developing a mental health video called You are not Alone. This video is now used in MUIC-ELC orientation and workshops, Macquarie Business School and features in the MQ Wellbeing App.”

“It is great to see that my work in this area has not only impacted the ELC and Macquarie University but has reached the international student industry on a national level. Most importantly, student partners have developed a rich understanding of the ethical and culturally sensitive issues international students face daily in Australia.”

Michael Liu, Inah Matsuoka-Yi, Claudia Zhang , Amy Earnshaw, Tazin Abdullah, Zac Peters and Andrew Jackson
Learning innovation award

This talented team of engagement and advising staff is responsible for designing a series of activities and sessions that prepare students for their commencement at MUIC. This extended orientation is part of MUIC’s ME Week, a three-day event, and a crucial step in the student journey that provides students with advice about the College, their course, do’s and don’ts at university, and information about the support services available to them. Uniquely, ME Week aims to pre-empt issues that students might face socially or academically, with a focus on belonging and awareness of possible culture shock or impostor syndrome.

“We know that pathways students need extra support to achieve their goals, so we established a set of learning initiatives which focused on engaging, empowering, and evolving our students, consistent with the MUIC Teaching & Learning Philosophy,” says Inah.

“We listened to our students. We engaged internal and external stakeholders, including Student Wellbeing, RNA, MUIC/ELC Student Volunteers, MQ Sport, Careers and Employment, Delta Therapy Dogs, AUSISO, NSW Police and Allianz to deliver these workshops in safe, inclusive and innovative learning environments, away from the traditional classroom”

“During COVID-19, ME Week has been delivered online and in a blended mode. We know that ME Week is helping our students unlock their potential and enhancing their learning, by providing access to support services and an innovative learning environment.”

Chloe Long, Carol Floyd, Ilija Vickovich, Susan Fripp and Dr Robyn Westcott
Learning innovation award

This team of teachers and librarians are responsible for creating The Macquarie Law School Legal Referencing Module (LRM). As members of Macquarie’s scholarly community, they are committed to enacting institutional values of honesty, respect, trust and responsibility. They seek to model these values to students by encouraging respectful engagement with the academic conversation.

“Understanding why, when and how to cite using the Australian Guide to Legal Citation style is a fundamental skill that allows law students to express ideas and present cogent arguments supported by appropriate evidence. Becoming proficient in the use of referencing reinforces the bedrock values of academic and professional integrity; however, time constraints make it difficult for referencing to be taught explicitly so we created a resource students could access any time on an as needs basis.  It’s great for teaching staff too because we’ve created a block that sits within all iLearn Law units,” says Susan.

“The LRM innovates student learning by providing timely, self-paced instruction that enables students’ transition to the study of law at university. It develops their understanding of academic integrity and writing, underpins their academic learning while also equipping them with transferrable skills for lifelong learning and professional success.”

“This is particularly significant in the context of legal education, where students are required to demonstrate that they are fit and proper for admission to legal practice,” says Ilija.

Andrew Pentecost
Sessional staff award

Andrew Pentecost has been a respected team member of Macquarie’s English Language Centre for the last five years. He has a natural grasp for languages which has enabled him to develop into a teacher recognised for patience and clarity with international students.

“In my classes of international students I recognise a dynamic and diverse group of individuals with whom I am about to engage for an intensive period of study. I have developed the skill of creating a community of knowledge by learning all that I can about the students and helping them to learn about each other,” he says.

“I use humour and stories and I show my vulnerability so that they are not afraid to show their vulnerability through the learning process. I have found that this means they enjoy studying English despite having come to Macquarie for their major, not for English as such.”

His fellow teachers are quick to sing his praises with one saying “Andrew’s patience, professionalism and good humour in this stressful and challenging environment were truly commendable.”

Dr Pamela Humphreys, Jose Lara Herrera, Rebecca Wilkinson, Rose Harvey, Luke Thompson, Cecily van der Hout, Lesley Speer and Lesley Sender 
Teaching excellence award

Director of MUIC and ELC, Dr Pamela Humphreys, led this talented team to deliver academic language and learning support to Macquarie degree students.

“There has been considerable scrutiny of the post-entry academic language and learning abilities of students with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in recent years. Language entry levels are set to be adequate for commencement but are not necessarily optimum for graduation as these skills are critical to our students’ academic success and future employability,” says Pamela. “It is therefore incumbent on us to make this everybody’s business, distributed according to our role.”

“The ELC is the University’s English language provider. While its core business for over 30 years has been pre-sessional English language courses, it has also delivered academic language and learning support to Macquarie degree students since 2004, offered on demand and at the request of faculty.

“Over this period, targeted, timely and effective interventions have been provided by our experienced team. We have delivered integrated and embedded academic language and learning support to target issues, transform learning resources, and enhance student outcomes. This has been achieved through a mix of archetypal mechanisms such as diagnostic testing, targeted workshops, co-teaching, embedding, drop-in consultations and the co-marking of assignments with discipline academics.

“In addition to supporting students as the primary stakeholder, this work also encourages and enables academic staff development to better address the needs of EAL cohorts.”

What attracted you to the role of University Librarian at Macquarie, Belinda?

I’ve been a part-time student here for several years, studying in the Arts undergraduate program, so I was already very familiar with the University and knew that it was very student-focused.

The academic library community in Australia is quite small, so I’ve been aware of the great work happening at Macquarie University Library in terms of supporting student success and research – the mission and values of the University really resonate with my own personal and professional beliefs. When the University Librarian position was advertised, I didn’t hesitate to apply.

What drew you to librarianship as a career?

I entered through a fairly circuitous route. While undertaking a research degree I found myself interested in how the information I was using – often material that was several hundred years old – was preserved, organised and made discoverable. That led me to undertaking a graduate diploma in information science and falling almost accidentally into this career.

I’ve stayed because I believe strongly in the core purpose of libraries to make information freely available to everyone. Equitable access to information and education is both a basic human right and a cornerstone of healthy societies. I find it satisfying to feel that I can play a small part in that important purpose.

What role do libraries play in driving student success?

I think libraries are more crucial than ever to student success. Information often seems ubiquitous today – in a way we take it for granted. We can find anything on Google and be updated instantaneously through social media. This type of access to information is amazing, but also fraught. In a world where anyone can create and share information, as consumers we need to be incredibly savvy in understanding the who, how and why behind what we read.

It also requires a level of technical proficiency to be part of this information economy: to know how to find, share, create, post, and use information safely and ethically. That ability – the capacity to be literate in digital information – is vital to students being successful; not just in terms of successfully completing their academic studies, but beyond that into the workplace. I see the library as playing a vital role in helping students acquire those types of transferrable skills that will equip them for university and work.

How do you plan to encourage ‘student-centred design thinking’ in your team?

One of the great things about working in a library is that people are naturally client-focussed – they gravitate to this career because they have a sense of service. Librarians have also been long-term adopters of user-centred design thinking.

In the short time I’ve been here at the Library, I’ve already been made aware of a number of projects and service improvements based on working with our clients to understand their needs. So that student-centred ethos and design thinking methodologies are already well embedded.

I see my role as ensuring our efforts in this space are coordinated, both across the Library and across other student support areas, so students don’t see pockets of great service and support, but have a truly seamless experience.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I studied architecture for two years before realising my talents lay in quite different directions. I still have a keen amateur interest, however, and one of the items at the top of my bucket list is to visit my favourite building, Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye.

What do you like to do for fun outside work?

My family all live in the beautiful Lake Macquarie region, so I’m up there fairly frequently for my fix of amazing beaches.

As an unrepentant nerd, I’m making my way slowly through a degree in Ancient History here at Macquarie so study also usually takes up a lot of my non-work time –  and yes, I do consider that fun!

This week, we take a look at the staff from MUIC and the Library.

Don’t forget to register for the Awards Ceremony as places are filling up fast.

Learning and Teaching

Mr Daniel Lombardo
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Mr Lombardo explains the biggest challenges he has faced in his career stem from the range of language capabilities of the students, and in making the course content exciting by relating it to everyday life.

“I have overcome these challenges by developing teaching material with several levels of embedded language support, implementing innovative assessment strategies and taking a flipped classroom approach,” he says.

Daniel initiates discussions throughout the classroom regarding the everyday applications of particular concepts taught in class and notes that these discussions are typically initiated at the start of a new topic to excite and engage the students, enhancing their learning of the corresponding content.

“The discussions are also useful as they encourage engagement between international and domestic students, forging friendships and creating an overall comfortable learning environment.”

Daniel also takes a flipped classroom approach. “There are many different techniques I use to engage students and enhance their learning. In general, these techniques are focused around encouraging students to analyse different interpretations of problems, identify the differences between them and understand which interpretation is correct.”

Mr Aleksandar Stefanovic
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Mr Stefanovic explains international students face a number of challenges with regards to acculturation such as culture shock and difficulties with language. Alek has employed numerous strategies to guide students through this difficult initial period.

“An important element is to understand the motivators each student has,” he says. “Motivation is commonly regarded as one of the key factors in successful second language acquisition and it can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. The teacher, and the effectiveness of their communicative style, can be an important aspect in motivating students. Through clear communication, I attempt to ascertain the important intrinsic and extrinsic motivators each individual student has and motivate them accordingly.”

Dr Robyn Westcott
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation

In 2016, Dr Westcott led a project team in the Learning Skills Unit (LSU) that secured an internal Innovation and Scholarship Program Grant to design and pilot a student-led writing support program: WriteWISE.

“The WriteWISE program was conceived in response to two key concerns,” Robyn explains. “The first was research into the first-year experience, which showed a sizable minority of all students – 38 per cent – find academic standards at university much higher than expected.

“The second was an unmet demand for formative writing feedback amongst Macquarie’s undergraduate students.”

WriteWISE innovates the North American ‘Writing Centre’ tradition – in which academically successful students are recruited and trained to provide writing instruction to their peers – to the Macquarie context by linking personalised writing support to the completion of assignments in nominated 100-level partner units. The program also assists upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students via a ‘drop-in’ service at the Library Info Desk.

“WriteWISE provides a constructive, community-focused environment in which peer-directed conversations that build students’ confidence as academic writers can flourish. The program’s ongoing success affirms our belief that peer-led learning initiatives empower students and peer leaders alike.”

The Foundation and Diploma Direct Entry Program Team lead by Ms Alejandra Vazquez
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning Innovation

In 2017, the English Language Centre (ELC) decided to re-develop its 10-week Foundation Direct Entry (FDE) and Diploma Direct Entry (DDE) curricula.

“As students studying these programs are diverse in their academic and socio-emotional needs and behaviours, the ELC took an innovative approach that enabled the creation of curricula that were outcome-specific as well as aimed at increasing overall student learning, engagement and experience,” says team leader Alejandra. “Emphasis was heavily placed on technology-enhanced environments, task-based learning (TBL) activities or projects, and combined class activities and excursions.”

Alejandra explains the FDE and DDE courses were developed collaboratively by a team comprising senior teachers, management and selected teachers.

“The design was underpinned by the ELC’s established pedagogical framework, adhering to well-researched pedagogical principles of learning as an active process, with the classroom as a community where students learn by collaborating and sharing, and engage in communication that is meaningful and relevant to their lives. The design also embraced principled eclecticism, where tasks drive learning and determine assessment, yet where focus is placed on both meaning and form, and on both implicit and explicit learning.”

Dr Pamela Humphreys
Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Macquarie University International College (MUIC) Foundation and Diploma students require intentional linguistic and/or academic support via transition pedagogies in order to succeed.

Dr Humphreys explains that in the intensive model delivery (IMD) used at MUIC with six, seven-week terms per year, a different approach to curriculum/assessment design and delivery is required.

“This context posed two challenges from a learning and teaching perspective,” she says. “The need for high quality, scaffolded, standardised curricula, designed at the program level to meet the needs of pathway students; and the upskilling of teaching staff to deliver it.

“I therefore made the business and pedagogical case to engage an Academic Language and Learning (ALL) team and Learning Designers for a curriculum overhaul. I gained approval from the DVCA and Associate Deans Teaching and Learning and Quality and Standards to adapt units for our context, and agreed to share any resulting resources with faculty.

“Teaching staff have received indirect professional development (PD) in curriculum and assessment design during this project, plus direct PD from visiting speakers and a festival of learning and teaching.”

Pamela notes that this work has been underpinned by a learning and teaching philosophy and led to a Teaching Excellence Framework.

Celebrate with your colleagues

Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

When Library Services Coordinator David Di Muro and Library Shelver Siobhan Kelly had the idea to offer library staff a crash course in learning Auslan, they had no idea the interest it would generate.

“Having Siobhan on my team inspired me to start learning Auslan,” said David. “I’m getting better all the time but she has been incredibly patient with me.”

Auslan is the sign language of the Australian Deaf community. It is a visual form of communication developed by, and for, Australians who are deaf or hearing impaired. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012), one in six Australians are affected by hearing loss. There are approximately 30,000 Deaf Auslan users with total hearing loss.

As a result of Siobhan and David’s sessions over half the library’s staff have learned the basics of Auslan, including the alphabet and basic conversation. Further sessions were scheduled following increased demand.

“The enthusiasm in the sessions has been great,” says Siobhan, who is also a native signer. She adds that the increased signing ability among staff has allowed her to be more engaged with her co-workers and happenings in the library. Staff are also able to better communicate with users of the library who sign.

Library Services Manager Emma Lawler says learning the basics of Auslan was an important way to encourage workplace cohesion.

“We try to encourage an inclusive workplace,” she says. “This means making an effort to learn other ways to communicate instead of assuming that others should adjust.”

Library Content and Communications Coordinator Brendan Krige adds that learning Auslan has also been a great team building exercise.

“It’s one of those things that staff can do together,” he says. “And we have a lot of fun doing it!”

For more information about AUSLAN see Auslan Signbank  or The Deaf Society of NSW.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC).

Macquarie University Library ranked fourth out of 20 comparable university libraries around the world in a global benchmarking survey undertaken earlier this year. The internationally recognised LibQUAL+ survey asks library users to rate the quality of services, resources and facilities at their higher education library.

University Librarian JoAnne Sparks said the result was a tribute to the dedication and professionalism of library staff.

“I am delighted to see all the focus and effort put in by library staff is having a positive impact on our users,” she said. “But it doesn’t stop here. We are committed to continually improving what we do to meet the changing needs of University staff and students.”

 Macquarie’s results showed that:

• 93 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the overall quality of the service provided. 
• Users rated library staff highly in response to statements such as “Library staff have the knowledge to answer user questions.”
  
• There were notable increases in satisfaction (compared to the 2014 survey) on the statements “The library provides me with the information skills I need in my work or study” and “The library helps me distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources.”
• More people are using both the physical and virtual library on a more frequent basis than two years ago.
• Users identified “Quiet space for individual work” as an ideal the library should continue to aim for.

Although the survey has finished, the library always appreciates feedback from users. You can leave online feedback, talk to library staff or make a suggestion in a feedback box. 

Further survey highlights can be viewed here. For more information, email the Library Assessment Coordinator Medwenna Buckland.