Changes in perceived and experienced challenges and learning strategies throughout the second year transition

BACKGROUND The second year slump is a well-recognised phenomenon affecting students’ engagement, performance and transition through university (Wilder, 1993; McBurnie, Campbell & West, 2012). Although Australian studies have identified common causes (Loughlin, Gregory, Harrison & Lodge, 2013; Ainscough, Stewart, Colthorpe & Zimbardi, 2018), relatively less is known about students’ perceived and actual challenges, and the dynamic use of strategies whilst transitioning through their 2nd year. METHODS Undergraduate 2nd year biomedical science students (n=511) were asked about their goals, anticipated challenges and strategies at the start of 1st semester, then the challenges they experienced and strategies used at the end of semester. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Almost all students identified academic goals, most frequently being desired performance (45% of responses) and progressive study to stay on top of content (38%). Students perceived time management (67%), increased content complexity/volume (38%) and balancing work-social-study commitments (20%) as the greatest challenges, which they aimed to overcome largely through planning and organisation strategies. Most experienced perceived challenges, however, often to a greater degree than anticipated. Unexpected challenges were frequently reported, managed by dedicating more time or adopting 1-3 new strategies. Academic resilience through the 2nd year transition may therefore require students to be highly adaptable in their learning approaches

FROM LEMONS TO LEMONADE: STUDENTS’ RESILIENCE WHEN MANAGING CHALLENGE

BACKGROUND To succeed at university and be prepared for today’s challenging workplace, students need to develop strong resilience. Students face a number of academic, social and life challenges throughout their studies (Brewer et al, 2019; Ainscough et al, 2018). The disruptions from COVID-19 in Semester 1 of 2020 have undoubtedly exacerbated these challenges, or presented entirely novel ones to manage. This study describes how students demonstrated resilience when responding to such challenges. METHODS Biomedical science students (n=200) in their 2nd year of study, were asked how they coped with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and what advice they would give themselves for dealing with novel challenges in future. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Almost half the students struggled with motivation and the loss of on-campus experiential learning (36%), with a third then advising how they would better manage study in future. Many students also emphasised the importance of balancing health with study (21%), whilst other indicators of resilience (adaptability, positive mindset, seeing the “Big Picture”) were identified by 38% of students. While some students focused mainly on academic aspects, others had a broader perspective on managing challenges in the context of life and well-being. Students with the most rounded approach to challenges, might thus be those who have greatest resilience. REFERENCES Ainscough, L, Stewart, E, Colthorpe, K & Zimbardi, K. (2018) Learning hindrances and self-regulated learning strategies reported by undergraduate students: identifying characteristics of resilient students, Studies in Higher Education, 43(12); 2194-2209. Brewer, ML, van Kessel, G, Sanderson, B, Naumann, F, Murray, L, Reubenson, A & Carter, A. (2019) Resilience in higher education students: a scoping review, Higher Education Research & Development, 38(6): 1105-1120

THROWN IN THE DEEPER END: FIRST YEAR STUDENTS LEARNING ONLINE

BACKGROUND First year students experience difficulties adapting to independent learning and managing their time (Richardson et al., 2012; van der Meer et al., 2010). These issues were compounded at the University of Queensland when students transitioned to online learning three weeks into semester 1 2020. This study describes students’ insights about themselves as learners during this time. METHODS Participants (n=144) were enrolled in a first year anatomy and physiology course. At the end of semester, students were asked to reflect on their learning. Responses were coded using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS When asked what they had discovered about themselves as a learner, students mentioned the importance of motivation (n=53), environment (n=44) and social connections (n=42) for learning. When asked what advice they would give themselves if learning was online again next semester, students wanted to maintain a routine (n=48), improve their time management (n=41), make study plans (n=34), and be more proactive (n=27). DISCUSSION Universities are microcosms for learning, and during the pandemic first-year students struggled to replicate this context at home. These results suggest that staff should support their students by helping them plan their learning and encouraging connections with peers and staff. REFERENCES Richardson, A., King, S., Garrett, R., & Wrench, A. (2012). Thriving or just surviving? Exploring student strategies for a smoother transition to university. A Practice Report. Student Success, 3(2), 87. van der Meer, J., Jansen, E., & Torenbeek M. (2010). It's almost a mindset that teachers need to change: first‐year students' need to be inducted into time management. Studies in Higher Education 35, 777-791

INVESTIGATING THE SOCIAL CONNECTIONS MADE BY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS DURING A SEMESTER OF ONLINE LEARNING

BACKGROUND Social connections with peers and staff are important for student learning and academic success (Krause & Coates, 2008; Peacock, Cowan, Irvine & Williams, 2020). These connections are particularly important for first-year students who are new to university. With the rapid shift to online learning in 2020, many traditional avenues for making social connections were lost. This study investigated how and with whom social connections were made by first-year students, and if these connections correlated with academic success. METHODS First-year students (n=145) studying biomedical science answered an open-ended question about how they made social connections during first semester 2020, and with whom. Their responses were coded using thematic analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Most students (97%) made at least one connection with peers and/or staff. Students connected with peers only (61%), staff only (4%) or both peers and staff (32%). Some tools were more frequently reported for connecting with peers (social media) or staff (email). Zoom was useful for both types of connections. Students who connected with both peers and staff had the highest academic achievement. To facilitate more student-staff connections, staff should consider using social media, as students most frequently used this tool to make social connections. REFERENCES Krause, K. & Coates, H. (2008), Students’ engagement in first‐year university. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(5), 493-505. Peacock, S., Cowan, J., Irvine, L., & Williams, J. (2020). An Exploration into the importance of a sense of belonging for online Learners. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(2), 18-35

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS: THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES AND SELF-ESTEEM

BACKGROUND The development of professional skills and attributes allows students to build self-esteem, identify with others and view themselves within a profession (Hunter et al., 2007). However, this can be challenging for those within generalist degrees with a diversity of graduate destinations, such as biomedical science (Panaretos et al., 2019). When students in specialised degrees learn skills and attributes that aren’t applicable to their desired career, a disconnect occurs, which impacts professional identity development (Noble et al., 2014). This study examined the relationships between skills, attributes and self-esteem among biomedical science students and how this impacts on professional identity. METHODS Second year biomedical science students (n=582) were asked to describe their desired profession, skills and attributes they possessed and needed to develop, and their self-esteem. Consenting students’ responses were subjected to inductive thematic analyses (Braun & Clarke, 2006). RESULTS & DISCUSSION Students described a variety of desired professions, with medicine being the most common. Students also described many skills and attributes that were needed for those professions. There was a correlation between awareness of skills and attributes and self-esteem, reflecting students’ developing strong professional identity. This suggests students with greater awareness are more likely be confident in their chosen career. REFERENCES Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2), 77-101. Hunter, A. B., Laursen, S. L., & Seymour, E. (2007). Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students' cognitive, personal, and professional development. Science education, 91(1), 36-74. Noble, C., O’Brien, M., Coombes, I., Shaw, P. N., Nissen, L., & Clavarino, A. (2014). Becoming a pharmacist: students’ perceptions of their curricular experience and professional identity formation. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 6(3), 327-339. Panaretos, C., Colthorpe, K., Kibedi, J. and Ainscough, L., (2019). Biomedical science students’ intended graduate destinations. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 27(9); 1-16

Biomedical science students’ intended graduate destinations

Undergraduate students enrolled in generalist degrees, such as biomedical science, have diverse potential graduate pathways that they may choose to pursue. The aims of this study were to evaluate the intended graduate destinations of students, the reasons they chose to study science and the perceived value of the skills they are acquiring for their intended profession. The participants were second year biomedical science students at the University of Queensland. Their responses to open-ended questions regarding their intentions, choices and perceptions were subjected to thematic analysis. Three-quarters of students mentioned one intended profession, with the remainder mentioning two or more. Overall, they identified 53 different intended graduate destinations in the fields of medicine (69%), research (34%), the science industry (14%) and allied health (8%). As reasons for studying science, students commonly reported their interest in science, the influence of role models and enjoyment or academic success in prior study. Many students, particularly those intent on pursuing medicine, said they planned to use science as a pathway to a postgraduate degree. Importantly, all students perceived that the skills they were acquiring in their degree were highly applicable to their future intended professions

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES TO UNDERSTANDING FEEDBACK

BACKGROUND Feedback plays a crucial role in how students learn and develop throughout life (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Although numerous barriers exist to students’ use and engagement with feedback (Winstone et al., 2017), the strategies students use to overcome said barriers for life-long learning are less clearly identified in the literature. This study investigated students’ feedback challenges and strategies when learning scientific writing. METHODS Second-year biomedical science students (n=358) were asked to identify challenges to understanding and applying feedback, and the strategies they used to overcome them. Responses were coded via inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS & DISCUSSION From preliminary data (n=94), 60 students identified challenges relating to either construction of feedback (70% of responses), application of feedback to a task they do not understand (17%), or difficulties with discussing feedback with a tutor (13%). To overcome challenges, dialogue with a tutor was a primary strategy (69% of students), while 19% engaged with scientific literature more and 12% reviewed course resources to aid their use of feedback. Interestingly, 12% of the students with no issues still sought dialogue with their tutor to further understand the feedback. These findings suggest most students identify dialogue as playing an important role in their understanding of feedback. REFERENCES Hattie, J., and Timperley, H., (2007). The power of feedback, Review of Educational Research, 77(1); 81-112. Winstone, N., Nash, R., Rowntree, J., and Parker, M., (2017). ‘It'd be useful, but I wouldn't use it’: barriers to university students’ feedback seeking and recipience. Studies in Higher Education, 42(11); 2026-41

DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS

For students in science, professional identity develops as they pursue a ‘major’ within their degrees (Nadelson et al 2017). However, unlike many disciplines, students majoring in biomedical sciences often do not intend remaining within these disciplines, instead are pursuing a career in medicine or health (Panaretos et al 2019). A biomedical science degree may provide a good knowledge basis for these careers, but can it support the development of these students’ professional identities? Students in biomedical science (n=191) identified the career they intended to pursue and described their perceptions of how their degree could contribute to their future professionalism. Most students intended to pursue medicine (70%) or health (6%). Only 12% intended a career in biomedical science, while some (7%) were unsure of their future. Students frequently identified communication, critical thinking and information literacy skills as valuable, and that qualities such as the ability to work with others, ethics and independence contributed to their developing professionalism. However, some students (6%) were unsure if or how their degree could contribute to their desired career. These findings highlight that most students see value in their biomedical science degrees, but that alignment of skills and qualities to future professions could be improved

Does working in academically diverse groups influence student perceptions?

BACKGROUND Group work is a vital part of university education as it fosters collaboration and teamwork skills, which prepares students for the workforce (Gatfield, 1999). Students learning in small groups have higher achievement and more positive views about group work than students working individually (Almond, 2009). However, perceptions and outcomes of students working in groups of similar (homogeneous) or mixed (heterogeneous) academic ability may differ (Donovan, Connell & Grunspan, 2018). METHODS In this study, undergraduate science students (n=153) completing group tasks in self-selected, academically homogeneous or heterogeneous groups were asked if their perceptions of group work changed over the semester, and to identify beneficial and non-beneficial aspects of group work. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Most students (80%) reported their perceptions of group work improved over the semester. Beneficial aspects included valuing different perspectives and developing understanding, but aspects were reported similarly by both group types. More students in homogeneous (98%) than heterogeneous groups (85%,

Are students reading my feedback? Using a feedback analytics capture system to understand how large cohorts of biomedical science students use feedback

Feedback is one of the most potent teaching strategies known to produce student learning gains (Hattie, 2009). However, the provision of feedback has been identified as one of the weakest elements of university practices (Graduate Careers Australia, 2012). Although there are many theoretical frameworks for improving feedback provision (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Nicol & Macfarlane Dick, 2006; Sadler, 2010), little is known about how students actually use feedback (Jonsson, 2013). Many authors contend that students commonly ignore feedback (Boud & Molloy, 2013), with some empirical evidence that students do not collect or read written feedback (Sinclair & Cleland, 2007), or ignore it when they do not understand what it means (Still & Koerber, 2010). The increasingly widespread adoption of online marking and feedback tools facilitates students’ access to their feedback, but until now there has been no systematic characterise the patterns of student access of this feedback, nor how this impacts on their subsequent performance (Ellis, 2013). We have developed, and extensively trialled, a Feedback Analytics Capture System (FACS, previously called UQMarkUP) which synthesises large-scale data on digital feedback provision, how students access feedback, and changes in students’ academic performance (Zimbardi et al., 2013). Specifically, FACS captures detailed information about the audio, typed and hand-drawn annotations markers insert in situ in electronic assessment submissions, and the marks awarded across a variety of systems, including detailed criteria-standards rubrics. FACS also collects detailed information about how students access this feedback, logging the timing and nature of every mouse click a student uses to interact with the feedback-embedded document. In this exploratory study, we investigated the frequency, timing, and patterns in how students access their feedback. Analyses of FACS data from laboratory reports submitted for summative assessment in two biomedical science courses in level 1 (n=1781 students) and level 2 (n=389), in Semesters 1 and 2, 2013, revealed that the vast majority of students opened their feedback. In the level 1 course 93% students opened Report 1, 92% opened Report 2, 87% opened Report 3 and 85% opened Report 4. In contrast, far fewer students in the level 2 course opened their feedback, and fewer students opened Report 1 (68%) than Report 2 (82%). Although a similar pattern existed for how long students had their feedback open (level 1 Report 1: 12±8 hours; Report 2: 3.4±1.6 hours; Report 3: 2.1±1.4 hours; Report 4: 43±7 minutes), the level 2 reports now reverted to greater duration of interaction with Report 1 (5.6±0.6 hours) than Report 2 (1.2±0.3 hours). The number of students accessing feedback surges 1-2 days after feedback release, followed by a persistent tail of students accessing the feedback for the subsequent two months. In this context of undergraduate biomedical science laboratory assessments, students are not only collecting and reading their feedback, but they are interacting with it extensively. There may also be potential maturational, course-specific, and interaction effects that shape feedback use, and require further exploration as we expand this feedback analytics approach across a broader range of educational contexts