Twenty-one members of staff from Flinders are attending the 2011 annual conference of the Education Research Group of Adelaide (ERGA) at the University of Adelaide this week.

The ERGA brings together staff from South Australia’s three universities for professional development activities and encouragement of educational research.

The three-day conference aims to promote best practice and new approaches in tertiary teaching. This year’s theme is “Transformations”, and the participants are looking at the transition students take from being novices, often straight from high school, to being researchers, professionals and self-directed learners at the end of their time in higher education.

Professor Andrew Parkin, the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), said that the strong representation from Flinders reflects the University’s nurture of innovation in teaching and learning.

Participants are drawn from all four faculties and other areas of the University, including the Centre for University Teaching and the Southern Knowledge Transfer Partnerships program.

“Not only is it gratifying to see this high level of participation, but almost all of our staff are presenting papers at the conference,” Professor Parkin said.

Flinders has been a sponsor of the ERGA conference for several years, and participants receive support from the Office of the DVC (A) to attend.

“It’s an important aspect of our commitment to valuing quality in teaching, as articulated in the University’s Strategic Plan,” Professor Parkin said.