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.

Form versus function : a study into interactive learning process affecting the implementation of sustainability in commercial buildings

Owners and tenants of sustainable buildings are now realising the sustainable building that they own or occupy and also how they use the building have a significant impact on their work practices. These stakeholders are demanding sustainability outcomes such as improved occupant health and performance, lower energy and material consumption use as well as encouraging healthy ecosystem in their sustainable building. Clearly the level of user knowledge about a sustainable building and its technologies makes a difference about the actual behaviour towards sustainable buildings (Knott 2007, Stenberg 2007) There remains two major challenge faced by sustainable building occupants: (i) addressing the gap between an occupant's expectations of sustainable building outcomes and what the building actually provides and (ii) overcoming the lack of user knowledge about sustainability design and operation for a particular with regards to performance (Jailani et. al, 2011). This is an innovative study designed to address these challenges. It uses a focus group approach to investigate the gap between (a) user expectations and (b) sustainable building performance, with reference to the relationship between interactive learning process and the level of implementation of sustainability in commercial buildings. The outcome from the study will provide a post-occupancy evaluation of the perception of occupants in sustainable buildings. Most importantly, this information can then assist architects and designers in private and government organisations to successfully develop future sustainable design and policy which can fully capitalise on the original intention when delivering sustainable buildings, as well as providing an innovative feedback mechanism between occupiers and architects.

Studying mathematics teacher education: analysing the process of task variation on learning

Self-study of variations to task design offers a way of analysing how learning takes place. Over several years, variations were made to improve an assessment task completed by final-year teacher candidates in a primary mathematics teacher education subject. This article describes how alterations to a task informed on-going developments in self-study of one assessment task employed in an online subject. Analysis of my journal, notes from conversations with colleagues, teacher candidates’ work on the task and responses to online forums, and survey data inspired variations focused on better exploration of key concepts involved in the task, raising of focal awareness, developing a stronger professional eye in the students and the author, adaptations for multiple curriculum levels, and explorations of dual teacher–student perspectives. The overall challenge has been to support teacher candidates to learn to design effective open-ended tasks with a critical professional eye. Descriptions of the changes made to the task and the development of my own professional eye as a consequence of the application of self-study are included. Data show that variations to the task increased teacher candidates’ understanding of mathematics problem posing and generated pedagogical insights for task design.

Ensuring quality during monitoring of the learning environment of government primary schools achieved through EUI-PDP for teachers and head teachers

A positive change in the learning environment in schools is visible through ongoing professional development of teachers and administrators. Monitoring the professional development program and providing support to teachers and administrators to transfer their learnings into the school environment ensures some measures of quality. Quality issues led to the launching of the Professional Development Program (PDP) for Primary School Teachers (PSTs) of Sindh by the United Educational Initiative (UEI), a consortium of five Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations, working under the supervision of Education Sector Reform Assistance (ESRA). Implementation of the UEI-PDP in four districts of Sindh, is ensured by a team of professionals in each district. Recognising that capacity building of district education employees would improve the educational system in the country, 130 Master Trainers were selected, on merit, from the District Education Office for the training of 17,000 teachers and 3000 Head teachers/administrators over a period of two years. This paper developed the design of a Monitoring Process for a Professional Development Program for Primary School Teachers and Administrators. Data was collected through Pre/Post observations, Interviews, Questionnaires and Reports. Such tools make it possible for the monitoring teams to observe, to inquire further, and, along with the Managers, Master Trainers and School Support Team, seek to explain the progress of the program and take corrective action where indicated. Both formative evaluations as well as summative  evaluation techniques are utilized for evaluating the program. The monitoring process that assisted in formative evaluations is described. In order to assist in summative evaluation, data collected through the monitoring process was further developed to categorize the schools where teachers and head teachers are trained. It is hoped that the categorization of the schools may lead to further improvements in those schools which fall in the group for need improvement. It may also initiate further research as to reasons behind why some schools are in the good category and why others fall in the average category.

Southern drift : the learning styles of first and third-year students of the built environment

This paper investigates learning processes across a built environment design curriculum through the recognition of the four learning styles defined in the experiential learning theory of Kolb, i.e., 'accommodating', 'diverging', 'assimilating' and 'converging.' The paper focuses on the results of a cross-curriculum learning style survey. The results of the survey appear to explain why many prior studies of the personality characteristics, learning and cognitive styles of practitioners and of design students at different stages of their education appear conflicting. The hypothesis tested to resolve these inconsistencies asked whether design-learning styles are fixed or change as students' progress through their studies. The survey provides evidence of a statistically significant relationship between learning styles and year of study. The evidence suggests a southern drift (the term refers to the spatial interrelationship of styles in the two-dimensional Kolb Learning Style Index [LSI] cycle) towards the abstract conceptualisation mode of the learning process as students near the completion of their studies. This fluidity in learning style remains a hypothesis until further research is able to study one cohort for the entirety of a degree program. The paper argues that the possibility of learning style fluidity needs determining if learning style theory is to provide a workable model for informing the teaching of architecture.

What are the perceived learning needs of Australian general practice registrars for quality prescribing?

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the perceived learning needs of Australian general practice (GP) registrars in relation to the quality use of medicines (QUM) or the difficulties experienced when learning to prescribe. This study aimed to address this gap. METHODS: GP registrars' perceived learning needs were investigated through an online national survey, interviews and focus groups. Medical educators' perceptions were canvassed in semi-structured interviews in order to gain a broader perspective of the registrars' needs. Qualitative data analysis was informed by a systematic framework method involving a number of stages. Survey data were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: The two most commonly attended QUM educational activities took place in the workplace and through regional training providers. Outside of these structured educational activities, registrars learned to prescribe mainly through social and situated means. Difficulties encountered by GP registrars included the transition from hospital prescribing to prescribing in the GP context, judging how well they were prescribing and identifying appropriate and efficient sources of information at the point of care. CONCLUSIONS: GP registrars learn to prescribe primarily and opportunistically in the workplace. Despite many resources being expended on the provision of guidelines, decision-support systems and training, GP registrars expressed difficulties related to QUM. Ways of easing the transition into GP and of managing the information 'overload' related to medicines (and prescribing) in an evidence-guided, efficient and timely manner are needed. GP registrars should be provided with explicit feedback about the process and outcomes of prescribing decisions, including the use of audits, in order to improve their ability to judge their own prescribing.

Collaborative learning experience of students in distance education

Educational institutions recognised that the distance education mode is a preferred way to combine study with life, family and work commitments for distance learners. Distance education has played an important role in the provision of educational equity for distance learners who live in remote Australian communities. Engaging students and academic staff will always enhance student-learning outcomes to ensure a positive experience in distance education. It can be effectively achieved through collaborative learning. In distance education, academic staff and students face a number of challenges such as lack of student motivation, high student attrition rates, and a sense of isolation from a university community. Collaborative learning experience will enhance learner-staff and learner-learner interactions in distance learning, which can be achieved through developing a learning process. The learning process for distance learners involves student-learning strategy, Staff interactive sessions, peer-to-peer support, e-assessment, and self-realization of graduate learning outcomes. This distance learning process is confined for Deakin University learning environment, however the expectations is that the distance learning will be more mainstream in future of learning and teaching in Australian institutions. The focus of this research is to analyse and share collaborative learning experience of distance learners (off-campus) students in project management unit. It helps to analyse the barriers in distance education and finding ways to initiate collaborative programs in future. It also helps to fulfil the distance learners’ expectations on program delivery.

Learning preferences of TAFE and university students

Using Entwistle and Ramsden's (1983) Approaches to Studying Inventory, Fuller and Chalmers showed little difference between TAFE students and university students both in the factor structures derived through factor analysis, and in a comparison of individual subscale through analysis of variance. Fuller and Chalmers had hypothesised that differences in approaches to study may be identified as a result of the different learning and teaching contexts experienced by the two groups of students. The current study has examined the similarities and differences between students in the two sectors using a learning preferences inventory. Learning preferences were chosen for investigation on the basis of previous theoretical work which suggests that it is preferences that are most influenced by environmental factors. The present study has shown significant similarity between the learning preferences of the two groups of students. However, there were also significant differences which indicate that the Fuller and Chalmers hypothesised differences may be more observable at a preferences level than at an approaches to study level.

An experiment to assess the learning benefits of employing accounting software in the classroom

This paper reports on an experiment analysing the development of students' understanding of accounting concepts by comparing three different teaching strategies: a traditional tutorial (workshop), exposure to a commercial accounting package, and a control group. Findings indicate that integration of a commercially available accounting package into accounting curricula does not significantly enhance students' understanding of accounting concepts. As this experiment employed a randomised allocation of students to groups, a control group, and identical pre and posttests, these findings are robust to alternative explanations such as learning styles and motivation.

Creating and sustaining quality e-learning environments of enduring value for teachers and learners

Australian universities continue staking a claim on the future of e-learning, acquiring Learning Management Systems (LMS) as rapidly as universities overseas. Much is published on processes and criteria for selecting the best LMS for an organisation's needs and attempts to establish training and support mechanisms for deploying these systems. Beyond initial efforts to commission these technologies, particularly in the hands of teachers and students, what should happen to ensure these commitments yield real educational value in the long term? The search for and realisation of systemic and substantial new value requires a more profound reconceptualisation of what it means to design and work within contemporary learning environments, incorporating e-learning, in support of excellence in educational outcomes. This demands the foregrounding of the role of the academic teacher in the system in relation to other parties who can make important educational contributions in support of student learning. Central to new strategies is a transformation of the role of academic teacher, but on terms understood by them and supportive of their educational values. Six areas of value creation for teachers and learners are considered in relation to this transformation.

The role of computer assisted learning packages in determining learning outcomes of accounting students

This study examines the factors affecting student performance in an undergraduate financial accounting course, utilising Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) and use of a commercial software package. Multiple regression analysis was undertaken to examine the influences of perceptions of CAL and QuickBooks Pro, together with background variables such as gender, entry pathway and prior knowledge had on student performance. The results show that perceptions of CAL together with entry pathway were significant predictors of student performance. However, perceptions of the ,usefulness of QuickBooks Pro, prior studies of accounting and computing, together with gender, were not significant influences on performance. In terms of entry pathway it was found that International students, many of whom entered the university at the second year level having obtained advanced standing credits, had significantly poorer performance than local students. This result may be attributed to transitional problems experienced by these students, given their different pathways to university study.

The results have implications for accounting educators utilising CAL in courses as a means of improving students understanding of accounting concepts. The study also provides reflections on the use of CAL and a commercial software package as a means of providing efficient and effective educational instruction to maximise learning outcomes in accounting.

Southern drift: the learning styles of first and third year students of the built environment

This paper focuses on learning processes across the design curriculum of Deakin University School of Architecture and Building (Australia) through the recognition of the four learning styles - 'accommodating', 'diverging', 'assimilating' and 'converging' - that are defined in the Experiential Learning theory of Kolb. The research has been conducted to evaluate the effects of
learning style preferences on the performance of built environment students from diverse backgrounds and cultures in projects across a range of learning situations. The results of the research are being used to inform andragogical refinements that will be tested in design studio and technology lecture units studied by students of Architecture and Construction Management. The paper will focus on the results of a cross-curriculum learning style survey. The sUivey was conducted as part of a Strategic
Teaching and Learning Grant funded project currently running at Deakin as a reflexive research program aimed at resolving the learning difficulties of students collaborating in multi~disciplinary and multi~cultural team assignments. By addressing the issues of multidisciplinarity, cultural inclusiveness and the internationalisation of higher education, the research program aims ultimately at the education of graduates who are able to bring leadership to multidisciplinary design collaborations co-operating across international boundaries towards a global sustainable future.