Valuing student voices when exploring, creating and planning for the future of Australian higher education: results from a sample of first year students

Abstract

The higher education landscape is changing, with the introduction of new digital and web technologies (e.g., MOOCs), shifts in the student demographics (e.g., more inclusive 1st year intakes) and institutional changes (e.g., faculty restructures). Planning ahead in this complex and shifting environment is difficult, and increasingly so because there is a paucity of research examining the expectations of learners. Discovering what learning expect will help us plan for the changes ahead, informing the reworking of the curriculum and the revision of learning materials and approaches. In this project, a sample of incoming first year students was be engaged in a creative event, designed to provide students with a platform for elucidating their preferences for the future of higher education. The poster communicates the findings of the project and implications for HEd policy