The changing nature of learning and teaching at Charles Sturt University 2008-2011

This essay draws a picture of the changing learning and teaching environment at Charles Sturt University (CSU) as a context for the six case studies that were developed for the larger study. It uses a social-ecological systems approach to describe this environment. From 2007 to 2011 what was life like at CSU? What were the aspirations for learning and teaching, who were the staff and students and what day to day challenges did they face? How did the University vision, infrastructure and processes frame and support learning and teaching? What was happening in the broader higher education environment? Four of the cases are of strategies and activities conducted within the Flexible Learning Institute (the FLI) at CSU. What were the aspirations of the FLI within CSU as an institution? And finally, in the midst of massive change in a number of spheres, what strategies were being used effectively on-ground to develop learning leadership