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2022: ASCILITE 2022 Conference Proceedings: Reconnecting relationships through technology

The proceedings of the 2022 ASCILITE Conference, Reconnecting relationships through technology.

S. Wilson, N. Arthars,D.Wardak, P. Yeoman, E. Kalman,&D.Y.T.Liu(Eds.), Reconnecting relationships through technology. Proceedings of the 39th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education, ASCILITE 2022 in Sydney.

Published: 18 November 2022

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ASCILITE Conference - Concise Papers

  • The Youth Justice Portal and Transformative Digital Education in Criminology

    Glenn Mason, Ana Rodas

    The ideas in this paper explore how learning design intentions developed by academics, practitioners and learning designers, intersect with students’ development of pre-professional identities (PPI) in the field of youth justice. We propose a theoretical framework built on Activity Theory that situates the learning environment as a set of two activity systems – teachers and students – that come together through a boundary object called the ‘Youth Justice Portal’. The portal is the main avenue through which teaching, and learning takes place, and we examine how the technical and theoretical framework that we have adopted can be applied in open-ended domains that require the development of students’ PPI. The practical implications related to the adoption of the model in disciplines which require placement-based learning opportunities are discussed.

    Read article: The Youth Justice Portal and Transformative Digital Education in Criminology

  • How can renewable assignments enhance students’ graduate attributes? Insights from an action research project

    Eseta Tualaulelei, Yosheen Pillay

    This paper presents insights from an ongoing action research project conducted at an Australian regional university that is exploring the potential of renewable assignments for developing students’ graduate attributes. A renewable assignment task, where students create artefacts for assessment that become openly licensed, was run in two postgraduate education courses, one course about literacy and the other about guidance counseling. This paper offers an explanation of this work in progress. It concludes with a discussion of some preliminary ideas about the value of renewable assignments for students in relation to expectations shared by in-service professionals, and the graduate attributes that are not always taught explicitly in online education.

    Read article: How can renewable assignments enhance students’ graduate attributes? Insights from an action research project

  • Technology’s Role in Inclusive Work-Integrated Learning for Students with a Disability

    Mollie Dollinger, Rachel Finneran

    As highlighted through the COVID-19 pandemic, technology plays a key role towards the goal of equitable higher education. In this paper, we focus on the role of technology in supporting inclusive work-integrated learning (WIL) placements for students with a disability. We present three student vignettes, generated from survey data of the perceptions and experiences of students with a disability in WIL (n=132). We used these vignettes in follow-up focus groups (6 focus groups, n=27) which explored students’ ideas on how technology could better support students. From our data, we discuss students’ conceptualisations of how potential technological solutions could improve WIL, across both the mode of WIL offered (e.g., online), but also towards supporting deeper relationships and improving the personalisation of WIL. We conclude by recommending greater collaboration between WIL practitioners and learning technologists to explore the role of technology in creating inclusive WIL experiences.

    Read article: Technology’s Role in Inclusive Work-Integrated Learning for Students with a Disability

  • Calendar Connections

    Wendy Taleo

    Can collaborative creativity help to connect digital practitioners with each other and enhance their well-being? In order to answer this we undertook a piece of qualitative research. Using bricolage as our methodology, we surveyed participants of a collaborative creative project and used grounded theory in order to categorise the responses. In order to illustrate our findings and better explain the nature of the creative project, we share some of the artwork and music that was created by participants as part of this project. We conclude that as well as enhancing well-being, this creative endeavour also added to the personal learning of these participants.

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  • Collaborating with AIed for better student-teacher reconnection

    Josiah Koh, Michael Cowling, Meena Jha, Kwong Nui Sim

    The global pandemic has caused much disruption to higher education, but especially that of student-teacher relations as students and teachers struggle to adapt to emergency remote teaching. As the pandemic restrictions ease globally, students and teachers see an opportunity to reconnect. But the development of artificial intelligence in education (AIed) is perceived as a potential disruption to student-teacher relationship. Hence, teachers have understandably viewed AIed with suspicion and with a sense of inevitability. However, teachers should not treat AIed as ‘the enemy’. Working collaboratively with AIed could enhance student-teacher reconnection efforts, and by recognizing where AIed should take the lead and where the human teacher should take the lead in building that relationship, the fear that AIed would disrupt student-teacher relations can be dispelled.

    Read article: Collaborating with AIed for better student-teacher reconnection

  • Teaching teachers to propose meaningful learning objectives: A MOOC case study

    Helder Lima Gusso, Maria Laura Silveira dos Santos, Maria Luiza de Aguiar Vieira Dias, Song Jin Rodriguez de Souza, Ruan Schardosim de Oliveira

    Learning objectives designate what students should be able to do to transform their social reality. Evidence shows tertiary education teachers usually do not know how to propose meaningful learning objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a MOOC to teach how to formulate relevant learning objectives. This study has measured participant’s retention, performance on the topic, satisfaction and learning perception. A pilot version of this course was made available for 40 days. Out of the 176 participants enrolled, 60.8% completed the course. The average score in the initial test was 5.71, while in the final test was 8.67. 91% of the participants evaluated the course positively. Considering the high retention rate, the proficient performance at the end of the course, and the positive evaluation by participants, it was concluded that the MOOC was effective.

    Read article: Teaching teachers to propose meaningful learning objectives: A MOOC case study

  • Turn-it-out? Reframing the Academic Integrity Conversation in Online Legal Education

    Kim Bailey, Lachlan Kalache, Rebecca Acheson

    The challenge of academic integrity in online study is not a new phenomenon. For undergraduate law students, a finding of academic misconduct is especially serious, having ramifications for student eligibility to be admitted to legal practice. To date, higher education strategies to address plagiarism, contract cheating, and collusion have predominantly focused on detection methodology / technology via assessment. Reconceptualising the challenge of academic integrity in online learning requires an iterative understanding of the motivations of online learners, informed by the unique engagement challenges associated with adult online learning. Arguably, the ‘battle’ for integrity can never be won via increased detection and punitive measures; rather a focus on fostering student desire to act with integrity, by helping learners to connect academic integrity with their emerging professional identity is key. This connection must be supported by profession-facing teaching and assessment design, with facilitated learning relationships that build skills and confidence.

    Read article: Turn-it-out? Reframing the Academic Integrity Conversation in Online Legal Education

  • Transition as one step on a transformational journey

    Ruth Weeks, Alix Thoeming, Adam Bridgeman

    Developing a sense of belonging is intimately linked to a successful transition and to student. The pandemic has acerbated existing problems with students across the sector reporting difficulties connecting with each other and their universities. This paper reports a simple activity to encourage meaningful dialogue between students and teachers in the first weeks of study. The ‘My journey’ activity involves students and teachers discussing key points and decisions in their educational journeys. It has been successfully used in-class, and synchronously and asynchronously online. The journeys are also captured through an interactive map to celebrate diversity.

    Read article: Transition as one step on a transformational journey

  • Exploring adult learners’ experience with VR-generated feedback for improving online presentation

    Choon Lang Gwendoline Quek, Seng Chee Tan, Kenneth Lim

    Poor presentations could be due to presenters’ lack of presentation skills, and lack of informed knowledge for improvement and feedback to self-monitor the speaking process. In a typical training setting, feedback involves using either video or human-intensive feedback that may not explicitly and effectively target at oral speaking components such as facial expression, eye contact, and gestures. Authentic feedback should be real-timed and aimed to improve presenters’ speaking skills and help them make decisions for targeted improvement. This pilot study reports 50 participants’ experiences. It investigates two groups of participants (VR and Non-VR) and their oral speaking experience, informed by feedback (VR-generated system or human supported), and analyses milestones in their presentations. Participants in the VR group receive VR-generated feedback while those in the Non-VR group receive computer and human feedback. Both groups work towards improving their speaking skills in subsequent presentation activities. Preliminary findings and implications will be discussed.

    Read article: Exploring adult learners’ experience with VR-generated feedback for improving online presentation

  • Putting whanaungatanga at the heart of students’ online learning experiences

    Cheryl Brown, Maggie Hartnett, Matiu Ratima, Dianne Forbes, Ashwini Datt, Dilani Gedera

    This paper explores the role of relationships in students’ experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa| New Zealand. Students’ voices are foregrounded through narratives and the analysis of four discrete stories of these specific circumstances. Using a conceptual framing of whanaungatanga, a M?ori view of the process of establishing and maintaining relationships, we move beyond who is involved in the relationship to explore how relationships are developed and what counts from the students’ perspectives. Sharing, an ethic of care, a sense of belonging, collaboration, scaffolding of learning, and feedback acknowledging students’ efforts were all considered important aspects of relationships between students and faculty which were enacted online. The importance of broader institutional relationships, such as those with the library and student support services, were also foregrounded.

    Read article: Putting whanaungatanga at the heart of students’ online learning experiences

  • Whakapiri (Engagement): Using an Indigenous engagement framework to enhance online teaching

    Hoani Moriarty, Andy Towers, Fiona Murray, Christina Severinsen, Luke Rowe

    Massey University staff used a New Zealand indigenous (M?ori) engagement framework, developed for working with at-risk youth, to restructure the content and student engagement for an online introductory course with a non-traditional student cohort. Each online teaching page embedded three sections reflecting the concepts of Whakapiri (Engagement), Whakam?rama (Enlightenment) and Whakamana (Empowerment). This sequenced content provision for students, guiding them through an initial topic overview and learning outcomes through to core teaching content and learning activities and finally onto assessments, putting their learning to practice. This framework also underpinned staff engagement approaches with students, focusing on ensuring staff presence online, proactive contact, recognition for learning illustrated, encouragement of class engagement, clarity in course guidance and assessment feedback that praised and empowered change. Compared to the old course, subsequent deliveries showed greater course engagement, improved class GPA of 36%-50%, and feedback confirms a consistently positive and connected student learning experience.

    Read article: Whakapiri (Engagement): Using an Indigenous engagement framework to enhance online teaching

  • Quasi-synchronous discussions: A proposal to measure the effect of Teams on cooperation, belonging, emotion and interactions

    Adrian Norman, Michael Cowling, Kwong Nui Sim, Michael Sankey

    As students begin to reconnect after the COVID-19 pandemic, changing student expectations around online engagement seem to be suggesting that new approaches should be adopted. Recent research has found that students who engaged with each other in a discussion task in a synchronous mode were more willing to work together, felt more positive and more like they belonged than students in an asynchronous mode. We wish to extend these findings by investigating whether Microsoft Teams promotes a quasi-synchronous mode of discussion and has a similar beneficial effect. The proposed study adopts a mixed-methods approach of quasi-experimental design to address this question. Students will be randomly assigned to groups of five and provided with online forums (control) then re-form and use Teams (experimental) for a discussion task. Data will be collected through survey, digital artefacts and interviews. We aim to contribute robust, empirical evidence on the effects of Teams on student engagement, which will be of interest to educational leaders and teachers.

    Read article: Quasi-synchronous discussions: A proposal to measure the effect of Teams on cooperation, belonging, emotion and interactions

  • Creative practices: thinking and thriving together

    Carmen Vallis, Wendy Taleo

    In this concise paper, the authors provide a forum for thinking about creative and collaborative inquiry in research-informed practice. Higher educators may benefit from creative academic and professional development, beyond traditional programs in contemporary, technology-enhanced learning. Creative practice may take many forms. An educational developer and an educational technologist reflect on their practice through the forms of vignette and poetry, to exemplify how narrative can reveal insights that may otherwise have remained hidden. In telling our stories, we encourage other academics and professionals to use creative and collaborative ways to reconnect and thrive. Further research on creative practice may lead to more fictional, interdisciplinary ways of connecting and continuing professional development.

    Read article: Creative practices: thinking and thriving together

Showing 27–39 of 59 articles