The teacher education evolution : the shift from online to mobile learning in curriculum, assessment and delivery

Most teacher education programs have online applications. Increasingly teacher education programs are expanding their distance education applications with mobile learning, or m-learning. Although related to online learning, m-learning focuses on the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies. Mobile learning is a big step towards providing flexible teacher education; it has brought about a new forum for learning, decreased limitations of learning location, and provided learners with choices about how and when they access learning materials. Universities are finding themselves grappling with how best to utilize mobile technologies for learning, while staying within their educational missions and resources. In this paper the mobile devices used in higher education and the current status of mobile technologies as learning tools at universities are described. The background of approaches and methods which are currently in use are also discussed, plus universities and teacher readiness for this transformation are also reviewed. Affordances and constraints are considered.

Introducing a mobile learning attitude scale for higher education

The Mobile Learning Scale v1 .0 consists of seven Likert items drawn from the key points developed for a paper on mobile learning prospects for informal learning in higher education (Khaddage & Knezek, 2011 ). Many of these points had been initially developed during the 2011 International Summit on ICT in Education (UNESCO, Paris, 2011 ), where the first author was Rapporteur for the working group Co-Chaired by the second author. In order to assess the performance of the instrument, data were gathered from 81 undergraduate and graduate university students during August and September of 2011. Data were assessed for strength of agreement on individual items and for internal consistency reliability of the seven item-scale. Initial indications are that the instrument has good reliability for university students (Alpha = .85) and can be useful for assessing attitudes toward mobile learning technologies and applications within the intended audience of higher education learners. Potential uses and plans for future research are discussed.

Virtual worlds in Australian and New Zealand higher education: Remembering the past, understanding the present and imagining the future

3D virtual reality, including the current generation of multi-user virtual worlds, has had a long history of use in education and training, and it experienced a surge of renewed interest with the advent of Second Life in 2003. What followed shortly after were several years marked by considerable hype around the use of virtual worlds for teaching, learning and research in higher education. For the moment, uptake of the technology seems to have plateaued, with academics either maintaining the status quo and continuing to use virtual worlds as they have previously done or choosing to opt out altogether. This paper presents a brief review of the use of virtual worlds in the Australian and New Zealand higher education sector in the past and reports on its use in the sector at the present time, based on input from members of the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group. It then adopts a forward-looking perspective amid the current climate of uncertainty, musing on future directions and offering suggestions for potential new applications in light of recent technological developments and innovations in the area.

Ways in which theory and practice are integrated in the pre-service teacher education practicum

This paper reports on a study into pre-service teachers’ perceptions about their professional development during practicum. The study examined to what extent, and how effectively, one group of pre-service teachers was able to integrate theory and practice during a three-week practicum in the first year of their degree. Data for this mixed methods study were drawn from one cohort of first-year students undertaking the Master of Teaching (MTeach), a graduate-level entry program in the Faculty of Education at an urban Australian university. Although there is a strong field of literature around the practicum in pre-service teacher education, there has been a limited focus on how pre-service teachers themselves perceive their development during this learning period. Further, despite widespread and longstanding acknowledgement of the “gap” between theory and practice in teacher education, there is still more to learn about how well the practicum enables an integration of these two dimensions of teacher preparation. In presenting three major findings of the study, this paper goes some way in addressing these shortcomings in the literature. First, opportunities to integrate theory and practice were varied, with many participants reporting supervision and scheduling issues as impacting on their capacity to effectively enact theory in practice. Second, participants’ privileging of theory over practice, identified previously in the literature as commonly characteristic of the pre-service teacher, was found in this study to be particularly prevalent during practicum. Third, participants overwhelmingly supported the notion of linking university coursework assessment to the practicum as a means of bridging the gap between, on the one hand, the university and the school and, on the other hand, theory and practice. The discussion and consideration of findings such as those reported in this paper are pertinent and timely, given the ratification of both the National Professional Standards for Teachers and the Initial Teacher Education Program Standards by the Australian Federal Government earlier this year. Within a number of the seven Professional Standards, graduate teachers are required to demonstrate knowledge and skills associated with both the theory and practice of teaching and with their effective integration in the classroom. To be nationally accredited, pre-service teacher education programs must provide evidence of enabling pre-service teachers to acquire such knowledge and skills.

Then and now: developing capacity and transforming pedagogy in online pre-service teacher education

The aim of the study reported in this paper was to evaluate the perceived benefit of video-recorded interviews as an alternative to the traditional lecture format in pre-service teacher education programs. Pre-service teachers traditionally struggle with the gap that they perceive exists between the theories taught at university and the practical competencies they require as teachers in primary and secondary school contexts. Additionally, they report that the shift from face-to-face to online delivery of course content, rapidly being adopted in the tertiary environment, seems to have often been made without associated shifts in format and pedagogy.

In the previously mentioned study, participants were drawn from cohorts of more than 300 pre-service teachers enrolled in an inclusive Education course in the Faculty of Education of an urban Australian university. The course was delivered both online and face-to-face on three campuses of the university to students in three different Education programs. In order to provide an alternative to the traditional lecture format, the developer of this course initiated and created video-recorded interview dialogues which were subsequently uploaded into the Faculty’s Learning Management System for student access. The interviews, conducted by the Course Coordinator, were held with a number of professionals with field experience relevant to key concepts of the course.

Data were collected from Student Evaluation of Teaching and Learning (SETL) questionnaires. The questionnaires were designed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from the pre-service teachers about the extent to which the use of video-recorded interview dialogues enhanced their learning. In particular the questionnaires sought to ascertain whether, in the views of the pre-service teachers, this delivery method, first, engaged and interested them, and, second, assisted their learning through linking theory to practice. This paper provides a synthesis of the study’s findings and explores their implications for the delivery of learning experiences in both the online and on-campus modes of pre-service teacher education programs. A focus is placed on how video-recorded interviews can be used to enhance resource accessibility and to increase pre-service teachers’ engagement and learning in coursework.

International ‘benchmarking’ studies and the identification of ‘education best practice’: a focus on classroom teachers and their practices

 Abstract:The disproportionate focus on classroom teachers and their instruction—teacher effectiveness—in order to confront and address under-achievement and disadvantage appears as a contemporary education policy theme in Australia. Phrases such as ‘high performing schooling systems’, ‘the best teachers’, ‘high performing countries’, ‘quality teaching’, ‘under-performing schools’, ‘the right change’, ‘operationally feasible’, ‘targeting of reforms’, ‘degrees of under-performance’, ‘educational drivers’, ‘teacher quality and improved teaching’ and ‘external standards and governance’ are constantly mentioned and given continual attention and prominence by policy-makers. The paper questions and critiques a policy-making direction that uses teacher effectiveness research to force and steer reform in education. The distinctive and narrow concern with teacher effectiveness works to the specific exclusion of breadth and scope concerning debate about broader education related issues and questions, for example, matters of student achievement, exclusion and disadvantage. This article uses a qualitative research approach informed by critical theory to examine three influential private sector reports on education and schooling: The McKinsey Report ( 2007 )—How the world’s best-performing school systems come out on top, The Nous Group ( 2011 )—Schooling Challenges and Opportunities and The Grattan Institute ( 2012 )—Catching up: Learning from the best school systems in East Asia. The article subjects the reports to close critical scrutiny and examination and finds that classroom teachers are positioned so that their specific and explicit instruction becomes the differentiating ‘variable’ in matters of student achievement and success.

Consumer involvement in the tertiary-level education of mental health professionals: a systematic review

A systematic review of the published work on consumer involvement in the education of health professionals was undertaken using the PRISMA guidelines. Searches of the CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO electronic databases returned 487 records, and 20 met the inclusion criteria. Further papers were obtained through scanning the reference lists of those articles included from the initial published work search (n = 9) and contacting researchers in the field (n = 1). Thirty papers (representing 28 studies) were included in this review. Findings from three studies indicate that consumer involvement in the education of mental health professionals is limited and variable across professions. Evaluations of consumer involvement in 16 courses suggest that students gain insight into consumers' perspectives of: (i) what life is like for people with mental illness; (ii) mental illness itself; (iii) the experiences of admission to, and treatment within, mental health services; and (iv) how these services could be improved. Some students and educators, however, raised numerous concerns about consumer involvement in education (e.g. whether consumers were pursuing their own agendas, whether consumers' views were representative). Evaluations of consumer involvement in education are limited in that their main focus is on the perceptions of students. The findings of this review suggest that public policy expectations regarding consumer involvement in mental health services appear to be slowly affecting the education of mental health professionals. Future research needs to focus on determining the effect of consumer involvement in education on the behaviours and attitudes of students in healthcare environments.

A comparison of mobile learning attitudes among university students in four nations

This paper contains findings based on administering a Likert-type mobile learning attitude survey to 261 university students from four nations, China, Lebanon, the UAE and the USA. Students were asked to provide attitudes and perceptions toward the use of mobile technologies in education. The results of the survey indicate that students in different regions of the world tend to agree that mobile learning could empower informal learning and could enhance teaching and learning. Lebanon students were most similar to those from the USA, while students from China were more similar to those from the UAE. Similarities and differences in results among nations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Mono-cultural approach in multicultural education: mapping the contours of multicultural early childhood education in New Zealand

There has been an increase in research activities in multicultural early childhood education in New Zealand. This article provides a critical review of these activities. This is an attempt to unravel the aspirations and complexities associated with the educational policies and practices with children of culturally diverse backgrounds. The conclusion from this literature review is that despite the multicultural principles that support democracy and equitability in education in New Zealand, a monocultural approach is still pervasive in multicultural early childhood classrooms.

Education revolution or just plain revolting? Aboriginal prisoner education in Western Australia

The current Australian Federal government has voiced a commitment to an 'education revolution' and set targets for 'closing the gap' in education attainment for Aboriginal people. Unfortunately, this revolution appears to have bypassed prison education altogether with no mention of it in the publicly available policy documents. This is regrettable given the large numbers of Aboriginal people in custody and begs the question 'Are our incarcerated Indigenous citizens going to be excluded from any potential benefit of the 'revolution'?'

The place of place-based education in the Australian primary geography curriculum

The idea for this paper emerged from a recent qualitative investigation which examined the ways in which six Australian primary teachers conceptualised geography and geography teaching (Preston, 2014b). A finding of this research was a strong correlation between the breadth of geographical understandings and the years of experience and age of participants. For early career teachers, conceptions of geography were narrowly confined to information-oriented perceptions. Whereas, the two teachers, with more than 30 years in primary schools, portrayed much more complex understandings. Their conceptions depicted geography as process-oriented and in relational terms, that is, understandings of geography that recognise the interactions and interdependence of people and environments (Bradbeer, Healey, & Kneale, 2004). Both these experienced teachers were also committed to place-based, inquiry approaches to geography teaching and had been using placebased methodologies long before it became a new movement in education (Morgan, 2009, p. 521 ). This prompted me to question why geography education seldom features in discourses of place-based education and to contemplate the oft-cited argument (at least in the United States) that the recent focus on curriculum standards is incompatible with locally responsive curriculum (Jennings, Swidler, & Koliba, 2005).
In order to answer these questions, I explore the intersections and divergences between place-based education and geography education in the Australian context. Drawing on Smith's (2002) and Gruenewald's (2003) conception of place-based education, and the new. Australian geography curriculum document, I argue that primary geography education has strong synergies with place-based education methodologies and aims. I further suggest that a geographical perspective can augment placebased education to enrich and broaden students' understandings of the complex interactions between and within places. This argument is balanced with a critical examination of the practice of geography education acknowledging that the tradition of fieldwork might benefit from placebased education approaches that enable more embodied, socially engaged interactions with places. Thus, I contend, place-based education and geography education are mutually supportive and each can extend the other. The paper concludes with a reflection on the challenges in Australia in preparing primary teachers for the implementation of the new (place-based) geography curriculum.

How do postgraduate qualifications in medical education impact on health professionals?

Background and Purpose: The number of degree-awarding programmes in medical education is steadily increasing. Despite the popularity and extensive investment in these courses, there is little research into their impact. This study investigated the perceived impact of an internationally-renowned postgraduate programme in medical education on health professionals’ development as educators.

Methods: An online survey of the 2008–12 graduates from the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee was carried out. Their self-reported shifts in various educational competencies and scholarship activities were analysed using non-parametric statistics. Qualitative data were also collected and analysed to add depth to the quantitative findings.

Results: Of the 504 graduates who received the online questionnaire 224 responded. Participants reported that a qualification in medical education had significantly (p&thinsp;<&thinsp;0.001) improved their professional educational practices and engagement in scholarly activities. Masters graduates reported greater impact compared to Certificate graduates on all items, including ability to facilitate curriculum reforms, and in assessment and feedback practices. Masters graduates also reported more engagement in scholarship activities, with significantly greater contributions to journals. These qualifications equally benefited all participants regardless of age. International graduates reported greater impact of the qualification than their UK counterparts.

Conclusion: A postgraduate medical education programme can significantly impact on the practices and behaviours of health professionals in education, improving self-efficacy and instilling an increased sense of belonging to the educational community.