What is the price of excellence in learning and teaching? Exploring the costs and benefits for diverse academic staff studying online for a GCHE supporting the SoTL

In the wake of policy, technology, and ideological disruptions in Western higher education, it is in universities’ interests to improve the quality of their learning and teaching to meet changed expectations. In some countries, particularly anglophone countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the medium for this improvement is often professional development of academic staff provided through a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (GCHE). This paper presents mixed methods research conducted at an Australian University. It addresses the questions of how a GCHE contributes to teaching quality and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) from the perspective of course participants and their educators in the context of a university wide strategy to promote a culture of excellence in learning and teaching. Data and analysis indicate significant benefits to academic staff, their students, and the host institution from completion of a GCHE. However, tensions around academic workloads, compulsion, and some contradictions in espoused educational values and managerialist impositions emerge in these advancements. The educators in the GCHE (academic developers) were sometimes caught in the crossfire. Their reflections on this experience are included in the data and analysis

Curriculum design innovation in flexible science teaching

In this paper you will be introduced to a number of guidelines, which can be used to inform good teaching practice and rigorous curriculum design. Guidelines relate to: 1. application of a common sequence of events for how learners learn; 2. accommodating different learning styles; 3. adopting a purposeful approach to teaching and learning; 4. using assessment as a central driving force in the curriculum and as an organising structure leading to coherence of teaching and learning approach; and 5. the increasing emphasis that is being placed on the development of generic graduate competencies over and above discipline content knowledge. The guidelines are particularly significant in relation to adult learning and together they form the basis of a practical approach for learning module development. Three specific learning modules are used to illustrate the application of the guidelines. They are taken from a second year subject in introductory supercomputing that uses scientific case studies

Developing a learning environment that encourages deep learning outcomes

In this paper we report on the development of an authentic learning environment, the tropical island of Lys, that we used to facilitate high quality student learning in a third year subject designed for environmental and ecological scientists (NRB572 ‘Terrestrial Ecosystems’). Lys provided the conceptual framework around which students engaged with web-based learning resources, lectures, practicals, paper-based resources (such as study guides and handouts), as well as a virtual tour of the island, and most importantly an integrated set of assessment tasks that obliged students to develop a critical understanding of fundamental ecosystem processes. Our students expressed conspicuous levels of satisfaction, enjoyment, interest and engagement from their learning experience together with significantly enhanced learning outcomes, which were both self- and formally identified. In this paper, we report on how we used several ‘principles’ of curriculum design so that others, irrespective of discipline, could use similar approaches to achieve similar learning outcomes with their students

The constructs of examiners in higher education: What do academic standards mean?

This research began, amid the growing and global quality movement in Higher Education, with questions about the comparability of academic standards in different\ud institutions. It seemed reasonable to wonder whether all institutions, many of which were new universities, could offer educational programs which would result in graduates of the same standard throughout the system. The issue has to do with the quality assurance mechanisms of universities. However, assuring (and ensuring) the quality of the academic product requires a meaningful definition of what the term"academic standard" means and it was quickly realised that such a definition did not exist.\ud Seeking a definition of what the term "academic standard" means in practice has been the principal aim of this study. This is a matter that is intimately concerned with the\ud judgements of those who assess students' learning, both in a procedural and a cognitive sense. As such, it is both an educational and psychological issue. My thesis is that academic standards may be operationally defined by reference to the qualities of students' work that attract marks from the assessors of that work. Such a definition necessarily takes account of each assessor's context and the context within which the work was done. It also includes the subjectivity of the assessor as a major, necessary and integral component. The definition proposed relies on the contention that there is sufficient agreement on the dimensions used when assessing students' work to be able\ud to state a generic definition of what constitutes academic quality. Consequently, it is argued that the definition offered has broad relevance and general applicability

Peer and self-assessment in the first year of university

This paper reviews the literature about peer and self‐assessment in university courses from the point of view of their use, and the suitability of their use, in the first year of university study. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part argues that although first‐year students are involved in many of the studies that report on the use of peer and self‐assessment in higher education, the proportion of these studies that do so is somewhat less than in other year levels. In addition, relatively little of this work directly and explicitly discusses the suitability of peer and self‐assessment for students and courses at this year level. The second part of the paper provides an introductory exploration of the relationship between peer and self‐assessment, and specific features of first‐year assessment, learning and teaching. Three issues relating directly to the suitability of peer and self‐assessment in the first year are explored. In the third part, the paper briefly discusses the desirability of implementing peer and self‐assessment, in general, before seeking to extend this specifically to the first year. The paper concludes by recommending that greater use can and should be made of peer and self‐assessment in the first year of university study

The constructs of examiners in higher education: What do academic standards mean?

This research began, amid the growing and global quality movement in Higher Education, with questions about the comparability of academic standards in different institutions. It seemed reasonable to wonder whether all institutions, many of which were new universities, could offer educational programs which would result in graduates of the same standard throughout the system. The issue has to do with the quality assurance mechanisms of universities. However, assuring (and ensuring) the quality of the academic product requires a meaningful definition of what the term"academic standard" means and it was quickly realised that such a definition did not exist. Seeking a definition of what the term "academic standard" means in practice has been the principal aim of this study. This is a matter that is intimately concerned with the judgements of those who assess students' learning, both in a procedural and a cognitive sense. As such, it is both an educational and psychological issue. My thesis is that academic standards may be operationally defined by reference to the qualities of students' work that attract marks from the assessors of that work. Such a definition necessarily takes account of each assessor's context and the context within which the work was done. It also includes the subjectivity of the assessor as a major, necessary and integral component. The definition proposed relies on the contention that there is sufficient agreement on the dimensions used when assessing students' work to be able to state a generic definition of what constitutes academic quality. Consequently, it is argued that the definition offered has broad relevance and general applicability

Promoting and recognising excellence in the supervision of research students: an evidence-based framework

One issue universities face is the need to demonstrate excellence in postgraduate research supervision at the individual, faculty and university level. While poor supervision might become obvious over time, with grievances, withdrawals and poor completion times and rates, this paper focuses specifically on identifying and demonstrating supervisory excellence. Currently, the amount and range of evidence used to support claims of supervisory excellence tends to be limited, leaving supervisors, faculties and institutions in a position where demonstrating excellence remains difficult. This paper proposes two inter-dependent ideas which, considered together, help to redress this problem. The first is a 'map' for the collection and use of evidence of supervisory excellence. The second is a 'template' for a 'supervisory excellence report'. The 'map' details the organisational elements, uses of data, and data types which can be considered. The 'report' explains one simple and potent way to organise and present these data for multiple purposes. Together they constitute a much-needed framework for promoting and recognising excellence in the supervision of research students

Defining and developing a framework for the peer observation of teaching

Changes in funding and regulatory requirements for universities increases the need for teachers and institutions to be able to achieve and demonstrate the quality of learning and teaching. In addition, changes in the competitive landscape for local and international student places provide added pressure to institutions to be seen as effective education providers