Report
Demonstrating distributed leadership through cross-disciplinary peer networks: Responding to climate change complexity
Final Report to the Australian Learning and Teaching Council
Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd., an initiative of the Australian Government.
2011
Abstract
The ALTC project reported here, Demonstrating Distributed Leadership Through CrossDisciplinary Peer Networks: Responding to Climate Change Complexity extended a successful pilot project at the University of Tasmania. Hereafter referred to as Leadership Networks for Climate Change (LNCC), the project created cross-disciplinary teaching networks at four higher education institutions; the University of Wollongong, the University of New South Wales, Murdoch University and the University of Tasmania. These networks of around eight to twenty teaching staff employed a ‘communities of practice’ approach, whereby tight-knit teams of teachers from diverse disciplines collaborated around an issue of shared concern. This LNCC model identified two key network roles: that of the catalyst or ‘activator’ and that of the facilitator or ‘integrator’. While activators were involved in the original grant application and held teaching positions at each institution, integrators were employed using the resources of the ALTC grant.
Each network developed collaborative teaching approaches to the goal of promoting interdisciplinary student learning about climate change. As participation was voluntary, the project relied upon the intrinsic motivation of network members and opportunities created by the paid position of network integrator. Some networks also included research staff, academic developers and students. Rather than imposing a predetermined pedagogy of interdisciplinary teaching about climate change, the LNCC model was primarily aimed at helping teaching staff to innovate within existing teaching structures and workloads. Innovation took a variety of forms, including team-teaching, sharing of teaching materials, the use of a common problem in the curriculum of units in different disciplines, collaboration between students in different disciplines, student-staff collaboration in curriculum design and delivery and public communication by staff and students on the topic of climate change.
Details
- Title
- Demonstrating distributed leadership through cross-disciplinary peer networks: Responding to climate change complexity
- Authors/Creators
- Aidan DavisonEmma PharoKristin WarrPamela Abuodha (Contributor)Davina Boyd (Contributor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Farming SystemsPaul A BrownPeter Devereux (Contributor)A. Egan (Contributor)Gail Hart (Contributor)Millie Rooney (Contributor)Sarah Terkes (Contributor)
- Publication Details
- Final Report to the Australian Learning and Teaching Council
- Publisher
- Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd., an initiative of the Australian Government. ; Sydney, NSW
- Number of pages
- 88
- Identifiers
- 991005656369807891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University; Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
- Resource Type
- Report
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