Learning to research - researching to learn

Learning to Research Researching to Learn explores the integration of research into teaching and learning at all levels of higher education. The chapters draw on the long and ongoing debate about the teaching research nexus in universities. Although the vast majority of academics believe that there is an important and valuable link between teaching and research, the precise nature of this relationship continues to be contested. The book includes chapters that showcase innovative ways of learning to research; how research is integrated into coursework teaching; how students learn the processes of research, and how universities are preparing students to engage with the world. The chapters also showcase innovative ways of researching to learn, exploring how students learn through doing research, how they conceptualise the knowledge of their fields of study through the processes of doing research, and how students experiment and reflect on the results produced. These are the key issues addressed by this anthology, as it brings together analyses of the ways in which university teachers are developing research skills in their students, creating enquiry-based approaches to teaching, and engaging in education research themselves. The studies here explore the links between teaching, learning and research in a range of contexts, from pre-enrolment through to academic staff development, in Australia, the UK, the US, Singapore and Denmark. Through a rich array of theoretical and methodological approaches, the collection seeks to further our understanding of how universities can play an effective role in educating graduates suited to the twenty-first century

The impact of Open Access outside of European Universities

The Open Access movement has encouraged the availability of publicly-funded research papers, data and learning content for barrier-free use of that content without payment by the user. The impact of increasing availability of content to researchers in European universities is understood in terms of easier access to previous research and greater exposure for new research results, bringing benefits to the research community itself. A new culture of informal sharing is evident within the teaching and learning communities and to some extent also within the research community, but as yet the growth in informal sharing has not had a major effect upon the use of formal publication choices. This briefing paper explores the impact of open access upon potential users of research outputs outside the walls of research-led European universities, where the economic value of open access may be even greater than the academic value within universities. The potential impact of open access is understood in many communities but requires a greater volume of open access content to be available for the full potential to be realised. More open access content will become available as the opportunities in open, internet-based digital scholarship are understood. This briefing paper was written in cooperation with SPARC Europe. All links provided in footnotes in this Briefing Paper are to studies available in open access.

An Assessment of Professional Development for Astronomy and Physics Faculty: Expanding Our Vision of How to Support Faculty's Learning About Teaching

In this thesis, we will explore approaches to faculty instructional change in astronomy and physics. We primarily focus on professional development (PD) workshops, which are a central mechanism used within our community to help faculty improve their teaching. Although workshops serve a critical role for promoting more equitable instruction, we rarely assess them through careful consideration of how they engage faculty. To encourage a shift towards more reflective, research-informed PD, we developed the Real-Time Professional Development Observation Tool (R-PDOT), to document the form and focus of faculty's engagement during workshops. We then analyze video-recordings of faculty's interactions during the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop, focusing on instances where faculty might engage in pedagogical sense-making. Finally, we consider insights gained from our own local, team-based effort to improve a course sequence for astronomy majors. We conclude with recommendations for PD leaders and researchers.

Prática de ensino supervisionada em educação pré-escolar e 1º ciclo do ensino básico: ensinar para aprender - gerindo a heterogeneidade, o currículo e rumando à diferenciação pedagógica

O presente relatório surge no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-escolar e Ensino do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico e visa a obtenção do grau de mestre nos níveis de escolaridade referidos. Neste descrevo o projeto de investigação-ação desenvolvido nos contextos da Prática de Ensino Supervisionado (PES) em Educação Pré-escolar e 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (CEB). A investigação-ação realizada visava, sobretudo, ajudar-me a compreender quais as condições que deveria reunir de modo a responder de forma adequada às necessidades das crianças e a perceber como poderia melhorar a minha ação e intervenção promovendo aprendizagens significativas e de qualidade, salientando que o propósito não era fornecer o mesmo a todas as crianças, mas sim, a cada uma aquilo de que necessitava. A minha aposta na Diferenciação Pedagógica e numa gestão flexível do currículo surge orientada pelo princípio do direito de todos à aprendizagem e como resposta intencional à heterogeneidade dos grupos de crianças que frequentam atualmente as instituições. Assim, de modo a atingir os objetivos propostos, planeei algumas sugestões de interação que permitiam a utilização de estratégias diversificadas e a observação das crianças durante a utilização das mesmas. A metodologia utilizada contemplou uma pesquisa bibliográfica com base em vários referenciais teóricos e a recolha e análise de dados. Esta investigação possibilitou constatar que a Diferenciação Pedagógica subjacente às propostas apresentadas proporciona o desenvolvimento das crianças tanto a nível social como cognitivo; ABSTRACT: The present report reflects the research develop in the context of the Master Degree in Preschool Education and Teaching of the Primary School at University of Évora, and aims to obtain the degree of master in the levels mention above. This research was held in two different contexts, the first one in a pre-school classroom, and later in a classroom of fourth year of Primary School. The research performed aimed mainly to help me to understand what conditions must be gathered in order to respond appropriately to children's needs and to see how it could improve my actions and intervention by promoting meaningful and quality learnings, stressing that the purpose was not to provide the same for all children, but to each one what they needed. My bet on Pedagogical Differentiation and a flexible management of the curriculum comes to the principle of the right of all to learning and as an intentional response to the heterogeneity of the groups of children who currently attend institutions. Thus, in order to achieve the proposed objectives, I planned some suggestions for interacting with groups of children’s which allowed me to use multiple strategies and to do observation of the individuals while they were being applied. The methodology included a literature search based on various theoretical frameworks and data collection and the respective analysis. This research led us to confirm that the proposals based on pedagogical differentiation provide children's development both socially and cognitive and it is essential to ensure it since the earliest years of school, in order to build a rich differentiated pedagogical action and to promote learning for all students in pre-school and 1st cycle contexts by using diverse strategies.

In search of a social science research methods pedagogy for the digital era: the story so far

Presentation given at the 2016 British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference

Real Design of a Virtual Landscape : Designing and building a landscape in Second Life

3D Virtual Environments (VE) are real; they exist as digital worlds with the advantage of having none of the constraints of the real world. As such they are the perfect training ground for design students who can create, build and experiment with design solutions without the constraint of real world projects. This paper reports on an educational setting used to explore a model for using VE such as Second Life (SL) developed by Linden Labs in California, as a collaborative environment for design education. A postgraduate landscape architecture learning environment within a collaborative design unit was developed to integrate this model where the primary focus was the application of three-dimensional tools within design, not as a presentation tool, but rather as a design tool. The focus of the unit and its aims and objectives will be outlined before describing the use of SL in the unit. Attention is focused on the collaboration and learning experience before discussing the outcomes, student feedback, future projects using this model and potential for further research. The outcome of this study aims to contribute to current research on teaching and learning design in interactive VE’s. We present a case study of our first application of this model.

Literacy education in the context of globalisation

This review chapter provides an overview of English language literacy education in the contexts of cultural and economic globalisation. Drawing case study examples of India and China, the authors outline three complementary models: the development paradigm, the hegemony paradigm and the new literacies paradigm. The analysis focuses on effects of the spread of English on vernacular languages and the non-synchronous issues raised by digital production cultures. Noting the difficulties of education systems in contending with new literacies - it argues for the reframing of transnational relations, global material conditions and new communications technologies as the objects of critical literacy education.

Gender equity in the professoriate : a cohort study of new women professors in Australia

According to statistics and trend data, women continue to be substantially under- represented in the Australian professoriate, and growth in their representation has been slow despite the plethora of equity programs. While not disputing these facts, we propose that examining gender equity by cohort provides a complementary perspective on the status of gender equity in the professoriate. Based on over 500 survey responses, we detected substantial similarities between women and men who were appointed as professors or associate professors between 2005 and 2008. There were similar proportions of women and men appointed via external or internal processes or by invitation. Additionally, similar proportions of women and men professors expressed a marked preference for research over teaching. Furthermore, there were similar distributions between the genders in the age of appointment to the professoriate. However, a notable gender difference was that women were appointed to the professoriate on average 1.9 years later than mens. This later appointment provides one reason for the lower representation of women compared to men in the professoriate. It also raises questions of the typical length of time that women and men remain in the (paid) professoriate and reasons why they might leave it. A further similarity between women and men in this cohort was their identification of motivation and circumstances as key factors in their career orientation. However, substantially more women identified motivation than circumstances and the situation was reversed for men. The open-ended survey responses also provided confirmation that affirmative action initiatives make a difference to women’s careers.

Gender equity in the professoriate : a cohort study of new women professors in Australia

According to statistics and trend data, women continue to be substantially under- represented in the Australian professoriate, and growth in their representation has been slow despite the plethora of equity programs. While not disputing these facts, we propose that examining gender equity by cohort provides a complementary perspective on the status of gender equity in the professoriate. Based on over 500 survey responses, we detected substantial similarities between women and men who were appointed as professors or associate professors between 2005 and 2008. There were similar proportions of women and men appointed via external or internal processes or by invitation. Additionally, similar proportions of women and men professors expressed a marked preference for research over teaching. Furthermore, there were similar distributions between the genders in the age of appointment to the professoriate. However, a notable gender difference was that women were appointed to the professoriate on average 1.9 years later than mens. This later appointment provides one reason for the lower representation of women compared to men in the professoriate. It also raises questions of the typical length of time that women and men remain in the (paid) professoriate and reasons why they might leave it. A further similarity between women and men in this cohort was their identification of motivation and circumstances as key factors in their career orientation. However, substantially more women identified motivation than circumstances and the situation was reversed for men. The open-ended survey responses also provided confirmation that affirmative action initiatives make a difference to women’s careers.

Attitudinal impact of hybridized writing about a socioscientific issue

The development of scientifically literate citizens remains an important priority of science education; however, growing evidence of students’ disenchantment with school science continues to challenge the realisation of this aim. This triangulation mixed methods study investigated the learning experiences of 152 9th grade students as they participated in an online science-writing project on the socioscientific issue of biosecurity. Students wrote a series of hybridized scientific narratives, or BioStories, that integrate scientific information about biosecurity with narrative storylines. The students completed an online Likert-style questionnaire, the BioQuiz, which examined selected aspects of their attitudes toward science and science learning, prior to their participation in the project, and upon completion of the writing tasks. Statistical analyses of these results and interview data obtained from participating students suggest that hybridized writing about a socioscientific issue developed more positive attitudes toward science and science learning, particularly in terms of the students’ interest and enjoyment. Implications for research and teaching are also discussed.

Getting stuck in together : improving work integrated learning from an Australian institution and faculty perspective

According to a recent report Australian higher education is not in crisis. However, we could be doing it better. The report Mapping Australian Higher Education (Norton, 2012) highlights comparative weaknesses such as levels f student engagement; interactions between students and academic staff; and academic staff preferences for research over teaching. The report points out that despite these concerns most graduates continue to get good, well-paid jobs, student satisfaction is improving, and levels of public confidence in Australian higher education are high. It also stresses that ‘the promise of higher education is that it provides adaptable cognitive skills, not that it always provides the job specific skills graduates will need in their future employment’ (Norton, 2012, p.58). This is worth keeping in mind as we contribute to the significant growth in curriculum initiatives aimed at preparing graduates for the world of work. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is not a new concept but there is increased pressure on higher education globally to address graduate employability skills. The sector is under pressure in an increasingly competitive environment to demonstrate the relevance of courses, accountability and effective use of public funds (Peach & Gamble, 2011). In the Australian context this also means responding to the skills shortage in areas such as engineering, health, construction and business (DEEWR, 2010). This paper provides a brief overview of collaborative efforts over several years to improve the activity of WIL at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). These efforts have resulted in changes to curriculum, pedagogy, systems and processes, and the initiation of local, regional, national, and international networks. The willingness of students, staff, and industry partners to ‘get stuck in’ and try new approaches in these different contexts can be understood as a form of boundary spanning. That is, the development of the capability to mediate between different forms of expertise and the demands of different contexts in order to nurture student learning and improve the outcomes of higher education through WIL (Peach, Cates, Ilg, Jones, Lechleiter, 2011).

Faculty mentoring, evidence-based assessment, and student learning : an Australian exploration of American initiatives

There have been many improvements in Australian engineering education since the 1990s. However, given the recent drive for assuring the achievement of identified academic standards, more progress needs to be made, particularly in the area of evidence-based assessment. This paper reports on initiatives gathered from the literature and engineering academics in the USA, through an Australian National Teaching Fellowship program. The program aims to establish a process to help academics in designing and implementing evidence-based assessments that meet the needs of not only students and the staff that teach them, but also industry as well as accreditation bodies. The paper also examines the kinds and levels of support necessary for engineering academics, especially early career ones, to help meet the expectations of the current drive for assured quality and standards of both research and teaching. Academics are experiencing competing demands on their time and energy with very high expectations in research performance and increased teaching responsibilities, although many are researchers who have not had much pedagogic training. Based on the literature and investigation of relevant initiatives in the USA, we conducted interviews with several identified experts and change agents who have wrought effective academic cultural change within their institutions and beyond. These reveal that assuring the standards and quality of student learning outcomes through evidence-based assessments cannot be appropriately addressed without also addressing the issue of pedagogic training for academic staff. To be sustainable, such training needs to be complemented by a culture of on-going mentoring support from senior academics, formalised through the university administration, so that mentors are afforded resources, time, and appropriate recognition.

A Reliability test system for educational purposes-basic results

A set of basic reliability indices at the generation and composite generation and transmission levels for a small reliability test system are presented. The test system and the results presented have evolved from reliability research and teaching programs. The indices presented are for fundamental reliability applications which should be covered in a power system reliability teaching program. The RBTS test system and the basic indices provide a valuable reference for faculty and students engaged in reliability teaching and research

Chinese media

From an area of specialist research a decade ago China’s media has become now an important element of research and teaching worldwide, not only in specific Chinese cultural studies courses at the university level but increasingly in post-graduate research and in the domain of business consultancy. Edited by Michael Keane and Wanning Sun, leading experts in the field, this new title is a ‘mini library’ of the foundational and the very best cutting-edge scholarship on Chinese media

A critical assessment of the Australian OHS accreditation system's "Body of Knowledge (BoK)"

In response to an increasing perception of poor OHS consultancy quality amongst the Australian public, regulator and OHS professionals, the Safety Institute Australia (SIA) was tasked by the Victorian government to establish an accreditation process for OHS professionals. The OHS accreditation board decided to base its accreditation on a core "body of knowledge" (BoK), against which applicants are assesssed. While the foundation and structure of the BoK is unclear, the BoK consists of a collection of essays from a variety of invited authors. The BoK comprises about 811 pages in 34 chapters, with significant redundancy and considerable subjective components. The SIA BoK is benchmarked against two international best-practices, the German "Core Definition, Object Catalog and Research Domains of Labour Science (Ergonomics)" (Luzcak, Volpert, Raeithel & Schwier, 1989)(100 pages) and the American "Core Competency Model" for the "Master's Degree in Public Health" (Association of Schools of Public Health, 2006) (21 pages). Both "core definition" and "core competency model" are on a comparative level to the BoK. While the German expert panel consisted of 14 eminent professors, the American panel consisted of 135 members, organized in 6 groups chaired by discipline leading academics. The Australian approach employed a broad approach, where 137 professionals, consultants, emerging academics and academics contributed to 8 workshops. Both the German and the American panels maintained an open communication amongst members and with the discipline community throughout the process, whereas SIA applied an open and directed peer-review process. Moreover, the German process involved an analysis of all congress content and journal publications in the scientific domain in a set timeframe, which were then systematically clustered. These results were further expanded by structured interviews with 38 professors in the discpline, grasping their research and teaching practice. The American workgroup however assumed core scientific areas, underlying the domain. Based upon the a-priori assumption, they then established well defined competencies across all areas using a modified Delphi process. Although the BoK attempts to explore the knowledge in the OHS domain without an imposed structure in a bottom-up approach, it does not result in a structured systematic of the science. We conclude that the outcome of the German, rigorous academic approach, and the US American democratic approach under unambiguous academic leadership both outperform the Australian advocacy group approach. This product was determined for both structure and content of the taxonomy delivered through the processes.