Social media toolkit

NATA / CADAD proposal:

Project Title:

Connecting Leaders of Australian University Academic Development Units through the medium of Social Media to harness the wisdom of the network and enhance knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas

Project purpose:

The aim of the project is to develop a social media toolkit that will contribute to the development of capability and enhance connectivity between Directors of Academic Development units in Australian Universities.  This will be achieved by integrating social media into the current communication strategy and developing the digital literacy of Directors with the aim of harnessing the wisdom and experience of this group.

Project background:

The mission of CADAD is to promote and advance research, policy and practice as it relates to the leadership, management and development of higher education learning and teaching.   Among other things it aims is to foster collaboration among central units within higher education institutions and create and support professional development, career development, and networking opportunities for Australia’s community of academic developers.  In recent times Social Media platforms have gained significant traction in becoming the communication and networking tool of choice for many professional communities and networks.  Indeed Social Media tools have become an integrated feature of the contemporary university educator’s teaching toolkit. As designated leaders in the University learning and teaching space, ADU directors need to be ahead of the curve and model current best practice in the implementation of such tools.     The uptake of social media would also provide an opportunity to connect and network with other professional groups operating in the Tertiary Educators support space such as ACODE, ASCILITE and CAUDIT.

CADAD members meet in a face to face forum twice a year to discuss current developments and challenges in Tertiary Education.  The issue of Social Media as a tool to progress these conversations has been on the collective radar for some time.  A small number of directors have established a social media presence and there appears to be an appetite among members to explore the possibilities of this medium to leverage a richer dialogue and connectivity between directors.  Recent work has seen the renewal of the CADAD website but members are keen to develop their capability and usage of Social Media tools to connect with each other to disseminate information, seek support, and collaborate on projects.

Project approach:

This project will explore the development of a Social Media toolkit to enhance the capability of Directors of Academic Development Units to engage with each other for the purposes of sharing expertise and disseminating information and learning.

Expected outcomes and outputs:

1. Environmental Scan on what Social Media applications other similar networks and professional support groups are using for the purposes of communication and professional development
2. An outline of discernible benefits identified by the groups surveyed
3. A needs analysis of capability development requirements across all CADAD member institutions
4. An online toolkit for Academic Development Unit leaders on how to engage with and incorporate a range of social media tools to enhance connectivity

RISK ANALYSIS: