Vol. 16 No. 3 (2019)
Published:
1 September 2019
Articles
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Creative teaching design in STEM: Using graduate learning outcomes to distribute students' existing knowledge in first-year biology practical work groups
In Australia, a significant number of students enrol in first-year university biology without the benefit of high school biology. In order to help students support each other, the authors of this paper (a central unit academic developer
In Australia, a significant number of students enrol in first-year university biology without the benefit of high school biology. In order to help students support each other, the authors of this paper (a central unit academic developer and a biology coordinator of first-year biology) created a classroom activity that facilitated the distribution of the more experienced students of biology throughout the practical work groups. An important feature of this creative design for forming groups, called the GLO Activity in this paper, was the embedding of two of the University’s key teaching and learning priorities within the activity. These were the University’s eight graduate learning outcomes (GLOs) and, inclusive education practice. We discuss creative pedagogies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and their link to supporting students in their first year of university study. We explain our scholarly thinking behind the GLO Activity and evaluate its impact. Finally, we reflect on how we, the educators, found satisfaction in thinking deeply to create a new learning structure for a biology practical class that solved one teaching challenge but also met a number of the University’s curriculum principles.
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Impact of ePortfolios on Science student-teachers’ reflective metacognitive learning and the development of higher-order thinking skills
A concern in higher education is that most students do not acquire higher-order thinking skills, ‘cannot think’, are not engaged in reflective student-centred teaching and learning and do not always acquire technology skills. Numerous
A concern in higher education is that most students do not acquire higher-order thinking skills, ‘cannot think’, are not engaged in reflective student-centred teaching and learning and do not always acquire technology skills. Numerous studies have indicated the importance of a digital learning environment that facilitates the acquisition of IT skills, reflective and critical thinking learning skills while creating an electronic portfolio. To establish the impact of portfolios on the reflective metacognitive learning and the development of higher-order thinking skills in student-teachers (n=167) in the field of science, qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect data. The results showed that for the majority of the participants (n=160) it was the first time that they had created an ePortfolio and engaged in reflective metacognitive learning experiences. The researcher was able to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths, their interests and goals in life. Most of them regarded the learning process as time consuming, did not wish to share poor learning experiences with others, found it difficult to express their learning experiences in a second language and were unable to create an ePortfolio in an organised manner as they were not capable of metacognitive reflection. This paper is relevant for higher education lecturers in developing students to become independent learners by using an ePortfolio.
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Students’ and teachers’ perceptions and experiences of course scheduling in undergraduate sports sciences program: An Ethiopian case study
Flexibility in course scheduling is an integral part of institutional strategies used to increase student engagement and success, yet little research exists that examines scheduling as a key factor that determines students’ experiences and
Flexibility in course scheduling is an integral part of institutional strategies used to increase student engagement and success, yet little research exists that examines scheduling as a key factor that determines students’ experiences and educational outcomes. This study explored the undergraduate sport science students and their teachers at Jimma University, Ethiopia, regarding their experiences in semester-based and block scheduling formats as well as their reflections and perspectives on the effectiveness of these scheduling formats for teaching and learning. For this, the study used an exploratory mixed-methods design consisting of individual interviews with six teachers and focus group interviews with undergraduate sports sciences student sample (n = 40), and institutional archives of the sampled students’ cumulative grade point averages (GPAs). The study findings indicate divergent views regarding their perceptions and mixed experiences with the semester-based and block scheduled courses. Irrespective of these, the majority of participants reported that teachers’ missing scheduled classes, tending not to teach the full time of the class session, continual lecturing, and scarcity of instructional resources are the major challenges surrounding the implementation of both semester-based and block teaching. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research, implementation, and intervention design.
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An online testing design choice typology towards cheating threat minimisation
Online testing is a popular practice for tertiary educators, largely owing to efficiency in automation, scalability, and capability to add depth and breadth to subject offerings. As with all assessments, designs need to consider whether
Online testing is a popular practice for tertiary educators, largely owing to efficiency in automation, scalability, and capability to add depth and breadth to subject offerings. As with all assessments, designs need to consider whether student cheating may be inadvertently made easier and more difficult to detect. Cheating can jeopardise the validity of inference drawn from the measurements produced by online tests, leading to inaccurate signals and misperceptions about what students know and can do. This paper extends theoretical understanding about cheating behaviours to link online test design choices and their influence on a student’s capability and willingness to cheat. This research reviews the literature on cheating theories and a typology construction methodology to relate common online test design choices to their cheating threat consequence. In doing so, the typology offers educators designing online tests general normative guidance aimed at reducing threats to assessment inference validity, and academic integrity in general, brought about by student cheating. While we admit that cheating cannot be completely eliminated in online testing, the guidance provided by the typology can assist educators to structure online tests to minimise cheating.
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Comparison of Faculty and Student Perceptions of Videos in the Online Classroom
While instructors and students generally value the integration of videos in the online classroom, there are a number of practical considerations that may mediate the utility of videos as a teaching and learning tool. The current survey
While instructors and students generally value the integration of videos in the online classroom, there are a number of practical considerations that may mediate the utility of videos as a teaching and learning tool. The current survey examines faculty and student perceptions of videos in the online classroom with an emphasis on the practical factors that influence video integration. Results indicate differences in faculty and student acceptance and endorsements of videos for content presentation compared to assignment feedback. Faculty desire more opportunities to interact with their students (i.e., video-based discussions, video-conferencing, and student-generated videos) and highlighted efficiency as a key consideration. Students emphasized a desire for multiple opportunities to engage with course material; while students value text-based resources, they also want to have options to learn and interact via video and audio. Key to student recommendations is an awareness of the time involved to engage with online videos. Discussion highlights practical approaches to maximize the value and utility of videos in the online classroom.
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Bridging Distances: Professional Development for Higher Education Faculty Through Technology-Facilitated Lesson Study
Higher education faculty benefit from participating in communities of practice focused on developing and improving their own instruction. However, collaborators with common interests are not always located at the same physical location. In
Higher education faculty benefit from participating in communities of practice focused on developing and improving their own instruction. However, collaborators with common interests are not always located at the same physical location. In this article, we share how participation in a technology-facilitated lesson study provided the means for five higher education faculty across the U.S. to engage in professional development and evolve into a virtual community of practice. Through the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication technology, we formulated goals, planned a common lesson, conducted research on our students’ learning, and reflected on our own teaching practice. For this paper, we share how the process of technology-facilitated lesson study provided professional learning for us as individuals.
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Achieving WIL placement and theoretical learning concurrently: An online strategy for Higher Education Institutions
The Australian Government requires Higher Education Institutions to demonstrate the work-readiness of graduates. Consequently, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) has been adopted to enhance the workplace skills and professional networks of
The Australian Government requires Higher Education Institutions to demonstrate the work-readiness of graduates. Consequently, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) has been adopted to enhance the workplace skills and professional networks of students to improve graduate employability. While WIL can take many forms, experiences located in workplaces (placements, internships) have been popular. The introduction of the Australian Government’s Fair Work Act 2009 required that placements be tightly embedded within curriculum thereby presenting the challenge of how to enable WIL via placements and theoretical learning in already compact study programs. As a response, we present the pragmatic use of online theoretical instruction and online WIL assessment within an undergraduate core Capstone business subject, as an enabler of the WIL placement. We examine learner perspectives on, and grade outcomes from, undertaking online theoretical instruction concurrent with WIL placements to discuss the key WIL and online learning design implications for this cohort of learners. Our findings are increasingly pertinent given the 2017 Australian Government Higher Education Reform package incentivising the expansion of WIL into all degrees.
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Converting Likert Scales Into Behavioral Anchored Rating Scales(Bars) For The Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness For Formative Purposes
Likert scales traditionally used in student evaluations of teaching (SET) suffer from several shortcomings, including psychometric deficiencies or ambiguity problems in the interpretation of the results. Assessment instruments with
Likert scales traditionally used in student evaluations of teaching (SET) suffer from several shortcomings, including psychometric deficiencies or ambiguity problems in the interpretation of the results. Assessment instruments with Behavioral Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) offer an alternative to Likert-type questionnaires. This paper describes the construction of an appraisal tool with BARS generated with the participation of 974 students and 15 teachers. The resulting instrument eliminates ambiguity in the interpretation of results and gives objectivity to the evaluation due to the use of unequivocal behavioral examples in the final scale. However, BARS methodology presents the problem of losing behavioral information during scale construction. The BARS methodology presented by the authors introduces an additional step to the traditional procedure, which significantly reduces the loss of information during the scale construction. The authors conclude that the qualitative approach of the proposed instrument facilitates the application of the formative function of the evaluation.