Achieving greater feedback and flexibility using online pre-laboratory exercises with non-major chemistry students

Compulsory online pre-laboratory exercises were required of non-major, first-year university chemistry students in response to poor student preparation for laboratory sessions. The online pre-laboratory exercises were designed to be straightforward, endeavoring to help students maximize the benefits of the introductory laboratory class. Diagrams and pictures were included in the exercises to improve descriptions. Students were allowed multiple attempts with immediate feedback provided to help them learn from their mistakes. The study is a descriptive account of students' perceptions of the impact of online pre-laboratory exercises on their learning. Students recognized the value of the exercises in improving their organization, their preparedness for the laboratory class, and their understanding of the chemistry concepts of the weekly experiments. The increased flexibility of doing pre-laboratory exercises online and the increased feedback to students were two important aspects of this project that nearly all students recognized as being beneficial to their learning.

Double disability : lived experience of Australian tertiary students with ME/CFS

This research is the exploration of the lived experience of tertiary students in Australia with the medical condition usually known as ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) seeking to explore issues of equity and human rights from the perspective of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Students feel that their difficulties are not caused just by the illness itself but by the failure of the tertiary institutions to understand the effects of this illness on them, the student, especially within the areas of accommodations and assessments. Their lived experiences are studied to ascertain if their experiences differ from those of other tertiary students. Forty participants came from every state and territory of Australia and twenty -four of Australia's universities as well as eight Technical and Further Education/Open Training Education Network (TAFE/OTEN) colleges are represented. The selection of the chosen methodology, Critical Ethnography from a Habermasian perspective, has been circumscribed by the medical condition which placed limitations on methodology and also data gathering methods. Non-structured stories, in which the participants wrote of their lived experience as students, were considered the most appropriate source of data. These were transmitted by electronic mail (with some by postal mail) to the researcher. A short questionnaire provided a participant background to the stories and was also collated for a composite overview of the participants. The stories are analysed in a number of ways: six selected stories are retold and the issues arising from these stories have been weighed against the remainder of the stories. Four intertwined themes were constructed from the issues raised in each story. Apparent infringements of the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) which impact on quality of life, human rights and equity are found. No accommodations are being made by the academic institutions for the cognitive dysfunctions and learning difficulties. Students are stigmatised and lack credibility to negotiate appropriate academic accommodations. A possible means of improving the ability of students to negotiate appropriate accommodations is explored. Finally the researcher reflects on her own involvement in the research as an 'insider' researcher.

Integration at Harryson Primary School : a study of aspects of a primary school's involvement in the integration of students with disabilities into its programs

The integration of students with disabilities, impairments and problems in schooling has been stated government policy in the Victorian education system since 1984. Many schools have become involved in programs whereby students with varying disabilities have participated in the educational and social lives of their local school. This research details one primary school's experiences with the integration program. The involvement of teachers, parents, students, integration aide and principal in mutually supportive roles is described. The role of the Integration Support Group is highlighted. The participation of the students being integrated and their non-disabled peers is described in detail. The roles of the principal, the integration aide and the Integration Support Group are found to be crucial in this school's program.

Assessment method difference : comparisons between international and domestic students within a first year undergraduate management course

This paper investigates the assessment methods and student results within a first year undergraduate management course offered within the business faculty of an Australian university. This course is compulsory for those studying for a commerce or management degree. The assessment results of full fee paying international students were compared with those of domestic students, during four teaching semesters in 2009 and 2010. Analysis compares 2,682 students’ numerical results for two constructed response assignments to their results for an examination comprising both multiple choice questions and constructed response questions. It also compares the results of international and domestic students across metropolitan, regional and rural campuses. However due to little comparison data for multiple campuses, findings are consolidated by domestic and international students, university-wide. International students were found to achieve lower results than domestic students for constructed response assessment tasks, but higher results than domestic students for multiple choice question assessments. These findings have implications for instructors eager to provide a level assessment playing field for both domestic and international students, enabling both groupings to take advantage of existing strengths but also to improve their weaknesses. This research led to a restructuring and rescheduling of assessment tasks for the 2012 academic year.

Can an online tutorial pass the test for library instruction? An evaluation and comparison of library skills instruction methods for first year students at Deakin University

An online, interactive tutorial, Smart Searcher, was introduced at Deakin University as part of the Iibrary's information skills program in late 2000. As liaison librarians responsible for library skills training we wanted to compare and evaluate this mode of instruction with our normal face-to-face delivery of library instruction. This study found that students with face-to-face instruction did, in fact, gain higher posttest mean scores than students completing the online tutorial. Also, students attending these library sessions felt more confident about their library skills than those in the online tutorial only session.

Student support : bridging the gap between students and the university

Bangladesh introduced open and distance learning as a means of providing education for people in isolated and remote locations through the establishment of the Bangladesh Open University (BOU). The broad aim of the BOU is to provide flexible and needs-based education to those unable or not wishing to enter conventional educational institutions. The BOU is presently the only university in Bangladesh to provide mass education and also to provide continuing education and professional and technical education to support the existing educational system. The BOU has a mission that encompasses secondary and higher levels of education. BOU operates its programs through a centralised academic and administrative staff, and regional and local offices throughout Bangladesh that organise local tutorials and distribute information and materials. BOU has adult students in all parts of the country, and most of the students live in rural areas. They need support that is appropriate to their local circumstances. Using an interpretive approach, this research examines the support needs of students studying for the Secondary School Certificate and the Bachelor of Education, assesses the effectiveness of current support services and explores alternatives to the current system. The underlying assumption is that support needs to be appropriate to the country’s culture and circumstances, and useful and feasible from the perspectives of students, staff, administrators and senior university officials. To investigate the appropriate support for distance education students, this research was conducted in four sample regions. Two were selected from areas of sparse population where the terrain makes transport difficult and two from areas that are more densely populated and where transport is easier. A questionnaire survey and focus groups were conducted with students, focus groups with local staff and interviews with Regional Directors within the four sample regions. Interviews were also undertaken with central University senior staff to get their perspectives on current and future policies for student support.

Dietary resistant starch interacts with non-starch polysaccharide and protein to influence colonic protein fermentation, with possible implications for colon cancer risk in humans

Resistant starch is dietary starch that passes undigested into the colon where it can have effects similar to non-starch polysaccharide (dietary fibre). The results support the potential health benefits of incorporating foods containing high levels of both resistant starch and non-starch polysaccharide, such as whole grain breads and legumes, as part of well balanced diets containing fruit, vegetables, cereals, meat/alternatives and dairy foods.

Difficult times, difficult students? Teaching students with learning difficulties to be teachers

The last decade of Australian higher education has witnessed significant expansion in the provision of student places, relative to the Australian population, with student enrolment figures for undergraduate award courses in 1993 totalling 453,926, compared with 287,713 in 1983. Such expansion has raised considerable speculation amongst academics about the quality of students now entering university and their ability to successfully negotiate academic learning environments, particularly since the mid 1990s when unmet demand for higher education began to diminish; the assumption often being that lower entry scores are indicative of future academic problems. This is a significant issue for Australian regional universities, which historically have struggled to attract students with high entry scores and which are likely to experience even greater competition from metropolitan universities given the prospect of 'vouchers', a possibility (re)floated by the West Review, which will enable students to be more selective in their university of choice. Moreover, these 'problems' seem compounded for teacher educators who are required to deliver greater numbers of graduates to satisfy a current shortage of teachers in many Australian States and also to 'soak up' government funded places within their institutions that other faculties have been unable to fill, while drawing from a diminishing pool of high entry-scoring applicants. Within this context, this paper addresses the possibility for teacher educators of facing classes with increasing numbers of students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities, estimated in the early 1980s by Sykes (1982) to be about 5% of university students. In raising these issues, the paper makes two broad contributions. First, it engages with the discussion within the literature concerning competing definitions of university students' learning difficulties and learning disabilities, suggesting that the debate is unhelpful and that the differences are not that important when consideration is given to how they are experienced by students. Secondly, and flowing logically from this, the paper argues that rather than simply defining learning difficulty as intrinsic to students, academic learning environments, and those who construct them, are also implicated in the determination of how difficult (or otherwise) they are for students to access.

Tensions in home–school partnerships : the different perspectives of teachers and parents of students with learning barriers

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study of learning partnerships between teachers and parents of students with learning barriers. The aim was to investigate the beliefs and understandings of parents and teacher participants around roles in partnerships, so as to identify operational processes that support effective collaboration. The study was based on the premise that home–school partnerships have been established as a positive influence on the education of students with learning barriers but tensions exist within these partnerships in practice. In the study it was posited that some tensions stemmed from differences in role understandings between parent and teacher. Data revealed key themes emerging from the case studies. Findings indicated that parents and teachers believed that involvement and partnerships are integral to supporting the learning of students with learning barriers. However, differences emerged as to how teachers and parents constructed and interpreted involvement and operational processes supporting partnerships, and the significance each group placed on different aspects of collaboration between parent and teacher.

Negotiating the university environment : how first year students learn about university processes

This paper is an attempt to make sense of the literature about how new university students develop an understanding of those university processes that are essential to their academic success. Whereas traditionally there has been a tendency to regard students as deficient if they had transition difficulties, such an approach fails to recognise the complexity of the process and the role of the habitus, as explored by Bourdieu (1993), in rendering this task even more difficult for some students. The literature highlights the need for further research. We suggest the need to do so with regard to the complexity of students' experiences and the need to better appreciate the role of emotional or affective influences to that end. We also suggest that Bourdieu's concepts, especially those concerning habitus, would provide a sound foundation for the suggested research.

Avoiding the second year slump : a transition framework for students progressing through university

The ‘Sophomore Slump’ is a lack of engagement that can be experienced by students entering their second year at University. It has been a recognized phenomenon in American universities for many years but has gone largely unrecognized within Australian Universities. In 2009 a program called ‘Welcome to Second Year’ was introduced at a Metropolitan Australian University for Science students returning as second years or articulating straight into second year. The one day program took place during the week before trimester 1 classes commenced. The aim of the program was to re-engage students both socially with their peers, and academically with their course, and also to introduce them to professionals in their field. This paper provides a description of the program as well as student evaluation of the program over the three years it has now been run.

Understanding career aspirations of Information Technology students at Deakin University

Students need to develop informed and realistic career aspirations to gain the most from their university studies towards their initial career development. However developing their aspirations, goals, and expectations is a complex process. In Information Technology (IT) no clear career development framework is evident in the literature. We present a pilot study which investigates the career aspirations of novice students studying IT at an Australian University. Through a series of career activities their aspirations were explored with the aim of improving support for career development. Results indicate that students have no clear short- or long- term aspirations, yet believe that programming skills are key to achieve a career in IT.