2024: ASCILITE 2024 Conference Proceedings

ASCILITE Conference - Full Papers

• Is scalable 'students as partners’ possible? : Towards large-scale, inclusive, in-class partnerships

  Mollie Dollinger, Jonathan Brazil, Kelly Matthews, Hassan Khosravi

  Amid the growing practice of engaging with students as partners in learning and teaching, there have been well-known critiques of the practice’s often small-scale, extra-curricular, project-based, and often exclusive, models of student participation. In this research, we respond to these concerns through the evaluation of a whole-of-class approach to student partnership which harnessed a scalable, online peer-recommender platform known as RiPPLE (Recommendation in Personalised Peer Learning Environments). Through the platform, educators partner with students to develop a large repository of learning resources where students can contribute by authoring learning resources and/or reviewing and providing feedback on their peer's submissions. In this study, we present the evaluation of this intervention, including the development of a transferable survey instrument based on key outcomes related to student partnership. Survey results (N= 889) indicated that many, though not all, of the previously evidenced benefits of partnership occurred, for example, students’ self-reported gains in learning engagement and self-efficacy about their ability to contribute learning resources. These findings suggest that large-scale, in-class partnerships have promising potential to expand the benefits of partnership at scale and open up new insights on how to leverage technology to support large-scale, inclusive learning and teaching innovations.

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• The Funnel Transformative Model of Science Education: An Innovative Approach Awaiting Validation

  Jorge Reyna, Marta Romero Ariza, Antonio Quesada Armenteros

  This theoretical paper proposes a model to address the multifaceted challenges of science education by integrating two evidence-based approaches: the Learner-Generated Digital Media (LGDM) projects framework and the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) framework. The Model is analogous to a funnel, with its wide top representing the broad field of science education and its narrow bottom symbolising transformative learning. It leverages LGDM’s self-regulation benefits and CASE’s structured five-stage approach – Concrete Preparation, Cognitive Conflict, Social Construction, Metacognition, and Bridging. The model categorises the complexity of science learning into six critical pillars: lack of conceptual understanding, cognitive challenges, language barriers, lack of hands-on learning, lack of robust assessments, and social issues. Applying the Funnel Model aims to develop cognitive skills, enhance learning strategies, and foster practical skills. This paper presents the Funnel Model and discusses a methodological approach to validation using Design-Based Research (DBR). The research plans to address three key questions to refine and enhance the Funnel Model in improving science education outcomes.

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• ‘We didn't need to know about everything all at once’: Using UX to give students easy access to relevant assessment resources

  Mark Bassett, Craig Wattam

  Tertiary student engagement with information and academic literacy online resources provided by centralized units is low. Although these resources are designed to prepare students for their assessments, they are often positioned peripherally to students’ learning environments. In attempting to position resources within students’ learning environments, our Library team conduct regular user experience (UX) testing of a course we have designed in our institution’s learning management system. Our two-year UX project has focused on the design and organization of resources that show students examples and guidance with how to do their assessments. Over two rounds of data collection and analysis, UX methods of usability testing, card sorting, low-fidelity wireframing, and high-fidelity prototyping helped identify student preferences for organising and accessing our resources. Findings indicate that students value the provision of relevant examples and guidance that show them what is expected in assessments and that they want direct access to that content as part of their courses. Implications for design include maximizing ease of use by positioning links to relevant examples and guidance in the assessment instructions and/or specific learning materials of courses, with the content being linked to positioned within a centralized repository in the same online learning environment.

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• Implementing an interactive oral task to assess undergraduate psychology students’ attainment of pre-professional competencies

  Taneile Kitchingman, Genevieve d'Ament, Rhianydd Shakeshaft

  Finding engaging and authentic ways to assess required competencies which are resistant to academic misconduct is a challenge for tertiary psychology education. While simulation-based tasks are commonly used to assess postgraduate students’ development of professional competencies, they are less commonly used in undergraduate programs to assess pre-professional competencies. Interactive oral assessments have been suggested to achieve authenticity while inhibiting academic misconduct, and to be feasible within an online learning environment. The current study presents students’ and markers’ perceptions of an interactive oral task implemented to assess fourth-year psychology students’ counselling and reflection skills. Results suggest that students and markers perceived the interactive oral task to be an authentic assessment of knowledge and skills required for future practice, which encouraged deeper learning than written assessments or exams, and was resistant to academic misconduct. Despite feeling anxious about the new assessment format, both students and markers reported finding the engaging nature of the task enjoyable and indicated that they would like to be involved in more interactive oral assessments in the future. The extent to which these findings reflect the current literature, and the role for interactive oral tasks in the innovative, authentic assessment of pre-professional competencies which promote academic integrity are discussed.

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• Navigating the complex terrain of online professional learning: The role of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

  Ekaterina Pechenkina

  Professional learning plays an important role in improving teaching skills of university academics. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a central framework as well as methodology for designing and delivering professional learning. As of 2022, 39% of Australian universities offer a graduate certificate in learning and teaching (GCLT) or similar to upskill academics. These courses are either fully or partially online; and nearly all include a dedicated SoTL unit or draw on SoTL generally across its content. Little is known about how GCLTs and similar courses affect teaching practice and long-term professional growth of academic staff, calling for a deeper exploration of SoTL-informed professional learning on academics’ skills and careers. This study offers an evidence-based perspective through the exploration of academic experiences in a SoTL-focused unit within a fully online GCLT in a mid-range Australian university. A survey of the unit’s first three graduating cohorts (2015-2017), attracted 30 respondents (56% of invitees), generating new insights into how professional learners navigate online, self-regulated, asynchronous learning spaces and how this learning affects their teaching and careers. Findings speak to learner motivation, impact and general effectiveness of online professional learning.

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• Demystifying the Power of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Higher Education: International Students’ Perspectives

  Dirk Ifenthaler, Martin Cooper, Joana Heil, Maria Lidia Mascia

  Artificial intelligence represents an emerging frontier for higher education institutions, potentially personalising learning, automating tasks, and supporting student outcomes. This study examines international students’ perceptions of the recent proliferation of generative artificial intelligence tools in the context of academic learning and assessment. The study involved N = 223 students from three different higher education institutions located in Australia, Germany and Italy. The focus was on the student’s competence in artificial intelligence and their perception of six different generative artificial intelligence tools concerning learning and assessment. The findings suggest that the dimensions of competence in artificial intelligence vary considerably and that students from different countries have a comparable level of competence in artificial intelligence. Further findings indicate that the expected support of generative artificial intelligence tools for learning and assessment is perceived differently. This study highlights the need for increased pedagogical attention to artificial intelligence, bridging the gap between students' enthusiasm and technical knowledge. It suggests that effective integration of generative artificial intelligence tools should also prioritise the development of critical thinking and comprehension skills over content generation.

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• Exploring the Impact of Student-Elicited Video Feedback on Evaluative Judgement: An Online Case Study

  Jimena De Mello Heredia, Michael Henderson, Michael Phillips

  Students are active players in feedback processes, often seeking and eliciting feedback information to understand expected quality standards regarding their assignments. While student-elicited feedback can benefit learning, little is known about its impact on students' evaluative judgement and how best to leverage it. Hence, this paper examines two technology-mediated feedback encounters elicited by a student through videos sent to her teachers in a blended unit of a postgraduate education course at an Australian university. The student sought feedback information to understand whether her project proposal met the task requirements. Results showed that those two feedback encounters were productive, suggesting that these interactions iteratively refined her focus and calibrated her understanding of the quality standards of the assignment. By exploring the conditions that enabled the student to elicit feedback encounters, we identified that strategies used in the context of the unit, like earlier opportunities for feedback, timeliness of feedback comments and use of video feedback to provide clear, detailed, and supportive information could potentially enable productive feedback encounters. Additionally, our findings suggest that a relational perspective of feedback is equally important to build a trusting and supportive environment that encourages students to elicit feedback encounters.

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• Learning designers: A socio-material snapshot of the profession

  Stephen Abblitt

  The contemporary post-digital university is ever more dependent on the expertise and labour of ‘third space’ professionals such as learning designers. Reporting on the initial findings of a recent survey, this paper presents a snapshot of the people who do the work of learning design, their perspectives on their work and their contributions to teaching and learning in higher education. Four defining characteristics emerged through thematic analysis of 90 survey responses: 1) learning designers come from varied academic and professional backgrounds; 2) our job functions, working conditions and organisational settings can vary significantly; 3) our work practices—and so the knowledge and skills required for the role—can be highly diverse; 4) despite the variety, a shared motivation and sense of purpose is shaping emergent professional identities. Adopting a socio-material lens, this paper presents a rich picture of an expanding profession, providing vital insights into the practices, identities, and impact of learning designers.

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• Co-designing an artificial intelligence (AI) literacies framework for learning designers: Knowledge, skills, and mindsets for a post-AI profession

  Adelle Ryall, Stephen Abblitt

  Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are undoubtedly changing the practice and profession of learning design. While the full impact is yet to be realised, learning designers grapple daily with the challenges, risk, and opportunities these technologies represent for changing how students learn, how faculty teach, and how we design. So, what knowledge, skills, and mindsets do learning designers need to survive and thrive in a post-AI higher education sector? This paper reports on a project to co-design an AI literacies framework for and with a team of learning designers. Using the world café method, we conducted an online workshop with a group of 18 learning designers, drawing on our collective experience and expertise to ideate and refine the essential elements of an AI literacies framework. The data generated was then coded and thematically analysed to develop a practical framework comprising four domains and 16 specific elements, each elaborated to describe the knowledge, skills, and mindsets required for post-AI learning design. This framework informs the development of training programs and professional learning opportunities for learning designers.

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• THRIVE: A purpose-led portfolio-based approach to professional learning for novice learning designers

  Kate Casey, Stephen Abblitt

  Learning is a core competency for learning designers, but formal training and development often still presents a challenge—especially for novice learning designers. This paper reports on the initial stages of a design-based research project to conceptualise a purpose-led portfolio-based training program, based on cognitive apprenticeship principles, that cultivates in novice learning designers the knowledge, skills, mindsets, and values necessary to be effective in their current roles and future careers. The evidence-based, research-informed THRIVE framework is described, alongside how it shapes specific elements of the planned portfolio. The conceptualisation of the portfolio and supporting training program focuses on ‘purpose’ as a response to changing employee needs and motivations in the modern workplace, while also preparing learning designers to thrive in their work. This has implications for how we design and deliver professional learning for learning designers, as well as deepening our understanding of employee motivation and engagement in the field.

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• Challenges and opportunities in using ChatGPT as a team member to promote code review education and self-regulated learning

  Paula de Barba, Chakkrit (Kla) Tantithamthavorn

  In this study, we examine the use of ChatGPT as a team member to enhance code review education and promote self-regulated learning among programmers of varying experience levels. A case-study approach was used to answer three research questions about code quality, perceived benefits, and challenges. Participants reported diverse perspectives on the quality and utility of ChatGPT-generated code, with novice programmers gaining a deeper understanding of code interactions and experienced programmers refining their code through iterative prompt optimisation. Despite the benefits, challenges emerged, such as concerns about the potential negative impact of generative AI on learning experiences and the difficulties posed by foundational knowledge gaps in effectively interacting with ChatGPT. The findings suggest that ChatGPT is a promising tool for supporting code review education, especially for novice programmers, and for fostering self-regulated learning strategies like elaboration and metacognition. Future research should validate these results with larger sample sizes and address the identified challenges to better integrate generative AI tools in educational contexts.

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• AI in higher education: Guidelines on assessment design from Australian universities

  Homa Babai Shishavan

  With the advent of generative AI (GenAI) technologies, academic integrity has become a pressing concern for higher education institutions. This study explored the publicly available guidelines from Australia's Group of Eight (Go8) universities regarding assessment design in response to GenAI tools. The findings indicate a common concern about the challenges GenAI tools pose to traditional assessments, with current AI detection tools deemed insufficient. However, GenAI also presents opportunities to reassess and redesign assessments to enhance academic integrity and learning. The guidelines were provided around two main pieces of advice: exploiting GenAI tools' limitations to make it difficult to complete assessments using GenAI tools and making assessments more relevant to students to increase their engagement and reduce reliance on GenAI. Common recommendations in the guidelines included testing assessments' vulnerability to GenAI, emphasising critical thinking, incorporating contextual elements, designing authentic assessments, using alternative assessment formats, focusing on process-oriented and staged assessments, and using collaborative or in-class assessments. Potential challenges of redesigning assessments as well as limitations of recommended approaches in making assessments totally immune to GenAI tools were also acknowledged. However, ways of addressing these challenges particularly in specific educational contexts remained largely unaddressed. Despite shared concerns and strategies provided in the guidelines to design more rigorous assessments less vulnerable to GenAI tools, the specificity of guidelines varied across institutions. The findings underscore the need for continuous evaluation and adaptation of assessment practices to uphold academic integrity in the face of evolving GenAI technologies.

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• What does the Ideal Postgraduate Micro-Credential Look Like? : A Student Perspective

  David Parsons, Hayley Sparks, Anzel Singh, Darcy Vo

  Micro-credentials have been widely adopted in tertiary education to provide a means of recognising new types of study, typically focusing on specialist topics with an applied focus. Although they are primarily designed as standalone certifications, they are increasingly playing a role within larger programmes of study, either as additional learning opportunities or integrated through the stacking of credits. In postgraduate study, micro-credentials can support specialisation and differentiation within higher degrees such as master’s programmes. However, the design of these micro-credentials varies widely in terms of focus areas, stacking options, number of credits, and time taken to complete. This article reports on an interview study of postgraduate students at a New Zealand institution who have completed at least one micro-credential as part of their learning journey in order to identify the ideal characteristics of a postgraduate micro-credential from the students’ perspectives. The results suggest that the legitimacy of accreditation is valued, as is stackability, and the length should be between ten and twelve weeks for a 15 credit micro-credential. However, equally important is the way the learning is designed, with flexibility of learning, opportunities for collaboration, and a high level of critical thinking valued by the interviewees.

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