Inclement Weather

The flames never reached the boundary of the Elderflower Estate, after all. But the world soon shifted again. The wedding, scheduled for early April, was cancelled anyway. The whole globe seemed to be cleaving itself apart, limb by limb.

But, despite all of it, Mara couldn’t help but feel light. Everything gone. Nothing left. Just Mara, just Craig. She thought of the trees in the Elderflower Estate, imagined them exhaling slowly. All alone. At last.

Mara was on her knees, ripping out weeds in the garden, when Cleo called in a huff.

“You must be so disappointed,” Cleo said, sighing. “I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”

“Yes, of course,” Mara said. With her phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder, she let Cleo’s voice fade into the background as she examined the weeds in her hands, ripped from their roots. She hated the sound they made as she tore them from the earth. It was a scream, low and short, like tearing tendon from bone.

That night, Mara and Craig lay still in their bed. Craig sighed about the work ahead of them: rescheduling the date, reorganising time off from work, the cost of it all. Mara thought again of the greenery of the Elderflower Estate, the bowing branches, the perfect leaves. She remembered the marquee, immense and plastic. She imagined a huge gust of wind sweeping down the valley and blowing the marquee away. Whoosh.

She was a moment away from sleep when she heard the rain. It was soft at first, then stronger. It asserted itself on their roof, insisting on being heard, sounding like huge sheets of water crashing down on their rickety little house. Mara shuffled out of bed and watched from the back deck as the rain battered down on the garden.

She ambled into the yard and laid herself down on the grass, feeling the blades tickle the inside of her ears. She closed her eyes. She let the rain trickle down the side of her neck, let it fall in between her fingers.

An Interview about QUT’s Digital Future with Professor Kevin Ashford-Rowe: Pro ViceChancellor (Digital Learning)

WRITTEN BY EM READMAN

For many students, some of the biggest questions that have come out of the last eighteen months are about who is at the forefront of QUT’s online strategy and what they are doing. It’s not an easy question to answer at first glance. The staff that students interact with on a daily basis are their unit teaching teams, library staff, and HiQ staff. While these people are responsible for content access and delivery, the digital strategy falls into the hands of Professor Kevin AshfordRowe. He’s the QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor (Digital Learning), and his work is centred around designing QUT’s learning experience into the future. As a writer for the student newspaper, I was surprised (and glad) that my request for an interview with one of QUT’s higher-level executives was not only accepted but encouraged.

Kevin holds a Bachelor (Hons) of Economic and Social History from the University of Hull, a Postgraduate Certificate of Education from the University of Exter, a Masters of Professional Studies from the University of New England, a Masters of Education from Edith Cowan University, a Graduate Certificate of Multimedia from UTS, and finally, a Doctorate of Education from the University of Woolongong. In a professional scope, he has worked in the professional streams as a Director at Griffith University and ACU, before starting at QUT as the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Digital Learning) in January of 2019. It’s clear from this resume that Kevin has had an extensive academic career with a core focus on digital learning and student experience, which has also exemplified his publication history. Kevin and I met for a coffee to discuss aspects of his career at QUT, what his work does to directly benefit students and what is in the pipeline for QUT in an increasingly digital environment.

For students that may not know where you fit in QUT’s leadership team, what does your role do for students?

Kevin: I am the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Digital Learning). I lead the Learning and Teaching Unit which is comprised of the Student Success Group, which support student success and focusses on degree completion; the QUT Academy of Learning and Teaching, focusing on student feedback and the development of staff capabilities and policies; and, the Digital Learning Portfolio, which supports QUT’s curriculum design as well as digital

transformation. My role is grounded in supporting academics and students, framed in the focus areas of curriculum and technology support. Essentially, my role is dedicated to developing the success of the QUT teaching and learning communities.

Which project are you proudest of from your time at QUT?

Kevin: I am proud of the digital transformation in learning and teaching that we are facilitating. We have developed a digital learning framework, working closely with students and academics. This digital learning framework will help inform what our QUT education experience will look like in the future.

What part of QUT’s Digital Future are you most looking forward to providing to students?

Kevin: I believe that QUT is transforming its learning experience for a digital world. Our transformation has to be world-class, and I would envision that QUT will be a university that will continue to be acknowledged for an excellent learning experience in the digital age.

Editor’s note: It’s hard to find a copy of the Digital Learning Framework, which is understandable as it’s a staff document. However, I obtained a copy and essentially, it is a criteria sheet-style document aimed at staff to assist with the design of their learning experience. The framework includes 18 guidelines, an explainer of why they matter, and a delivery checklist, some items being essential and some being recommended. These include things like ensuring accessibility of resources, creating a value-add online environment, and employing the concept of authentic assessment.

Your portfolio was massively important last year, supporting QUT’s mass exodus of on-campus learning due to COVID-19. Which aspects were most challenging and complicated, and which brought the most rewards?

Kevin: There was the challenge of shifting a predominantly campus-based university to an online experience. And with it came a number of challenges like, how do you enable students to learn in an online space when physical spaces have been established as the standard? That said, I don’t think that we are operating in a ‘new normal’ and many of the challenges that we’ve faced in supporting our students preceded COVID-19. Many students have been challenged with attending campus, and for a number of reasons whether they relate to the need to work or to support others etc. I think that the experiences of the past eighteen months have forced many universities, including QUT, to look at who and where our students are and to ensure that we are maximising their ability to access their learning experience both on and off-campus.

Which aspects of online teaching enhance learning for students from your perspective?

Kevin: One of the greatest advantages of online learning is that it can enable students to have access to their learning at the times and places that best suit them. COVID-19 showed us that students and staff still value the opportunity to collaborate and communicate with one another. This means that we need to provide the same opportunities for this collaboration in the virtual spaces that we do on our magnificent physical campuses.