Improving criteria and feedback in student assessment in law

Spurred on by both the 1987 Pearce Report1 and the general changes to higher education spawned by the “Dawkins revolution” from 1988, there has been much critical self-evaluation leading to profound improvements to the quality of teaching in Australian law schools.2 Despite the changes there are still areas of general law teaching practice which have lagged behind recent developments in our understanding of what constitutes high quality teaching. One such area is assessment criteria and feedback. The project Improving Feedback in Student Assessment in Law is an attempt to remedy this. It aims to produce a manual containing key principles for the design of assessment and the provision of feedback, with practical yet flexible ideas and illustrations which law teachers may adopt or modify. Most of the examples have been developed by teachers at the University of Melbourne Law School. The project was supported in 1996 by a Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching grant and the manual will be published late in 1997.3 This note summarises the core principles which are elaborated further in the manual.

Codeship: Financing growth: Case study and Teaching note

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Migration and refugee law : principles and practice in Australia

Provides an overview of the legal principles governing the entry of people into Australia, and analyses the policy and moral considerations underpinning this area of law - particularly in relation to refugee law, one of the most divisive social issues of our time. Suggests proposals for change.

Dancing between diversity and consistency: refining assessment in postgraduate degrees in dance

Guidelines for best practice in Australian Doctoral and Masters by Research Examination, encompassing the two primary modes of investigation, written and multi-modal theses, their distinctiveness and their potential interplay.

Comparison of the work of psychologists in rural and urban settings : implications for professional training

To compare the work practices and training needs of rural and urban psychologists, 774 surveys were sent to psychologists throughout Australia. The psychologists were selected from the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Directory of Psychologists, 1992- 1993. A total of 86 rural psychologists and 282 urban psychologists responded to the survey. The survey comprised of four sections with questions asking respondents their demographic and employment background, past and current training activities, work experience, and relations with community. Results showed that the decision to practice and remain in a rural area was influenced by psychologists’ childhood experience and professional training in a rural setting, A substantial proportion of rural psychologists (28%) had been working in rural practice for five years or less. These rural psychologists were identified as a group that had a demographic and training profile more similar to urban psychologists than their rural colleagues. The employment conditions and training background of rural and urban psychologists were similar, though rural psychologists were more likely to be working in private practice and have undertaken their studies in a rural setting. Rural and urban psychologists rated their undergraduate and postgraduate training in psychology as only somewhat adequate. Training in rural health and community issues received the lowest ratings from both groups of psychologists. The work practices of rural and urban psychologists were also similar. There were some differences in the demographic profile of the client groups seen by the two groups. Rural psychologists reported the type of relations with their communities that are conducive to rural practice. The main evidence of this was that rural psychologists were collaborating with the natural helpers of their communities, and expressed willingness to formally train natural helpers to assist in the provision of psychological services. There were several conclusions drawn from this study. The first conclusion was that rural psychologists with urban demographic and training backgrounds are a group that is likely to migrate from rural practice to urban practice, Secondly, training needs to be specialised for rural practice if there is to be an improvement in the number of psychologists practicing in rural settings. Thirdly, rural psychologists were conducting the type of relations with their communities that are important to the requirements of rural practice.

Doctoral research and scholarly communication : candidates, supervisors and information literacy

This study investigates information literacy and scholarly communication within the processes of doctoral research and supervision at a distance. Both doctoral candidates and supervisors acknowledge information literacy deficiencies and it is suggested that disintermediation and the proliferation of information may contribute to those deficiencies. Further to this, the influence of pedagogic continuity—particularly in relation to the information seeking behaviour of candidates—is investigated, as is the concomitant aspect of how doctoral researchers practise scholarly communication. The well-documented and enduring problem for candidates of isolation from the research cultures of their universities is also scrutinised. The contentious issue of more formally involving librarians in the doctoral process is also considered, from the perspective of candidates and supervisors. Superimposed upon these topical and timely issues is the theoretical framework of adult learning theory, in particular the tenets of andragogy. The pedagogical-andragogical orientation of candidates and supervisors is established, demonstrating both the differences and similarities between candidates and supervisors, as are a number of independent variables, including a comparison of on-campus and off-campus candidates. Other independent variables include age, gender, DETYA (Department of Education, Training & Youth Affairs) category, enrolment type, stage of candidature, employment and status, type of doctorate, and English/non-English speaking background. The research methodology uses qualitative and quantitative techniques encompassing both data and methodological triangulation. The study uses two sets of questionnaires and a series of in-depth interviews with a sample of on-campus and off-campus doctoral candidates and supervisors from four Australian universities. Major findings include NESB candidates being more pedagogical than their ESB counterparts, and candidates and supervisors from the Sciences are more pedagogical than those from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, or Education. Candidates make a transition from a more dependent and pedagogically oriented approach to learning towards more of an independent and andragogical orientation over the duration of their candidature. However, over tune both on-campus and off-campus candidates become more isolated from the research cultures of their universities, and less happy with support received from their supervisors in relation to their literature reviews. Ill The study found large discrepancies in perception between the support supervisors believed they gave to candidates in relation to the literature review, and the support candidates believed they received. Information seeking becomes easier over time, but candidates face a dilemma with the proliferation of information, suggesting that disintermediation has exacerbated the challenges of evaluation and organisation of information. The concept of pedagogic continuity was recognised by supervisors and especially candidates, both negative and positive influences. The findings are critically analysed and synthesised using the metaphor of a scholarly 'Club' of which obtaining a doctorate is a rite of passage. Recommendations are made for changes in professional practice, and topics that may warrant further research are suggested.

"-we are not competing with bigger papers - we are doing a different job" : a study of country Australian news values

[No Abstract]

Innovation in accounting education

An exploration of a distinctive inter-disciplinary, problem-based, team-based and student centred learning environment: the Inter-disciplinary Industrial Project. Goal-free evaluation shows the IDIP successfully prepares students for the workplace. Case study narratives and outcome oriented conceptual models elaborate a Grounded Theory of Team-based Problem Solving.

Migration and refugee law: principles and practice in Australia

Migration and refugee law and policy is fundamentally concerned with the choices that we as a nation make regarding the people that we allow into our community and to share our resources. Migration and Refugee Law: Principles and Practice in Australia 2nd Edition provides an overview of the legal principles governing the entry of people into Australia. The 2nd edition encompasses legislative amendments and significant judicial decisions to 2007. As well as dealing with migration and refugee law today, the book analyses the policy and moral considerations underpinning this area of law. This is especially so in relation to refugee law, which is one of the most divisive social issues of our time. The book suggests proposals for change and how this area of law can be made more coherent and principled. This book is written for all people who have an interest in migration and refugee law.

El Aprendizaje del derecho inglés en modo cooperativo formal

En primer curso de Derecho económico de la Universidad de Vigo, se planteó la posibilidad de llevar a cabo un proyecto piloto de aprendizaje cooperativo. Nos pareció interesante la idea y propusimos que la asignatura “Introducción a los Sistemas Jurídicos” se impartiese en aprendizaje cooperativo formal, como requisito previo a la realización de un examen final. Nuestro objetivo era conseguir una mayor implicación del discente en su propio proceso de aprendizaje, al mismo tiempo que la adquisición de determinadas destrezas necesarias en el ámbito jurídico, como la interacción cara a cara, la interdependencia positiva, la responsabilidad personal, el saber desenvolverse en público y la capacidad de autoanálisis o evaluación de los resultados del grupo. En este caso concreto, era necesario dotar de las destrezas necesarias a los discentes para que el aprendizaje del Derecho Inglés, como sistema jurídico diferente al nuestro, resultase atractivo y suscitase el interés de los estudiantes a la hora de abordar el conocimiento del Common Law. La diferencia fundamental, reflejada en "Judge made Law", en referencia a la labor creadora del derecho que realizan los jueces en el mundo jurídico anglosajón, puede ser explicada mucho mejor en un contexto de creatividad como el que ofrece una metodología docente activa como es el Aprendizaje Cooperativo, y por ello resultó elegida. Elegimos el Aprendizaje Cooperativo Formal porque nos pareció adecuada su vocación de continuidad, en el sentido de formar grupos para una determinada tarea que puede durar desde una clase a varias semanas. En un grupo formal los estudiantes trabajan juntos para conseguir objetivos compartidos, intentando maximizar su aprendizaje y el de sus propios compañeros. El número de miembros que conforman un grupo formal es pequeño, 2 o 4 estudiantes, organizado por el profesor, a menudo al azar, y en ellos se espera que el estudiante interaccione con sus compañeros, compartiendo los conceptos y estrategias que aprendan, y que se consideren mutuamente responsables de la tarea asignada, acudiendo sólo en último término al profesor en caso de dudas. Pero teníamos dudas con respecto a la realidad del proyecto, por el elevado número de estudiantes en el grupo de “Introducción a los Sistemas Jurídicos”. Con todo, la ilusión y un gran esfuerzo hicieron posible llevar a cabo el proyecto previsto, y los resultados fueron totalmente positivos