The downside of relying on research outputs to assess business faculty performance : comments from down under regarding facilitating and creating synergies between teaching and research : the role of the academic administrator

This commentary presents an Australian perspective on Balkin and Mello’s “Facilitating and Creating Synergies between Teaching and Research: The Role of the Academic Administrator.” It addresses one particularly important aspect of the separation of teaching and research in business schools; namely, the increasing dominance of discipline-based research output measures in overall business faculty performance, coupled with a reliance on journal rankings as de facto quality measures for research output. Some possible alternate approaches to research performance/impact measurement in our rapidly changing academic environment are also considered.

The simple yet complex development of social and participatory media for classroom learning : building a hybrid learning environment through action research

This paper reports on part of a teacher/researcher’s PhD action research study. It explains the complexity of features that social media brings to the teaching and learning process while discussing the simplicity and power of its use. Through the action research cycle, learning programs were designed to take advantage of the unique communicative methods offered by social media and web 2.0 whilst maintaining the value of face-to-face learning. Students used social media spaces such as blogs, groups and discussion forums as well as developing their own profiles and avatars to communicate online by making friends, leaving comments and uploading content which included publishing, peer reviewing and self assessment. The author argues that, by designing learning that valued and combined the attributes of social media, Web 2.0 and face-to-face teaching she was able to produce a more student-centred approach; hence, developing a ‘Hybrid’ learning environment which supported many 21st Century skills.

The process of design based learning : a students' perspective

BACKGROUND : Deakin engineering has used Design Based Learning (DBL) as one of its engineering learning principles for further development in teaching and learning. Whilst the students are surveyed after every unit, this data only provides a generic overview of the process and does not help the academic staff determine if DBL is a preferable learning and teaching approach. What is required to improve the process is a holistic approach from the students’ perspective over the entire degree program.

PURPOSE : Do students see any value in DBL and should it be is further developed for teaching and learning? This study examines students’ perceptions of DBL in their curriculum, DBL in final year project, DBL in engineering career.

DESIGN/METHOD : A survey dedicated to DBL from the students’ point of view has been designed and given to 30 fulltime students in 3rd year in engineering at Deakin. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of this survey will give students’ perspective of DBL as they progress through their degree studies.

RESULTS : The full time students’ surveyed indicated that they believed that DBL was a useful tool and was of value to their career. Also that it would be helpful as part of their final project and that it helps teamwork although they would like to see it used for both team and individual work.

CONCLUSIONS : The full time students’ surveyed displayed a basic understanding of DBL and an eagerness to use it. Students’ perceived that DBL approach got an important value in their learning curriculum and it is a positive sign for the Deakin engineering to use it as one of its engineering learning principle.

Bridging formal and informal learning : a mobile learning attitude scale for higher education

Problem Statement: Over the past decade there has been an increasing global demand towards the integration of mobile technologies for teaching and learning. There has emerged a need for a survey instrument that can form a solid foundation for objective judgment of leaner perspectives as they begin using mobile applications for learning. The Mobile Learning Scale, a seven-item, Likert-type survey instrument, was developed by the authors in response to this need. Items were drawn from the key points developed for a 2011 paper by the authors on mobile learning prospects for informal learning in higher education [13], with many of these points initially developed during group discussions at the 2011 International Summit on ICT in Education hosted at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France. Approach: In order to access the performance of the instrument, data were gathered from 81 undergraduate and graduate university students during August and September of 2011. Follow-up data were also gathered from 19 undergraduates in February, 2012. Results: Initial indications are the instrument has good reliability (Alpha = .80 - .85) as well as acceptable content, construct, and criterion-related validity when used with its intended audience. Conclusions/Recommendations: The authors conclude that the Mobile Learning Scale v1.0 performs well as a unidimensional scale that is capable of assessing pre-post gains resulting from a mobile learning intervention within a university course. The authors propose that this new instrument should be useful for helping guide educators in the process of meaningful integration of Mobile Applications (Apps) into teaching and learning, inside and outside the classroom.

Competency-based training, global skills mobility and the teaching of international students in vocational education and training

 In Australia, all vocational education and training (VET) qualifications must be based on competency-based training (CBT) and training packages. Yet, since 2005, there has been a major expansion in the number of VET international students in Australia, 85% of whom are from Asia. Given this development, the teaching and learning contexts in which competency-based training and training packages are located are becoming increasingly diverse and no longer reflect the traditional training characteristics and boundaries that apply for domestic students.
This paper examines the relevance of training packages and CBT for teaching international students in the Australian VET sector. It draws on interviews with teachers and international students from 25 public and private training providers in Australia. The discussion of the findings aims to assist the VET sector create a curriculum framework that supports flexibility, adaptation and responsiveness so that international students’ divergent and shifting study purposes and complex learning characteristics can be catered for effectively. This contributes to helping the sector remain viable in a context in which a VET course is no longer a pathway to migration.

International vocational education and training - the migration and learning mix

International VET students have divergent, shifting and in some cases multiple purposes for undertaking their VET courses. Students' motives may be instrumental and/or intrinsic and can include obtaining permanent residency, accumulating skills that can secure good employment, gaining a foothold that leads to higher education, and/or personal transformation. Moreover, students' study purposes and imagining of acquired values are neither fixed nor unitary. They can be shaped and reshaped by their families and personal aspirations and by the social world and the learning environment with which they interact. We argue that, whatever a student's study purpose, s/he needs to engage in a learning practice and should be provided with a high quality education. Indeed, we insist this remains the case even if students enroll only in order to gain the qualifications needed to migrate. The paper details the association between migration and learning, and argues that the four variations emerging from the empirical data of this study that centre on migration and skills' accumulation better explain this association than does the 'international VET students simply want to migrate' perspective. We conclude with a discussion of why the stereotype that holds VET international students are mere 'PR hunters' is unjust and constitutes a threat to the international VET sector.

Improving renal patient care without compromising safety: interactive simulated e-learning

The nephrology educators network [NEN] recognised in 2007 that inequities existed in the access and delivery of evidence based renal education programs particularly to nurses in regional and remote areas. To address this, a web-based approach to learning, through the development of peer reviewed, interactive nephrology e-learning programs was adopted. These programs aligned with the tenets of e-learning instructional design and afforded more effective and consistent clinical support and induction for nurses in the renal specialty. The e-learning programs promote a standardised evidence-based approach to nephrology education and were developed by content experts from across Australia and New Zealand. The design methodology avoided the duplication of resources while also encouraging knowledge transfer between participating health organisations.

This paper will discuss the development and successful implementation of these e-learning programs across renal healthcare units in Australasia. Implemented packages include: Introduction to Buttonhole Cannulation – featuring an interactive ultrasound and cannulation application; Introduction to Haemodialysis; Introduction to Peritoneal Dialysis [PD], featuring simulated PD machines, allowing for the teaching of troubleshooting without compromising patient safety. E-learning programs are further supported through interactive case scenarios that present unfolding real world simulations and enable learners to meet different patients and manage their care while learning about key messages relating to renal health. Modules currently in development include; Acute Kidney Injury; Fluid Assessment, Water Quality and Vascular Access. The implementation of these programs assist the facilitation of positive change in teaching and learning practices in nephrology nursing aimed at improving patient outcomes.

Representing and learning in science

In this book we argue for an approach to representational work in school science learning and teaching that engages participants, is epistemologically sound, aligns with knowledge-building practices in the discipline, and draws on extensive classroom study. We review in this chapter current research agendas around student representational work in science learning, including the assumptions, rationale and research practices of these agendas. We do this (a) to clarify precisely what we see as the diversity of current mainstream thinking and practices around representational activity, and (b) to articulate what is distinctive about our own contribution, noting the traditions, influences and prior research we draw on. We begin by noting the current dominant role of image generation and analysis in much contemporary science, and its implications for science in schools.

The delivery of teacher education programmes in regional Victoria, Australia: Opportunities and challenges

A significant number of Australian universities have multiple campuses (Winchester and Sterk 2006). To manage successful student learning outcomes, Winchester and Sterk (2006) argue that universities may experience challenging teaching and learning issues such as fragmentation, duplication, inconsistency and lack of equitable opportunities for students across the various sites. In recent years, online educational technology has enabled Australian universities to rethink the ways in which they deliver programmes (Smith, Ling and Hill 2006). Such a paradigm and technological shift provide a ‘window of opportunity’ to meet the challenging demands of serving multiple campuses (Bottomley 2000), especially those in regional areas. In Victoria, at June 2012, the regional population was 1.38 million (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013). However, Polesel’s (2009) report found that students from regional areas defer university at twice the rate of metropolitan students. There is also evidence that students in regional areas, on the one hand, consider such areas as a learning environment with many advantages (e.g. small classes and a compact campus)(Ellis et al. 2005). On the other hand, students’ different interests can often be overlooked in educational settings (Semke and Sheridan 2012).
This paper will report on the results of a baseline study using survey methodology, which examined the challenges and opportunities of delivering elements of two undergraduate programmes in regional areas in Victoria, Australia. In particular, the research focused on two selected undergraduate teacher education programmes: (1) primary education; and (2) early childhood education. Focused discussion data, gathered from academics involved in delivering the programmes in the regional campuses will be presented as an analysis of issues and practices of teaching and learning in the 21st century. Implications for the provision of a quality learning experience and environment for students and for the course marketing strategies will be discussed.

Designing an e-portfolio for assurance of learning focusing on adoptability and learning analytics

The Assurance of Learning for Graduate Employability framework is a quality assurance model for curriculum enhancement for graduate employability, enabling graduates to achieve "the skills, understandings and personal attributes that make [them] more likely to secure employment and be successful in their chosen occupations to the benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy" (Yorke, 2006). Of particular note is the framework's dependence on three foundations, including easy access to integrated and accessible tools for staff and student self-management. In other words, this approach to curriculum quality depends on staff and student access to tools that enable them to self-manage their learning. This paper examines two aspects which informed the design of a student e-portfolio system, iPortfolio, intended for students' self-management of their learning, particularly recording evidence of their achievement of capabilities. The paper focuses on two particular considerations in the design of the iPortfolio: adoptability and learning analytics. Adoptability means the phase preceding adoption, whether students have the devices, platforms and technology skills to be able to use such an innovation. The iPortfolio also facilitates learning analytics: it has the capability to gather data related to learning indicators for course quality assurance purposes. Both adoptability and analytics are very dynamic fields: new devices, platforms and applications constantly spark changes in user habits, and policy changes mean institutions need to be able to provide new data, often at short notice. In the conclusion, the paper suggests how tools such as the iPortfolio can be designed for 'future proofing' and sustainability.

Social media as a learning environment : how, why, where and when people learn

This paper reports on an 18-month high school action research study and how this could be used to inform course designers and educators in other sectors of education. The high school study focused on the integration of social media into the face-to-face classroom. It used action research in a Victorian public high school in a total of 13 of the author’s classes. Data collection was in three phases over an eighteen month period. This involved the teacher creating one online social network and sharing this dynamic environment with up to seven classes in a semester. Blogs, groups, chats, discussion forums, Web 2.0 tools and a wide range of student-generated content were shared online, within a class and between classes. Students were encouraged to interact and to share their thoughts and ideas about planning as well as using their out-of-school skills and knowledge. Each topic, within each class, was one action research cycle. A number of the findings from this high school study were integrated into post-secondary education subjects at Deakin University. In an era of social media, this high school study has provided insight into how, why, where and when students learn, and by blending many of the findings into Deakin University courses, this study offers a new way of approaching teaching and learning in the broader notion of tertiary education and training.

SMEDIA: Designing to create a social and dynamic learning framework

This article discusses the design of social networking sites created through a PhD action research study. Social and participatory media was used as an active, flexible and motivating learning management system. The study investigated ways in which a social learning framework could be designed for students aged 13 to 16 and aimed to encourage student knowledge growth through peer-to-peer interaction while supporting both formal and informal learning. New literacies and multimodality were infused into the design. It was found that the practitioner-researcher’s cycles of planning, acting, observing and reflecting, action research, provided a mechanism for scaffolding the redesign of curriculum content and instruction. Social media in education can be dynamic, interactive and appreciated (SMEDIA) by the students.

New research directions in learning and cognition

Research in learning and cognition continues to extend the boundaries of possibilities for theoretical frameworks, research designs, and questions interrogated. This overview captures a snapshot of recent research for the purpose of drawing attention to new directions. It includes: types of theoretical frameworks employed to study student learning, the reciprocity of teaching and learning, and identifying underpinning conceptual understanding that can contribute to curriculum development, including a discussion paper on possible roles of algorithms. Future directions for research are then discussed. The papers in this special issue are briefly introduced in relevant sections. This paper draws attention to the increased use of multi-theoretical perspectives and what they have enabled us to learn about the complexities of teaching and learning in classrooms. It also draws attention to some of the innovative research designs and analysis techniques that have been employed to enable the answering of various research questions.