Aligning your ducks for the student learning journey : stories from the pond of distance ed

Effective change is embedded in context. This paper provides a case study about has been happening to promote good academic practices at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a regional Australian University. It initially provides a 360° perspective on the management of academic practice, policies and strategies that includes, top-down, middle-out and bottom-up initiatives. The core premise is that, getting the context right for quality academic practice is a whole-of-university responsibility, not just that of the individual academic; although this role is still vital if holistic change is to be sustained. At the heart of this analysis lies a presumption the universities have a responsibility to provide a coherence to the notion of 'the student learning journey'. The emphasis on a systemic, whole-of-university approach that relies heavily upon online support implies that this paper is as much about context as it is about ensuring consistency of practice.