Vol. 15 No. 1 (2018)
Published:
1 January 2018
Articles
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Linking Rubrics and Academic Performance: An Engagement Theory Perspective
While marking rubrics offer a range of potential benefits for students and staff, educators are working to develop a richer understanding of the most effective ways to unlock these benefits. This study contributes by examining the link
While marking rubrics offer a range of potential benefits for students and staff, educators are working to develop a richer understanding of the most effective ways to unlock these benefits. This study contributes by examining the link between rubrics and performance through the lens of student engagement. The work introduced an assessment rubric and examined student grades across three conditions: i) when students do/do not have the marking rubric, ii) when students do/do not engage with a discussion about how and why to use the rubric, and iii) when students do/do not engage with the rubric discussion plus additional resources. The results indicate that simply providing a rubric does not necessarily lift student performance whereas higher grades are evident when students engage with discussing the rubric. Further analysis showed that grades were ever higher when students engaged with the rubric discussion plus additional resources. The findings have practical implications for effectively using rubrics and fostering improved performance through student engagement.
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Making sense of quality teaching and learning in higher education in Ethiopia: Unfolding existing realities for future promises
Current approaches for assessing the quality of teaching and learning in higher education focus solely on compliance and accountability, and use quantitative measures that serve as indicators of institutional effectiveness and efficiency
Current approaches for assessing the quality of teaching and learning in higher education focus solely on compliance and accountability, and use quantitative measures that serve as indicators of institutional effectiveness and efficiency, yet whether such approaches have linked to instructional activities or students learning in universities are not clearly known. Moreover, while quality is a complex and multifaceted construct, its measurement using qualitative evidence of actual teaching and learning is generally minimal. This study fills this gap by examining broadly the perceptions of a variety of stakeholders on the quality of teaching and learning, and assessment and review experiences in higher education in Ethiopia. Here the main focus was to acquire an understanding of the existing realities in relation to these issues. For this, the study uses a qualitative case study design collecting primary data from interviews with 4 senior managers and 4 education quality experts, and focus-groups with 6 teachers and 26 students, and exploring secondary sources. The findings of this study suggest that recent quality improvement efforts are piecemeal and more geared towards quality assurance than improvement. Most quality concerns, assessment and review practices seemed to result in little more than formal reporting and were implemented very haphazardly. It, therefore, appears from the analysis of the qualitative data that there have been less visible quality improvements and numerous challenges. This study recommends a functioning internal system, formative assessment, and the support and ownership of those who work in the sector as crucial for the implementation of quality improvement.
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Multidisciplinary Cooperation By Students In A European University Of Applied Sciences
Today, multidisciplinary cooperation is an important objective of higher vocational education in Europe as well as other countries. The aim of this study was to explore how, and to what extent, fourth year bachelor students from different
Today, multidisciplinary cooperation is an important objective of higher vocational education in Europe as well as other countries. The aim of this study was to explore how, and to what extent, fourth year bachelor students from different domains cooperate in multidisciplinary teams at two research centers. Data for 71 students were collected with a semi-structured questionnaire, followed by focus group discussions in 14 groups. Results indicated that students accomplished multidisciplinary cooperation to varying degrees, depending on differences in disciplinary program backgrounds, student characteristics, the research center, the thematic group they belonged to, and the quality of the ‘graduation research assignment’. For example, students experienced pressure from their training college to conduct their research autonomously, and this affected the degree to which the goal of multidisciplinary cooperation was reached during the final assignment before graduation. The results of this study were useful for improvement of the professional learning environment in which training colleges and research centers cooperate.
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The impact on academic staff of the collaboration between a pathway provider and its partner university: An Australian case study.
New educational models such as those involving a third party educational provider linked with an official university for purposes of providing a bridge (a pathway program) into a mainstream university degree, particularly for international
New educational models such as those involving a third party educational provider linked with an official university for purposes of providing a bridge (a pathway program) into a mainstream university degree, particularly for international students, have become part of the higher education landscape capitalising on the international demand for tertiary qualifications from Australia and other English-language-based universities. The perceptions of teachers employed in one such pathway program are the focus of this current paper – a research area that to date has been understudied. Such data are of great value in furnishing an in-depth view of the challenges involved in an educational model that is highly commercialised and the impacts it has on teaching and learning, especially on academic identity in terms of the specific key relationships – between teachers and third party provider, between teachers and partner university, between teachers and international students. Some of the more concerning issues revolve around the extent to which market imperatives impinge on pedagogical concerns, on teachers’ professional commitment to their vocation, on international students’ capacity to acquire an authentic tertiary education that supports rather than detracts their transition to mainstream university, and on whether such educational models can be genuinely sustainable long term.
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The Double Flip: Applying a Flipped Learning Approach to Teach the Teacher and Improve Student Satisfaction
This paper describes a professional development (PD) program for academics at an Australian university designed to model good blended curriculum design and effective use of contemporary learning technologies. It evaluates a case study from
This paper describes a professional development (PD) program for academics at an Australian university designed to model good blended curriculum design and effective use of contemporary learning technologies. It evaluates a case study from the pilot of this program involving a postgraduate psychology course to illustrate one of the most challenging examples and in turn the potential impact of the approach developed. Academic developers face known barriers, including time constraints, interdisciplinary miscommunication, and change resistance, when introducing academics to new approaches to learning and teaching. This PD sought to promote change by modelling a shift from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side,” through use of flipped and blended learning approaches by the academic developer. The case study found the teacher gained confidence in these methods and student satisfaction ratings increased.
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Findings on Student Use of Social Media at the Collegiate, Undergraduate, and Graduate Levels: Implications for Post-Secondary Educators
In this paper, we present findings on social media use by students at two institutions in three levels of post-secondary programs. We find that students are almost universally using at least one social network, with Facebook as the most
In this paper, we present findings on social media use by students at two institutions in three levels of post-secondary programs. We find that students are almost universally using at least one social network, with Facebook as the most popular, and Instagram second. Many respondents are simultaneously active on several social networks. However, few post to any social medium more than once per day. Social media usage levels of students in our survey far exceeded that of the adult Canadian population at large. Changes in student posting habits during the course varied widely with the level of post-secondary program, as did views on the professional applications of social media.