External Peer Review of Assessment: A Guide to Supporting the External Referencing of Academic Standards

This resource is intended to provide support to academic staff engaging in the external peer review of assessment. It is aimed at experienced reviewers and for people preparing to review for the first time. Funding for this project was provided by the Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT)

MyVoice Pulse Survey of WSU Staff: Working Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected both staff and students in higher education institutions globally, with teaching and learning moving online, and research being suspended or adapted via videotelephony. Western Sydney University (WSU) surveyed its staff to develop a comprehensive understanding of the reported impacts of COVID-19 on both their work and life, and the strengths and challenges of utilising videotelephony for teaching and research. All WSU staff were surveyed via the MyVoice Pulse survey, with data collected by The Voice Project. A total of 2335 staff completed the survey, with a response rate of 86%. Permission was secured from 1695 (62.4%) staff for their responses to be included in this research. Out of these respondents, 59.6% identified as female, and 33.1% identified themselves as academic staff. Diversity related questions had Cronbach’s alpha of 0.63. All other questions when tested returned a Cronbach’s alpha of greater than 0.75 implying those questions were consistent. The current study provides valuable insight into the reported impacts of COVID-19 on the work and life of staff at WSU, as well as staff perspectives on some of the innovative practices that were adopted in response. The timeliness and the potential impact for informing University policy and practice are among the strengths of the study. The crosssectional nature of the data means that clear temporal associations between demographic factors and outcomes cannot be established. Additionally, it is important to note that results may be impacted by the uneven sample size in some groups. As COVID-19 transformed the work of the University and its staff dramatically, it appears that staff beliefs about the impacts of these changes varies substantially. If innovative practices such as remote teaching and HDR supervision, and videotelephony for research continue it will be important to conduct further research to identify exemplary practice given the current divide in staff opinion. Similarly, findings may serve as a catalyst for policies and practices that seek to address some of the inequities highlighted in staff voices

Big data : maximising the teaching and learning opportunities for higher education science students

It has become increasingly important to collect institutional data to measure and evaluate teaching and assessment improvements and to evidence quality assurance for both internal policy obligations and external review (TEQSA). However, how this data is presented, reported and targeted to individuals at various levels is of equal importance in ensuring that the correct decisions are made to maximise the student learning experience. The primary aim of this work was to see how best to provide analytic data on subjects and courses at the University of Wollongong to staff and committees for monitoring and quality assurance improvement. This presentation aims to explain how effective this has been and what lessons others can learn from this experience

Curriculum transformation for graduate connectedness and employability : perspectives from the University of Wollongong

Globally, there continue to be intense discussions and reports (e.g. Manyika et all, 2017; Smith et., 2018) surrounding the employment, career markets and future roles of graduates in light of significant technological, economic and social changes. While these influences are already making themselves felt, the future impact of these factors is currently hard to predict, even as higher education moves towards a renewed focus on capabilities that may prepare graduates for the challenge of lifelong learning and relearning. It is agreed that university graduates need to be adaptable and innovative to successfully navigate the evolving workforce (Hagel et al., 2014). There is also increasing recognition that traditional, content-driven and teacher focused approaches to higher education are not particularly effective in developing the capabilities required for future life and work (Ernst and Young, 2012). Rather, it may be more productive for universities to focus on educational techniques and methods that allow complex kinds of learning to take place in authentic environments that have been expressly designed to develop the future-oriented employability capabilities of learners. The University of Wollongong (UOW) Curriculum Model represents a university-wide attempt to transform curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices, with a view to the types of learning that are conducive to the development of twenty-first century capacities for employability. From 2014 onwards, the Curriculum Model was (and continues to be) embedded in all courses at UOW. The model and its roll-out to date are discussed in this chapter with a specific focus on the connectedness learning that is occurring within the five transformational pedagogic practices at the heart of the Model, and how these pedagogic practices are being translated into learning and teaching experiences throughout the university

Assuring health and safety learning outcomes for science, medicine and health faculty stakeholders by using a hybrid learning and hurdle assessment pedagogy

At the University of Wollongong those responsible for workplace health and safety (WHS) understand the challenges involved in securing staff and student engagement when health and safety practices and induction efforts are widely seen as tedious. The primary aim of this project was to get staff and students to a WHS threshold using a hybrid learning methodology that made the best use of face-to-face time. All learners covered the requisite knowledge and skills beforehand via an online module, including a ‘hurdle’ assessment that ensured they had met the minimum and threshold learning outcomes

How to impart tacit knowledge : "blending chess and chemistry"

Retrosynthesis has been likened to the game of chess. There are relatively simple rules to learn, but only through experience and practice can a learner acquire the tacit knowledge required for mastery of the subject. This makes it a challenging topic to teach effectively to a large and diverse cohort of learners. Lectures are a good way of transmitting knowledge, but do not provide the engagement and training that is essential in developing a deep understanding of retrosynthesis. Therefore, students tend to struggle to achieve success in this topic. This project aimed to alleviate this problem by producing online learning resources to be combined with traditional face-to-face teaching methods to develop a blended learning approach. These resources included animated videos, quizzes, worked examples and other interactive learning materials. Analysis of examination results and learner feedback showed that the supplementary resources not only improved student performance and understanding, but also provided a more satisfactory learning experience. External evaluation suggested that the learning package has significant potential and development should be continued

Concrete thinking in chemistry for engineering students

We strategically use an everyday material to promote engagement of engineering students in their compulsory First Year Chemistry subject. This activity is centred on a semester-long investigation of the progress of carbonation of concrete, carried out during fortnightly lab classes through the whole semester. Students make “mini” slabs of concrete in their first practical class, and examine their slabs at each subsequent lab class, taking about 15 minutes of lab time each class. The concrete theme is carried through lectures as example material in acid base and precipitation equilibria, thermochemistry, kinetics, and materials concepts such as types of solids, interfaces, gas permeation, porosity..…this is surprisingly rich territory to mine. BACKGROUND: The student cohort presents a wide range of backgrounds in chemistry, and the perennial issues of engagement of students who find it difficult to see where chemistry fits into their degree programme and their profession. OUTCOMES: Each student includes a brief reflection within their end of session individual written assessment, and these provide the best indication of the students’ awakening to the importance of the chemical principles underlying the construction and use of concrete. This heightened awareness is not confined to the issues of carbonation of concrete, but a series of issues, which have been explored in various ways throughout the session, and are highlighted by the assessment. The developing appreciation is borne out in informal surveying and staff anecdotal experience. But more than considering this particular circumstance, the broader outcome is to provide an example of generating interest in the chemical principles underlying professional practice. There are bound to be other particular materials or processes, which have been / can be adapted to straightforward, extended, lab investigations and achieve similar engagement

Curriculum transformation : creating an alternative pathway in first year chemistry

We design first year Chemistry subjects so that chemistry fits seamlessly into non-Chemistry science degree programs, preparing the students for subjects with chemistry as prerequisite as well as adding to and supporting the course learning outcomes of those degrees. Furthermore we tell students that Chemistry is generally applicable, and as an enabling science, will support whatever context they end up working in. Students know they are likely to change occupations / careers / disciplines and thus concepts and skills fundamental to all applied sciences are very valuable

Creating a motivating and engaging curriculum by sharing the cognitive load

We present our transforming curriculum for first year chemistry subjects that are part of the foundation of many degree programmes here at the University of Wollongong (UOW). Curriculum development has been ongoing and, while not at an end yet, 2014 has seen major structural change and thus it is a good time to share with our peers. Entry to tertiary studies is a key transition in students’ lives. This transition into science or applied science can be especially difficult for those without senior school chemistry entering a degree programme requiring first year chemistry. Traditionally at UOW we have taught first year chemistry to one large mixed ability cohort without streaming based on academic background. We have researched, developed, applied and evaluated new teaching methodologies to engage all students and aid them in reaching successful learning outcomes notwithstanding their academic backgrounds or competencies. This year we are taking these powerful tools into subjects now streamed on the basis of chemistry background. Here we discuss: 1. Group learning activities and assessment tasks, that model inquiry, through which the students develop connections between learning, critical inquiry and problem-solving. 2. A curriculum that is technology enriched in its delivery and content, allowing the learners to become digitally literate and experience a blend of face-to-face and online interactions. 3. A platform project to examine student engagement and motivation while at the same time inviting the learner to question and test their grasp of key concepts, challenge and rebuild these when misconceptions are “self-discovered.” 4. Specific training and support of part time teaching staff to deliver the new curriculum. The ability to make realistic judgements of one’s performance is a demonstration of the possession of strong metacognitive skills. One of the key changes to our curriculum was to put the learners in a position by which they could make such value judgements of their work and that of their peers, but in an environment where the “learning comes through shared struggle”. This means that the cognitive load is also shared thus sustaining motivation and engagement for learner as well as teacher