e-Learning to Aid International Student Transition: A Case Study.

The number of International Students at Australian Universities has grown substantially and this has been beneficial to University communities. However, this presents some challenges due to the diverse backgrounds of incoming students. Areas of diversity include English language skills, cultural backgrounds, technical knowledge, IT skills, exposure to e-learning, learning experiences and expectations. In order to address these issues, we have introduced an Experimental Design Module that is done at the beginning of semester. The students work towards producing a written piece of work but the process is divided into a range of integrated exercises. Through these exercises, the students are introduced to a range of e-learning tools such as discussion boards, e-quizzes, online lectures and tutorials. In the process, they get to know other students in the class which helps with social integration. They are also shown some examples of Australian professional communication skills and get to practice using them. All of the exercises improve their scientific English language skills. This exercise has improved independent learning and performance in the topic

Design thinking-learning and lifelong learning for employability in the 21st century

Surviving and thriving in this 21st century volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world caused by rapid digitalisation and changing work landscape, requires agile organisations with agile employees who are adaptable, resilient, and actively engaged in lifelong learning. A blended workforce encompassing full-time and 'gig' employees, working in tandem with smart machines, calls for an innovative and collaborative workforce capable of critical thinking and creative problem solving. This paper aims to highlight the potential of design thinking approaches to foster lifelong learning and graduate employability in a VUCA environment. The paper outlines an empirical study investigating the multiple benefits of incorporating design thinking process attributes in higher education. It argues that such processes can result in the development of 21st century skills and mindset and graduate capability themes that promote lifelong learning skills. Incorporating such strategies offers the potential to narrow the competency gap between workforce and work and enhance the employability and career development of graduates. The paper offers a Framework for Lifelong Learning in a VUCA environment that outlines the powerful traits that arise as payoffs from engaging in and practising design thinking. This framework can serve as a preliminary guide for higher education educators, learning organisations and individuals to inculcate and enhance lifelong learnin

Nature and Roles of Arts Degrees in Contemporary Society: A report of the national scoping project of Bachelor of Arts programs across Australia

The BA Scoping project was developed under the auspices of The Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH). The project proposal was endorsed by the group of Deans at the DASSH 2007 annual conference and its progress monitored by a steering committee comprising of members of the DASSH executive and DASSH membership body. This scoping exercise was funded via a Discipline‐Based Initiative Grant, a grant scheme of The Carrick Institute of Teaching and Learning (since renamed the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd.) The project focused specifically on the undergraduate award programs called Bachelor of Arts. It aimed to achieve the following: - To understand the nature and role of a Bachelor of Arts degree in contemporary Australia - To map the diverse Bachelor of Arts programs on offer in Australia between 2001 – 2008 - To identify the major strengths, difficulties, capabilities and contributions of the program - To provide rich base‐line data on the nature and models of BAs to be accessible for future curriculum planning for Arts Faculties. The project gathered evidence to be used by decision makers across the sector to optimize future curriculum development in the light of the potential value of the BA. It aimed to provide options and guidance to the sector for other crucial projects and for further work in implementation and response to future demands

Reflecting on institutional support for SoTL engagement: developing a conceptual framework

This paper considers the support required to develop Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) capability across institutions. Rather than developing a checklist or a standardised audit approach, this paper describes the reflective journey taken by a group of academic developers who used strategies and structures previously identified in the literature to develop a conceptual framework for academic professional development. The framework was refined through an iterative process, including reflection on its use within diverse institutional contexts, combined with evaluative feedback from recognised experts in the field. The resulting framework is designed to facilitate and guide conversations to support institutional decision-making related to SoTL capacity building

A new type of WIL: Science students draw on their extant work for learning and course credit

Australian STEM graduates emerge from their degrees with deep specialty-area knowledge but the majority of science graduates are employed in non-science areas (1,2). These graduates need the career management skills defined by Bridgstock (2009). Tertiary science curricula do not generally help students develop life or career planning perspectives, and Australian employers have difficulty finding STEM graduates with well-developed interpersonal skills, understanding of business, and significant workplace experience. Compounding these issues is the problem of limited industry access for science students who want to complete work-integrated learning. In response, we have developed SCIWILWORK, a new program at UQ that aims to help science students draw on their current paid work to develop better understandings about employability. This talk will examine the pilot version of SCIWIL WORK and address the process of SCIWILWORK curriculum design, the tension between stakeholder perceptions of employability studies and science-focused WIL, and the students’ perceptions of work, WIL, and the value of non-science WIL to science undergraduates

Managing active learning processes in large first year physics classes: The advantages of an integrated approach

Turning lectures into interactive, student-led question and answer sessions is known to increase learning, but enabling interaction in a large class seems aninsurmountable task. This can discourage adoption of this new approach – who has time to individualize responses, address questions from over 200 students and encourage active participation in class? An approach adopted by a teaching team in large first-year classes at a research-intensive university appears to provide a means to do so. We describe the implementation of active learning strategies in a large first-year undergraduate physics unit of study, replacing traditional, content-heavy lectures with an integrated approach to question-driven learning. A key feature of our approach is that it facilitates intensive in-class discussions by requiring students to engage in preparatory reading and answer short written quizzes before every class. The lecturer uses software to rapidly analyze the student responses and identify the main issues faced by the students before the start of each class. We report the success of the integration of student preparation with this analysis and feedback framework, and the impact on the in-class discussions. We also address some of the difficulties commonly experienced by staff preparing for active learning classes

An integrated approach to active learning

We describe an integrated approach to active learning in a large first-year undergraduate physics class. A key feature of our approach is that we facilitate intensive in-class discussions by requiring students to engage in preparatory reading and answer short written quizzes before every class. We use software to rapidly analyze the student responses and identify the main issues faced by the students before the start of every class. This information is used to tune the topics discussed in class to focus on the major difficulties or misconceptions faced by the students. In our classes we present a minimum of content and focus on student discussion of the most challenging concepts. We mostly structure the discussions around multiple-choice conceptual questions that the students answer anonymously with an electronic response system, but we also use written exercises. We evaluated this approach using a mixed methods strategy including direct testing of student learning gains, observation of the in-class activities and student focus groups. In common with other active learning approaches the student learning gains in our classes were very strong, over twice those reported in traditional classes. Observation of our classes revealed differences among the teaching staff in how much the interactive approach was adopted: the full benefit of the approach is not realized until the teaching is fully changed to the new mode. The student focus groups reported very high levels of engagement in the class sessions by both the students interviewed and their colleagues. We also find that the data from our just-in-time analysis of the student responses significantly improves the preparation of the teaching staff as they start each class with rich information about exactly where the students find the material difficult. The student responses also provide excellent material for preparing new conceptual questions. It is otherwise very difficult for expert staff to write questions that directly target the misconceptions of their students