This discussion presents findings from 24 higher education institutions (HEIs), recommendations regarding the benchmarks themselves and for university practice, potential expansion of the benchmark methodology to provide more capacity to create and use data to evidence student learning in a technology enhanced learning (TEL) environment. Design/Methodology/Approach: These are preliminary results of a major benchmarking activity that is designed to be part of a continuing program that is still under review. Results are provided through frequency distribution and illustrative qualitative information gleaned from two surveys provided participants, one during the collaborative session between participants from the 24 HEIs and nine months later. An analysis of the data in the form of recommendations is also provided. Practical implications: Firstly, Australia's Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency (TEQSA) is expanding the use of benchmarking activities at HEIs as part of their quality assurance practice to meet regulatory compliance requirements. The use of the ACODE Benchmarks facilitates therefore assists HEIs meet their regulatory compliance obligations. Secondly, Originality/value: ACODE is one of the few international agencies focusing on TEL benchmarks, criteria, guidelines or standards. A number of the participating HEIs are considered leading practitioners of learning and teaching in TEL and thus they not only inform but help shape the values and inform QA agencies of appropriate practice that should be embedded within the standards and/or practices that generate recognition of HEI practice.

Micro-credentials research, which includes digital badges, is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the implementation, portability and sustainability of the ecology of meaningful delivery. This paper reviews literature relevant to understanding connections between universities’ intent to offer micro-credentials and the environment that is needed to do so. From this integrated study, the paper distils a number of core concerns and identifies some gaps in the literature. One of its primary goals is to clear the ground for the construction of a technical model of micro-credentialing implementation that can be used by the various stakeholders involved in the design and evaluation of new micro-awards. A closely related goal is to help those participating in micro-credentialing research to locate and understand each other’s contributions, as fragmentation in research related to micro-credentials makes progress in the field slow. Hence, this review draws together research in the field to identify research foci and gaps, and then also capture some work by micro-credentialing researchers that directly attempts to model the main relationships in the field. The paper ends with a summary of implications for practice, especially for the Australasian higher education context

This paper reports on the findings of senior leadership interviews in a nationally funded project on distributed leadership in the quality management of online learning environments (OLEs) in higher education. Questions were framed around the development of an OLE quality management framework and the situation of the characteristics of distributed leadership at the core of the framework. The project's premise is that distributed leadership is a descriptive reality of managing OLEs given the various leadership parties involved and the complexities of the contemporary technological landscape. It was believed that enhancing distributed leadership would become more pressing given the ever-changing nature of elearning, and the associated competitive dynamics at work. Leaders' understandings of distributed leadership were examined-its nature, value and potential for advancing the quality management of OLEs. There was confirmatory evidence of its reality, but its meaning and value were not uncritically accepted. Discerning its practice was not unproblematic, along with institutional strategies that have and could be implemented to build such organizational leadership capacity. It can be concluded that building distributed leadership must start through deliberative formal leadership commitment and action starting at the highest levels of the institution.

The paper presents the findings of the first year of a nationally funded Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) project on the quality management of online learning environments by and through distributed leadership. The project is being undertaken by five Australian universities with major commitments to online and distance education. Each university, however, has a distinctive location, history and profile in the sector. The first year of the project has seen the development of a quality management framework with six interrelated elements. The framework is being applied, refined and validated in the second year of the project. Allied with the development of the framework, was the conduct of focus groups at each of the five partner institutions in the middle of the first year. These focus groups composed a range of staff involved collectively in the leadership of the organisation's online learning environment. Prominence was given to the nature and value of strategic planning, due diligence conducted in selecting and mainstreaming technologies, evaluation approaches informing decision making, and the various relationships between different leadership levels and domains. A number of key issues which emerged relating to the elements identified in the framework are examined.

The movement toward utilising multimedia learning environments in teaching has increased dramatically in recent years.  This chapter reports on current research trends relevant to the development of these environments. Specifically analyzing issues related to designing for an ever increasing multiliterate clientele. It highlights the use of multiple representations and investigates some cognitive constraints present when displaying this information.  Lastly, when learners are given a level of choice in accessing materials they may be further empowered in their knowledge acquisition. An understanding of these basic concepts will play an important role in our approach to Instructional Design. Therefore a set of recommendations is made for the design of these materials.

The three case studies in this paper show how flipped classroom approaches can facilitate the renewal of university teaching. The case studies form part of a scholarship of teaching and learning that provides opportunities for educators to learn from the experiences of others. Descriptions of course preparation illuminate the application of constructivist pedagogy, the affordances of a range of learning technologies, and a role for university teachers that facilitates their students' engagement with learning. The cases outline the application of flipped classroom approaches at early and later stages of students' learning journeys and show how they introduce parity of learning experiences for on-campus and off-campus students. The case studies show how flipped classroom approaches can be an instrument of change, forming part of institution-wide planning for coherent and effective student learning journeys. They reveal the importance of an infrastructure of learning technologies to facilitate active and interactive learning and the significance of professional development and organized support teams, including technology experts, librarians and instructional designers, in preparing the groundwork for teachers and students using flipped classroom methodologies.

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