“RIPSSL”: A New Reflective Inquiry Protocol to Lift the Lid on Students’ Significant Extra-Curricular Learning Outcomes from Study Abroad

Education abroad generally has no overarching curriculum outside the formal study component. This paper presents the Reflective Inquiry Protocol for Surfacing Significant Learning (RIPSSL), a new approach for understanding and articulating significant learning from education abroad. Tests of RIPSSL show education abroad students use it to move beyond “it was great” when considering learning from their experiences. Our findings are important for educators and students as they work to recognize and articulate the value of education abroad. RIPSSL provides a reflective educational approach to evidence learning from life experiences by surfacing students’ significant learning in their own words

Academic integrity toolkit (Beta version)

Academic integrity is integral to preserving the reputation of Australia’s higher education sector and protecting student interests.In recent years, increasing threats to academic integrity within the sector have emerged due to the wide-spread growth of commercial essay services and attempts by criminal actors to entice students into deceptive or fraudulent activity.To combat this threat, TEQSA commissioned this\ua0group of scholars to share research, develop and deliver a suite of\ua0 national workshops and create a toolkit to assist integrity practitioners with promoting academic integrity and addressing contract cheating within their institutions.\ua0The workshop materials and toolkit can be accessed on the TEQSA website at\ua0https://www.teqsa.gov.au/academic-integrity-toolki

ePortfolios through the looking glass: Projecting our learning into the future

This opinion paper was birthed in the reflective conversations between two higher education academics whose combined knowledge and experience spans ten years of Australian ePortfolio research and practice. A number of questions fed those conversations reflecting on the past, present and future for ePortfolio use in Australia. In offering this paper we hope to stimulate a wider collective reflection and conversation about current ePortfolio practice and how we might envisage the future. The NMC Horizon Report Higher Education Report 2016 predicts an increase in blended learning, bring-your-own device (BYOD) and a shift towards deeper learning that will link learner autonomy, graduate attributes and real-world experiences to help students transition to the workplace. The report also sees a significant challenge in students connecting formal and informal learning experiences. The challenge for ePortfolio advocates is demonstrating how to respond effectively to these trends. The AeP project, commissioned by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) in 2007 found a strong interest in ePortfolio use for student reflection and evidencing of skills across Australian universities. The later AeP.2 project sought to develop an ePortfolio community of practice, which over time evolved into the Australian ePortfolio Forum (Hallam et al. 2008, 2009). Since that time ePortfolio implementation has gained traction in institutional, faculty, program/course or course/unit implementations across universities. There is still strong interest in ePortfolio use for professional accreditation and career enhancement, and the development of reflective practice and other pedagogical outcomes. Implementation, however, is not an easy process (Slade et al. in press) but we can project our learnings and experiences into thinking about the future of ePortfolios. Students are the key ePortfolio users in higher education, but there are other important stakeholders, such as staff, institutions and early adopter industry groups, to consider. In particular, we need to understand the systemic barriers and advocate change with industry and accrediting bodies to facilitate improved ePortfolio uptake. We know there are still other areas of ePortfolio practice that could be enhanced, such as ePortfolios in student placements, employability and integration with co-curricular activities or newer areas like learning analytics. This raises a number of questions which we can discuss together. Maybe we need another audit to measure progress, a think tank involving collaboration of stakeholder groups for strategic planning or an idea from left-field. Whatever the case, we are eager to hear the opinions of the ePortfolio collective….so let the conversation begin

Piloting the Digital Experience Insights Service (November 2018): The University of Queensland

In 2018 a\ua0partnership between staff in the Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation (ITaLI) and the UQ Library facilitated an institutional survey to investigate students' digital experiences and perspectives whilst studying at the University.\ua0The team engaged with other universities globally to pilot the survey instrument 'Digital experience insights survey' developed by JISC in the UK. Nearly 10,000 UQ students responded.\ua0This survey was very timely in allowing the University to understand the digital affordances and needs of the students and build these into upcoming digital initiatives. The case study url is\ua0https://digitalinsights.jisc.ac.uk/case-study-listing/university-queensland

Enhancing experiential learning in planning education through an online toolkit of resources

This paper reports on the development of an online toolkit of resources to support the use and assessment of experiential learning (EL) across planning programs. Planning graduates face diverse workplace demands with expectations to address the local and regional implications of global trends, integrate technological advances with existing planning processes, as well as interpret and integrate changing legislative and institutional arrangements. Planning education is about educators, practitioners and students coming together. Equipping students for increasing complexity and change requires planning educators to design programs that facilitate the learning of personal and professional skills and both broad and specialised planning knowledge. Planning practitioners, in partnership with educators, make further valuable contributions by providing a range of ‘real world’ learning experiences where students can directly develop new skills, knowledge and qualities. Experiential learning allows students to develop confidence within a safe environment through a series of activities and reflection that link theory to practice. However, developing EL learning outcomes, teaching activities and assessment can be demanding and time consuming for planning educators. In response, the Experiential Learning in Planning Education: Resources and Tools for Good Practice research project developed an online toolkit of case studies and associated resources to assist planning educators and practitioners in their application of EL. These case studies, developed by the partners in the project, explain the rationale of using particular EL activities based on a set of EL principles; how these activities are assessed; and reflections on how they could be improved for future use. The case studies also include numerous ‘how to’ resources, such as checklists and handy hints for organising activities, evaluation tools and examples of students’ work. Furthermore, the toolkit website is an interactive and ‘living’ repository where additional case studies by other EL users can be included to enhance the diversity and richness of the resources available. The toolkit is expected to particularly benefit new planning educators but should also be of interest to planning schools and practitioners around the globe who are endeavouring to facilitate students’ education in a rapidly changing world

Contract cheating websites: An analysis of prices, services, and persuasive techniques

Background It was recently reported that almost 1000 students across universities in New South Wales were implicated in a scandal involving a “contract cheating” website that ghost-wrote assessment pieces for a fee1. Other universities are not immune to this problem, and reports of contract cheating site use are appearing across the country. Contract cheating has negative implications for Universities and society-at-large, as cheating students who successfully graduate may pursue jobs as underqualified workers. Aims To better understand the phenomenon of contract cheating by examining the services offered and the persuasive techniques used by contract cheating websites. Design and Methods We conducted an environmental scan of contract cheating sites and compiled a list of the sites that are most frequently returned in site-related searches. We studied these sites for product coverage, domain ownerships, pricing structures, and persuasive techniques. Results We found assignment purchase was readily available at affordable prices in multiple formats and subjects. We also established a strong relationship between assignment cost and delivery time. The sites use a range of persuasive techniques, including assurances of quality and rapid provision of personalised support to users. Conclusions Contract cheating sites use a sophisticated business model that combines support, availability, and rapid production of products that appear to be personalised. They prey on the vulnerabilities of students and it is possible that naïve students may not even realise that using the sites is classed as cheating under university rules. Universities need to establish counter measures that include preventive education for both students and academics to discourage this form of cheating. References 1. Visentin, L. (2015). MyMaster essay cheating scandal: More than 70 university students face suspension. Sydney Morning Herald. [online] Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mymaster-essay-cheating-scandal-more-than-70-university-students-face-suspension-20150312-1425oe.html [Accessed 2 Jun. 2016] 2. Clarke, R. and Lancaster, T. (2006). Eliminating the successor to plagiarism? Identifying the usage of contract cheating sites Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, The University of Queensland, Sept 28th to 30th, 2016, page X, ISBN Number 978-0-9871834-4-6

ΔNp73, A Dominant-Negative Inhibitor of Wild-type p53 and TAp73, Is Up-regulated in Human Tumors

p73 has significant homology to p53. However, tumor-associated up-regulation of p73 and genetic data from human tumors and p73-deficient mice exclude a classical Knudson-type tumor suppressor role. We report that the human TP73 gene generates an NH2 terminally truncated isoform. ΔNp73 derives from an alternative promoter in intron 3 and lacks the transactivation domain of full-length TAp73. ΔNp73 is frequently overexpressed in a variety of human cancers, but not in normal tissues. ΔNp73 acts as a potent transdominant inhibitor of wild-type p53 and transactivation-competent TAp73. ΔNp73 efficiently counteracts transactivation function, apoptosis, and growth suppression mediated by wild-type p53 and TAp73, and confers drug resistance to wild-type p53 harboring tumor cells. Conversely, down-regulation of endogenous ΔNp73 levels by antisense methods alleviates its suppressive action and enhances p53- and TAp73-mediated apoptosis. ΔNp73 is complexed with wild-type p53, as demonstrated by coimmunoprecipitation from cultured cells and primary tumors. Thus, ΔNp73 mediates a novel inactivation mechanism of p53 and TAp73 via a dominant-negative family network. Deregulated expression of ΔNp73 can bestow oncogenic activity upon the TP73 gene by functionally inactivating the suppressor action of p53 and TAp73. This trait might be selected for in human cancers

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

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy