Design of learning spaces for engineering education

BACKGROUND OR CONTEXT: With the re-imagining of engineering education at Deakin University an opportunity was presented with the ability to design purpose built spaces. With this development a review of leading practice educational spaces was undertaken specifically in a product development unit as well as a materials unit. Whilst both areas have different needs there were some common elements with the location of teaching aids, apparatus and experimental set-up and collaborative teaching spaces.
PURPOSE OR GOAL: This study examined what would a best practice learning environment look like in two different disciplines and what is the connection and similarities in a problem based learning environment. A benchmarking study and literature review on best practice was undertaken; this learning space was intrinsically linked to the educational model. Aspects of the educational model have started to be implemented in this long term project
APPROACH: Student perceptions were measured primarily through standard unit feedback for both units as well as student comments on the units. Engagement of students was the primary focus of the redesign of purpose built spaces as well as curriculum review. By placing students into specifically designed spaces to enhance learning outcomes it is anticipated that the knowledge and skills attainment will be higher for all students.
DISCUSSION: The redevelopment of learning spaces has forced staff to think hard about their units and how space impacts on student educations. With both the materials and product development units, student had the ability to move through spaces depending on what they were doing. This ability to move is a combination of the educational model, the facilities and staff/student interaction.
RECOMMENDATIONS/IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSION: While part of a long term redevelopment of facilities and curriculum, it has been found that when the facilities match the educational model student engagement is higher. This has been support in both the literature and observation through student and staff evaluations of the unit. It is expected that as students adapt to the new educational model further they will make greater use of the purpose built facilities.

Re-presenting teachers’ experiences of using game based approaches through poetic transcription

This paper provides an overview of poetic transcription and how I used it to re-present physical education teachers’ experiences of teaching games using a game based approach (GBA). Composite narratives derived from a study exploring teachers’ experiences of GBA teaching provided the initial storying of experience with three separate teacher capacities for experience identified; that of a Learner, a Collaborator, and a Catalyst. These narratives were then re-storied as found poems. Discussion within this paper comments on the reflexive action I engaged with to transform interview transcripts into poetic form with specific comment offered as to my rationale for use of poetic transcription as well as the process I undertook to re-see teachers’ experiences of GBA experience. Comment stemming from a comparison of poems is also offered along with what experimentation with poetic transcription enabled me to “do” with my understanding of the experience of GBA teaching.

The perspectives of secondary school students with special needs in Spain during the crisis

This paper presents an overview of a situational analysis of inclusive schooling in Spain from the perspective of students with special educational needs. The purpose of this work was to learn how young people collectively considered their experiences of school inclusion. The participants—aged 12–19 years who attended six different settings—highlighted the school community, resources, teacher pedagogy, support and social cohesion as germane aspects of their inclusion. Through a presentation of these characteristics, this analysis demonstrates how schools can effectively fulfil the core requirement of teaching and supporting diversity and, in so doing, how they can incite included subjectivities of differently abled students. This analysis is positioned within the climate of economic instability in Spain, which threatens to derail the headway made towards inclusive schooling via the introduction of severe austerity measures.

Text analytics visualisation of Course Experience Questionnaire student comment data in science and technology

A version of the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) has been included in the Graduate Careers Council of Australia national survey of university graduates from 1993 onward. In addition to the quantitative response items noted above, the CEQ also includes an invitation to respondents to write open-ended comments on the best aspects (BA) of their university course experience and those aspects most needing improvement (NI).

A text analytics evaluation of a first-year engineering project-based unit

In the undergraduate engineering program at Griffith University in Australia, the unit 1006ENG Design and Professional Skills aims to provide an introduction to engineering design and professional practice through a project-based learning (PBL) approach to problem solving. It provides students with an experience of PBL in the first-year of their programme. The unit comprises an underpinning lecture series, design work including group project activities, an individual computer-aided drawing exercise/s and an oral presentation. Griffith University employs a ‘Student Experience of Course’ (SEC) online survey as part of its student evaluation of teaching, quality improvement and staff performance management processes. As well as numerical response scale items, it includes the following two questions inviting open-ended text responses from students: i) What did you find particularly good about this course? and ii) How could this course be improved? The collection of textual data in in student surveys is commonplace, due to the rich descriptions of respondent experiences they can provide at relatively low cost. However, historically these data have been underutilised because they are time consuming to analyse manually, and there has been a lack of automated tools to exploit such data efficiently. Text analytics approaches offer analysis methods that result in visual representations of comment data that highlight key individual themes in these data and the relationships between those themes. We present a text analytics-based evaluation of the SEC open-ended comments received in the first two years of offer of the PBL unit 1006ENG. We discuss the results obtained in detail. The method developed and documented here is a practical and useful approach to analysing/visualising open-ended comment data that could be applied by others with similar comment data sets.

The power of play: preparing international higher education students for practicum

With an increased number of international students undertaking higher education courses (degrees), Australian universities are challenged to prepare international students with the necessary understandings, knowledge and skills to effectively participate in the workplace. For many students, understanding Early Childhood Education in Australia is a new way of viewing teaching and learning from their own cultural perspective. In order to facilitate successful engagement during pre-service teacher practicums (placements) and in response to concerns raised by mentorteachers in the workplace, a pilot program was run at Deakin University in 2015 for students to undertake before placement. The program focused on ‘play’ as an innovative model of teaching. This paper situates itself as part of a wider study Improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders. It draws on narrative reflection, classroom observation, questionnaire and interview data from the early childhood strand within the Master of Teaching course at Deakin University. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis the data was analysed and coded into two emerging themes: building confidence and competency skills and connecting to the early childhood context. Generalisationscannot be made to other educational institutions or context however; the findings reveal that ‘play’ can be used as a powerful tool to empower students to make connection with early childhood settings. It is hoped that the findings may provide a platform for further dialogue with other universities regarding how best we can prepare international education students at Australian universities for their practicum experience.

TEACHING MENSTRUAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE TO YOUNG WOMEN IN EASTERN UGANDA WITH REUSABLE MENSTRUAL PADS

In order to identify the impact of teaching menstrual health and hygiene with reusable menstrual pads on knowledge retention and school attendance, qualitative and quantitative data was collected from three rural schools in three districts of eastern Uganda: Amuria, Bukedea, and Ngora. Research techniques employed were preliminary and post surveys of 85 young women; average age 16.9 years. Findings include positive and negative results. Participants’ feelings of normalcy and comfort increased and participants had improved understanding of sexual climax and appropriate menstrual management strategies. There was no statistically significant impact of teaching on topics of sexual intercourse or pregnancy. The impact of reusable menstrual pad sanitary technology on school attendance was negative as more young women reported missing up to a full day of school during their menstrual period (χ2 (3, 73) = 7.81, p = 0.05). Study limitations are discussed and future work is suggested.

Career Technical Education Adjunct Faculty Teacher Readiness: An Investigation of Teacher Excellence and Variables of Preparedness

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between teaching readiness and teaching excellence with three variables of preparedness of adjunct professors teaching career technical education courses through student surveys using a correlational design of two statistical techniques; least-squares regression and one-way analysis of variance. That is, the research tested the relationship between teacher readiness and teacher excellence with the number of years teaching, the number of years of experience in the professional field and exposure to teaching related professional development, referred to as variables of preparedness. The results of the research provided insight to the relationship between the variables of preparedness and student assessment of their adjunct professors. Concerning the years of teaching experience, this research found a negative inverse relationship with how students rated their professors’ teaching readiness and excellence. The research also found no relationship between years of professional experience and the students’ assessment. Lastly, the research found a significant positive relationship between the amount of teaching related professional development taken by an adjunct professor and the students’ assessment in teaching readiness and excellence. This research suggests that policies and practices at colleges should address the professional development needs of adjunct professors. Also, to design a model that meets the practices of inclusion for adjunct faculty and to make professional development a priority within the organization. Lastly, implement that model over time to prepare adjuncts in readiness and excellence.

A literary approach to teaching english language in a multicultural classroom

Literature is not generally considered as a coherent branch of the curriculum in relation to language development in either native or foreign language teaching. As teachers of English in multicultural Indian classrooms, we come across students with varying degrees of competence in English language learning. Although language learning is a natural process for natives, students of other languages put in colossal efforts to learn it. Despite their sincere efforts, they face challenges regarding pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary. Indian classrooms are a microcosm of the larger society, so teaching English language in a manner that equips the students to face the cutthroat competition has become a necessity and a challenge for English language teachers. English today has become the key determinant for being successful in their careers. The hackneyed and stereotypical methods of teaching are not acceptable now. Teachers are no longer arbitrary dispensers of knowledge, but they are playing the role of a guide and facilitator for the students. Teachers of English are using innovative ideas to make English language teaching and learning interesting and simple. Teachers have started using literary texts and their analyses to explore and ignite the imagination and creative skills of the students. One needs to think and rethink the contribution of literature to intelligent thinking as well as its role in the process of teaching/learning. This article is, therefore, an attempt at exploring the nature of the literary experience in the present-day classrooms and the broader role of literature in life.

Using elicitation interview within a phenomenographic framework : developing the breadth of research designs associated with game based approaches

This paper describes how elicitation interview technique was used within a phenomenographic research design to explore physical education teachers’ experiences of teaching games using a Game Based Approach (GBA). Participants taught in one of two different international contexts, Australia or England, and all had some experience of using a GBA to teach games. The focus of the paper is the presentation and discussion of the unique research design used to generate understanding about GBA teaching experiences as well as extending the examination of GBAs from different philosophical viewpoints. Authors’ reflections on the utilised research design are presented with concluding discussion identifying further research opportunities relating to GBAs in teaching and coaching contexts.

Similar, but not the same: comparing the game based approaches of TGfU and game sense

The development and use of game based approaches (GBAs) across a range of global teaching and coaching settings has expanded significantly over the last two decades. And with each GBA underpinned by similar theories of learning, distinctions between each approach can often be blurred. Arguably, this can lead to teachers' and coaches' blended conceptualisations of different pedagogical approaches. Thus, although similar there is a need for teachers and coaches to recognise that not all GBAs are the same with each model or approach chosen impacting significantly upon learner experiences. Through analysis of literature and presentation of teaching/coaching lesson/session outlines, this paper presents similarities and differences of two game based instructional pedagogies - TGfU and Game Sense - and discusses the need for teachers and coaches to recognise and respond to the contextual differences of each when considering their use.

Australasian partnership in a first-year engineering course: Deakin University and Wuhan University of Science and Technology

This paper presents the results of domestic Chinese undergraduate engineering course taught by international Australasian teaching staff. The project is a part of a teaching collaboration between Deakin University and Wuhan University of Science and Technology. The cohort of students from Wuhan was a freshman undergraduate engineering course in mechanical engineering. The particular subject was a freshman engineering-materials course taught in English. The course covered an introduction to material-science principles and practices. A survey was used for evaluating student perceptions. It is aimed that this study will help academics from Deakin University to better understand student experiences, and to identify the current challenges and barriers faced in student learning. Analysis of the survey has shown that 90% of students agreed that they were motivated to learn and achieve the learning goals through this collaborative program. Around 90% of students found that group-based practical activities were helpful in achieving learning goals. Overall, 90% of students strongly agreed they were satisfied with the method of teaching.

The temptations and failings of teacher effectiveness research: provocations of a ‘practice perspective’

This chapter provides a critical appraisal of teacher effectiveness research (TER). Like others before us, we argue that TER employs a reductive view of teaching—narrowly focused on the agency of individual teachers’ classroom-based pedagogic behaviours; overemphasising the role these behaviours have on student achievement; representing these behaviours as assayable in unproblematic ways; and, potentially having negative impacts on teachers and teaching. We suggest that the theoretical sensibilities of practice theory support more productive engagements with the complexities of teaching, and we argue that this alternative theoretical framing is more likely to engage teachers in transformational agendas than those offered by current manifestations of TER. We do this by drawing on the practice writings of Reckwitz (2002), Thrift (1996, 2007) and Schatzki (2012), who provide analyses of commonalities to be found amongst diverse practice theories. We argue that a ‘practice perspective’ provides an affirmative engagement with the complexities of teaching practice and is more likely to embolden new interpretations of what teaching is and can be.

Quality teaching in Australian and German primary science classrooms: characterising difference to help identify quality

This chapter reports on results of an international research project across Australia, Taiwan and Germany, titled: Exploring quality primary education in different cultures: A cross-national study of teaching and learning in primary science classrooms (EQUALPRIME).1 Its aim is to explore through video capture the practice of expert teachers of science in Taiwan, Germany and Australia. This chapter explores the pedagogical practices in two cases – fi rstly a Grade 4 Australian school with a specialist science teacher, Bob (pseudonym), and secondly, a mixed-age (Grade 4–6) German classroom being co-taught by a pair of teachers, Mr Arnold and Mrs Lennard. In both cases the students were studying the topic of force. The project is not determining what quality teaching is in any essentialised sense; this could be contentious in that quality practice might be considered to varywithin classrooms from the same country, let alone across countries and across cultures. Rather, given cases in which quality teaching is reported to be occurring, the project aims to describe these examples and identify features of quality science teaching practices as judged by peers in varied cultural settings. Data from these two cases in which quality teaching of science occurs, are used to address the research question: What can quality teaching and learning look like in a science classroom?

Risk in the VET practitioner’s teaching experience and professional identity.

VET practitioners’ manage increasing compliance requirements, workload and stress that are compounded by their location in a higher education dominant dual sector TAFE. Mitigating risk in teaching practice and professional identity demonstrates VET practitioners’ commitment to TAFE’s community obligations, collective teaching practices and the personal cost of teaching in TAFE.