Starting in Bathurst on Thursday 29 March, the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Division of Learning and Teaching Services will hold forums on a number of its campuses for academics to discuss developments in online and mobile learning and teaching at the University. Forums facilitator, Associate Professor Philip Uys, the Director of Strategic Learning and Teaching Innovation in the CSU Division of Learning and Teaching Services, said, “The continued evolution of quality in learning and teaching at Charles Sturt University, and the growing expectations of our students for appropriate technology responses, requires the University’s staff to skilfully use an ever-growing set of internal and external educational technologies. Charles Sturt University is increasing its digital, mobile and paperless learning and teaching, which pose challenges for strategists of these new technologies, and for academics using them. It will be good to share information about education technology developments at the University and have some in-depth conversations about why these changes are occurring. We will explore what the learning and teaching potential of the respective educational technologies is, and what issues we are facing.”

The 2012 Police Expo at Darling Harbour in Sydney on Sunday 1 April will give prospective recruits the opportunity to learn about the range of policing courses offered by Charles Sturt University (CSU). Ms Amanda Davies, lecturer and course director for the Associate Degree in Policing Practice at the CSU School of Policing Studies in Goulburn, said, “Charles Sturt University is proud to participate at the 2012 Police Expo, which is part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of the NSW Police Force. The University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate policing courses. The Associate Degree in Policing Practice is a starting point for new recruits, and other courses enable officers to advance their careers and specialist interests, including law enforcement research and management, through the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing at Manly.”

Carers of people with a mental illness are the focus of a new research project by a psychology student at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) Honours student Mr Gerald Haslinger is seeking participants in a confidential survey which aims to find out more about the experience of unpaid carers and mental health service providers in caring for someone with a mental illness. “I am interested in hearing from unpaid carers and service providers, and what they understand about the Recovery approach to caring for someone living with a mental illness, an approach that is widely accepted within the mental health sector.  My study seeks to find out the level of awareness of this approach amongst mental health service providers as well as unpaid carers.” Mr Haslinger, an education and training officer with a non-government agency in Sydney, has extended the survey until Friday 13 July.  He is completing his degree by distance education through the School of Psychology at CSU in Wagga Wagga. For further details about the survey, contact Mr Haslinger on his email  or take the survey here.

An expert in the study of paranormal events from Charles Sturt University (CSU) believes the only scary thing about Halloween is the risk of tooth decay from all the sweets that children have an excuse to guzzle on the day. Dr Krissy Wilson, Head of CSU’s Science of Anomalistic Phenomena research unit, said the celebration of Halloween most likely started as a pagan tradition that coincided with the new harvest. “It later became a Christian celebration of All Hallows or All Saints Day. Modern times have seen it evolve into ‘Halloween’ – which came literally from ‘hallowed’ or ‘holy’ – that typically involves trick or treating, dressing up in silly outfits and watching horror movies!”

High school students in the NSW Mid-North Coast, central and southern NSW and regional Victoria can learn vital life skills while running a simulated business in an online game to be hosted by Charles Sturt University’s Faculty of Business. The GameOn! organisers at CSU are now calling for teams of Years 10 and 11 students from high schools around regional NSW and Victoria to participate in the game in 2013. The game was first staged in 2012. “The student teams will make vital business decisions about marketing, human resources, operations and finance for an online, simulated business. Apart from developing problem-solving skills in their businesses, GameOn allows students to develop important life skills such as leadership, group work, critical thinking, negotiation and time management,” said GameOn coordinator Dr Abbey Dwivedi.  Teams will need to be nominated by the extended deadline of Friday 5 April, with eight rounds of ‘decisions’ to be made during the year and winning teams due to be announced in September 2013.

Police officers from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, recently undertook a residential school hosted by The Rocks Local Area Command in central Sydney as part of their Bachelor of Policing course with Charles Sturt University (CSU). Nine officers, ranked between sergeant and inspector, were based at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security in Manly for the week-long residential school. CSU Bachelor of Policing  course coordinator, Mr Brian Daly, said the residential school gave the police from Ottawa international exposure to policing practices in Australia, particularly in planning security for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, large central transport and office sites, and consular premises.  The participants were also shown Australian policing practices on alcohol related crime, large public demonstrations, unlawful large gatherings, crowd control, and legislation used in dealing with public gatherings. “The involvement of The Rocks Local Area Command and the NSW Water Police was essential to the success of the visit, and exposed the Canadian students to the best of policing in NSW," Mr Daly said.

Several hundred Charles Sturt University (CSU) undergraduate and postgraduate students will receive their testamurs at a Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony for policing and related disciplines on Wednesday 8 May. More than 600 graduates from the CSU School of Policing in Goulburn, and 33 postgraduate students from the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security in Manly and Canberra will attend the ceremony. Head of the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Associate Professor Nick O’Brien, said, “In an era of continued threats to society and increasing capacity among criminals, we need a sophisticated policing, security and emergency management workforce to combat crime and protect our communities. Charles Sturt University is proud to make a significant contribution to the education and training of personnel who will serve with dedication and courage, and this graduation ceremony is an occasion for pride and celebration.”

John Glastonbury, Associate Professor in Diagnostic Pathology with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Wagga Wagga, is available for comment on emergency management of the swine influenza in animals. Professor Glastonbury’s teaching and research interests include diseases of pigs, and he can describe how the disease behaves in pigs, a history of other outbreaks and its threat to people. A public seminar will be held on the influenza A (H1N1) at CSU at Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 6 May. Read more here.

New figures released by Charles Sturt University (CSU) show significant savings for the environment in the management of its vehicle fleet. The data prepared by CSU’s Division of Finance reveals that although the distance travelled by CSU vehicles on official business rose last year by eight per cent, from 6.3 million kilometres in 2008 to 6.8 million, the amount of fuel consumed dropped from 664 000 litres in 2008 to 580 000 in 2009, a decline of 84 000 litres or over 12 per cent. “The carbon emissions saved through the greater efficiency of the University’s vehicle fleet is about 380 tonnes of carbon - the equivalent of taking 88 cars off the road for 2009,” said CSU Green Manager, Mr William Adlong. CSU vehicles are used to support staff on official University business including travelling between campuses in five major NSW regional centres as well as in Canberra, Goulburn and Sydney. “We hope to improve these figures with staff encouraged to consider using practical alternatives to travelling between campuses, such as video-conferencing, or sharing vehicles.” Over 60 per cent of CSU’s transport fleet are lower emission vehicles, such as four cylinder petrol, gas, diesel or hybrid.