title: Bridging disciplinary boundaries through facilitated teaching partnerships

authors: Jolley, Alison

subjects: academic development

abstract: In times of increasing workload, even the most well-intentioned of staff may struggle to dedicate time to reflect on and develop their teaching practices. One accessible and important way to engage in this work is through conversations with colleagues. Prior work suggests that even informal conversations can help several dimensions of teaching and learning – enabling colleagues to better manage practicalities, improve their practice, be reassured about their approaches, vent about events, and transform their mindsets. We describe a structured model for facilitating collegial conversations that might not otherwise happen organically. Participants of the ‘Teaching Partnerships Initiative’ (n=14) were assembled into duos or trios with similar teaching and learning interests, but different academic disciplines. With support from an academic developer, participants worked together to articulate their goals and progress then reflect on both over four to six months. Projects included enhancing engagement of online learners, developing more inclusive assessments, and creating interactive activities. Here, we present reflections from three participants on the impact that this work has had on their teaching development, both immediately and approximately 18 months after the initiative. Participants reported multiple benefits, including prompting changes in practice, affirming existing practice, receiving peer feedback from an ‘outside’ perspective, having accountability, and creating tangible teaching resources (activities and assessments). Alongside participant reflections, we present facilitator perspectives and contextualise our results within the wider academic development literature. We also discuss recommendations for future initiatives based on our findings, including intentionally partnering colleagues from different disciplines, balancing structure and flexibility, and providing choice for participants to focus on topics driven by their own specific interests.

text: Bridging disciplinary boundaries through facilitated teaching partnerships In times of increasing workload, even the most well-intentioned of staff may struggle to dedicate time to reflect on and develop their teaching practices. One accessible and important way to engage in this work is through conversations with colleagues. Prior work suggests that even informal conversations can help several dimensions of teaching and learning – enabling colleagues to better manage practicalities, improve their practice, be reassured about their approaches, vent about events, and transform their mindsets. We describe a structured model for facilitating collegial conversations that might not otherwise happen organically. Participants of the ‘Teaching Partnerships Initiative’ (n=14) were assembled into duos or trios with similar teaching and learning interests, but different academic disciplines. With support from an academic developer, participants worked together to articulate their goals and progress then reflect on both over four to six months. Projects included enhancing engagement of online learners, developing more inclusive assessments, and creating interactive activities. Here, we present reflections from three participants on the impact that this work has had on their teaching development, both immediately and approximately 18 months after the initiative. Participants reported multiple benefits, including prompting changes in practice, affirming existing practice, receiving peer feedback from an ‘outside’ perspective, having accountability, and creating tangible teaching resources (activities and assessments). Alongside participant reflections, we present facilitator perspectives and contextualise our results within the wider academic development literature. We also discuss recommendations for future initiatives based on our findings, including intentionally partnering colleagues from different disciplines, balancing structure and flexibility, and providing choice for participants to focus on topics driven by their own specific interests.

year: 2025

title: 15 yr of interstellar neutral hydrogen observed with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer

authors: Galli, A

abstract: The interactions of our heliosphere with the surrounding local interstellar medium (LISM) lead to a range of observable phenomena such as energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) from the boundary regions of the heliosphere and the influx of interstellar neutrals (ISNs) into the inner solar system. Hydrogen is the dominant neutral species in the LISM, but due to ionization and radiation pressure, only a fraction of the ISN H atoms reach the inner solar system close to Earth. Monitoring this signal therefore provides observational constraints on our assumptions of the LISM and the solar-activity-dependent loss processes inside the heliosphere. The IBEX-Lo instrument on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer has been the only instrument so far to measure ISN H atoms directly, together with ISN D, He, Ne, O, and ENAs in the energy range from tens of eV to 2 keV. This study covers 15 yr of IBEX-Lo ISN H observations, i.e., more than one solar cycle and includes two solar minima when the ISN H signal in IBEX-Lo is strongest. Despite the very intense ISN He signal, the ISN H signal can be retrieved with appropriate knowledge of the instrument, choice of optimum observation season, and supporting modeling. The retrieved ISN H signal shows a clear anticorrelation with solar activity. The resulting ISN H maps are available in orbit format and in ecliptic coordinates and will be the basis for future more detailed comparison with heliosphere models.

text: 15 yr of interstellar neutral hydrogen observed with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer The interactions of our heliosphere with the surrounding local interstellar medium (LISM) lead to a range of observable phenomena such as energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) from the boundary regions of the heliosphere and the influx of interstellar neutrals (ISNs) into the inner solar system. Hydrogen is the dominant neutral species in the LISM, but due to ionization and radiation pressure, only a fraction of the ISN H atoms reach the inner solar system close to Earth. Monitoring this signal therefore provides observational constraints on our assumptions of the LISM and the solar-activity-dependent loss processes inside the heliosphere. The IBEX-Lo instrument on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer has been the only instrument so far to measure ISN H atoms directly, together with ISN D, He, Ne, O, and ENAs in the energy range from tens of eV to 2 keV. This study covers 15 yr of IBEX-Lo ISN H observations, i.e., more than one solar cycle and includes two solar minima when the ISN H signal in IBEX-Lo is strongest. Despite the very intense ISN He signal, the ISN H signal can be retrieved with appropriate knowledge of the instrument, choice of optimum observation season, and supporting modeling. The retrieved ISN H signal shows a clear anticorrelation with solar activity. The resulting ISN H maps are available in orbit format and in ecliptic coordinates and will be the basis for future more detailed comparison with heliosphere models.

year: 2025-04-14

title: Maori thinking with a dead white male: Philosophizing in the realm of Novalis

authors: Mika, Carl Te Hira

subjects: Novalis

abstract: In this paper I shall discuss my experiences of referring to Novalis in the context of Maori postcolonialism and metaphysical philosophy. As with other methods of research, from a Maori perspective one always alights on and then carries the effects of the philosopher that stands behind the method, whether the philosopher is silent or explicit. This important onto-epistemological interaction, in a general sense, acknowledges for the indigenous person that one is always ‘within’ the world and not detached from it. The maligned dead white male hence unavoidably becomes the highly constructive, living impulse behind what is to become fresh and innovative indigenous thinking.

text: Maori thinking with a dead white male: Philosophizing in the realm of Novalis In this paper I shall discuss my experiences of referring to Novalis in the context of Maori postcolonialism and metaphysical philosophy. As with other methods of research, from a Maori perspective one always alights on and then carries the effects of the philosopher that stands behind the method, whether the philosopher is silent or explicit. This important onto-epistemological interaction, in a general sense, acknowledges for the indigenous person that one is always ‘within’ the world and not detached from it. The maligned dead white male hence unavoidably becomes the highly constructive, living impulse behind what is to become fresh and innovative indigenous thinking.

year: 2014