Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Design Students Perspectives on Assessment Rubric in Studio-Based Learning

Eric F. Eshun — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:26 PDT

This study examined students’ perspectives on the use of assessment criteria and rubrics in graphic design studio at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. This assessment strategy was introduced with the desire to improve students’ participation and involvement in studio-based learning programme. At the end of the semester, a questionnaire was used to gather responses from a sample of 108 students about their opinions on the use of assessment rubric. Analyses of the data collected demonstrate that students were generally positive about the use of rubric in the peer assessment process. Descriptive statistics showed that 86% of the students agreed that assessment criteria helped them in their learning; they found the peer assessment process as a valuable learning experience and 46% contended that they needed training in the use of assessment rubric. The results further suggest 89% of the respondents agreed that the use of assessment rubric enabled them to socially interact. The conclusion drawn from the evidence is that using assessment rubric directed learning activities and can have positive implications for the learning experience in studio-based learning.

Encouraging and Evaluating Class Participation

Kathleen E. Czekanski — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:20 PDT

Many faculty interpret student responses to faculty questions as evidence of an actively engaged classroom. Because of this conviction, class participation, whether graded or ungraded, appears in many course syllabi in colleges and universities and is often promoted as the responsibility of students to contribute to the learning environment. Class participation provides faculty with some confidence that learning is taking place during a course and that students are reading assignments. While faculty may debate that attendance should not be used as a stand-in for class participation, this may not be a universally held belief or practice. Some faculty create rubrics which structure student participation and often delineate the tasks students should perform. Rubrics often list points, percents, and scales indicating levels of performance. This scoping review of the literature identifies themes encouraging and grading class participation and provides examples to increase class participation.

Face to Facebook: Social media and the learning and teaching potential of symmetrical, sychronous communication

George VanDoorn — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:16 PDT

Social networking offers teachers and learners exciting opportunities to communicate. Web 2.0 and its synchronous communications platforms provide new avenues for teachers to deliver curriculum and facilitate learning. Further, they provide new avenues for students to engage and intensify their own learning. Being able to chat in real-time with a teacher, usually via face-to-face discussions, is something that many students studying in on-campus (or day) mode take for granted, and is something that distance or off-campus students are generally unable to experience. In the evolving, flexible-learning tertiary environment, viable and effective computer mediated communication (CMC) alternatives to face-to-face teaching need to be explored. These alternatives will only work if they prove useful to students. This article considers student reactions to social media as a teaching tool, probing its benefits and limitations. Over the course of a semester, third year on- and off-campus students communicated with an academic, outside lecture times, via the social networking site facebook®. Students were allowed to ask any questions they had that related to the unit. At the end of the semester students were provided with a 10-item questionnaire asking them to evaluate their experience. This study looked at a specific aspect of social networking — synchronous text-based chat — and the students’ perceptions of its usefulness for their learning.

Conceptions of Good Teaching by Good Teachers: Case Studies from an Australian University

Fernanda P. Duarte — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:13 PDT

This paper contributes to the debate on what constitutes good teaching in early 21st Century higher education, through an examination of the experience of five outstanding lecturers from a business school in an Australian university. It is based on a qualitative study that explored their perceptions on what constitutes ‘good teaching’. Resonating with existing research on good teaching practice, the findings suggest that good teachers tend to embrace constructivist principles, and are committed to facilitating learning that is deep, engaged, experientially-based, empowering, reflective, and life-long. The real-life examples of good teaching practice provided by the participants are a valuable resource to higher education teachers, in particular those beginning their careers.

Academic Writing at the Graduate Level: Improving the Curriculum through Faculty Collaboration

Mary A. Bair Ph.D. — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:11 PDT

This article describes a collaborative self-study undertaken to identify the source of academic writing difficulties among graduate students and find ways to address them. Ten faculty members in a college of education came together to define the problem and to analyze data gleaned from faculty and student surveys, course documents, course assignments, and course assessments. We found discrepancies between faculty and student perceptions about graduate preparation for academic writing and between the espoused and enacted curriculum. Both faculty and students identified problems associated with synthesizing theory and research. We discuss the need for teacher-scholars in today's educational environment, the challenges facing curriculum improvement, and several program-specific measures being undertaken to address identified gaps in academic writing and critical thinking.

Indigenous Studies and the Politics of Language

Colleen McGloin PhD — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:09 PDT

Language use changes over time. In Indigenous contexts, language alters to suit the shifting nature of cultural expression as this might fit with Indigenous peoples’ preference or as a consequence of changes to outdated and colonial modes of expression. For students studying in the discipline of Indigenous Studies, learning to use appropriate terminology in written and oral expression can be a source of anxiety. In this paper, we consider how providing insight into the political nature of language can help students to be mindful and to understand that systems of naming have a political impact on those being named and those doing the naming. This paper reflects the views and experiences of teaching staff at the Indigenous Studies Unit (ISU) in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wollongong. It comes from our teaching experience, and from discussions with staff and students over the past few years that have conveyed to us a continuing anxiety about language use.

Widening Participation in University Learning

Barbara Rissman — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:05 PDT

This paper reports how one Australian university and the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET) are working together to increase the number of school students from low socio-economic backgrounds enrolling in undergraduate university degrees. This innovative program involves university lecturers and school teachers working together in the delivery and assessment of four Bachelor of Education units (or subjects) to a cohort of Year eleven and twelve students at a secondary school. Focus group interviews collected data from 26 students, 7 parents, 4 school and 3 university staff to assess the effectiveness of the program. All stakeholders viewed the program as a highly valuable opportunity to experience university learning with 31 high school graduating students being made offers to enter full-time university in the 2010 and 2011. This positive result has particular significance in the current drive in Australia and elsewhere to increase the participation in higher education of young people from under-represented groups.

Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice Editorial 10.1

Geraldine E. Lefoe — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:28:01 PDT

Welcome to the first issue of Volume 10 of Journal of University Teaching and Learning (JUTLP) in 2013. This year also marks the tenth year of the journal and we have seen it grow incredibly in that time. As an open access journal we struggled initially for acceptance. However last year there were 32000 downloads from the site, an indication of improved access as well as more interest in improving teaching practice. This increased recognition for research related to higher education teaching practice is also reflected in opportunities for grants. In Australia this year the federal government has recently announced that Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) grants and fellowships are included in the Competitive Grants Register for the first time providing further avenues for our scholars to support their research.

Commentary: Curriculum Alignment and After: Prompts, Positions and Prospects at La Trobe University

Adrian N. Jones — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:17 PST

The move to align curriculum has been an important aspect of endeavours to improve and reform higher education. This article places alignment reform at La Trobe University in its institutional context. The reform of generalist degrees programmes is emphasised. The article first traces a problem of curriculum anarchy which La Trobe shared with many other institutions. The paths and foundations of La Trobe's move to align its curriculum are then described, with a focus on their implications for generalist (i.e., non-vocational) programmes. The article concludes by suggesting and sketching a new agenda for reform after alignment: a focus on what students are actually doing now that their academics think they have everything properly aligned.

Champions or Helpers: Leadership in Curriculum Reform in Science

Elizabeth D. Johnson — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:15 PST

This study describes the perceptions of embedded teaching and learning leadership teams working on curriculum reform in science teaching departments. The teams combined a formally recognised leader, School Director of Learning and Teaching, with a project-based, more junior academic, Curriculum Fellow, to better leverage support for curriculum reform. Teams were established on the principles of localizing support and maximising credibility with discipline staff. The core teams were supported by a larger Faculty team of Associate Dean Academic, academic developer, educational designer, first year coordinator and project manager. Key themes emerging from the collected data were the complementary roles of members of the team, different perceptions of leadership between the School Directors of Learning and Teaching and the Curriculum Fellows, the importance of acting locally within the disciplines and the synergistic value of working in a team. The combination of formal and informal leadership aggregated into the FSTE School teams offers a model to support sustainable improvement in science teaching and learning in higher education.

Using capstones to develop research skills and graduate capabilities: A case study from physiology

Brianna L. Julien PhD — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:13 PST

In 2011, the Department of Human Biosciences introduced two physiology capstone subjects as part of the Design for Learning Project at La Trobe University. Consistent with the project, the aims of these subjects were to provide an effective culmination point for the Bachelor of Health Science course and to offer students orientation to opportunities for further study, employment and career development. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the skills-related assessment tasks of the newly introduced capstone program and an evaluation of the capstone program based on student performance and feedback scores in conjunction with staff perceptions. The skills-related assessment tasks were designed to facilitate the development of research skills and graduate capabilities such as writing, speaking, creative problem-solving, inquiry/research and team work. Student performance determined by mean scores on the skills-based assessment tasks ranged from A to C. Final grades were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in 2011 when compared with final grades in 2010 and 2009. Students reported that the skills-based assessments contributed to their learning and skill development and satisfaction level was high. Staff noted a higher degree of student-centred learning, a vastly increased workload and a greater need for infrastructure services and support staff. Universities and departments should therefore consider staff and resource requirements when implementing curriculum that has a student-centred approach. In conclusion, the revised curriculum successfully promoted the development of research skills and graduate capabilities, thereby leading to work-readiness and/or entry to graduate studies in the Health and Biological Sciences.

Actively promoting student engagement within an online environment: Developing and implementing a signature subject on ‘Contemporary Issues in Sex and Sexuality’

Gillian Fletcher — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:11 PST

La Trobe University is committed to improving the first year experience, and to developing its online teaching portfolio in response to increasing student demand. This article will acknowledge that these two objectives will remain contradictory if online learning systems are used predominantly as repositories of information with little thought given to their specific pedagogic possibilities. The article will then present a case study of an ‘Signature Subject’ that was developed to actively promote learner-material, learner-learner and learner-lecturer engagement in an entirely online environment, through use of synchronous and asynchronous sessions. Background to subject development will be provided, followed by discussion of challenges faced, responses to challenges and outcomes in terms of student response. The article will conclude by arguing that, as universities increase their use of online learning due to the changing university environment, this does not have to lead to reduced student engagement or poorer first year experiences.

Transforming information literacy conversations to enhance student learning: new curriculum dialogues

Fiona A. Salisbury — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:09 PST

Information literacy is an essential component of the La Trobe University inquiry/research graduate capability and it provides the skill set needed for students to take their first steps on the path to engaging with academic information and scholarly communication processes. A deep learning approach to information literacy can be achieved if students have an opportunity to build awareness of generic skills followed by practice in their discipline context. This article describes a collaborative model for developing and embedding information literacy resources within disciplines, that is based on Biggs and Tang's (2007) concept of constructive alignment, and that is suitable for implementation on an institutional scale.

The article explores the application of the model through interviews with academics and concludes by providing a set of reflections on the importance of librarians taking an educationally theorised approach to both teaching and learning conversations related to information literacy and to the development of curriculum resources. All of which, need to be focused on collecting evidence of student learning outcomes.

Collaborating to embed academic literacies and personal support in first year discipline subjects

Kate Chanock PhD — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:07 PST

This article discusses a Design for Learning project in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where academic and personal support for students was interwoven in their first semester. Staff of the Academic Language and Learning Unit (ALLU) worked with discipline staff to develop their students’ capabilities across a range of disciplines, while the Faculty’s First Year Coordinator organised dedicated tutors to identify and support students who struggled to engage with their first semester’s work. ALLU staff, consulting with subject coordinators, designed extra tutorials focussing on the subjects’ readings for four weeks, and working towards the first marked assignment. Using ALLU’s design, subject tutors showed students what is characteristic of thinking at university; how that is embodied in the structures and styles of academic texts; and how sources are used. Feedback from students, tutors, and coordinators was mainly favourable, and a comparison of students’ entrance scores and first semester marks with those of previous cohorts found that As and Bs rose in most subject groups, while Ds and Fails decreased, despite lower entrance scores overall.

The article situates this initiative within the movement towards “embedding” development of students’ academic literacies into their disciplines’ curricula. It looks at the educational advantages of this method, as well as some difficulties of acceptance, ownership, and organisation. It focusses, in particular, on the benefits of involving ALLU staff, with their expertise in Applied Linguistics, in designing activities to focus both students and subject lecturers on the particular discourses used in their discipline subjects.

Taking Responsibility for Academic Integrity: A collaborative teaching and learning design

Julianne East PhD — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:06 PST

La Trobe University, like many Australian universities, states that it values honest academic endeavour (Academic Integrity Policy 2011), and it can provide examples of good teaching practice in the areas of academic integrity, proper acknowledgment and avoiding plagiarism. Rather than relying on the chance that individuals will just develop good practices, this university has recently taken a more systematic approach to teaching students and staff about academic integrity and providing resources to ensure a consistent message and application of acknowledgment conventions. This systematic approach was made possible through the University’s curriculum reform program, the Design for Learning. By positioning academic integrity and acknowledgment as issues of curriculum, La Trobe has created an educational opportunity and reduced the focus on punishment. Furthermore, the mandate to deliver academic integrity programmes to all commencing students and staff and to provide consistent guidelines supports the development of awareness that academic integrity is a whole of university responsibility – everybody’s responsibility. This paper reviews one university’s progress towards aligning academic integrity, with the intention to inform those who are interested in developing an integrated academic integrity education.

Special Edition: Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice Editorial 9.3

Tai Peseta — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:32:04 PST

This Special Edition of JUTLP is unique in that it examines a single university's approach to curriculum reform, providing insights from many of the people who were engaged in the process.

At La Trobe University in Australia the mechanism for engaging in discussions at a university level has been encapsulated in an institutional strategy known as Design for Learning (DfL) (La Trobe University 2009). From 2007, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Belinda Probert and former Pro Vice-Chancellor (Curriculum and Academic Planning) Tom Angelo, led an exciting and edgy curriculum change initiative intended to build on La Trobe’s learning and teaching strengths, while simultaneously building a systems focus for ensuring curriculum quality and renewal. The blueprint for the DfL described its principles thus:

“ … highlight[ing] breadth of choice, equity, flexibility (options), learning centred-ness, research and evidence based decision making, a systems focus (rather than making individuals responsible for things they do not control), and support (resources)” (La Trobe University 2009, p. 7).

With goodwill, energy and a profound sense that ‘something needed to be done’, in the early years of the DfL, the university was alive with fresh talk of curriculum, teaching and student learning galvanised by new leadership, a commitment to evidence-based change, resources to fund curriculum innovation, together with the promise of reward and recognition. Imagine the scene: committees and communities spring up to think together about complex pedagogical issues, spirited discussion takes place, departments and faculties share resources and good practices, new staff are brought on board with responsibility to make things happen.

The 7 papers represented here describe both large and small curriculum change initiatives – some funded by the university and others done out of love, curiosity and interest.

Impact of a College Freshman Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum on Student Learning Outcomes: An Exploratory Study

Ning Wang — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:02:46 PDT

This study investigates the impact of implementing a social and emotional learning curriculum for college freshmen on student learning outcomes, including social and emotional competence and academic performance. Through the use of a quasi-experimental design, the growth in social and emotional competence of students who participated in the social and emotional learning seminars is compared with that of students who were enrolled in other freshman seminars. This comparison is complemented by a qualitative analysis of students’ self-reflections in relation to specific dimensions of social and emotional competence. The results of this study suggest that exposure to a social and emotional learning curriculum during the first semester at college may contribute to the development of social and emotional competence in students. Because of the potential relationship of social and emotional competence to academic success, this study also reports a comparison of the grade point averages (GPAs) of students from the social and emotional seminars with the GPAs of students from the other freshman seminars, while controlling for other predictors of academic success. The results indicate that students exposed to the social and emotional learning curriculum had higher grades than other students across the four semesters following the completion of the seminar.

What constitutes effective feedback to postgraduate research students? The students’ perspective

Martin East — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:02:45 PDT

Many Western universities are experiencing considerable growth in the numbers of postgraduate research students, both local and international. This increase and diversification bring with them challenges for how to make these students’ research studies successful. In particular, what students may wish to receive by way of supervisor-student relationships, and feedback within those relationships, may differ from what supervisors give, thereby creating potential tensions in the relationship and hindering effective learning. This article looks at what research students report they receive by way of feedback from supervisors, and what they say they find most effective. Evidence from questionnaires (n = 53) and interviews (n = 22) is used to draw some conclusions about how effective feedback is conceptualised from the students’ perspective. Analysis includes similarities and differences in response for students who speak English as a first or additional language.

The effectiveness of oral presentation assessment in a Finance subject: An empirical examination

Shyam S. Bhati — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:02:44 PDT

The purpose of this paper is to study the effectiveness of oral presentation as an assessment tool in a Finance subject. Assessment data collected from a postgraduate Finance subject in an Australian university over a period of five years from 2005 to 2009 was analysed statistically to determine the relation between students’ performance in oral presentation and other forms of assessments. The sample consists of assessment records of 412 students and 98 group presentations. From the study of correlations between oral presentations and other assessments, it is concluded that students perform better in written assessments compared to oral assessment. The study of effect of gender on students’ performance leads to the conclusion that female students perform better than male students in all forms of assessments except oral presentations where male students perform better although difference between males and females in oral presentation is not very large. The study of students’ performance based on their nationality leads to the conclusion that domestic students perform better than international students in all forms of assessments. Based on the study of student’ performance in oral presentation, it is found that students did well in the development of content of presentations, quality of their analysis, group coordination and organisation of presentation. There is however a general tendency to treat group work as a sum of parts instead of treating the group work as a single task. This study is limited by the fact that effectiveness of oral presentation is studied in only one Finance subject. This study makes an original contribution to the literature as the effectiveness of oral assessment in Finance subject is being studied for the first time. The conclusions arrived in this paper have many implications for policies and practice of learning and teaching in Finance.

Developing Animated Cartoons for Economic Teaching

Yu Aimee Zhang — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:02:42 PDT

Purpose – A picture is worth a thousand words. Multimedia teaching materials have been widely adopted by teachers in Physics, Biotechnology, Psychology, Religion, Analytical Science, and Economics nowadays. To assist with engaging students in their economic study, increase learning efficiency and understanding, solve misconception problems, encourage in class discussion, and increase final performance for students (especially for international students and RA students), some animations and cartoons are developed to explain basic economic concepts for both macroeconomic and microeconomic concepts, issues and events. Methodology – Two surveys were first conducted to collect first year and international students’ requirement and suggestions. Cartoons and animations were then designed and developed to solve the major misconception and misunderstanding problems facing first year students or international students in their economic studies. Qualitative interviews were conducted to collect feedbacks for the cartoons developed for this project from economic lecturers, tutors, students and other teachers and students without economic backgrounds. Learning efficiencies from animations and text materials are also compared by the length of learning time in this paper. Findings – Surveys in this study support the view that different students have different preferred learning methods. However, practice case studies are the preferred learning method for both first year university students and international students. The animated cartoons developed in this research received strong positive feedbacks from peer colleagues in Economics, teachers from other faculties, tutors in Economics, first year students, international students and RA students with dyslexic problems. Utilisation of these resources can improve learning efficiency, help students in their understanding and long-term memory of the subject, engage students in their studies, and increase interest in undertaking economic studies amongst all other students. Value – The results of this study could be used in any Economics subject, as well as for self-study by Economics students and others. As part of the Teaching and Learning Project, these materials are capable of being further used in mobile applications to assist in engaging students in their learning.