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2023: ASCILITE 2023 Conference Proceedings: People, Partnerships and Pedagogies

The proceedings of the 2023 ASCILITE Conference: People, Partnerships and Pedagogies

T. Cochrane, V. Narayan, C. Brown, K. MacCallum, E. Bone, C. Deneen, R. Vanderburg, & B. Hurren (Eds.), People, partnerships and pedagogies. Proceedings ASCILITE 2023. Christchurch

Te Pae Conference Center, Christchurch, New Zealand

December 3-6

ASCILITE2023 Conference Website https://2023conference.ascilite.org/

Published: 28 November 2023

Full Issue

ASCILITE Conference - Concise Papers

  • Evaluating students’ experience of simulation technology in an Australian initial teacher education program

    Erika Spray, Natasha Kett, Nate Rutherford

    International research illustrates the effectiveness of simulation in professional education. For pre-service teachers, such technology offers the ability to contextualise pedagogy and curriculum within the complexity of the classroom environment. Novice practitioners benefit from developing decision-making skills in a risk-free context, whilst receiving immediate feedback on their performance. The University of Newcastle has therefore embedded simSchool, a virtual classroom gaming platform) in its undergraduate teacher education programs. This paper reports pre-service teaching students’ sense of teacher efficacy before and after using simSchool, based on students’ responses to surveys before (n. 398) and after (n. 233) use of the technology. Analysis examined changes in teacher efficacy, as well as potential differences between students based on previous experience. Results will form the basis for more informed integration of simulation technology, and more targeted support for students to optimise their experience and learning.

    Read article: Evaluating students’ experience of simulation technology in an Australian initial teacher education program

  • Reality check: Insights on critical thinking in health education through mobile mixed reality

    Todd Stretton, Thomas Cochrane

    Mobile mixed reality (mMR) is increasingly being integrated into health education, however, the affordances and design principles for the facilitation of critical thinking are yet to be explored. The objective of this study is to explore the perceptions of mobile mixed reality and critical thinking in health education. Thematic analysis was undertaken of data collected from focus groups including students, academics, and mobile mixed developers (n=8). The focus groups revealed two main themes: (1) “purposeful critical thinking” including the benefits of freedom of failure in the virtual environment, and (2) “making it meaningful” by incorporating co-design of virtual learning environments while extending or focusing the learning experience to something that could not be achieved any other way. We conclude that the potential for mMR in health education is considerable. Purposeful inclusion of critical thinking could be achieved by students co-designing scenarios that integrate choose-your-own-adventure healthcare pathways in safe, virtual environments.

    Read article: Reality check: Insights on critical thinking in health education through mobile mixed reality

  • All You Need is Love (for Data): Enhancing Practicum Experiences for Sport and Exercise Science Students through Learning Analytics

    Haresh Suppiah, Mary Grant, Paul Gastin, Matt Driller, Lachlan James, Minh Hyunh, Andrew Govus, Matthew Varley, Kate Perry

    This study illustrates the potential of data-centric methodologies in enriching the practicum experiences of Sport and Exercise Science (SES) undergraduates. By amalgamating learning analytics and text mining, we extract actionable insights from practicum reflections. Automated report generation and data visualisation techniques enable quick identification of students requiring intervention, while text mining and sentiment analysis decode the prevalent themes in practicum experiences. The resulting insights potentially enable personalised, data-informed support strategies, fostering improved student satisfaction, practicum outcomes, and industry-relevant course design. The fusion of data and pedagogy illustrated in this research underscores the potential for data-driven strategies in enhancing tertiary education.

    Read article: All You Need is Love (for Data): Enhancing Practicum Experiences for Sport and Exercise Science Students through Learning Analytics

  • Graduate attributes in action: How a university meta-model has been transferred to a high school context with implications for business settings

    Darrall G Thompson

    This paper addresses an opportunity to harmonise the development of graduate attributes both before and after university engagement. Foregrounding these qualities and capabilities in the assessment of student work brings an opportunity to consider an over-arching meta-model that may serve to harmonise many disparate general capability frameworks. The meta-model, Capability Results Inventory, referred to as CAPRI, emerged through the categorisation of assessment criteria and was then applied with subcategories to forty six degree courses. Implementations at university level and one high school using the same assessment software are described. The meta-model is then mapped for selected 21st Century skill frameworks often used in business contexts. The paper concludes that the examples of graduate attribute integration in both university and high school assessment could also be transferrable to employee performance and development.

    Read article: Graduate attributes in action: How a university meta-model has been transferred to a high school context with implications for business settings

  • Unveiling the chameleon: How can we successfully collaborate and deepen partnerships in educational design projects

    Jacqui Thornley, Bettina Schwenger

    Collaborative practices are at the heart of the development process in educational programme and course design. Collaboration between partners is essential in learning design projects as it brings together diverse perspectives, expertise, and skills to create effective learning experiences. However, it also presents numerous challenges that can hinder the collaborative process. This paper draws on the experiences of an academic developer and an online learning designer over several online/blended projects carried out in a higher education setting, individually and together. As co-project leaders in the design and development cycle, the authors critically examine through a reflective lens how leadership, behavioral characteristics and digital tools support successful collaborations in their learning design projects. The paper discusses recommendations that strengthen partnerships and support collaborations.

    Read article: Unveiling the chameleon: How can we successfully collaborate and deepen partnerships in educational design projects

  • Creating a software application to help university educators to reflect on the cognitive complexity of their exam questions, using Bloom’s Taxonomy and automated classification

    Andrew Valentine, Eduardo Oliveira

    Previous research has shown that many university educators struggle to accurately evaluate the cognitive complexity of exam questions (and overall exams) which they write, based on Bloom's Taxonomy. This can lead to concerns about the design of exams. Software tools could possibly assist educators via automated classification methods. This paper reports a work-in-progress project that is creating a software application (tool) to assist university educators with writing exams. We evaluate 3 methods of automated classification including keywords-based approach, OpenAI evaluation, and an existing algorithm. The tool is designed to be able to help educators to reflect on their exam, by providing educators with meaningful feedback on question complexity and the overall exam, assisting in exam design. The software tool developed in this study is expected to benefit educators by providing objective feedback and serving as a professional development resource.

    Read article: Creating a software application to help university educators to reflect on the cognitive complexity of their exam questions, using Bloom’s Taxonomy and automated classification

  • Collaborative sensemaking with generative AI: A muse, amuse, muse

    Carmen Vallis, Wendy Taleo, Penny Wheeler, Alison Casey, Sue Tucker, Julie Luu, Sandris Zeivots

    Educators are wrestling with the changes wrought by generative AI (GenAI), particularly the widespread adoption of ChatGPT. This paper introduces creative and collaborative sensemaking with GenAI as an alternative form of academic and professional development to spark reflection on the implications of this technology for educators and to increase GenAI literacy. By combining human and AI-generated text in iterative loops, we created a text and a creative process to collectively investigate the use of GenAI in education. Collaborative poetic inquiry, an arts-based research method, was used in tandem with generative experiments using AI tools, culminating in an ode to collaborative sensemaking. Drawing on the authors’ collective experience as a group of educational professionals and academics, we then critically analysed how GenAI may impact educators and augment creative practices to generate new insights. Further implications for practice from this sensemaking with GenAI in education are discussed.

    Read article: Collaborative sensemaking with generative AI: A muse, amuse, muse

  • Students Against Academic Misconduct (SAAM): A case study of how a mobile learning framework can be used to deliver a pedagogy reducing academic integrity issues

    Robert Vanderburg, Anthony Weber

    This paper presents a comprehensive and coordinated partnership between students and faculty in response to academic integrity breaches at the School of Business and Law (SBL). We highlight the widespread nature of academic misconduct among university students, particularly emphasising the prevalence of cheating among business students. Additionally, the paper addresses the impact of institutional practices on academic integrity breaches. Considering the Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) requirements, the SBL aims to reduce academic integrity breaches by implementing a coordinated students-as-partners approach. We propose that a mobile learning theory can be applied to reducing academic integrity breaches, focusing on contract cheating allegations. By sharing our experiences, we hope to inform and inspire a coordinated institutional approach to uphold academic integrity and combat misconduct effectively.

    Read article: Students Against Academic Misconduct (SAAM): A case study of how a mobile learning framework can be used to deliver a pedagogy reducing academic integrity issues

  • Digital Literacy, PBL Pedagogies and Drones for Preservice Teachers: Using Reflexivity While Designing an Intervention

    Michelle Vanderburg, Robert Vanderburg, Michael Cowling, Ritesh Chugh, Michael Sankey

    Teaching coding is complex. Teaching coding to higher education students enrolled in teacher education courses who lack a background in technology education is even more so. This paper presents the first phase of an exploratory sequential designed study that investigates how digital literacy and problem-based learning pedagogies, meshed with drone activities can be used to help pre-service teachers develop an advanced level of program knowledge and skills. This paper will look at reflexivity in the research process of designing an intervention for pre-service teachers.

    Read article: Digital Literacy, PBL Pedagogies and Drones for Preservice Teachers: Using Reflexivity While Designing an Intervention

  • Business school and museum partnership to change student perceptions on leadership

    Dewa Wardak, Lilia Mantai, Eve Guerry , Jane Thogersen

    Universities and museums often operate on different educational paradigms and partnerships between museums and universities have been relatively unexplored in some disciplines, making it difficult to generate new and innovative patterns of learning, research and scholarship. The day-to-day complexities of such inter-disciplinary partnership often remain hidden with much of the collaborative work conducted by individuals without formal university support. In this paper, we advocate for a more systematic and sustained partnership between university museums and educators and present a case study of a partnership between an on-campus museum and a business school to teach students about responsible leadership. We outline the benefits and challenges of such interdisciplinary partnership and present a case study where we explore Object-Based Learning (OBL) as the central element of this collaboration.

    Read article: Business school and museum partnership to change student perceptions on leadership

  • The Holodeck model, learning environments, and resilience in higher education: A multidisciplinary approach

    Beata Webb, Gaelle Brotto, Mark Dinnen, Brett Voss

    This paper proposes a flexible framework for developing asynchronous online learning environments for multidisciplinary contexts at an Australian university. The project addresses the need to build organisational resilience following the fragility demonstrated by educational institutions during the emergency transition to online learning in 2020. The paper examines the challenges experienced by staff and students, the future implications and the potential of the Holodeck model of a learning environment in circumventing these barriers. The analysis of the strategies implemented through various educational technologies in criminology, teacher education, international relations and research methodology, demonstrated its applicability in diverse academic fields. The paper promotes the capacity of the Holodeck-based framework to provide systematic support structures for university online and on-campus programs, and, consequently, to develop institutional resilience in multidisciplinary university contexts. The paper also outlines the next phase of the project, focusing on a student perspective of the use of the Holodeck model.

    Read article: The Holodeck model, learning environments, and resilience in higher education: A multidisciplinary approach

  • Let me confess … Can a social media page create a sense of belonging?

    Amanda White

    This research paper explores the ability of social media platforms, specifically Facebook pages such as UTS Confessions to influence student belonging – by providing opportunities for students to engage in the university community and build a sense of belonging. This study considers the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on both university and online experiences and highlights the importance of university intervention in online platforms to enhance student support and engagement. By examining relevant literature and conducting interviews with students, alumni, and staff, the study provides insights and recommendations for how universities cn interact with Facebook pages to help foster a sense of belonging.

    Read article: Let me confess … Can a social media page create a sense of belonging?

  • The missing link in Learning Analytics: A discussion on using assessment data for student-facing dashboards

    Matthew White, Kashmira Dave, Henk Huijser

    Learning Analytics and staff-facing dashboards enable educators to gain insights into student learning, enhancing teaching practices and learning outcomes. Student-facing dashboards (SFDs) can also prove advantageous for students as they empower them to better interpret their results, promote self-reflection with the goal of improving their academic performance. Whilst there is no currently preferred software solution for implementing dashboards. Through the authors’ reflections of creating SFDs, using assessment and ePortfolio asset data, this can be achieved with free or readily available tools. This concise paper used initiatives for the author to reflect upon the process creating SFDs. Investigations for opportunities to refine dashboards are also presented.

    Read article: The missing link in Learning Analytics: A discussion on using assessment data for student-facing dashboards

Showing 79–91 of 97 articles