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Course Texts
I know it’s perceived to be heresy to ask students what they want or how they feel about something but just occasionally it seems like a good idea….. You may not be aware but every year we review the Student Handbook and consider such mundane things as the lists of standard texts that we use. In updating them this year I have acknowledged that DMRB and MCDHW are electronically published as a web resource and not actually documents as listed. Similarly I feel that there might be a need to move from O’Flaherty C.A. 1974. Highways Volume 2. 2nd edition to the present 4th edition but this does raise a couple of questions…
Given the present pristine copies of the 2nd editions in the library have been there since 1994 yet don’t look like they have been much thumbed bed time reading for the past eighteen courses, are they worth replacing and if so, in what format?
Presuming the answer to the first question is that we do need to provide texts, the second question: ‘What form should the new books take?’ becomes more interesting. ebooks cost anywhere from 20-40% of the hard copy cover price. Readers are available for free download and numerous texts can be accessed via the Barringtion Library anyway. Do we need to hold hard copy, should we buy and give away soft copy, is student access whilst on course acceptable?
So presuming copy is made available will it be read? If not, why not? Is it that there are too many texts issued on the course, that that they have been supplied in a format that students find difficult to access, or simply that we don’t direct you to read passages and then discuss them as might be done in other academic institutions? Should we make more effort to promote reading around the subject? Is there too little differentiation on our part (should we tell you which texts matter and need to be read at different times), or should we simply assume our students are luddites that need spoon feeding all information in presentations and as handouts (don’t go there)?
The bit inbetween the main journey and the next journey to Gladstone
So, we are now in the most precarious situation so far. Tonight is night 7 out of 7 in our Brisbane accommodation and as yet we have been told nothing about what’s going to happen tomorrow. Initially we should have been flying to Gladstone to move into our new pad but alas the promise of “special dispensation” has been broken and we are now stuck in a Bechtel”process” the same as everyone else on the GLNG project. The NET result is that as of 10am tomorrow we are homeless, as of 1300hrs we are car less and if it continues in this pattern by 1600hrs I may find myself wife-less!!!
Immediately following this post I will pen an email to the HR team at JHG basically letting them know how happy and secure we are and we’ll see what comes from that. In true Australian style though it will inevitably work out, the apartments we’re currently in and that are fully booked from tomorrow will probably free up a room from us and I’m sure Hertz won’t mind extending our car hire for another day or two. I think that JHG can pack a punch if they need to.
Apart from the above life has been generally good (less for the excessive Brisbane rainfall at this time of year). We have paid our respects to Steve Irwin and had a good day out at Australia zoo (despite the torrential downpours all day long) and the top tip for my fellow PETs is to ask if they do a military discount. Quite a few places do out here such as Australia Zoo. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this out until the next day but have been asking ever since!
We have visited Surfers Paradise, had a ride on the boat bus, visited Brisbane museum and the kids science centre, had a ride on the Brisbane Wheel, been on the Brisbane taxi boats, registered for our Medicare cards and generally been very busy. We also managed to catch up with an old mate of mine who was QM when I was Sqn 2IC who now serves in the Oz Army.
Importantly, we managed to meet up with the Marsh family and get the lowdown on Gladstone and the GLNG. Rich even managed to find out which part of the project I’ll be working on (the Jetty) which is more than I’ve managed to gain from JHG thus far by speaking direct with them! Having had a good chat about the job it seems that life will not necessarily be as fraught as it was for them and is manageable with a bit of common sense/diplomacy.
I think that this will suffice for now. I need to pack up the hotel room and try to reassure Lisa that everything will work out fine. My next post will hopefully be more positive on the accommodation front and I hope to be writing from Gladstone to!
Dollimore Test 1
Just a quick post to see if I have understood Jim’s instructions on how to use WordPress and the “categories” correctly before we depart for Oz on Thursday.
As way of an update: All UK admin is now (more or less) complete, the snowboarding holiday was amazing and Fay and I have survived with no serious injuries so we are all set for Thursday.
John Holland have confirmed the use of a serviced apartment for up to a month on our arrival (http://www.questapartments.com.au/Accommodation/4/Australia/Perth_CBD/Quest_West_End/Welcome.aspx) and engaged a relocation agent to help us find a permanent place to live. (At the moment they are giving us an allowance of $450 a week, which seems a little low compared to previous years but we will negotiate when we arrive).
A car, phone and laptop will also be ready for us when we arrive, so I should be ready to start work on 12 March after a flying visit to Canberra to see BDLS (7-8 March), which having read Roy’s post I have low expectations for!
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 