Undertaking research into higher education : maximising quality

Research into higher education is increasingly gaining momentum. It is vitally important that the highest standards of scholarship possible are applied to each and every investigation that scholars in the field of higher education undertake. As well as being an important aim in itself, the pursuit of high quality research into higher education meets requirements for greater accountability and efficiency in the context of increased student diversity and reduced funding worldwide. The quality of higher education research is dependent on a number of factors and dimensions. These include appropriate preparatory groundwork; the formulation and use of clear research questions; the appropriate use of conceptual and theoretical framework(s); ethical research conduct; the use of relevant and appropriate methods and methodology and choosing the highest quality dissemination outlets. This seminar will discuss each of the components of high quality research.

Existence of externalities from investment in higher education research and development

Research undertaken for this thesis supports the underlying claim that education does generate externalities. By examining the impact of higher education R&D on Australian state production, the results suggest that both pure and applied R&D have a statistically significant impact on Australia's regional economic performance.

Using information and communications technology in higher education

A folio-based doctoral study comprising a dissertation, a major literature review, and a website. The dissertation identified key dimensions of blended learning environments created by the teachers in the study. These environments were characterised by different media blends and learning activities underpinned by resource-based learning approaches to teaching and learning.

Educational praxis in various Australian indigenous higher education contexts

This thesis critically reports on discourses that impact on the role and work practices of a non-Indigenous educator within Indigenous higher education contexts. The study uses autobiography and narrative inquiry as research methods to examine workplace contexts. The findings reveal competing influences that shape the practices of a non-Indigenous educator.

A depth of data : research messages on the state of social work education in England

In the light of extensive media coverage of social work education, this article uses information from the Department of Health funded three-years multi-method evaluation of the social work degree qualification in England to discuss areas in which qualifying education might be improved. It argues that too great a concern with the 'A' level performance of social work applicants risks not paying enough attention to the non-academic qualities that they will need to work in the changing world of children's and adult services. Better partnership working between employers and universities will help students make the transition into the workplace. This includes greater opportunities for employers and practitioners to be involved in candidate selection and teaching on qualifying programmes.

The inclusion of ‘then-test’ questions in post-test questionnaires alters post-test responses: a randomized study of bias in health program evaluation

Objectives Program evaluations are frequently based on ‘then-test’ data, i.e., pre-test collected in retrospect. While the application of the then-test has practical advantages, little is known about the validity of then-test data. Because of the collection of then-test in close proximity to post-test questions, this study was aimed at exploring whether the presence of then-test questions in post-test questionnaires influenced subjects’ responses to post-test.
Patients and methods To test the influence of then-test questions, we designed a randomized three-group study in the context of chronic disease self-management programs. Interventions had comparable goals and philosophies, and all 949 study participants filled out identical Health Education Impact Questionnaires (heiQ) at pre-test. At post-test, participants were then randomized to one of the following three groups: Group A responded to post-test questions only (n = 331); Group B filled out transition questions in addition to post-test (n = 304); and Group C filled out then-test questions in addition to post-test (n = 314).
Results Significant post-test differences were found in six of eight heiQ scales, with respondents who filled out then test questions reporting significantly higher post-test scores than respondents of the other groups.
Conclusions This study provides evidence that the inclusion of then-test questions alters post-test responses,
suggesting that change scores based on then-test data be interpreted with care.

Evaluation of the YWCA NSW Aboriginal women's wellbeing education program 2010-2011

An evaluation of the effectiveness of the YWCA NSW Aboriginal Women's Wellbeing Program which sought to collaborate with and support local communities to further develop the knowledge, skills and practical strategies of Aboriginal women in establishing healthier living practices for themselves and their families.

Self-regulated learning strategies & academic achievement in online higher education learning environments: a systematic review

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. As enrolments in online courses continue to increase, there is a need to understand how students can best apply self-regulated learning strategies to achieve academic success within the online environment. A search of relevant databases was conducted in December 2014 for studies published from 2004 to Dec 2014 examining SRL strategies as correlates of academic achievement in online higher education settings. From 12 studies, the strategies of time management, metacognition, effort regulation, and critical thinking were positively correlated with academic outcomes, whereas rehearsal, elaboration, and organisation had the least empirical support. Peer learning had a moderate positive effect, however its confidence intervals crossed zero. Although the contributors to achievement in traditional face-to-face settings appear to generalise to on-line context, these effects appear weaker and suggest that (1) they may be less effective, and (2) that other, currently unexplored factors may be more important in on-line contexts.

Development, evaluation and use of a student experience survey in undergraduate science laboratories: the advancing science by enhancing learning in the laboratory student laboratory learning experience survey

Student experience surveys have become increasingly popular to probe various aspects of processes and outcomes in higher education, such as measuring student perceptions of the learning environment and identifying aspects that could be improved. This paper reports on a particular survey for evaluating individual experiments that has been developed over some 15 years as part of a large national Australian study pertaining to the area of undergraduate laboratories—Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory. This paper reports on the development of the survey instrument and the evaluation of the survey using student responses to experiments from different institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. A total of 3153 student responses have been analysed using factor analysis. Three factors, motivation, assessment and resources, have been identified as contributing to improved student attitudes to laboratory activities. A central focus of the survey is to provide feedback to practitioners to iteratively improve experiments. Implications for practitioners and researchers are also discussed.

List of references on higher education.

Mode of access: Internet.

An Evaluation handbook for health education programs in alcohol and substance abuse /

Mode of access: Internet.

Involvement in learning : realizing the potential of American higher education : final report of the Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education.

Item 461-D-5

An Evaluation handbook for health education programs in immunization /

Mode of access: Internet.