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December 2009
Table of Contents:
Welcome from the eGSA Director
 Welcome to the first e-Grad School newsletter which is a response to suggestions indicating your interest in hearing about further course developments and in continuing the networking that you built up through participation in our online community.
We hope you enjoy reading about the latest eGSA developments and would encourage you to send us any items of interest for publication in future newsletters.
Rod Wissler
New Master of R&D Management
 A new online Master of R&D Management (MRDM) commenced across the ATN network in Semester 1 this year. The course aims at meeting the growing demand for quality professional development in the research management area and provides students with the skills and capabilities required to support research business in their organisations.
If you are thinking about upgrading your Graduate Certificate qualification, or are seeking a Masters degree tailored for research leaders, research managers, research administrators and active researchers in corporations or public sector R&D organisations, contact:
Email: egsacoordinator@qut.edu.au
Website: www.egradschool.edu.au
Evaluation - for us and for you....
There are many demands on your time and course evaluation surveys usually don’t make it to the top of the list of “must do” activities. To those of you who have recently completed a course evaluation for the Graduate Certificate – a big thank you! Your feedback is important to the continuing improvement of the course and we follow up on what you tell us about it.
You also may have been asked to respond to a survey of a very different kind at some time during the Graduate Certificate or after its completion. This survey invites you to consider your career plans and match these with the particular capabilities that go with these plans. Completing the survey offers you the chance for self-assessment and reflection on this upcoming and important phase in your life. Collated responses provide us with a profile of what our students are seeking in terms of their careers that lie beyond the Graduate Certificate period - and suggestions for what we can do even better to meet those expectations. So again, thank you!
Cooperative Research Centres Association Endorsement
The Cooperative Research Centres Association has awarded the Graduate Certificate in Research Commercialisation preferred provider status. Feedback from the group of PhD and Postdoctoral researchers enrolled in the course has been extremely positive. FEE-HELP is available for most enrolees and the Graduate Certificate offers a direct pathway into the Master of R&D Management course. Newly funded CRCs are being encouraged to sponsor their researchers to do the program.
Some interesting facts
- Since commencement of the GCRC in 2007 there have been 79 graduates.
- Total enrolments in 2009 have increased by almost 50% in comparison to 2007 and 2008.
- The global reach of the courses is expanding and in semester 1, 2009 we had, for the first time two offshore international students from the UK and Canada.
- Students from the following universities and institutions have participated in the eGSA programs - The University of Western Australia, University of Melbourne, Australian National University, Monash University, University of Western Sydney, James Cook University, Swinburne University, Edith Cowan University, Ballarat University, Victoria University, University of Canberra, La Trobe University, The University of Queensland, CRC for Oral Health, Auto CRC, Polymers CRC, Phylogica & Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Heart Foundation, Academic Radiation Oncology, The University of Manchester, Daejin University, Korea, and the ATN universities – Curtin, RMIT, UniSA, UTS, QUT.
Creating a sense of community through access grid sessions
We have explored a number of different media to help build a “sense of belonging” among our students and have found access grid sessions to be a useful avenue for students from as far afield as QUT, RMIT, UTS, UWS, UWA, UniSA and JCU to
- “meet” eGSA staff, moderators and fellow students at orientation sessions
- interact in sessions with guest speakers, and
- participate in short introductory lectures that complement the online resources.
The sessions are recorded and uploaded to Blackboard as a resource for those unable to attend virtually.
eGSA People - Where are they now?
Past graduates are encouraged to send us an email and tell us what they’ve been doing since they graduated from the GCRC so we can share it with others. We’d love to hear about your latest employment and research interest so get in touch.
What Graduates are saying
 GCRC Course
The Graduate Certificate in Research Commercialisation marks the difference between a capacity to simply ‘do research’ and the capacity to ‘successfully participate in the contemporary research environment’. (UTS Graduate)
Knowledge Transfer and Research Commercialisation Unit
Flexibility for sure. I was overseas for 4 weeks and I could keep up with the unit which was fantastic. Because the material was online I could access everything and read it in my own time.
(University of Melbourne student)
Principles and Practice of R&D Management Unit
It is actually a little scary how much I didn’t know....I can now see how many of them (research management procedures and policies) are necessary to ensure the public has confidence in, and can benefit from, high-quality research.
(University of Western Australia student)
Graduate Profile - Gillian Isoardi - Graduated 1/2007 
Q: What led you to do the Graduate Certificate?
A: I was completing my PhD in the area of physics, specifically optical design and daylighting. My thesis topic involved product development, which led me to the GCRC course.
Q: What are you doing at the moment (ie working? Study-PhD?)
A: I am an Associate Lecturer in Optical Physics at QUT.
Q: What did you expect from the GCRC?
A: I was hoping the GCRC would allow me to develop my skills and understanding in research commercialisation. This was directly relevant to my thesis topic; which was the design, manufacture and testing of a novel daylighting device. In addition to the benefit to my thesis progression, I expected the GCRC would give me an advantage in terms of employment opportunity.
Q: How was the fit between your expectations of the GCRC and what was delivered?
A: I was very pleased with the course structure and subject breakdown. I entered the course hoping to gain insight into strategic aspects of research commercialisation and to find tools for enhancing my research capabilities. Units such as Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurial Foundations gave me a solid understanding of the social significance of research, opportunities to commercialise and the Australian Government policy on research and important outcomes. As a new research student I had little insight into the greater context of my work and the course highlighted this for me. It also showed me some interesting pathways to research commercialisation that I had not previously been exposed to. Other units delivered useful practical information on project management and leadership for research. These parts of the course delivered tools that I use and pass on to my students.
Meet your Moderator
 Michael Doneman
MA, QUT; BA (Hons) UNSW; Grad Dip Teaching, QUT
When he is not engaging with eGSA students as moderator of the Knowledge Transfer and Research Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship units, Michael is the founding director of Edgeware Creative Entrepreneurship and has a business coaching practice focused on the generic value of creativity in the development of entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, management and leadership. He was a Senior Research Fellow at QUT’s Creative Industries Faculty from 2002-2005.
Michael’s vast experience, and his relaxed, good natured and flexible approach makes him a popular moderator as reflected in comments such as the following from a 2008 graduate: “I think the main strength of this unit was the input from the moderator ….”
eGSA Board and staff
The e-Grad School operates collaboratively across the Australian ATN universities and each is represented on the eGSA Board as follows:
- Professor Mark Tennant, Dean, University Graduate School, University of Technology Sydney
- Professor Ian Palmer, Deputy PVC Business (Research) and Dean, School of Graduate Research, RMIT
- Professor Graeme Wright, Dean of Graduate Studies, Curtin University
- Professor Rod Wissler, Dean of Research and Research Training, QUT and Director of the e-Grad School.
- Associate Professor Joanne Cys, Acting Dean, Research & Research Education and Acting Dean of Graduate Studies, UniSA
Others involved in the e-Grad School include Dr Jill Borthwick, Principal Academic Consultant; Dr Paige Maguire, Principal Academic Consultant; Ms Lisa Reyes, Coordinator; Ms Lynda Torrie, Manager.
In addition we are complemented by a strong team of dedicated moderators, administrators and IT technicians from across the five ATN universities.
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