Assessment of online reflections : engaging English second language (ESL) students

Online discussion boards are being used increasingly by tertiary educators as a tool for encouraging greater student interaction and developing learning communities. In particular, educators who have adopted a learner centered, socio-constructivist approach to teaching have sought to facilitate collaborative learning in which students reflect upon and share their experiences and perspectives, and construct knowledge together through developing shared meanings. This paper presents the findings of an electronic survey of the perceptions of 70 distance education EFL and ESL students concerning a compulsory assessment item involving contribution to an online course discussion board. The study revealed that the majority of the students enjoyed the assessment item and agreed that posting to the online course discussion board had allowed them to achieve a range of cognitive and social learning outcomes, as well as to develop some important graduate skills. In particular, ESL students reported the benefits of posting to the discussion board in terms of sharing their experiences with others and reducing the feeling of isolation. Further, when considering social outcomes, ESL students perceive the discussion board provided them with an opportunity to meet and develop a closer relationship with other students in the course and encouraged them to keep up with their studies.

Not just for romance: applications of speed dating in social work education

In this article we address how a contemporary adaptation of the 'speed dating' model was used for educational purposes with two cohorts of social work students. We outline the dimensions of 'speed dating' as a contemporary social phenomenon, then address how this model relates specifically to groupwork process, and can be used to facilitate social work student learning. The curriculum for two classroom group activities using the 'speed dating' model are outlined, the first to develop university level study skills, the second for debriefing field placement learning experiences. Finally we examine why the 'speed dating' metaphor was successful in provoking a playful yet constructively creative space for students to engage in groupwork process.

C'mon guys! A program to facilitate father involvement in the primary school environment

This article is written to provide a case study example of a program developed to encourage fathers' engagement with their children in the primary school environment. C'mon Guys! was delivered in a Primary School in Victoria, Australia (unnamed to protect the privacy of the participants). The article begins by first describing the community in which C'mon Guys! was offered and goes on to outline the literature related to aspects pertinent to the program such as father involvement in the lives of children at school, and the role of the social worker in facilitating this type of groupwork in the school setting. Next, the aims of the program are discussed with particular reference to its design, social learning theory, systems theory and groupwork principles and processes. The outcomes of C'mon Guys! are then discussed noting the limitations of the program as well as identifying the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits for the children, their fathers and the community.

Defining corporate citizenship : evidence from Australia

This study reports the results of a survey of the attitudes to corporate citizenship and practices of corporate citizenship of 93 of the largest private and publicly listed corporations in Australia. The results suggest there was considerable hesitation in positioning corporate citizenship as a proactive, long term, internal culture process. Instead, corporate emphasis was generally on short-term community activities. Also, there was little variation in these results when respondents were classified by industry, international involvement and legal structure. Clearly, significant links have yet to be made by corporate Australia to connect the financial, social and environmental bottom lines.

Student's perceptions of compulsory asynchronous online discussion

Online discussion boards are increasingly being used by tertiary educators as tools for encouraging student interaction and for developing learning networks. In particular, educators who have adopted a socio-constructivist approach to teaching are keen to facilitate collaborative learning in which students share their experiences and perspectives, and construct knowledge together through shared meanings. In this paper, the findings from an electronic survey of 72 distance education students’ perceptions of an online discussion assessment item (ODAI) are presented. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents enjoyed the ODAI, and agreed that the online discussions had allowed them to achieve a range of cognitive and social learning outcomes, and to develop some important graduate skills.

Relevance of corporate citizenship

"Editorial"