Communicating outcomes of students\u27 evaluations of teaching and learning: one-size-fits-all?

Student evaluations of teaching are increasingly used to measure the teaching of individual academics in Australian higher education. The outcomes of these evaluations are variably made available to the individual academics themselves, to university management and to the public. However, communicating evaluation outcomes to each of these audiences assumes a different purpose and necessitates different objectives, foci and methodology. The need for these differences is sometimes forgotten with a &lsquo;one-size-fits-all&rsquo; approach in Australian higher education. This paper examines these differences and discusses some of the issues surrounding the communication of the outcomes of student evaluations of teaching.<br /

Scholarship of teaching: what does it mean for Deakin University?

This short paper explores the relevance of the scholarship of teaching to advancing Deakin University&rsquo;s mission and core commitments, to teaching and learning and to its staff. The concept of the scholarship of teaching is defined and a discussion of the relevance of the concept to Deakin is then presented. Some broad guiding principles for implementation are offered

Higher education research at Deakin University

There is much complexity to the term &lsquo;higher education research&rsquo;. This paper explores the notion and provides some background for ongoing discussion with members of the College of Distinguished Deakin Educators (CDDE) and other staff stakeholders at Deakin University

Improved questionnaire for gathering student perceptions of teaching and learning

An instrument used to gather university students&rsquo; perceptions of their learning environments, the Perceptions of Learning Environments Questionnaire (PLEQ) has been used recently in higher education research. The current paper examines the strengths and limitations of the PLEQ, particularly in relation to uncovering student perceptions about responsibility for their own learning. A study trialling a modified questionnaire, whichbuilds on the advances and addresses the limitations of the PLEQ, is reported.<br /

Deakin as a national leader in teaching and learning

Deakin University has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming a national leader in teaching and learning and in the provision of high quality flexible education. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Walker, recently reinforced the target of Deakin being in the top third of Australian universities in relation to teaching and learning by 2012.<br /

Solution-focused model for improving individual university teaching

Universities commonly use individual teaching development as one of a suite of strategies to improve teaching and learning outcomes. This paper outlines an individual teaching development programme based on the tenets of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). The programme was trialled with a senior lecturer of a large third-year subject in an Australian university. The approach resulted in evidence of positive changes in teaching. The potential and wider application of this approach is considered

Challenging accepted wisdom about conceptions of teaching in academic development

In recent years, conceptions of teaching held by academic staff have achieved an increased focus in the scholarly and practical work of teaching developers. Views on the impact of conceptions of teaching on improving university teaching, as well as their significance in doing so, vary from those that advocate changing conceptions as a necessary first step in the process of improvement to more recent views that characterize conceptions of teaching as merely artifacts of reflection on teaching. This paper explores this range of views, raises a number of questions about the current accepted views on the importance of conceptions of teaching development work, and challenges the current accepted wisdom in this important area

Peers can teach a thing or two

PEER review is a well-established practice in higher education to monitor and enhance the quality of research. Why, then, do we tend to avoid peer review as a legitimate process through which to evaluate and improve the quality of teaching?<br /