Changing face of property students : an analysis of UWS property students from 1994 to 2003

Property is an evolving industry and the participants within the industry are also changing. This change is due to improved technology and construction, global nature of business today, professional standards, legal and accounting issues and environmental matters. Throughout this change in the property industry, there has also been significant change in the structure and content of tertiary property courses in Australia. Over the past ten years each first year cohort commencing study in the property program at the University of Western Sydney have been surveyed in relation to their background, reasons for course selection and job expectations. This paper will review the annual survey and the profile of all first year students who commenced their studies in the Bachelor of Business (Property Economics) degree [formerly Bachelor of Commerce (Property Economics) and Bachelor of Commerce (Land Economy)] for years commencing 1994 to 2003.

Harnessing assessment and feedback in the first year to support learning success, engagement and retention

It has been argued that intentional first year curriculum design has a critical role to play in enhancing first year student engagement, success and retention (Kift, 2008). A fundamental first year curriculum objective should be to assist students to make the successful transition to assessment in higher education. Scott (2006) has identified that ‘relevant, consistent and integrated assessment … [with] prompt and constructive feedback’ are particularly relevant to student retention generally; while Nicol (2007) suggests that ‘lack of clarity regarding expectations in the first year, low levels of teacher feedback and poor motivation’ are key issues in the first year. At the very minimum, if we expect first year students to become independent and self-managing learners, they need to be supported in their early development and acquisition of tertiary assessment literacies (Orrell, 2005). Critical to this attainment is the necessity to alleviate early anxieties around assessment information, instructions, guidance, and performance. This includes, for example:  inducting students thoroughly into the academic languages and assessment genres they will encounter as the vehicles for evidencing learning success; and  making expectations about the quality of this evidence clear. Most importantly, students should receive regular formative feedback of their work early in their program of study to aid their learning and to provide information to both students and teachers on progress and achievement. Leveraging research conducted under an ALTC Senior Fellowship that has sought to articulate a research-based 'transition pedagogy' (Kift & Nelson, 2005) – a guiding philosophy for intentional first year curriculum design and support that carefully scaffolds and mediates the first year learning experience for contemporary heterogeneous cohorts – this paper will discuss theoretical and practical strategies and examples that should be of assistance in implementing good assessment and feedback practices across a range of disciplines in the first year.

Mainstreamed students with learning difficulties : failing and underachieving in the secondary school

Despite the rhetoric that students with learning difficulties are adequately supported within schools, the evidence suggests that they continue to experience school failure with devastating consequences. Students with learning difficulties are disproportionately represented as juvenile delinquents, as the unemployed and in mental health statistics. However, the defining of this group remains confused and imprecise and has not been a national priority. This has repercussions for both secondary schools and for the students themselves. This paper highlights research related to teaching practices, policies and school structure and their effects on the academic outcomes and emotional well being of students with learning difficulties. Finally, it makes a number of recommendations to change the status quo for these students.

Attitudes and interests towards biotechnology: The mismatch between students and teachers

Increasing the scientific literacy of Australians has become an educational priority in recent times. The ‘Science State – Smart State’ initiative of the Queensland Government involves an action plan for improving science education that includes a Science for Life action. A desired outcome is for an increased understanding of the natural world so that responsible decisions concerning our future wellbeing can be made in an age of science and technology. Biotechnology is a technology that is having profound impact on our lives. This paper describes how 15-16 year old students and biology teachers revealed a mismatch in both attitudes and interests towards biotechnology between the students and teachers. The findings are of interest as the teachers are writing biotechnology into their work programs in response to new syllabus documents. The teacher’s areas of interest did not match those of the students, possibly resulting in a curriculum the teachers want to teach, but the students do not want to learn.

Biotechnology education : topics of interest to students and teachers

This paper presents the findings of a survey that investigates the biotechnology topics of interest according to students and teachers for inclusion in biology lessons and reports on the similarities and differences in teachers’ and students’ biotechnology topics of interest. The study is of significance as biotechnology has been identified as a key area of technological and economic importance worldwide yet there is scant literature relating to teachers’ and students’ interests concerning biotechnology education topics. 500 students and their 15 teachers completed the survey. Interviews were conducted with 3 teachers and 60 students. Responses indicate there is a mismatch in the interests of students and teachers, and what they perceive as being possible topics for inclusion in biology and biotechnology lessons. Where teachers are provided with the freedom to design and assess their own units of work, this mismatch of interests causes problems. The study found students withdrawing from biology courses in post compulsory settings due to lack of interest, and perceived lack of relevance of the course. It is possible that this lack of agreement on topics of interest is a factor in the world wide decline of enrolments in the sciences.

Writing together, learning together : the value and effectiveness of a research writing group for doctoral students

The high level of scholarly writing required for a doctoral thesis is a challenge for many research students. However, formal academic writing training is not a core component of many doctoral programs. Informal writing groups for doctoral students may be one method of contributing to the improvement of scholarly writing. In this paper, we report on a writing group that was initiated by an experienced writer and higher degree research supervisor to support and improve her doctoral students’ writing capabilities. Over time, this group developed a workable model to suit their varying needs and circumstances. The model comprised group sessions, an email group, and individual writing. Here, we use a narrative approach to explore the effectiveness and value of our research writing group model in improving scholarly writing. The data consisted of doctoral students’ reflections to stimulus questions about their writing progress and experiences. The stimulus questions sought to probe individual concerns about their own writing, what they had learned in the research writing group, the benefits of the group, and the disadvantages and challenges to participation. These reflections were analysed using thematic analysis. Following this analysis, the supervisor provided her perspective on the key themes that emerged. Results revealed that, through the writing group, members learned technical elements (e.g., paragraph structure), non-technical elements (e.g., working within limited timeframes), conceptual elements (e.g., constructing a cohesive arguments), collaborative writing processes, and how to edit and respond to feedback. In addition to improved writing quality, other benefits were opportunities for shared writing experiences, peer support, and increased confidence and motivation. The writing group provides a unique social learning environment with opportunities for: professional dialogue about writing, peer learning and review, and developing a supportive peer network. Thus our research writing group has proved an effective avenue for building doctoral students’ capability in scholarly writing. The proposed model for a research writing group could be applicable to any context, regardless of the type and location of the university, university faculty, doctoral program structure, or number of postgraduate students. It could also be used within a group of students with diverse research abilities, needs, topics and methodologies. However, it requires a group facilitator with sufficient expertise in scholarly writing and experience in doctoral supervision who can both engage the group in planned writing activities and also capitalise on fruitful lines of discussion related to students’ concerns as they arise. The research writing group is not intended to replace traditional supervision processes nor existing training. However it has clear benefits for improving scholarly writing in doctoral research programs particularly in an era of rapidly increasing student load.

Scaffolding students’ thinking in mathematical investigations

This article describes some of the issues that teachers might encounter when scaffolding students’ thinking during mathematical investigations. It describes four episodes where a teacher’s scaffolding failed to support students’ mathematical thinking and explores the reasons why the scaffolding was ineffective. Understanding what is ineffective and why is one way to improve pedagogical practice. As a background to these episodes, we first provide an overview of the mathematical investigation. Our paper concludes with some recommendations for judicious scaffolding during investigations.

Serious playground : using Second Life to engage high school students in urban planning

Virtual world platforms such as Second Life have been successfully used in educational contexts to motivate and engage learners. This article reports on an exploratory workshop involving a group of high school students using Second Life for an urban planning project. Young people are traditionally an under-represented demographic when it comes to participating in urban planning and decision making processes. The research team developed activities that combined technology with a constructivist approach to learning. Real world experiences and purposes ensured that the workshop enabled students to see the relevance of their learning. Our design also ensured that play remained an important part of the learning. By conceiving of the workshop as a ‘serious playground’ we investigated the ludic potential of learning in a virtual world.

A pilot test on the differences between domestic and international students’ perceptions towards online learning in a Malaysian institution (Part I)

Teaching to an international audience online can be significantly different as compared to a traditional classroom setting. In a traditional classroom setting, the students are usually removed from their own cultural context and required to operate in the lecturer’s context. International students coming to Malaysia to study are implicitly expected to, and often do, become familiar with the Malaysian culture and style of education. The use of educational technologies as a blended strategy in higher education programs offers challenges and opportunities for all students but this may be different for international students who come from varied backgrounds. With an increasingly competitive global demand for higher education, Malaysian institutions strive to be the hub of educational excellence and a preferred option for international students in coping with the challenges of studying abroad in a different culture. This research will evaluate how undergraduate students perceive their online learning experiences in a Malaysian university. The OLES (Online Learning Environment Survey) will be used to explore the international and domestic students’ perception on e-learning and the findings of the first six OLES scales varying from (Computer Usage, Teacher Support, Student Interaction & Collaboration, Personal Relevance, Authentic Learning, and Student Autonomy) will be reported in this research. An in-depth study will be conducted to compare and contrast the challenges of international students with domestic students. Major difficulties encountered and how these students actually cope with e-learning, as well as the strategies and tools used to overcome the challenges will be investigated.

A pilot test on the differences between domestic and international students' perceptions towards online learning in a Malaysian institution (part II)

Teaching to an international audience online can be significantly different as compared to a traditional classroom setting. In a traditional classroom setting, the students are usually removed from their own cultural context and required to operate in the lecturer’s context. International students coming to Malaysia to study are implicitly expected to, and often do, become familiar with the Malaysian culture and style of education. The use of educational technologies as a blended strategy in higher education programs offers challenges and opportunities for all students but this may be different for international students who come from varied backgrounds. With an increasingly competitive global demand for higher education, Malaysian institutions strive to be the hub of educational excellence and a preferred option for international students in coping with the challenges of studying abroad in a different culture. This research will evaluate how undergraduate students perceive their online learning experiences in a Malaysian institute. The OLES (Online Learning Environment Survey) will be used to explore the international and domestic students’ perception on e-learning and the findings of the last six OLES scales varying from (Equity, Enjoyment, Asychronocity, Evaluation & Assessments, Online Learning Tools, and Interface Design) will be reported in this research. An in-depth study will be conducted to compare and contrast the challenges of international students with domestic students. Major difficulties encountered and how these students actually cope with e-learning, as well as the strategies and tools used to overcome the challenges will be investigated.

Alcohol consumption by undergraduate students

Assessed correlates of alcohol consumption (AC) in 212 undergraduates (81 "college" and 131 "noncollege" residents [COLRs and NCOLRs], mean ages 18.9 and 18.6 yrs, respectively) and studied the proportion who were drinking at potentially harmful levels (HLs). This study also examined changes in AC during the course of the 1st semester and predicted drinking levels in the 2nd semester from demographics, drug use, social variables and self-efficacy data. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. During both semesters, the COLRs reported drinking significantly more alcohol than NCOLRs, but during vacation the intake of the 2 groups was almost equal. Higher AC in the 2nd semester was best predicted by higher AC during the 1st semester, followed by more AC by friends and higher parental occupation status. Female COLRs were those most likely to be drinking at HLs. Results also showed that a significant proportion of COLRs were drinking at HLs.

Saving schools from abomination and abnormal sex : a discourse analysis of online public commentary about 'queering' school spaces

Homophobic hatred: these words summarise online commentary made by people in support of a school that banned gay students from taking their same sex partners to a school formal. With the growing popularity of online news sites, it seems appropriate to critically examine how these sites are becoming a new arena in which people can express personal opinions about controversial topics. While commentators equally expressed two dominant viewpoints about the school ban (homophobic hatred and human rights), this paper focuses on homophobic hatred as a discursive position and how the comments work to confirm the legitimacy of the schools’ decision. Drawing on the work of Foucault and others, the paper examines how the comments constitute certain types of subjectivity drawing on dominant ideas about what it means to be homophobic. The analysis demonstrates the complex and competing skein of strategies that constitute queering school social spaces as a social problem.

Assessment for learning : a sociocultural approach

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is a title given to classroom evaluative practices that share the purpose of diagnosing and informing teachers and students about learning progress, during the learning process. These practices also have the potential to develop learner autonomy by increasing student motivation and mastery through developing the learner's capacity to monitor and plan his or her own learning progress. Yet teacher adoption of the practices is not a straightforward implementation of techniques within an existing classroom repertoire. Recent research highlights a more complex interrelationship between teacher and student beliefs, identities, and traditions of power within assessment and learning in classroom contexts. These often hidden relationships can add layers of complexity for teachers implementing assessment change, and may act as barriers that frustrate efforts to realise the AfL goal of learner autonomy. By interpreting AfL practices from a sociocultural perspective, the social and cultural contexts that influence classroom assessment can be better understood. In turn teachers can thus be better supported in adopting AfL practices within the complexities of the social, cultural and policy contexts of schooling.

International students using online information resources to learn

This qualitative study views international students as information-using learners, through an information literacy lens. Focusing on the experiences of 25 international students at two Australian universities, the study investigates how international students use online information resources to learn, and identifies associated information literacy learning needs. An expanded critical incident approach provided the methodological framework for the study. Building on critical incident technique, this approach integrated a variety of concepts and research strategies. The investigation centred on real-life critical incidents experienced by the international students whilst using online resources for assignment purposes. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews and an observed online resource-using task. Inductive data analysis and interpretation enabled the creation of a multifaceted word picture of international students using online resources and a set of critical findings about their information literacy learning needs. The study’s key findings reveal: • the complexity of the international students’ experience of using online information resources to learn, which involves an interplay of their interactions with online resources, their affective and reflective responses to using them, and the cultural and linguistic dimensions of their information use. • the array of strengths as well as challenges that the international students experience in their information use and learning. • an apparent information literacy imbalance between the international students’ more developed information skills and less developed critical and strategic approaches to using information • the need for enhanced information literacy education that responds to international students’ identified information literacy needs. Responding to the findings, the study proposes an inclusive informed learning approach to support reflective information use and inclusive information literacy learning in culturally diverse higher education environments.