Professional development online : showcasing good practice to support open, distance and flexible learning

Designing Electronic Learning and Teaching Approaches (DELTA) is an online professional development initiative to support pedagogically-appropriate teaching with technology by showcasing examples of good practice in e-learning. The site aims to increase appreciation of e-learning possibilities for teaching staff through an easy-to-access, just-in-time resource. This paper describes the site and introduces the modular evaluation approach which is being implemented to examine it from different stakeholder perspectives. It then focuses on the first evaluation module which investigates how users perceive and engage with DELTA. The paper provides the initial evaluation findings which will contribute to the ongoing improvement of DELTA as a professional development resource that supports open, distance and flexible learning.<br /

STEM students see the value of LinkedIn as a career development tool and continue to use it in the long-term post-assignment

Some empirical case studies provide support for using LinkedIn as a 21st century career development tool; however, little is known about the long-term impact on students’ use of LinkedIn. A LinkedIn assignment was implemented in a third-year subject taken by students in non-specialist science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees. The study aimed to determine: 1) Student use of LinkedIn prior to, and during the four months after the assignment was completed; 2) Student intentions to use LinkedIn as a career development tool in the long-term future; 3) Student perceptions of a LinkedIn assignment and associated employability skills; 4) Changes to students’ LinkedIn profiles and professional connections in the two years following completion of the assignment. Four months after the assignment, students completed an anonymous and voluntary questionnaire comprised of open-ended and Likert-scale questions. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on the Likert-scale responses and content analysis was conducted on the open-ended responses. Students’ LinkedIn profiles were analysed upon completion of the assignment and two years post-assignment to determine changes during this time. Students saw value in the assignment and LinkedIn as a career development tool, and many thought they had developed skills in building a connected identity and social network literacy. Students were less confident in their ability to build and engage with professional networks, although they thought this was important. Most students continued to use LinkedIn in the two years post-assignment. In conclusion, a LinkedIn assignment is an effective career development tool for students in non-specialist STEM degrees

A Longitudinal Study of Student Outcomes from Participation in an International Study Tour: Some Preliminary Findings

Students returning from an international business study tour program were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of the professional and personal impact of the program. When interviews were conducted within 3-4 months of the students’ return, mixed responses were received, with some students highly positive about their experiences, but other students highly distressed about the level of independence required of them. When students were consulted two to six years after the completion of the program, including re-interviewing the initial study participants, students appeared more able to appreciate the benefits of the program. This was evident in their responses that highlighted an improvement in discipline-based knowledge, a better understanding of personal and intercultural issues, and the further development of their generic academic skills. Negative emotions had all but disappeared from students’ responses. While these findings are from small sample sizes and are not conclusive, the results raise important questions about the timing of critical program evaluations

Continuous Team Assessment to Improve Student Engagement and Active Learning

A strategy of continuous team assessment over three years, comprising of a series of tests and a major project, was introduced into scheduled tutorial classes in an attempt to improve flagging attendance and low student motivation. The assessment tasks were designed to be undertaken in teams of two students, with ongoing feedback as an integral component. After a single semester of implementation, attendance at tutorials improved (to nearly double the previous year), and this rate was sustained over a three year period. Average assessment marks rose a full grade compared to the previous student cohort, and this was also sustained over the same period. Students\u27 output improved, and they were actively engaged in their work and with their colleagues. These results indicate the change in assessment strategy achieved the desired outcomes of improving student engagement and active learning

Undergraduate Student Acceptance of a Unit Design for Developing Independent Learning Abilities

This paper describes a method intended to advance students along the path to independent learning. The method is consistent with the principles of enquiry-based Learning. It involves restructuring student contact class time into a single three-hour block, and dedicating the majority of this time to working in small research project groups. Non-punitive, formative feedback is provided continuously on student work through the semester. In order to gain insight into the student experience of the design, a qualitative study using focus groups was conducted across two consecutive semesters. Reflection on the teaching experience in light of the student responses provides insight into aspects that have worked well, particularly the nature and channels of support provided to students. Despite the students’ unfamiliarity with the unit design, the contact structure and the group work has been popular and has been perceived as contributing to the students’ learning experience. The levels of support and feedback made possible through the unit design have also been very positively viewed. However, interesting questions are also raised. The first is regarding the balance between encouraging independent learning and the provision of structure and support by staff. The second is related to going beyond student perceptions and reliably measuring changes in independent learning abilities

Introducing active learning into lectures: an example on plagiarism regulations

Academic staff often find it difficult to introduce active learning principles into lectures, where the room design often prohibits movement and focuses attention on the teacher. This paper describes a new interactive quiz on plagiarism, and discusses how this resource was used in a lecture to trigger lively class discussion. The quiz (and how it was incorporated into the lecture format) will be demonstrated at the forum presentation

Plagiarism man: facilitating improvements in academic integrity

To help students better understand the nuances of plagiarism, we have produced an interactive self-assessment quiz, using a comic-book type character to present a series of scenarios. The scenarios are examples where a student has used or quoted information from other sources, and students are asked to identify where plagiarism has occurred. Feedback is provided, including the correct way to use the relevant information without committing plagiarism. The quiz has been designed as a standalone, web-based self-assessment tool, and also as a resource for triggering discussion in a lecture-type presentation. It has been used extensively during orientation for incoming students to stimulate discussion. Students vote on whether a scenario represents plagiarism, and volunteers asked to explain their reasoning. This works well when the facilitator can propose counter-arguments or additional questions. Additional versions of the original module have been created: using clickers (audience response systems); in Mandarin, for use at partner institutions in Chinal; and for the Psychology discipline, using discipline-specific references and style

The challenges facing staff development in promoting quality online teaching

This article describes the evolution of an academic professional development program, related to the use of WebCT in teaching programs, and discusses the challenges that have arisen for the members of the staff development team since the original implementation of the program. The training program begins with face-to-face workshops, covering pedagogical issues as well as technical and practical aspects of the software. The workshop series has matured in its format and content in response to staff requirements and demands, as well as software upgrades. This article describes the ongoing evolution of the workshop program, and discusses the changes the staff developer role has undergone, in relation to strategic provision of support for academic staff and contributions to organisational policy development

A longitudinal study of student outcomes from participation in an international study tour: some preliminary findings

Students returning from an international business study tour program were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of the professional and personal impact of the program. When interviews were conducted within 3-4 months of the students' return, mixed responses were received, with some students highly positive about their experiences, but other students highly distressed about the level of independence required of them. When students were consulted two to six years after the completion of the program, including re-interviewing the initial study participants, students appeared more able to appreciate the benefits of the program. This was evident in their responses that highlighted an improvement in discipline-based knowledge, a better understanding of personal and intercultural issues, and the further development of their generic academic skills. Negative emotions had all but disappeared from students' responses. While these findings are from small sample sizes and are not conclusive, the results raise important questions about the timing of critical program evaluations