Connecting Minds – It Takes a Village. A Recap of the THETA 2017 Conference

Echo360 Learning Technologist Alison Maloney shares her insights in this recap of the THETA 2017 Conference held in Auckland, New Zealand. Echo360 was used to record all keynote presentations and conference sessions.

 “Alone we are smart. Together we are brilliant.” – Steven Anderson

Japanese Honey Bees have a process of communication and collaboration within the hive to swarm an invading Chinese wasp and collectively vibrate to gradually increase the temperature to 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Japanese honey bees can handle 118 degrees whereas the wasp can only handle 116 degrees. Therefore, the bees survive and the wasp burns up. Clever!

That kind of adaptability is enviable at a time when technology is evolving faster than our ability to keep up. Moore’s Law was frequently referred to during THETA 2017 (Moore extrapolated that computing would dramatically increase in power, and decrease in relative cost, at an exponential pace) along with the message that these fast changes were offering us great opportunity as well as causing great disruption.

THETA, The Higher Education Technology Agenda, is held every two years, with the aim of advancing higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.  This year, the humble honey bee was chosen as the conference mascot for its integral role in the world’s ecosystem and to represent technology as a critical element in education. Just as bees help our existence, technology helps education.  If our technology infrastructure is not stable, there is a corresponding detrimental impact on everything that depends on it.

During her keynote session, Technology and education, what will the future hold?, Michelle Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, reminded us that while digital technology keeps changing, the way we learn has not changed.

“You need to remember it’s not about the device, rather what the device can help provide,” Dickinson says. Digital technology is about access; how do you get the information you need to the place you need to be (not necessarily between four walls) between those who speak the same language or study the same thing?”

Libraries Become Centres for Digital Literacy and Learning

Through presentations representing a great deal of planning and collaboration on the part of diverse groups across institutions, it became clear that Library and Informational Technology services are becoming more attuned to students and staff who need anywhere, anytime access to a variety of content and services as well as a capacity to handle the increasing volume of data created by researchers. Adding open access conversations to that, the roles of academic librarians are evolving as they become more involved in the teaching and learning of more authentic experiences as well as the development of the ever more critical, digital literacies.

One clear example is how technology – and collaboration – has enabled Curtin Library to bring new life to a 30-year-old special collection centred around Jon Sanders Triple Circumnavigation of the world. Along with the traditional exhibit of the material, they also used technology to re-enact the 600-day journey via social media.

Digital Learning Sparks Transformation in Education

The audience vote for best presentation (outside of a keynote or featured speaker) went to Andy McBride, User Experience Designer, for his presentation, “Creating a Digital Workplace Relevant to all Staff.” He went on to demonstrate key features from QUT’s new digital workplace and was one of many to talk about how his university was tackling the importance of a strongly integrated and personalised virtual environment that has many audiences and must suit many needs.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University presented their digital transformation initiative to create an ideal digital learning environment for students. The motto of Hong Kong Polytechnic University is “to learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”. They have taken virtual desktops to a new level where specialist software can be delivered anywhere, anytime and on any device to suit students who are learning in coffee shops across Hong Kong and not in the limited space of the University.

These two great examples of transformation have taken great collaboration. Collaboration of course, is reliant on people. The people, remember, are more important than the technology.

Information Technology as a Strategic Asset to Manage Disruption

While some feel unease about the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it will force change, Paul Bonnington pointed out in his featured speaker session on advances in digital instrumentation, “it is important to get the humans into the environment – a researcher with good visualization will see patterns that a computer wouldn’t see”.

If we can no longer predict the next ‘big thing’ in technology or the roles available to our students in the future, then it is imperative that we offer students more than content; what is critical is that students have skills that will allow them to adapt more quickly and to recognise that their future relies on lifelong learning.

Finishing his keynote on the Top Issues Facing IT in 2017, “I never try to teach my students anything. I only try to create an environment in which they can learn”, Dr John O’Brien pointed out that all of the change we are currently facing is pointing toward a learning environment that is exciting, engaging, different and inspirational. He also made it very clear that if we are to succeed, we cannot operate in silos; Information Technology needs to be a strategic asset as opposed to a utility and therefore should be part of the strategic planning conversations and not an outside group or service that we reach out to.

Sue Roberts from the University of Auckland discussed how vision and strategy are still critical in a time of uncertainty (a VUCA environment) and how stakeholder involvement and engagement are of significance.

Using Technology to Create Community

“We are in the business of hope”, said Professor Pare Keiha from the Auckland University of Technology during his keynote session, Disruptive Transformation: A Student-Centric View of Innovations in Teaching and Learning. “Every student and parent wants a better life for themselves, if not their communities.”  Posing the idea, ‘imagine if we made a simple commitment to give our students everything they need – available on the mobile device’, Professor Keiha highlighted the capabilities of how universities can both partner with entrepreneurs and challenge their students to use digital technology, especially with mobile devices, to enhance skills and give back to the communities.

Through research, enquiry and communication, students become co-creators and communities use that knowledge for their own economic development.  Some examples created through collaboration include all content provided via QR codes, Personal Training curriculum provided entirely on the app and apps that can be bought by tourists to gain knowledge about a region.

This keynote was not alone in connecting teaching, research and community involvement. Sessions discussing how Augmented Reality (AR) can support design as well as connect students with the community brought the focus back to our students and their unpredictable futures. Students, who will have access to – and be involved in – the next generation of innovation during study will be expected to arrive at their opportunity for post graduate employment with those ideas in hand and be leaders from the beginning.

Transforming Large Classes by Increasing Student Participation and Engagement

Some sessions focused directly on student learning and how we can promote engagement for large cohorts. Kulari Lokuge and Sharon Whippy from Monash college demonstrated how they increased engagement among a large cohort of international students through pre- and post-class activities as well as the use of quizzes during class for comprehension. Data and analytics captured during students’ interaction with Echo360 were used to guide students and instructors to enhance academic performance and learning experiences.

During his plenary session, Dr Colin Montpetit from Ottawa University, demonstrated how he transforms his large lecture classes using active learning methods. Using the features of Echo360’s active learning platform, student engagement increased and grades improved in his classes.

Concluding day two, ‘The Great Debate: Do Universities’ Best Days Lie Ahead?’, was a showcase of the humour, experience, thought and leadership that Sue Coulter from the Programme Committee thanked everyone for bringing to the conference.

As the number one biennial conference in Australasia for Information Technology, Teaching and Learning, Library and Knowledge practitioners in higher education and research, I watched this conference with great anticipation and it did not disappoint. Strong examples of what can be achieved with technology and how collaborating with your institutes IT expertise as strategic partners can impact the ability to adapt. As I was not in New Zealand while this conference was being run, I accessed the captures from the comfort of my office in Perth and as such, was able to watch concurrent sessions so that I saw more of the conference than anyone attending. Not only that, the affordances of the capture mean that I have been able to re-watch sections of my favourite sessions to increase the learning opportunity. This was made possible through Echo360.

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