# data[].attributes.body
- Things that are not working or helping.

- Things that impede or are not practical.

- Not delivering desired results.

- Things that are disliked with good reason.

# data[].attributes.body
- Things that are not in place but should be done.

- Things to begin doing to get better results.

- Things worth trying or experimenting for better results.

_ What would support staff comfort in voicing opinions different to others? E.g new platforms.

# data[].attributes.body
- Things that are working well.

- Things that we want to keep or expand upon.

- Worth continuing to see if they are worthwhile.

- We like or need.

- Conversations with Manager about performance – continue, but seek staff input on what they consider to be the right format of such conversations

# data[].attributes.body
- Positive behaviours that make an impact.

- Recognition for positive modelling.

- Achievements and accomplishments.

- Good news stories.

# data[].attributes.body
Shifts in attitudes and changes in processes/procedures relating to early childhood prac placements - stricter requirements and expectations of students is really clarifying the role of university advisors and SULOs, plus it's lifting the standards of SCU students on prac. I'm hopeful we'll see the reputation of our placement students improve with this improved stringency.

The addition of support staff (e.g. assistant Unit Assessors) in large units. This takes a lot of burden from the UA and provides more support to students - things like having an extra person to monitor Discussion Boards means students can get faster responses to queries. This also fosters sustainability in our teams - assistant UAs learn the ropes behind the scenes and can develop their skills to take on the role themselves in the future.

# data[].attributes.body
The education faculty (especially EC) are such a friendly, funny group who really love what they do. The support across these teams to achieve work/life balance is amazing to witness - a real sense of solidarity and priority placed on family time is welcome and refreshing.

Using Teams as a way to connect remote staff has had a huge impact, mostly positive but it also creates balance challenges for staff who only work casual hours. We need to reinforce for them that it's okay to snooze these and catch up when it suits them - we don't expect markers to be fielding Teams chat messages at all hours before assignments are even due!

Markers' training was fabulous - what happened to that? There seems to be new markers coming in again who don't know how; are unit staff supposed to be teaching them again?

Tutors being provided amazing resources for their tutorials and workshops is absolutely incredible! Other unis don't necessarily do this. The quality of slides and preparation Unit Assessors put in is remarkable.

# data[].attributes.body
Prac placements continue to be a shambles in EC. Student numbers are exploding yet we are already at capacity with prac placements. Reassurance is needed here - what steps have been taken to ensure there are enough placements for all these new students (especially given there is a history of shortfall here)? Stop enrolling students without the ability to support them (either in units or on placement).

Vetting of placement sites seems non-existent. I realise this is challenging but it seems any site that says yes gets a student; uni advisors are constantly discovering sites have no ECT or are manipulating the system to have their employees pretending to be on placement. Stop signing up sites without any kind of vetting.

Turnaround times for assessments aren't on par with other institutions' expectations. Many staff could take on far more marking if longer turnarounds were considered. Staff marking outside their specialist teaching area to fill the marker shortages is concerning in terms of consistency. Stop expecting 1000 students to be marked in one week or with a team of 30+ markers (both are impossible to manage).

Collaborate has such limited functionality in terms of presentations. PDF seems to be the only stable format and tutes seem bland without anything graphic or animated. Another reason to consider recorded tutes - tutors can create amazing presentations with other software and present more engaging slides if they aren't reliant on Collaborate Ultra. Stop relying on Collaborate Ultra for delivery.

Workshops with hundreds of students is a contradiction-in-terms and creates technical glitches, students unable to sign in and then unit staff scrambling to respond to their questions. Students will have very negative feedback about this and they deserve better. Stop the unlimited cap on unit numbers without any consideration for logistics.

# data[].attributes.body
When staff are approached by UA's to mark, they often commit to a number (e.g 30), which means they then knock back other units. They sign a contract for 30 and this is work/pay they are expecting. As unit continues, students may drop out and this number could drop drastically down to half of allocated load. This means marker is receiving half the pay they agreed to. Whilst I understand this is difficult, as a marker it is extremely frustrating to have this happen, as you set aside time to support the uni, but then through no fault of your own, your pay is drastically reduced,

# data[].attributes.body
Recorded tutes or workshops with optional drop-in sessions. In large cohorts, the notion that tutes/WSs can be "interactive" is absurd - we can barely keep on top of the questions. Students usually want content, in a condensed but engaging format, but not necessarily the option to share or do activities in the midst of that. This is probably a return to the old lecture+tute model but there's a reason it works for large groups!

For staff to share opinions, they need truly anonymous platforms to share opinions. I think there's also a lot of challenge for newcomers in knowing the chain of command - who to ask for help, where to go for questions... it's very confusing and overwhelming especially for remote staff. One idea might be a printable "faces" page for new staff - who the main players are, what their roles are, photos, etc

Casual or new staff may not feel their voice is valid but sometimes they have fresh insights or can give good feedback on recruitment and induction. This is perhaps an untapped wealth of feedback. Let them know when seeking feedback that we want theirs, not to just delete emails thinking it's not for them ;)

# data[].attributes.body
We bend over backwards supporting our students- yet they take very little responsibility for their own learning. In a large unit I have recently taught in, many students did not attend a single tutorial or workshop. They did not access support materials such as explainer videos, then place quite rude messages on Discussion Board demanding help as they don't understand tasks. As tutors and markers we bend over backwards trying to help these students- but where is their accountability? I know this is a common problem across many units, and I understand that compulsory participation may be difficult to monitor, but I am a little frustrated by students who turn up for the last 5% before assessment tasks demanding support. We need to find a system where teachers are not the only ones accountable for students work/results. It really concerns me as well when they go out on placement as they have not engaged with units and then schools complain about the poor standard of SCU students. It is actually damaging our reputation in schools. We need to find a system that is fair and equitable and sets our students up for success in schools.

# data[].attributes.headline
Make students more accountable for their own learning

# data[].attributes.subject
Make students more accountable for their own learning

# data[].attributes.body
Find ways that participation is rewarded- that students who do actively involve themselves in tutorials/ workshops/ activities benefit- and there should be some type of accountability. Our modules are not a joke-a lot of hard work goes into planning, teaching, monitoring etc, yet many students treat them like a 5 minute tick a box they look at in Week 3 and week 6.

# data[].attributes.body
Undermining markers opinions and override student grades when students clearly did not meet the criteria outlined by the rubrics Unit Assessors set themselves. Or markers should not be encouraged to find reasons to pass students for the sake of passing them, when students did not submit appropriate assessments.

# data[].attributes.body
The introduction of a new syllabus is always a big change; the UAs who teach in the English units have introduced this new syllabus with a course that engages learners and provides them with access to resources which can support their knowledge and understanding in ways that are transferrable to the classroom. Assignments that can be transferred to the classroom prepare our learners for their future careers, and in some subjects, this is done very well.

# data[].attributes.body
Please start recognising casual academics for their real contributions - many of us spend more than 30 minutes grading assignments, and more than the two hours we are allocated moderating assessments. If the university wants student-centered, constructive feedback, please pay casuals for their time. We sometimes also have knowledge and experience in specialist areas, which we would love to contribute. Let us know if you are writing a new unit, or updating a current one. We might have some research, information or experiences which can help foster engagement and participation.

Learners thrive in tutorials where they feel they are heard; perhaps capping tutorial numbers would support that interaction, so that all learners feel heard and valued, and not just part of the system. In very content-heavy units, such as units focused on the new syllabus, drop-in sessions and active discussion boards foster shared knowledge, experience and understanding which benefits everyone.

# data[].attributes.body
If Unit Assessors are taking over a unit from another Unit Assessor who has done a good job in the past, please don't make inappropriate comments about the previous Unit Assessors work, when it was more than fine to begin with.

# data[].attributes.body
As noted above, casuals need to be fairly compensated for their time and effort, as well as their knowedge and skills. We work hard, often long into the night due to the one week turnaround. Giving us two weekends to mark assessments would make a huge difference. Support markers to do the best they can with reasonable deadlines and moderation meeting which provide clear guidance and support.

Casual academics also need to be recognised as professionals. Not all students will pass; this is not a reflection on the teaching staff, but is often an indicator of the effort and engagement of the individual student. Don't look for extra marks to pass a student, let them fail if it is deserved and don't undermine markers if their grade is justified by the rubric.

Engagement and participation by some students is clearly an ongoing issue. We need to encourage learners to meaningfully engage with unit materials and participate in the offered tutorials and workshops. Allowing students to pass without a minimum engagement damages our reputation as these students barely scrape through and graduate from SCU without the knowledge and skills to teach the next generation.

# data[].attributes.body
It is so helpful, especially to new markers, having comment banks supplied. This has been a saving grace when finding a diplomatic way to comment on something that is lacking, or to professionally highlight something extremely well written.

# data[].attributes.body
As a casual academic, I love it when UAs provide clear marking guides which match to the rubric, QuickMarks files for Turnitin and other resources that help the grading of large numbers of submissions run smoothly. Most UAs care about their staff and work with them, supporting us to do the best job we can within our extremely limited time frames.

I have accepted feedback from UAs about my grading, and I've evolved and changed as the uni has changed too. This feedback is essential to maintaining high professional standards, but it is another burden for UAs and other staff.

# data[].attributes.body
Enough said.

# data[].attributes.body
I've noticed that many new markers seem to be afraid to speak up if they are struggling. Yes, the onus is on them to speak up, but possibly having more experienced markers put their hands up to offer support or at least be a bit more approachable when direct messages are sent to THEM with questions, as opposed to hassling Unit Assessors with small/silly questions. Usually most people are approachable, but sometimes it feels like questions = frustration.