Abstracts

 

We can do more than I! Perceptions of collaborative learning groups in the foreign language classroom
Susan Anderson,
School of Languages and Linguistics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus
and
Guy Ramsay,
Department of Asian Languages and Studies, the University of Queensland

This paper reports the findings of a preliminary comparative study of perceptions of the use of Collaborative Learning Groups (CLGs) in the teaching and learning of written Japanese and Modern Standard Chinese as foreign languages (JFL/MSCFL). This study introduced an alternative pedagogy to third-year tertiary students which addresses learner needs, both affective and cognitive, and responds to institutional needs in times of tight fiscal policies. Both subject areas, JFL/MSCFL, are acknowledged as having inherent barriers to learning because they are both non-cognate and ideographic script using languages. The theoretical background regarding the use of CLGs for developing competence in reading, writing and translation is discussed, as well as the different group-based assessment practices employed. Preliminary student evaluations will also be presented.

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Extending Learning Opportunities through Technology - the Videoconference Option
Trish Andrews,
Learning Resources Development Unit (LRDU), TEDI, the University of Queensland

Educational technologies and on-line applications are being rapidly adopted by many educational institutions. However, much of the focus of "online" teaching is concentrating on applications of the World Wide Web and the Internet in general with the potential of other technologies sometimes being overlooked. In this paper, the potential of both rooms based and networked videoconferencing as teaching and learning tools is explored and the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies highlighted. Examples are presented to demonstrate how both kinds of videoconferencing can be used to enhance student learning and provide professional development opportunities for staff. Additionally the role of videoconferencing in maintaining student choice is also discussed. In conclusion, suggestions are made as to how videoconferencing can be successfully integrated into the tertiary teaching and learning context.

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The development of a competency based assessment in Clinical Chiropractic: implications for Chiropractic Education
Kaushal C. Bhuta and Allan Dickinson
Department of Chiropractic, Macquarie University

 

Chiropractors in NSW are educated in a Masters by coursework level course at Macquarie University. Assessment of clinical skills in the context of other more traditional summative courses has in the past proven difficult and of little value as measured by various educational outcome measures. This paper describes the development and implementation of a competency based assessment scheme, the first of its type in the world. The way in which this method of assessment has affected the curriculum is described, in particular changes to the structure of the student's internship year. The implications and future directions that result from this scheme are discussed in the context of Chiropractic education in the tertiary sector.

 

Supporting self-regulatory behaviour in Tertiary Students

Bob Bingham and Allan Doring
Faculty of Education, Australian Catholic University (McCauley Campus)

Learning in school, as other-directed, structured and unmotivated, often does little to prepare students for learning at tertiary level where self-regulated behaviour is considered advantageous. Self-regulation theory has clearly demonstrated that more effective learners process and use a substantial knowledge base that allows them to organise, plan and monitor most aspects of their learning in a task appropriate way. This paper explores the theoretical rationale for attempting to introduce and encourage self-regulation practices among tertiary students. Some practical approaches used in first year education units are presented.

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Testing the Water: Reflecting on a Trial of Assessable Group Work for First Year Law Students
Ann Black
T.C. Beirne School of Law, the University of Queensland

 

The commencement in 1999 of a Postgraduate law course, the Master of Legal Science, which was designed to be based on small group teaching, enabled law lecturers to realistically consider alternative teaching and assessment methods. In the compulsory introductory Law Subject, it was decided to include an assessable group presentation in addition to the more established individual assessment methods of a written case precis, an assignment and examination.

The inclusion of group work was to promote co-operation rather than competition between our law students, and to commence development of group work skills, the latter being an increasingly important aspect of contemporary law practice.

The results of this group assessment were positive. The standard of the final presentations was very high, both in terms of content and in presentation skills. The students demonstrated a comparatively higher level of understanding of the issues than had been occurring in previous examination answers on the same topic. The written reflections of the students on the task itself, on the difficulties encountered and what they learned as a result of the group experience also indicate that the students perceived this method to offer direct and positive outcomes. The main difficulty encountered was time co-ordination.

 

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A Hands-On Approach for Teaching Engineering Principles
Florent Bourgeois
Department of Mining, Minerals and Materials Engineering, the University of Queensland

This paper discusses the derivation of effective means for undergraduate students to learn basic engineering principles. The assumption is that students must actively experience engineering principles in order to develop an understanding they can apply to problems where these principles are involved. The project therefore focuses on experiential learning. These ideas are applied to the design of a new unitised fluids and particle mechanics subject. The paper presents a curriculum that focuses on application of knowledge, and which is centred around a team-based hands-on assignment series that leads students to designing a small-scale piping system. Assessment of hands-on assignments requires students to reflect on the value of their learning with a self-assessment scheme, whereby students are asked to mark their own submissions and justify their choice of marks. This paper fits within a project that aims to establish the possible benefits of designing a students' workshop for students to experience basic engineering principles and challenge their engineering creativity.

 

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Introductory Statistics with a Qualitative Emphasis
Michael Bulmer
Department of Mathematics, the University of Queensland

An introductory statistics subject often focuses on developing the necessary quantitative skills for students to be able to work in their discipline. While these quantitative skills are indeed important, at its heart statistics is about the process of scientific investigation. I am currently implementing learning activities which increase the emphasis of the qualitative understanding of statistics and its role. I will present some of these activities, together with evaluations and reflections on their effectiveness.

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Unit Outline and Student Learning
Nasir Butrous
School of Business and Informatics, Australian Catholic University (McAuley Campus)

Unit Outline is an important learning tool. It is regarded by some as a legal contract between the lecturer in charge of the unit and those attempting it. Unit Outline, in general, specifies objectives and content of the unit, assessment, teaching schedule, texts and any other requirements in order to successfully complete the unit.

This paper will investigate and reflects on practices within the Queensland Universities. It will survey, as a policy, what is supposed to be included in the unit outline from the university perspective, and also what lecturers in charge actually include in the unit outline. Attempts will be made to relate students' performance in a unit to what is included in the Unit Outline. Australian Catholic University - McAuley Campus will be chosen for more in-depth investigations.

Data will be gathered through university handbooks and web pages. Unit outlines available on on-line or on a paper format will be used in the survey. Data gathered will be analysed using statistical techniques available in SPSS.

 

Smooth Sailing to Course Creation: Using WebCT for Online Educational Environments
Steve Cumming
Teaching and Educational Development Institute, the University of Queensland

There are an increasing number of computer based solutions that facilitate flexible teaching and learning utilising the World Wide Web. These solutions are often designed to form an integrated system that assists in rapid 'online' development and delivery of educational web environments.

To provide an interactive and interesting web environment, that will be both engaging and promote effective learning, a system should integrate subject or course content with a range of activities or learning 'tools'. However, creating an online course that uses a system offering a suite of tools to choose from, presents the potential to use all of the tools unnecessarily, and in a manner that detracts from the learning experience. A reason, other than the existence of interactive elements should drive the pedagogy behind the web course creation. Create connections between tools, create connections between content and tools and provide guidance in the use of the course.

An online flexible learning system, Web Course Tools or WebCT, is currently undergoing trial implementation at the University of Queensland's newest, technologically assertive campus, Ipswich, this year. Staff using WebCT will speak about their experiences of using a course to teach in a flexible mode and considerations with effective course creation.

 

Are e-tutorials anti-intellectual?
Catherine Doherty
Graduate School of Education, the University of Queensland (Ipswich Campus)

The paper will reflect on the use of bulletin boards as sites and space for the equivalent of tutorial discussion, drawing on the experiences of a tutorial group based at Ipswich in the Graduate Entry Bachelor of Education. Email discussion environments have their own set of social practices, for those who are members of such communities. These bulletin board tutorials were a first experience of such for many of the students and the tutor. By importing practices and expectations from the traditional tutorial setting, some of us were often confronted with tensions between the playfulness of email discourse as displayed by the experienced email chatters, and what would be considered appropriate in a face-to-face tutorial. There was also tension arising from the hybrid nature of email "talk" - is it speech written down or writing? This paper will outline these issues and some of the working conclusions I came to as the course progressed, and then look at the extra value the bulletin board added to the course.

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Reflections on Practice in the Teaching of Economics
Alan Duhs
Department of Economics the University of Queensland

This paper offers a catalogue of about twenty points to reflect upon in the teaching of economics. A number of generic points will be offered, followed by observations on some specific techniques used to apparently good effect in specific courses. Generic tricks of the trade include:

  1. working backwards from practical problems to explore the sort of theory that is necessary for analytical insight and generalisation;
  2. highlighting controversy. Unsettle the settled. Highlight what is needed for resolution of contending views;
  3. avoiding unwanted jargon. Seek unwanted applications;
Specific techniques tailored for specific circumstances include:
  1. recognising that the logical order in which to present material depends on what you already know (especially in economic philosophy courses e.g. EC214
  2. getting students to participate - even in large classes (e.g. EC113) - by obliging them to ask questions of themselves.
  3. using a list of practical problems for group discussion as an interlude during EC321 lectures.

By way of conclusion these observations will be placed in the context of empirical evidence (TEVAL; CEQ; economics literature).

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Academic Workloads and Assessment
Robin Fisher, School of Nursing, Queensland Australian Catholic University

Assessment drives student learning. But academic workloads drive assessment. As workloads climb and pressure increase on academics to produce, research, reach out to the community, teach larger classes in less time, what gets left out? Perhaps the creative, authentic, time-consuming assessment techniques we believe are essential for deep learning are the only areas to be sacrificed to the time squeeze. In the past year, management has put through changes which increased workloads without consultation with staff. Another such change is proposed. This paper recounts the changes made by a small number of academics to their assessment practices in response to these increases in workloads. Some adaptations are positive but some put quality education at risk.

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Opportunities for Implementing Effective Teaching Strategies in Senior Physics
Terry Freeman
Department of Physics, Division of Information and Communication Sciences, Macquarie University

Over the last decade Physics courses have come under pressure to remain viable in the face of competition from more specialised subjects. The traditional nature of physics courses leaves many opportunities for introducing student centred, active learning. In particular the traditional 3 hours per week of prescribed laboratory work can be modified to accommodate more extensive and collaborative projects. At Macquarie University we are also trialing portfolio assessment following an example set by Silverman in the U.S.A. This system permits the reworking of earlier assignments and experimental work, as well as facilitating more direct assistance to students with their report writing skills. In our experience, some overseas students face considerable difficulties in coping with our Optoelectronics courses as some of these are assessed entirely on the basis of mastery of techniques as demonstrated by individual written reports. We are now finding that students are quite willing to offer more direct and collaborative help, especially when the assessment is seen to be criterion based. This report will focus on two courses that are being actively modified and assessed, these are Scientific Modelling and Physical Optics.

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Development of a Bachelor of Education (Primary) course for flexible learning
Cheryl Gilbert
Griffith Flexible Learning Services, Griffith University

Lindsay Parry
School of Curriculum Teaching and Learning, Griffith University

Philip Taylor
School of Vocational Technology and Arts Education, Griffith University

This paper explores the role of "collaborative partnerships" in the design and development of an innovative Bachelor of Education (Primary) course being offered in "flexible delivery" at Logan campus of Griffith University. It focuses firstly upon the processes employed to assist participants reach a shared understanding of the opportunities and challenges afforded by "flexible learning" and the complex interactions that occurred between groups and individuals as an integral part of those processes; and secondly, the diverse teaching and learning approaches employed by individual subject convenors. These processes and interactions will be illustrated through a case study of a particular subject in which student evaluations and staff reflections will be discussed..

 

Effective Flexible Delivery: Some Lessons Learnt
Peter Green and James Lamb
Department of Commerce, University of Queensland (Ipswich campus)

In 1999, the Bachelor of Electronic Commerce degree started at the Ipswich campus of the University of Queensland with an initial intake of approximately 50 students. Subjects were offered to students using technology and flexible delivery methods. This paper details the authors' experiences in building and presenting a capstone subject in this new degree, Introduction to computer-based Information Systems, using flexible delivery techniques. This paper discusses the question, "What is flexible delivery?" Then, it proceeds to reflect on how the concept was operationalised using a combination of email, web-based technologies, and face-to-face contact classes. The proposition is put forward that flexible delivery does not mean contactless delivery, nor does it mean structureless delivery. Finally, the results of a preliminary survey of the students involved on the relative effectiveness of the presentation methods employed are presented. These results, in conjunction with data from the subject TEVAL, provide preliminary support for various of the propositions in the paper.

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Teaching the Practice Of Mechatronics
Hal Gurgenci
Cooperative Research Centre for Mining Technology and Equipment, Department of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Queensland

Mechatronics is a rapidly evolving field but can roughly be defined as the design of complex products that are a synergistic integration of mechanical, electrical and electronic components. The fundamental disciplines involved are mechanics, electronics, and computer science. A mechatronic engineer has to be able to draw input from these different disciplines and therefore needs to be a good generalist. Also, as the definition indicates, this is an application-oriented area and it is difficult to pursue mechatronics without a specific applications focus.

Teaching of mechatronics has unique challenges. This presentation will relate the experience in teaching Mechatronics to a composite class of 3rd and 4th year Mechanical Engineering students (1st semester, 1999). Four different tools were used:

 

Introducing Enhanced Case Study Teaching in International Relations
Marianne Hanson, Gillian Whitehouse and William T. Tow
Department of Government, the University of Queensland

Traditionally presented lecture and tutorial material is limited in being able to convey the complexity and dynamics of international politics. The introduction of Pew Case Studies in International Affairs, through a CUTSD grant to the University of Queensland's Department of Government, has been an effective way of overcoming some of these difficulties, but has required appropriate preparation on the part of students and teachers. Our experience to date is that the Case Study method can facilitate the ability to absorb content and apply insights to related events as well as the ability to identify and evaluate evidence and see opposing sides of an argument. It has also helped to foster a capacity for critical thinking and engaging constructively in vigorous debate. The use of the Case Study method has encouraged students to analyse political issues from a number of different angles, respond to points raised by their peers and to make critical judgements and choices based on information presented in the cases. Students have indicated that they retain information better as a result of this process and that they prefer it to the standard format of tutorial.

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Giving Voice to Learning
Gail Hart
Director, Teaching and Learning Support Services Queensland University of Technology

Excellent teachers are enthusiastic learners. They are risk takers. They use reflection as a means of integrating experience and creating meaning. They give voice to that meaning through their teaching practice. Most importantly, they listen to and foster, the diverse voices of their students. Finding and giving voice is used as a metaphor for learning on the level of understanding. The concept of voice is developed with reference to the performing arts, social science and health. Finding voice suggests the integration of knowledge, experience and personal insight in an authentic manner. Giving voice is the confident expression and sharing of that learning. The role of individual teachers and organisations in finding, giving, and celebrating voice is explored in the current context of higher education. The challenging of fostering the voice of individual students given large classes, a mix of domestic and international students and different modes of delivery is addressed. The role of educational technology in mediating voice is also examined.

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Southern Brakes and Plastics: An example of putting best theory into best practice for online learning
Alan Holzl
Learning Resources Development Unit (LRDU), Teaching and Educational Development Institute, the University of Queensland
and
Judy Drennan
Graduate School of Management, the University of Queensland

This paper provides a case study of "best practice" in the design and implementation of online learning environments for higher education. One of the reasons why it is considered to be an example of best practice is that it is grounded in contemporary learning theory or "best theory". This theory is Situated Learning or Situated Cognition, which has its roots in Social Constructivism. In addition to justifying the claims of best theory and best practice, the paper also describes how the project was conceived and implemented as well as providing some preliminary results on its effectiveness from both the student and teacher perspective.

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Reflecting on CALL Effectiveness: Conditions & Implications
Debra Hoven
Department of Asian Languages & Studies, the University of Queensland

This paper outlines the preliminary findings of an evaluation of learner use of software tools in a multimedia software package for teaching Indonesian listening comprehension and culture. This software package was introduced into the Introductory (1st year program) to help address the need of total beginners for exposure to native speakers using daily language in ordinary ways, on common, everyday topics. The package is designed to introduce, develop, and reinforce appropriate learning strategies at the same time.

Data on learner perceptions of the ease of use, and appropriateness of the software interface are being investigated, in order to improve our understandings of the perceptions and reactions of novices compared to experienced users of multimedia software packages. This Small ARC investigation includes an analysis of the differences in strategy use between high, medium and low proficiency learners, and their use of the help tools such as grammar reference notes, language laboratory simulation, replay facility, and mid-task answer checking.

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Challenging hegemony: reflections on reflection
Lesley Jolly
Department of Anthropology and Sociology, the University of Queensland

In this paper I report on some of the more abstract findings from a CUTSD project which was designed to find ways of promoting reflexive practice amongst engineering undergraduates. One of the basic tenets of reflexive practice is that one most learn to identify and question presuppositions (starting assumptions). But part of what we do as University teachers is to socialize our students to the norms of the discipline, whatever that may be. I have found this matter of learning and practicing hegemonic behaviours to be particularly salient for engineers but I suspect it is significant in all disciplines. What I want to explore is the extent to which reflexivity can be expected of neophytes and how and when to introduce it.

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Improving outcomes for graduates through multi-faceted reflective practice in staff development
Betty Leask
Flexible Learning Centre,
John Medlin School of Accounting and Information Systems
Vicki Feast, School of International Business, University of South Australia

This paper presents a case study of a professional development model of student support as an illustration of the role of multi-faceted, team-based reflective practice in devising solutions to an educational problem.

The problem was a low and falling pass-rate among students enrolled in Accounting Decisions and Accountability, a large (1600 student's) first-year core subject. Pass rates had dropped steadily from 78% in semester 2, 1994 to 52% in semester 1, 1998. Early in Semester 2 1998, the subject coordinator recognised that he was faced with a problem that was not solvable within the realms of his professional knowledge.

A multi-disciplinary team was formed to design and plan the implementation of a student centred learning environment to address the problem of the falling pass rate. All members were challenged to make explicit the tacit knowing that underpins their professional practice in order to communicate it to others and solve the problem.

This paper discusses the implications of this model of multi-faceted reflective practice in action for the construction and operation of staff development units and for the ways in which they work with academic staff to enhance the quality of university teaching and improve outcomes for graduates.

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Practice for Reflection: Advice on Drafting Multiple Choice Questions
Bruce Littleboy
Department of Economics, the University of Queensland

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are sometimes so poorly drafted that pointers to the right answers are supplied. Students with good "MCQ technique" but with little knowledge can do better than they deserve. Examples of common mistakes are given, and ways to avoid them are identified. Sadistic teachers can even design questions that elicit wrong answers from students relying on technique Using E-mail Networks to Include External Experts in Undergraduate Learning

 

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Project Management - for Electrical Engineers
I D Longstaff andM Schulz
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, the University of Queensland

Electrical Engineers undertake a four year professional degree and the accrediting body requires the course to include management subjects. These subjects have traditionally been very unpopular with the students who see this as boring and irrelevant. This problem is often compounded by university lecturers who typically have little or no project management experience and who resort to teaching out of textbooks.

At the University of Queensland we have been evolving a solution which is gaining increasing popularity and this paper describes our experience and lessons learned. We also describe the current structure of the course and plans for next year when we compress a two-semester program of low credit point courses into a full single-semester course.

The structure of the teaching and learning program is based around each 4thyear students acting as team manager to a small team of second or third year students. Each team is tasked to build a working system to a technical specification in one semester.

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Ten lessons from ten years teaching at the University of Queensland
Doune Macdonald
Department of Human Movement Studies, the University of Queensland

University teaching can be a rewarding, thankless, tiring, amusing, and challenging task. This presentation will try to distil some key lessons Doune has learnt across 10 years of teaching at UQ. The lessons vary from know your students to be careful what you say, someone clever may be listening. These lessons have derived from research into our student cohorts and effective teaching and learning practices, and personal reflection. They are positioned in the context of young people's culture, limited university resources, and increasing professional/vocational demands upon universities.

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Theoretical Basis of a Music and Dance Curriculum: an Ethnomusicological Perspective
Elizabeth Mackinlay
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit, the University of Queensland

Today, ethnomusicology is generally defined as the study of music through culture and in this way it continues to embrace the disciplines of both anthropology and musicology. There are two precepts which combine to provide a theoretical basis for understanding music as an inherent part of culture. First, ethnomusicology is the study of music as sound and the auralness of the subject can never be ignored. Second, music and dance are part of the concept and behaviour of humans which needs to be examined through the cultural and social perspectives of which they form a part. The main problem to be addressed in this paper then is how can we effectively teach tertiary students studying ethnomusicology about music and dance in the context of human life? How do we assess such an understanding?

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The Tyranny of Talk: The Multiple Functions of Silence in Teaching and Learning
Dolly MacKinnon
Academy of the Arts - Music, Queensland University of Technology

This paper examines the significance of silence and its multiple functions in student learning experiences (both on and off-line) in tertiary education. Previously, tertiary educators have focussed on measuring the relative success or failure of their lectures, seminars and tutorials by the quantity, and sometimes the quality of their students' talk. However, student learning is not just evident in student discussion, it also takes place in student silences. Based on the findings of an action research project, this study highlights the diverse and often conflicting interpretations of silence in the learning process held simultaneously by students and staff in the same class. By encouraging students and staff to reflect on their teaching and learning experiences with regard to the functions of silence, it is then possible to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning by modifying and/or change our practice.

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A Partnership Model for the Offshore Delivery of a Research MEd in Rural Studies
David McSwan
Director RERDC School of Education, James Cook University
and
Ron Store
Consultant to RERDC School of Education, James Cook University

The Rural Education Research and Development Centre (RERDC), School of Education, James Cook University (JCU) and Malaspina University College (MUC) British Columbia have developed a partnership model for the delivery of JCU's MEd (Hons) in Rural Studies. The program commenced in 1997 and has admitted three intakes .The first cohort is currently well advanced in the final (thesis) component of the course. The teaching and supervision model provides for JCU and MUC staff to work in pairs. Significant intercampus staff visitation has facilitated the development of the course as has an offshore supervisors' symposium. A recent evaluation of the course has highlighted strengths and weaknesses of the model as well as confirming some of the strategic and conceptual principles underpinning the development.

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Re/membering the Effective Teacher
Erica McWilliam
Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology

Erica McWilliam probes contemporary common sense about effective teaching as a contested and controversial body of knowledge. She considers how certain perspectives (eg, ideas drawn from history, psychology, feminism, business, information technology) frame what we have come to understand as the proper work of a good or enlightened teacher. By means of this remembering, Erica raises a number of questions, which may challenge about our taken-for-granted assumptions about best pedagogical practice. They include: What is the place of charisma in effective teaching? Do students learn best if they know us personally? Can the teacher/student relationship be truly democratic? Is the ideal teacher-to-student relationship the same as service provider-to-client? Can a computer be an effective teacher? What do learners need to access? What is the place of competition in effective teaching and learning?

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The gains of using the development of a printed study guide as a tool for professional development
Manda Page
School of Natural & Rural Systems Management, the University of Queensland
and
Terrie Ferman
LRDU - TEDI, the University of Queensland

This presentation will report on a very successful lecturer/educational designer collaboration which resulted in extremely positive professional development outcomes. A rationale for using the development of a study guide as a tool for professional development will be followed by a discussion of the outcomes of the development process.

The subject ('Protected Area Management') for which the study guide was developed is taught both internally and externally at Gatton campus.

As the printed study guide remains and is likely to remain a core learning resource for external students (and increasingly so for internal students), it seemed appropriate and useful to gain multiple value from the time and effort invested in developing a study guide.

One intended outcome of the process was the production of an improved study guide for future use. This is well underway. Since the process was a highly reflective one, it was expected that quite specific professional gains would result from this activity. This has certainly been the case with the lecturer listing numerous gains to her professional development. These will be elaborated on during the conference presentation.

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Analysis of a University Subject in Terms of Student Learning Styles
Sorrel Penn Edwards, Faculty of Education, Griffith University.

The Learning Styles theory of Honey and Mumford (1992) is used as a basis for the examination of a University literature subject. Three academic staff members analyzed the subject content and assessment items in terms of correlation to learning styles and therefore an expected level of achievement each learning style could be expected to obtain. The subject under study is found to accommodate each learning style providing equal opportunity to all students regardless of learning style. Where subjects need to accommodate all student learning styles it is recommended that such a procedure be carried out during its planning stages.

The learning styles of forty-eight students undertaking the subject were identified by questionnaire and their assessment results compared with the expected levels. Findings are mixed, however 79% are found to have strengths in areas commensurate with expectations.

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Peer assessed Study Program (PASS)
Julia Playford
Botany Department, the University of Queensland

Valda Miller
Biochemistry Department, the University of Queensland

Barbara Kelly
Teaching and Educational Development Institute, the University of Queensland

The PASS program has been developing at the University of Queensland for four years since it was first trialed in Biochemistry and Botany (BL103, BL104). It is currently running in a number of science, economics and business subjects.

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) is a program in which the best second and third year students are selected and trained as leaders to run study groups in chosen subjects for predominantly first year students. PASS leaders work in pairs with groups of up to 25 students in weekly voluntary study sessions. Leaders are supported and observed by a PASS supervisor.

PASS facilitates the integration of students into the academic and social life of the university. Many first-year subjects are core "service subjects" taught to strands of students from many different courses. These service subjects may have enrolments of 1000-1300. Usually they are lecture-based with little opportunity for face-to-face contact between student and lecturer. The content often seems dense, confusing and irrelevant to first year learners. The students find it extremely difficult to know when they have learnt the material adequately.

Large classes result in limited contact between students and staff. Lecturers, therefore, do not have the opportunity to obtain feedback from individual students. PASS results in feedback provided to PASS leaders, who then provide an overview to lecturing staff and the PASS supervisor.

PASS has been a very successful program for many classes at the University of Queensland. It is a valuable component for effective management of large first year classes.

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A simple e-mail network
Malcolm Riley
Nutrition Program, the University of Queensland

As an optional part of a second year undergraduate Bachelor of Applied Science subject, a simple e-mail network is set up. Students are subscribed to the network for the entire semester, while external experts are invited to participate for periods of 1 week, which are timetabled in advance. The experts include people selected for their content knowledge, for their professional position and, on occasion, for their celebrity status. Experts are located in Australia and overseas. Students are encouraged to discuss wide-ranging issues among themselves and with the external experts, including subject content, future career opportunities, conceptual issues, and speculative opinions. Students, experts and teacher/facilitator are encouraged to have fun and a non-threatening environment is maintained. The use of the e-mail network is not currently part of student assessment and will be evaluated by students and facilitator at the end of semester.

 

 

Learning Environment Simulation of the Real World
Richard Reed
Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Property Management, the University of Queensland

 

This paper outlines strategies employed to bridge the gap between a closed learning environment and the real world. At the University of Queensland, a 3 year Bachelor of Business degree (specialising in Property Studies) can only be undertaken at the Gatton Campus. This paper outlines and discusses successful teaching methods employed to bridge the gap and effectively bring the bustling city of Brisbane to the rural Gatton campus.

The author is a lecturer at the Gatton Campus of the University of Queensland, located approximately 90km west of Brisbane and 5km east of the township of Gatton. In this rural locality there is a complete absence of buildings over 2 stories high, let alone multi-tenanted high-rise commercial buildings that students are required inspect and value using complex valuation techniques. Benefits from this teaching strategy include a superior learning process and environment for the students and an increased appreciation of the issues involved. Feedback to lecturer has been very positive and encourages further initiatives in this manner.

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Learning to Learn about Flexible Delivery- a Case Study by the Nutrition Program
Lisa Schubert, Jane Paterson, Marg Lund-Adams, and Geoff Marks
Nutrition Program, Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health and Nutrition, the University of Queensland

Trish Andrews
Learning Resources Development Unit, Teaching and Educational Development Institute,e the University of Queensland

The Nutrition Program(NP) and the Learning Resources Development Unit(LRDU) are collaborating to develop flexible delivery subjects appropriate for simultaneous delivery to on-campus international students and Australian students in a distance setting. The nutrition subjects will offer both a developed and developing country perspective.

The NP staff have taken a team approach to this developmental task. Designated flexible delivery meetings have been used to discuss aspects relevant to all academic staff. Topics discussed have included market research of prospective students, academic workload distribution and support, orientation to the web based platform used to support flexible delivery, review of flexible delivery materials developed by other departments, and modelling of tasks involved in subject development. Writing of course-work modules is the responsibility of one academic staff member. However, input and feedback is gained from all team members at regular review meetings.

This process, while time consuming, has allowed staff to learn about the flexible delivery approach and will help ensure that we are adequately prepared to facilitate future student learning.

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Hierarchical tutor structure for a large subject
Virginia Slaughter
School of Psychology, the University of Queensland

The first year psychology subjects at the University of Queensland have enrolments of 2000 students per semester, and employ 25 tutors per semester. In the last two years, we have developed a hierarchical tutor structure, in which we designate three tutors each semester as "lead" tutors. This system has benefits on all sides: it allows for excellent communication between tutors and lecturers, it provides the "lead" tutors with valuable experience, and it helps to ensure that the large number of students across the subject receive comparable tutorials every week. This paper will describe the implementation of the hierarchical tutor structure, and will examine its benefits as well as potential problems in detail.

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Continuous Curriculum Review: A stimulus for Rapid Change
Calvin Smith
TEDI, the University of Queensland

Wayne Robinson
Deputy President, Academic Board the University of Queensland

All universities are committed to enhancing the quality of their courses, but are bedeviled by the long turn around time when measures such as the nationally administered Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) are used. Following analysis of CEQ, the outcomes of implementation of course change may not be clear for a 3 to 5 year period. There is therefore a clear need for a mechanism to accelerate the rate of change to courses. Accordingly, the University of Queensland has instituted a study that has as its central concept the principle of 'Continuous Course Review (CCR)'.

The CCR is course and program based and solicits feedback from undergraduate students on their experience of their immediately previous year's study. The questionnaire has three major thrusts. It firstly explores all the generic issues of course quality covered in the CEQ including clear goals and standards, appropriate workload, appropriate assessment, generic skills and overall satisfaction of the course. Secondly, specific issues relevant to the course are explored and thirdly, there is an in-depth evaluation of each subject in the course. This provides a broad view of the course that mirrors the CEQ, combined with a fine-grained analysis of both the course and its component subjects. As a public document, and because it provides immediate feedback to all staff and students, there is encouragement to institute rapid change to courses. Administration of the CCR to the next group of undergraduate students also allows assessment of the success of the changes within as little as a 12-month period.

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Improving a Subject through Integration
Ken Sutton
Department of Aviation and Technology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, the University of Newcastle

Anthony Williams
Learning and Development, Information and Education Services Division, the University of Newcastle

This Paper reports on the implementation of a strategy that integrated units of work in a faculty computing subject in the Faculty of Science and Mathematics at the University of Newcastle. The subject provides for students across many disciplines and previously treated units of work as stand alone units. Under these conditions, the subject lacked cohesion and it was difficult to give every unit of work meaning to all students. Because of staff concerns, a decision was made to combine a number of units into an integrated project and to allow students to nominate a theme appropriate to their disciplines. A substantial portion of student assessment was allocated to the project. The strategy reduced the disjointedness of previous approaches and gave added value to a diverse group of students. Evaluation justified the decision taken with clear evidence of support for this approach. Formal student evaluations conducted after three separate implementations were consistently positive.

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Integrating the instruction of generic and discipline specific skills into a first year biology curriculum
Neil Trivett and Jan Skillen
Learning Development, University of Wollongong

Lou Rodgerson, Sharon Robinson and Wendy Russel
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong

An innovative model of support that assists students in the transition from secondary to tertiary study is being implemented within a number of faculties at the University of Wollongong. It recognises that all students will need to develop new or more sophisticated academic skills suitable for their new environment and that the most effective way of assisting students is to integrate instruction in both generic and discipline-specific academic skills into the curriculum. This paper reports on the use of such a strategy to supply instruction and feedback to students in a core first year Biology subject at the University of Wollongong. The paper also reports on the significant outcomes achieved with the use of such a strategy.

 

 

Understanding and Appreciating the Dynamics of Small Group Teaching: Intimacy, Power, Knowledge and Voice
Keith Ung
School of Social Work and Social Policy, the University of Queensland

This paper will raise some key concepts in small group teaching that will provide a 'richer' understanding of this medium of teaching and learning at University level, and may help facilitate a more productive and effective use of this process. Tutorials can have a tendency to become 'mini lectures' where someone in authority can speak to people and impart information. This reinforces the hierarchical relationship of tutor (more knowledgeable) and the student (less knowledgeable) and stifles voice, identity and the untapped resources that lie within the group members.

However to facilitate a process where knowledge is imparted from the tutor, but also where knowledge is evoked from all the students can an enriching and empowering event. To be able to capture this requires an understanding of intimacy, power, knowledge and voice as well as skills to engage, evoke and control the process.

I will reflect and expand on these key aspects and highlight some of the principles of facilitating tutorial groups that I have used over the last 6 years in the tertiary sector: not only can the tutorial be a medium where knowledge is given but one in which it is constructed in a more interactive and dynamic process, where the concepts of intimacy, sharing power, multiple knowledge (s) and voice become key constructs. By accessing their voices, students can become more confident and competent about what they know and who they are?

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Education of professionals: Is there a role for a competency-based approach?
Laurence J Walsh
School of Dentistry, the University of Queensland

Curriculum reform has always been a topic of explosive debate in academe. Curricula have been described rather unkindly as "graveyards", with more and more material being put in, and nothing going out! Some attempts at curriculum reform have been stymied by entrenched resistance to change, often supported by beliefs that "all is well" or that changes are often made for the sake of change with little thought about tangible educational outcomes. Other factors which have impeded curriculum change include individual personal behaviour (fear, inertia, self-centeredness, lack of vision), organisational and environmental factors (structure, communication, direction), and vested interests of groups or constituencies (administration, curriculum committees, faculty, students, patients, boards, accreditation agencies, specialty organisations, and practitioners).

In many universities, curricula have followed a pattern of both cyclical extensive curriculum "revolution" followed by gradual curriculum "evolution" in the intervening periods. At the present time, many schools and faculties face difficult choices as they grapple with reduced financial support while both the costs of education and the expectations of employers continue to increase.

With the explosion of information in the 1980s and 1990s, and the accompanying information technology revolution, the "graveyard" problem reached critical proportions. In attempting to cram in increasing amounts of material into traditional courses (the "coveritis" syndrome), the time pressures on both educators and students became intolerable. This was particularly so in the basic science areas of the curriculum, where often students perceived little relevance to their practice as a professional. In the hope of "decompressing" overcrowded traditional curricula, many educators have suggested that the emphasis in the basic science areas should be on developing students' skills in independent inquiry, rather than simple memorisation of facts. A persistent trend has been a shift in emphasis toward the processes of learning rather than the content of teaching. There is now good evidence that one of the best ways forward through the minefield of the information explosion is to equip the students to be able to assess the literature and learn for themselves during their careers in practice, applying the principles of evidence-based practice when evaluating new information. To improve skills in life-long learning, problem-based learning (PBL) and other student-centred approaches have been adopted in various forms in an increasing number of professional areas.

In recent years, there has been intense activity in program accreditation by bodies such as the Australian Medical Council, Australian Dental Council, and Institute of Engineers of Australia. In the health science areas, the work of such bodies has become linked intimately to that of the registration boards in each state, who now operate under uniform principles of mutual recognition. Both the boards and the national accreditation bodies have a strong interest the extent to which new graduates are fit for practice.

It is in this educational and political climate that competency-based methods of curriculum design and student assessment can play an essential role in promoting the development of curricula, which meet the demand of the professions, registration boards and the public. Competency statements can be helpful for assessing "readiness for practice", and can promote safe, effective and accountable practice. As quipped by Marchese, "The public want more than course-passers; it wants competent practitioners." It is important however to avoid a narrow view of competency, which will restrict the learning activities of students to mastering "the 100 things we need to know". A narrow focus subverts opportunities for truly independent self-driven learning and it is the "love of learning" that makes for a learned profession.

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Flexible Assessment for Flexible Delivery: Preliminary Results and Tentative Conclusions
Jeremy B Williams
Brisbane Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology

This paper argues that a commitment to flexible delivery necessarily requires a commitment to flexible assessment. It describes how flexible delivery was understood to have been successfully applied in a large undergraduate unit until it became apparent that the assessment system was quite inconsistent with the notion of flexibility. A flexible assessment model has now been trailed, and survey results and analysis will be presented, together with a demonstration of the model using an Excel spreadsheet.

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