A framework to evaluate what we value in science practicals, and what we assess

Practical work (laboratory or fieldwork) is considered a key part of undergraduate studies in the science disciplines. As practical work is often a resource intensive form of learning, requiring specialist equipment, materials, and staff, it is useful to consider how it is being used within the university setting. Bruck and Towns (2013) describe growing concerns around the justification of chemistry laboratory work and sought to describe the laboratory goals for institutions across the United States of America. They suggest there is a need to document laboratory outcomes to provide data that drives iterative cycles of curriculum improvement, greater communication of faculty around laboratory goals, and research into the student perspective (Bruck & Towns, 2013). In Australia, the science Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) were developed to describe the minimum standards of knowledge, skills and professional capabilities a tertiary science graduate should achieve (Yates, Jones, & Kelder, 2011). These have been further developed into discipline specific TLOs such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics TLOs (Australian Council of Deans of Science [ACDS], n.d.). These discipline TLOs provide a nationally recognised standard for the outcomes of learning in the sciences, including the practical components. However, concerns have been raised that the TLOs may not be covered and/or assessed to the extent that we may expect. For example: A study to map the coverage of TLOs in Chemistry across a range of institutions found that some TLOs were not well covered in existing degrees (Schultz, Crow, & O’Brien, 2013). Development of a tool to evaluate assessment items for coverage of Chemistry TLOs found that some assessment items did not actually assess the TLOs, as claimed by their assessors (Schmid et , 2016). Benchmarking of practical skills in first year Biology courses found that there was a dependence on using written practical reports as assessment items, rather than assessing the actual skills (Rayner et al., 2012). A framework will be presented to map the coverage and assessment of practical LOs in university science courses, which when complemented with surveys to ascertain the values academics place on student development of practical skills, will enable evaluation of whether or not we assess what we value in science practical courses. REFERENCES Bruck, A. D., & Towns, M. (2013). Development, implementation, and analysis of a national survey of faculty goals for undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Journal of Chemical Education, 90(6), 685-693. Yates, B., Jones, S., & Kelder, J. (2011). Learning and teaching academic standards project: Science. Final Report. Retrieved from http://www.acds-tlcc.edu.au/science-threshold-learning-outcomes-tlos/science-tlos/ Australian Council of Deans of Science. (n.d.). Comparison of Science TLOs and Disciplines. Retrieved from http://www.acds-tlcc.edu.au/science-threshold-learning-outcomes-tlos/science-threshold-learning-outcomes-tlosbenchmarking/ Schultz, M., Crow, J. M., & O'Brien, G. (2013). Outcomes of the chemistry Discipline Network mapping exercises: are the Threshold Learning Outcomes met? International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 21(1), 81-91. Schmid, S., Schultz, M., Priest, S. J., O’Brien, G., Pyke, S. M., Bridgeman, A., Lim, K. F., Southam, D. C., Bedford, S. B., & Jamie, I. M. (2016). Assessing the Assessments: Development of a Tool To Evaluate Assessment Items in Chemistry According to Learning Outcomes. In Technology and Assessment Strategies for Improving Student Learning in Chemistry (pp. 225-244). American Chemical Society. Rayner, G., Familiari, M., Blansby, T., Young, J., & Burke da Silva, K. (2012). Assessing first year biology student practical skills: Benchmarking across the landscape. In 15th international first year in higher education (FYHE) conference. Brisbane: QUT Events

Marketing an Alternate Model for Science and Mathematics Initial Teacher Education

An innovative initial teacher education undergraduate degree has been offered for the first time in 2016 at an Australian University. The degree provides for qualification as a secondary science and mathematics teacher through the completion of a four-year integrated science, mathematics and education program of study where the synergies available through concurrent, integrated study of content and teacher pedagogy are available. The paper describes the results of the analysis of data from science and mathematics school teachers and career advisors in relation to the potential market for the program and perceived advantages and barriers to students selecting the degree

Educational leaders’ perceptions of STEM education revealed by their drawings and texts

This study explored school principals\u27 and teacher educators\u27 perceptions of STEM education based on how they described STEM as a discipline, their understanding of the nature of teaching and learning of STEM, and the capabilities of a STEM-educated person. Data were generated through the Draw a STEM Learning Environment (D-STEM) instrument comprising drawn and written descriptions where participants drew a picture of a STEM learning environment and completed five prompt statements about what STEM is and how an individual develops personal STEM capability. The Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) specialization codes were used for data analysis (198 individual response items in total) to understand how the participants perceive STEM education. Almost half the participant responses indicated knowledge-code perceptions with a smaller but significant number (approximately a third of responses) indicating knower-code perceptions. The remaining responses showed élite-code perceptions, indicating a small proportion of participants valued the development of both disciplinary knowledge/practices and generic skills/attributes in STEM education. We posit that curriculum structure and reporting requirements influence these perceptions. Further research in relation to the influence of such understandings on enacted curriculum is warranted

AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION

Background While there has been substantial movement towards integrating the study of STEM disciplines in the United States (Becker & Park, 2011), the situation in Australia is such that these disciplines are still largely taught separately (Blackley & Howell, 2015). This abstract reports on the development of an innovative four-year undergraduate ITE degree for secondary teachers, the Bachelor of Education (Science and Mathematics) (BEDSM) developed as part of the IMSITE project. Students enrolled in the degree will simultaneously study a science major, mathematics minor and education units that have been designed to allow for teaching and learning with an integrated STEM approach. Aims The aim of the research was to assess the attractiveness of the BEDSM to science and mathematics teachers and career counsellors in secondary schools with a view to determining the potential for the program to attract future students. Design and methods Face-to-face interviews were conducted in March 2015 with 12 staff from secondary schools, comprising nine teachers or heads of department for science and/or mathematics and three school career counsellors. Each participant was provided with an overview of the BEDSM, and were asked for their views in relation to the approach being taken, how attractive the program might be to future ITE students and how likely they were to recommend the program. All interviews were digitally recorded and subsequently transcribed and coded to allow for the identification of common themes across the dataset. Results The interviewees identified two distinct market groups: namely school students who viewed teaching of science/mathematics as their preferred career option and people of mature age looking to change careers, but who lacked the formal academic qualifications to gain direct entry to a postgraduate teacher education program. Concerns were raised in two regards, firstly the extent to which graduates of the BEDSM would be sufficiently prepared in the science and mathematics content to be successful teachers and hence disadvantaged when compared with teachers who graduate with an undergraduate degree in these fields, and secondly that the program would be offered in distance mode only. Of particular interest was that only one participant identified the integrated nature of the program as an advantage, while two others indicated the requirement to study both mathematics and science was a disadvantage. Conclusions As a result of these preliminary interviews, developers of the course concluded that in order to attract students directly from secondary schools into the BEDSM course, an innovative marketing approach would be required that targeted two cohorts. Firstly, marketing the advantages of a direct career path to teaching and the shorter time to entry into the profession to secondary students. Secondly, marketing the advantages and rigorous nature of studying science and mathematics content and pedagogy, via an integrated ITE program, to teachers and career counsellors in secondary schools in order to gain their support for the program. References Becker, K., & Park, K. (2011). Effects of integrative approaches among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects on students’ learning: A preliminary meta-analysis. Journal of STEM Education, 12(5/6), 23-37. Blackley, S., & Howell, J. (2015). A STEM narrative: 15 years in the making. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(7), 102-112

Developing a faculty wide WIL program for science

Problem Uptake of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is far less in the natural and physical sciences than other STEM disciplines at the University of Tasmania, many of which have a requirement for WIL for professional accreditation, including ICT, Engineering, surveying and agriculture. This disparity is consistent with national trends. Despite these pockets of activity in specific disciplines, we currently lack a generic WIL program suited to broad implementation across the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology and a mechanism for students and academic staff to identify and engage with industry partners. Plan This is one of six ‘Lighthouse Projects’ co-funded by the Australian Council of Deans of Science, in the sub-theme of ‘Setting up Faculty WIL programs’ with the project undertaking a review of WIL programs, including student preparation and program delivery and support, to inform the development of a generic science unit for on- and off-campus WIL in our Faculty. WIL is generally understood to be the approaches and strategies that integrate theory with its practice in the workplace. WIL allows students to develop depth of understanding through the application of the knowledge and skills of their chosen discipline, while enabling students to improve their future employability outcomes. The University of Tasmania aims to provide graduates with the skills required for participation in the national and international work environments, and this project aims to extend the curriculum by providing real world experiences for our students. Our project aims to include provision for student placement in industry, but also for on-campus simulation of the workplace, combining an authentic experience with critical reflective practice. Action Phase 1 of the project involved a review of established placement and project-based WIL units and/or programs in Science or related disciplines. Three of these units are offered by our Faculty in the disciplines of Agriculture and Food Systems, Engineering, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), with one other from the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics. Another three WIL programs were from the Science faculties at Deakin University, Monash University and The University of Melbourne. Collated information was used to inform the development of learning outcomes, support, delivery and assessment of a generic WIL elective unit for the natural and physical sciences at the University of Tasmania. Our reflections on the project A common assessment strategy in WIL is for students to critically self-reflect on the application of knowledge and skills in their professional work. Our review of existing programs indicated that students are taught and practice critical self-reflection to understand their strengths and development needs in the context of their readiness for work. Academics and students in the Faculty will be consulted in the next phase of the project to benchmark the use of critical self-reflection and authentic assessment. A Faculty Industry Reference Group will be formed for consultation and networking purposes. Collated information will inform the development of activities to ensure that students from diverse science disciplines can achieve the intended learning outcomes in the generic WIL unit. Focus group discussions with academic staff will be a precursor to developing a framework for a program in WIL in the Faculty that is aligned with the strategic aims of the university

Les terres agricoles face à l’urbanisation

La perte de terres agricoles liées à l’urbanisation constitue l’une des facettes de la consommation des terres. Commencé dans les années 1970, ce phénomène — essentiellement dû à l’étalement urbain — prend des proportions jusque-là inégalées. Les conséquences de ces processus d’artificialisation sont multiples et portent à la fois sur la production et sur la sécurité alimentaire ainsi que sur la perte de biodiversité. Ces processus interrogent aussi les formes de solidarité territoriale entre les villes et les espaces péri-urbains et ruraux. Issu d’une collaboration scientifique lancée au début des années 2010 entre l’Université de technologie de Sydney (University of Technology Sydney, UTS) et l’Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l’environnement et l’agriculture (Irstea), cet ouvrage aborde des points clés de la problématique de la consommation des terres en se focalisant sur les terres agricoles en France et en Australie. Plutôt que d’offrir une analyse comparative approfondie de la planification des terres agricoles périurbaines entre les deux pays, il propose une exploration des « boîtes à outils » de l’ingénierie territoriale développées et mobilisées pour faire face à l’enjeu de la perte de terres agricoles liée à l’urbanisation. Il offre également un « arrêt sur image » dans un panorama de champs de recherche en pleine évolution, autant du point de vue théorique que méthodologique

Regarding STEM: Perceptions of academics revealed in their drawings and text

How a sample of university educators described STEM, expected outcomes of STEM, expertise of STEM educators, and STEM learning environments were investigated through drawing- and text- based responses. Data were examined by applying the Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) Specialisation plane (Maton, 2014). Participants generally held knowledge-code (epistemic relations are foregrounded) or mixed-code (sometimes epistemic and sometimes social relations are foregrounded) perceptions. Further analysis showed that participants value both disciplinary knowledge and discipline-related practices such as analysing data and providing evidence-based discussions. The LCT approach has been found powerful in its ability to represent the kind of knowledge that might be valued, and the kind of knowers that might be desired by educators of STEM or individual STEM disciplines including mathematics

What's in a Name? Employment Relations Constructs and Labels for International Business Research

With the increased internationalisation of enterprises and the proliferation of international business literatures, labels attached to constructs used in international business research must be appropriate in the cross-national context. There is a tendency for researchers examining the employment context [industrial, employee and employment relations] to use codified constructs which can be readily operationalised [such as legal standards]. However, for constructs to be successfully applied to international business, they should be broad enough to encompass phenomena that underlie the overt, often codified, manifestation of the concept under investigation. This paper examines the terms used to describe the interactions of parties within the employment context to determine their suitability for use in cross-national research and business. To overcome the challenges facing cross-national researchers, it is suggested that 'etic' constructs be identified and operationalised as 'emic' constructs to ensure valid comparisons