We\u27ve thrown away the pens, but are they learning? Using blogs in higher education

In today’s university classrooms, “the time of restricting students products and learning opportunities to ink on paper are past” (Siegle, 2007). Blogs are only one of many computer-mediated technologies starting to dominate blended and wholly online courses. Most people assume that using these technologies, because it is what the students want, will translate into increased learning opportunities. As the literature continuously asserts, however, learning, and especially reflection, does not just happen (Boud, Keogh, & Walker, 1985). It seems imperative, therefore, that extra measures are taken when any technology is being implemented in a university classroom to ensure high levels of reflection and cognitive processing are being fostered. Studies must be conducted to understand how blogs can be used to help students engage in reflection, at all levels: Stimulated Reflection, Descriptive Reflection, Dialogic Reflection and, the highest, Critical Reflection. This study explored the use of blogs in a tertiary setting to learn how the tool was used, and could be better used, to foster reflection and higher-order thinking. This paper focuses on how blogs were used as one element of a learning activity in an Accounting unit in an Australian university to promote reflection. We provide an analysis of the learning environment set by the instructor, including the learning task, learning resources, and learning supports, student perceptions of the value of the task, and an examination of students’ blogs. Finally, we discuss the outcomes of the blogs in terms of levels of reflection being accomplished

Generative artificial intelligence literacy amongst science students

BACKGROUND The emergence of ChatGPT 3 at the start of 2023 was greeted with a mix of opinions about whether generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools could be used to improve our teaching or were an obstacle to maintaining academic integrity and student learning (reviewed in Rasul et al., 2023). Early discussions, particularly media coverage, were focused on university and academic opinions at the expense of the student voice (Sullivan et al., 2023). Universities have a responsibility to ensure all students are digitally literate and able to make ethical choices about generative AI in their work and studies. AIMS This research examined students’ awareness, experience and confidence in their ability to use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools ethically. DESIGN AND METHODS An online survey was distributed to all students at Edith Cowan University at the beginning of semester one, 2023, with a mix of closed and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analysed in SPSS, while qualitative data were thematically coded. RESULTS At the start of the semester, most students (n=1135) had heard nothing or very little about ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. However, Science and Engineering students had significantly more awareness and experience with generative AI compared to other schools, including Medical and Health Sciences. However, some students were more confident in their ability to use generative AI ethically than expected given their lack of practical experience. Qualitative data showed that while many Science and Engineering students were excited about the potential of AI, they also had concerns about its reliability and how it would impact their studies and society as a whole, and they expected the University to supply resources and training. CONCLUSIONS University students, and Science and Engineering students in particular, are engaged with the emergence of ChatGPT and other generative AI, but want more support to work through the benefits, risks, and practical applications for their work. As a result of this research, Edith Cowan University has introduced ChatGPT resources and training for students. REFERENCES Rasul, T., Nair, S., Kalendra, D., Robin, M., de Oliveira Santini, F., Ladeira, W. J., ... & Heathcote, L. (2023). The role of ChatGPT in higher education: Benefits, challenges, and future research directions. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6(1). Sullivan, M., Kelly, A., & McLaughlan, P. (2023). ChatGPT in higher education: Considerations for academic integrity and student learning. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.1

Generative artificial intelligence: University student awareness, experience, and confidence in use across disciplines

The global higher education sector has been significantly disrupted by the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, especially in relation to its implications for assessment. However, few studies to date have explored student perspectives on these tools. This article reports on one of the first large-scale quantitative studies of student views on generative artificial intelligence at an Australian university (n = 1,135). When the survey was conducted, most students had low knowledge, experience, and confidence in using these tools. These results varied across disciplines and across some student sub-groups, such as mature-age students and international students. Confidence appeared to increase with experience, although the data also revealed a portion of students that have never used these tools yet still felt confident in using them. In exploring these results, this article aims to shed new light on this fast-evolving landscape and inform the future direction of supporting students to engage with generative artificial intelligence tools appropriately

Using web 2.0 technologies to enhance learning in higher education

The ever increasing push to graduate students who are reflective lifelong learners has placed tertiary teaching practices under significant scrutiny. Web 2.0 technologies are being adopted at a growing rate by instructors as contexts for improving student learning. Yet, the affordances and capabilities of such technologies, although they have been touted as transformative and superior, may not always be adding value to student learning. Instructors can be left wondering why there is limited value-add from the technology and students can find themselves wondering why technology is being used in these ways. These are the issues that this thesis explores. Through a case study involving teachers and students using Web 2.0 technologies in various disciplines in higher education, the thesis investigates the relationship between teaching practices when implementing Web 2.0 technologies and subsequent student learning. In this way, the thesis explores enhanced learning outcomes from the use of Web 2.0 technologies. Enhanced learning requires students to engage in meaningful learning. The underlying premise of the study was that reflection plays a crucial role in learning: without high levels of reflection, meaningful learning will not occur. A critical reading of the principal theories surrounding learning in higher education was used to develop a conceptual framework that identified four levels of reflection indicative of learning: stimulated, descriptive, dialogic and critical. A blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches was used to gather data: instructor pre and post-activity questionnaires (open-ended) sought information about how the learning environment was constructed, how the instructor perceived the task to promote reflection and the success of the activity; student questionnaires (Likert-style and open-ended) canvassed student perceptions regarding the learning environment and levels of reflection; and, student work samples provided evidence of student reflection achieved while completing the tasks. The model of reflection and cognitive processing provided the conceptual basis through which analyses were made to identify evidence of the depth and level of learning. Consistent with other findings, theresults revealed limited occurrences of meaningful learning with Web 2.0 technologies. The study sought to explore the instructional factors that influenced learning and used these to propose strategies that could enhance outcomes. A series of strategies were proposed as a means of enhancing learning outcomes through the use of Web 2.0 technologies

Personal development planning and ePortfolios in Speech Pathology:Student and staff perceptions

This paper describes the evaluation of the use of an ePortfolio which was embedded across a speech pathology program and designed to enhance employability. Personal development planning (PDP) is a key part of employability and includes learning, reflection, goal setting and understanding the wider context. Students’ perceptions of their engagement in this process were evaluated using a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data was collected through student focus groups and individual staff interviews, while quantitative data was collected via a student questionnaire (reported in Lewis & Strampel, 2014). Qualitative data was analysed using NVivo following the six phases of thematic analysis described by Braun and Clarke (2006). This paper reports the themes which emerged from the focus group data. A key finding of the study was that the platform used was not ideal for the ePortfolio purpose causing frustration and negative reactions from students and colouring their engagement with, and enthusiasm for, the ePortfolio activities. Students achieved some of the objectives of personal development planning, especially goal-setting, but it was not until students were in their final year that they saw the links with their future career and employment. Further embedding of key tasks would enhance employability aspects, including for example involving industry from the first year and modelling the PDP process with students

Using technology to foster reflection in higher education

Technology-facilitated learning is quickly becoming mainstream in most higher education institutions. Simultaneously, although not necessarily related, tertiary administrators are calling for students exiting university to exhibit the capacity for reflection and higher order thinking. Instructors, therefore, are faced with two challenges: implementing technology and increasing reflective learning. This paper argues that technology can be used to help instructors in this feat. Technology-facilitated learning offers many opportunities for students to engage in reflective tasks, if implemented properly. Ensuring conditions for promoting reflection, as outlined in the literature, are present, will yield successful changeovers for instructors beginning to use technology, instead of traditional face-to-face methods, to foster high levels of reflection and deep learning in their classrooms

Curriculum frameworks

Curriculum design in contemporary universities is an increasingly complex, but rewarding, task. Theories of curriculum from behaviourism to connectivism inform curriculum design and associated roles for teachers and students. These mirror theoretical advances in psychology, sociology and also the impact of technology. A myriad of competing priorities including industry and regulatory bodies also shape, both explicitly and implicitly, the possibilities for curriculum design. These external priorities are well balanced when there is a parallel commitment to inclusion, social justice and wellbeing, with consideration and knowledge of the diverse learners involved in the learning experience. At a practical level, curriculum design requires an understanding of core principles such as cohesion, constructive alignment and assurance of learning. Phases of the curriculum lifecycle including design, approval and review are also essential to allow for ongoing renewal. Finally, evidence-informed models of curriculum design, including inquiry and experiential models, highlight the potential for active learner engagement, particularly when coupled with meaningful and sustained partnerships with industry, community, students, as well as colleagues within the university