With today's business environments no longer confined to national borders, much work is undertaken in global virtual teams. Such teams consist of members located in different countries that communicate via technology media to complete a project task. Much of the research in this area has been focused on the technological aspects of such environments; there is, however, a lack of research into the behavioral aspects and the issue of cultural differences in particular.It has been acknowledged that when cultural diversity is neither recognized nor acted upon, significant challenges can arise for the team. Current advice in the literature suggests that team members should adapt their normal working behavior in consideration of cultural differences. However, there is little indication of how team members should do so. This study investigated if and/or how team members adapt their behavior in cross-cultural virtual teams.The results of this study indicate that team members can adapt their behavior in both spoken and written communication as well as allowing for religious beliefs and time zone differences. This paper discusses specifically how behavior can be adapted, including a discussion of behaviors that caused concern. Finally, a framework of behavioral adaptations is presented for ways to improve cross-cultural virtual team interactions.

As online learning environments continue to evolve, both teachers and students need to adapt to make the most of opportunities afforded by these environments for teaching and learning. The focus of this paper is on the changing role undertaken by tutors in online learning environments. We present a brief review of the current perspectives on the roles and responsibilities suggested for the e-tutor for effective teaching, and then report on a study where roles of e-tutors in a large wholly online unit were examined. The study supports the view that although the role of the e-tutor is similar to that of the face to face tutor in some respects, there are sufficient differences to make e-tutoring challenging to those who have not undertaken such online activities previously. Ongoing professional development is required to meet the changing demands of the technological environment, as well as the changing needs of students. IntroductionOver the last two decades teaching in most Australian tertiary institutions has shifted from a purely face to face environment to one which is online or a blending of the two. Online environments continue to evolve as newer technologies make more sophisticated online delivery possible. Current online learning environments (OLEs) support interactivity, communication, participation and collaboration, as well as student engagement in authentic learning tasks.While these online environments continue to change, the desire to ensure effective student learning is taking place remains. Ramsden (1992) argues that effective teaching facilitates effective learning by students. Consequently the quality of the teaching is important in any learning environment to ensure that outcomes for students are optimal. Strategies for successful teaching require teachers to continually adapt to the learning environment within which they operate (Salmon, 2002). Wilson and Stacey (2004) and Dixon, Dixon and Axmann (2008), among others, suggest that the provision of professional development for academic staff is continually required as OLEs develop and change.The overall aim of this study was to identify characteristics of effective tutors in online learning environments. In this paper the roles of e-tutors as described in the literature were reviewed. These roles were then compared to those adopted by teaching staff in a large, wholly online unit at an Australian tertiary institution. The lessons learned from this study have highlighted implications for teaching practice in such online learning environments. Goold, Coldwell and Craig 705 BackgroundAccording to the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) the use of casual staff in the tertiary education sector in Australia is increasing. Over the period 1995 to 2005 casual staff increased by 54% while permanent staff increased by 23% (NTEU, 2007). NTEU suggests that the increasing use of casual staff to fulfil teaching commitments has resulted from the devolved budget models currently popular in tertiary institutions.The traditional learning environment in Austr...

Despite over 20 years of intervention programmes, the gender balance in the computing profession is not improving. It has been suggested that the problem with much of the research on gender and computing is that it is undertheorised. The contribution of this study is an evaluation framework, designed to evaluate gender and computing interventions, which will advance the theorisation of research through programme evaluation. This study was undertaken in three phases: The first involved theory building through an extensive review of the literature resulting in a conceptual framework for intervention programme evaluation. The second phase consisted of a multiple-case study of 14 major intervention programmes in Australia. Subsequent modifications to the conceptual framework resulted in the gender and computing intervention evaluation framework. The value of the framework was confirmed in phase three by intervention experts and showed that applying the framework will help programme champions to evaluate their programmes more thoroughly. The dissemination of sound evaluation results will then enable a deeper theorisation of the issues surrounding gender and computing interventions.

The extensive introduction of online technologies to support teaching and learning is impacting how teachers teach and students learn. It is also affecting both teaching staff's and students' perceptions of what each others' roles are. The research reported here is part of a larger study that explored different aspects of teaching and learning in online environments. This study was undertaken within an Australian university and involved an institution-wide survey of students. The paper reports on students' perceptions of their roles as online learners and the expectations they have of online teachers. The outcomes of the research suggest that different cohorts of students have different expectations. These expectations are informed by their mode of study and also by their perceptions of how staff engage with online teaching. Recommendations include proactive management of student expectations by staff, as well as a commitment by staff to meet those expectations.

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