On- and off-campus engineering student usage of a computer conferencing system

This article reports on the introduction of a computer-conferencing component into a first-year study unit in technology management at Deakin University, Australia. It was found that significant variations in computer usage were correlated to student study mode, including source of computer access, source of Internet access, hours-per-week computer usage, regular use of e-mail, regular use of the Internet, number of times the conference was accessed, use of computers for games, and use of computers for learning. Other moderate differences were also noted. Following exposure to the computer conference, on-campus students were more likely to agree that computers could assist their learning, and off-campus students were less likely to agree that learning from computers would be better than classes/lectures.

Technology student learning preferences and the design of flexible learning programs

The learning preferences of three hundred and thirty eight technology students enrolled in sub-degree programs at an Australian institution of Technical and Further Education were tested using the Canfield Learning Styles Inventory (CLSI). The results have been interpreted in a learning preferences framework and provide supportive evidence for the preferences factors of print-nonprint, collaborative, dependent,and autonomous learning identified by Sadler-Smith & Riding (1999). Although there search focussed on learning preferences the analysis also indicated support for the Wholist-Analytic cognitive style proposed by Riding & Cheema (1991). Gender differences were shown for the Interest subscales of the CLSI. Age-group differences were shown for several Conditions of Learning and Modes of Learning subscales. Implications for the design of training programs, and the skills that may need to be developed in technology learners to enable effective use of flexible delivery, are also discussed.

A touch of sugar : a multimedia case study to facilitate student dietitians learning about the clinical management of diabetes

This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a multimedia case study on dietetic case management of diabetes. A multimedia web-based program was developed to use the interactive capacity of the web-based environment to enable student dietitians to develop the skills of clinical reasoning and to trigger their learning about the nutritional management of diabetes. A case study of a person with diabetes was developed using a simulated medical history, video clips and sound clips. The students were asked to manage the patient online by responding to the patient's questions, attending a team meeting and outpatient clinic, attending to food service tasks and responding to visual cues. Tutors were able to access the student's responses to submissions online. Evaluation of the program was by questionnaire, which gathered quantitative and qualitative data on the student's perceptions of their experiences in using the web-based case. The students rated the content and the interactive parts of the case highly but experienced technical difficulties and found the case took too much time to complete.

On- and off-campus student persistence and academic performance

A study of more than 9000 unit enrolments in an Australian engineering programme found that: (a) the off-campus withdrawal rate was close to twice that for on-campus students; (b) whether a student withdrew or not was highly correlated to their mode of study; (c) the rate of withdrawal was significantly different between the two student groups; (d) the grade distribution for completing students was significantly different between the two groups; (e) the mean final grade was significantly higher for off-campus students; (f) the failure rate for off-campus students was significantly lower; and (g) the overall wastage rate (withdrawn rate plus fail rate) was significantly higher for off-campus students

Acknowledgement of client diversity and oppression in social work student supervision

An enduring theme of social work literature and education has been the need for workers to recognise and challenge oppressive structures and develop competence in working with diverse client groups. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative research project where student and field educator supervision sessions were recorded, with the view to examining how oppression and diversity were addressed in these sessions. The authors have used the term 'difference' to describe the breach between the student and client experiences. Examples of anti-discriminatory practice were identified in the recordings, however on occasions supervisors had difficulty in assisting students to acknowledge diversity and oppression in supervision. Four factors that related to addressing diversity emerged from the supervision material. These were: the struggle to unmask subtle themes of oppression; the use of questioning to raise student awareness and development of self-knowledge; using student biography to facilitate learning on 'difference'; and field educator use of self-disclosure during discussions on diversity. Successful approaches to anti-oppressive practice and responding to diversity are outlined.

Experiential learning in social science theory: an investigation of the relationship between student enjoyment and learning

This paper provides an analysis of student experiences of an approach to teaching theory that integrates the teaching of theory and data analysis. The argument that supports this approach is that theory is most effectively taught by using empirical data in order to generate and test propositions and hypotheses, thereby emphasising the dialectic relationship between theory and data through experiential learning. Bachelor of Commerce students in two second-year substantive organisational theory subjects were introduced to this method of learning at a large, multi-campus Australian university. In this paper, we present a model that posits a relationship between students' perceptions of their learning, the enjoyment of the experience and expected future outcomes. The results of our evaluation reveal that a majority of students:

•enjoyed this way of learning;
•believed that the exercise assisted their learning of substantive theory, computing applications and the nature of survey data; and
•felt that what they have learned could be applied elsewhere.

We argue that this approach presents the potential to improve the way theory is taught by integrating theory, theory testing and theory development; moving away from teaching theory and analysis in discrete subjects; and, introducing iterative experiences in substantive subjects.

Role of knowledge and ability in student nurses` clinical decision-making

Little is known about the acquisition of decision-making skills in nursing students as a function of experience and academic ability. Knowing how experience and academic skills interact may help inform clinical education programs and formulate ways of assessing students' progress. The aims of the present study were to develop a problem-solving task capable of measuring clinical decision-making skills in novice nurses at different levels of domain-specific knowledge; and to establish the relative impact on decision-making of domain-specific knowledge and general ability as determinants of the acquisition of decision-making skills. Three types of clinical problems of increasing complexity were developed. Sixty second-year and third-year student nurses with high and low academic scores were studied in terms of their ability to generate hypotheses for a hypothetical case, recognize disconfirming information and the need to access additional information, and diagnostic accuracy. The results showed that general academic ability and knowledge function partly independently in the acquisition of expertise in nursing. Academic ability affects decision-making in low complexity tasks, but as case complexity increases, domain-specific knowledge and experience determines decision-making skills. There are important differences in the way novices with different levels of knowledge and ability make clinical decisions and these can be studied by systematically increasing the complexity of the decision task. These results have implications for the way in which clinical education is structured and evaluated.

Student experiences of work placement in school-based vocational programs

Using a sample of 446 secondary students who had participated in a vocational education and training in school (VETiS) program, compares the experiences and perceptions of students who had undertaken a work placement with those who had not. Shows that students who had participated in work placement enjoyed the VETiS experience more than those who had not, and that the work placement had assisted them in their decision whether to stay at school or not. A factor analysis of results showed a factor associated with self-confidence about employability, and a factor associated with assistance in achieving specific post-school employment. Students who had completed a work placement were significantly higher on both these factors than students who had not. Results are consistent with other research in the field, and it is argued that the work placement experience plays a considerable part in developing student agency in the decisions and the journey that they make in their transition from school to work.

Pandora`s box : academic perceptions of student plagiarism in writing

Plagiarism is viewed by many academics as a kind of Pandora's box—the elements contained inside are too frightening to allow escape for fear of the havoc that may result. Reluctance by academic members of staff to discuss student plagiarism openly may contribute to the often untenable situations we, as teachers, face when dealing with student plagiarism issues. In this article, I examine the dilemmas English for Academic Purposes (EAP) staff face when dealing with student plagiarism in the tertiary classroom. The perceptions of all 11 teachers involved in teaching a first year EAP writing subject at South-Coast University are detailed in light of the university's policy on plagiarism. My research indicates that not only is an agreed definition of plagiarism difficult to reach by members of staff teaching the same subject, but plagiarism is a multi-layered phenomenon encompassing a spectrum of human intention. Evaluating the spectrum can lead to differences in the implementation of university plagiarism policy, the result of which embodies issues of equity. The aim of the article is to encourage policy-makers and academic staff to acknowledge the concerns about implementation of plagiarism policy. Collaborative, cross-disciplinary re-thinking of plagiarism is needed to reach workable solutions.