Search Results

The number of Indigenous students enrolled in higher education is increasing. Yet parity with the proportion of domestic students attending university remains some way off. This review outlines the efforts that have been made to reduce the gap in Indigenous staff and student outcomes. Looking at the Australian higher education sector in 20 years' time the authors ask what is the future for senior Indigenous appointments and the aspiration of including Indigenous knowledge in the curriculum? The review identifies one pathway to Indigenous workforce outcomes is through postgraduate programs. It describes efforts underway to embed Indigenous perspectives into the broader curriculum. The review concludes with some optimism that Indigenous Australian outcomes are gradually moving from the margins to the centre of universities missions albeit at a pace that will need to improve to achieve parity by 2040.

Published abstract. Show less

This review outlines the challenges faced by higher education from the ongoing evolution and penetration of digital technologies throughout many aspects of society. It examines how complex organisational structures can prevent institutions from developing effective means of support for innovation; academics from developing necessary digital literacies and online teaching practices, and students from developing proficiency in contemporary technologically inclusive professional practices. It proposes that academics must look outside of their own institutions for inspiration and support to break this cycle, and explores the potential of informal professional development strategies based upon the notion of disruptive innovation (C. Christensen, n.d.), to help generate systemic change 'from the individual up'.

Published abstract. Show less

The question of how to prepare higher education students for employment is at the forefront of higher education, yet in many respects it is the wrong question. This review article poses an alternative question: how might we prepare higher education students to navigate an increasingly complex world and labour market in which they will need to think for a living? I begin by considering the labour market environment into which graduates transition. I align this with contemporary definitions of employability before revisiting my employability and related research undertaken over the past 20 years. In voicing possible solutions, I structure the article's latter sections according to the four challenges posed by the Australian Deputy Vice-Chancellors for response in the 2019 HERD Review: namely, university funding; commitment to change by university staff; dealing with complexity; and building capacity.

Published abstract. Show less

This article explores the experiences of students who are the first in their families to attend university. Building upon a decade of research in this field, the author describes the ways first-in-family learners engage and interact with higher education. Both the risky nature of this cohort's engagement with the sector and related issues of intergenerational educational mobility, translate into a defined need to better understand and support these students. The review highlights how widening participation agendas and university outreach activities have resulted in the growth in this population both within Australia and beyond. The key issues and obstacles these learners encounter are outlined and alternative 'ways of thinking' about first-in-family students proposed. Drawing on learners' narratives, the intent is to expose some of the 'silences' of higher education participation for this cohort. The article concludes by providing some recommendations to university practitioners and policy makers, identifying some possible future directions for supporting, engaging and retaining this student cohort.

Published abstract. Show less

The experiences of three cohorts of Australian students enrolled in a global learning science course are explored in this case study using interview and questionnaire data. The effectiveness of videoconference tutorials as a global learning strategy in developing students’ international perspectives, communication skills and intercultural understandings and skills is discussed. The case study raises question about effective facilitation, communication, engagement and experiential learning within the international videoconference tutorial environment.

Published abstract. Show less

HERDSA offers an annual international conference on topical teaching and learning issues with opportunities to meet colleagues with similar interests, exchange ideas about teaching and learning and learn about current developments from experienced researchers and practitioners.

Papers in this volume include: Peer assisted teaching scheme: a way of creating, sustaining and developing new connections / A. Carbone; Intercultural interactions in university tutorials: a Bourdieusian analysis / C. Colvin, F. Fozdar, and S. Volet; Assessment of mechanical engineering final year projects using fuzzy multi-attribute utility theory / C. Dong; Student and staff perceptions of fieldwork experiences: assessing authentic learning / S. Ferns and J-A. Pegden; Establishing a regional enabling pilot programme through university-community engagement / M. Fleming, B. Cram, G. London, and C. Kayrooz; Using web-enhanced learning to connect with learners: student perceptions / K. Flowers, N. Gamble, M. Nebauer, T. Harding, and P. Schulz; A case study on providing international students the opportunity to enhance performance through online engagement / R. Gill, E. Verezub and X. Wang.

Connections through dis-identifications: the use of Cultural and Political Vignettes (CPVs) in teacher education / A. Goriss-Hunter; Connecting theory and practice: exploring the use of personal experiences in programme design / E. Govers; Reflective connections in an undergraduate architecture program / J. Grellier and L. Mackintosh; The emergence of 'I', 'you' and 'us' identities for, in and through work placements / K. Henschke; Why is it important for higher education to connect with the [vocational education and training] VET sector? / A. Langworthy and S. Johns; Undergraduate students' experience of research: findings from a cross-disciplinary analysis of students' perceptions / R. Lee, P. Myatt and G. Joughin; Enhancing intercultural competence among pharmacy students through the Excell Program / S. Maganlal, R. Hills, S. McMillan, M. Barker, N. Blauberg, and L. Shallcross.

Interdisciplinary threshold concepts in engineering / S. A. Male, A. L. Guzzomi and C. A. Baillie; Supporting and promoting reflective thinking processes in an undergraduate Medical Imaging program / S. Maresse, J. McKay and J. Grellier; A blind spot in higher education research?: a call for the explicit use of qualitative survey validation methods / C. McCormack; Using 'core academic literacy' course results to create a profile for potentially 'at risk' students / K. McNaught and F. McIntyre; The NAME four factor model for engaging students in academic support services / K. McNaught and E. Beal; A model promoting conceptual change in higher education: an integrated approach / T. Olsson and T. Roxa; Students, faculty and local community health professionals learning together / P. Paliadelis, I. Stupans, L. Turner, M. Puxty, A. Fagan, and J. Lea.

Building community, educational attainment and university aspirations through university-school mentoring partnerships / K. Pearce; Connecting research with carnival: developing critical business education through reflective writing / V. Pollard; Multiple-choice questionnaires and the success of law students: results of a preliminary evaluation / J. Prichard; Academic expatriation: an investigation into the importance of connections when entering expatriate life / K. Sanderson; The connection of reflective practice to management competency through a business simulation / M. Segon and C. Booth; Student engagement: what is stopping our international students from getting it? / K. Stratilas and J. Yong; How do we connect and engage students, learning in a distance mode, to develop verbal communication skills? / I. Stupans and L. Orwin.

Social ties as key knowledge transfer agents between Indonesian and Australian universities: perspectives from an Indonesian university / A. Sutrisno, Lisana, and H. Pillay; The potency of interdisciplinary collaboration to empower constructive dissenters / C. Symons, L. Almberg, E. Goh and J. McGowan; Graduate employability: interpretation and expectation / T. T. Tran; Outcomes and evaluations: is there a relationship between indicators of student success and student evaluations of learning? / B. Tucker, J-A. Pegden and J. Yorke; Understanding academic identity conflicts in the public university: importance of work ideologies / R. Winter and W. O'Donohue; Plagiarism across the academic disciplines / C. Zimitat; Connecting with the African-student diaspora in Australian higher education / C. Zufferey and D. Wache. Show less

Communities of practice (CoPs) are generally endorsed in higher education, but there are few examples of successful communities within the Australian higher education context. This paper articulates the experiences of members of a Faculty CoP as they share their stories about collegial support, fellowship, inspiration, problem-solving, and essential administrative backing. The stories reflect the response of a group of academics to the development of a CoP around learning and teaching within the business faculty of a small, regional Australian university with a diverse student cohort of domestic and international on-campus and external students. We argue that CoPs provide a number of key professional supports for academic staff: real communication and ongoing dialogue across institutional barriers; a sense of trust required to open up a safe place to share common challenges and enable social learning; support and professional development for course leaders; and a model of strategic thinking and strategic action in a changing institutional environment.

Excerpt from published abstract. Show less

The main goals of course evaluations are to obtain student feedback regarding courses and teaching for improvement purposes and to provide a defined and practical process to ensure that actions are taken to improve courses and teaching. Of the items on course evaluation forms, the one that receives the most attention and consequently the most weight is the question: ‘Overall, I was satisfied with the quality of this course.’ However, no attention has been placed on examining the predictors of students being ‘satisfied with the quality of this course’ overall. This study attempts to address this gap. The findings show that while student characteristics and reasons for enrolling in a course are predictors of overall satisfaction, it is the evaluation questions that predict the majority of the variation in course satisfaction. The findings also reveal that faculty-selected optional questions are stronger predictors of overall satisfaction than compulsory questions. This unique finding suggests that faculties are in tune with their students’ needs and experiences as they have chosen questions which are more predictive of overall satisfaction with course quality. This study has provided the basis for future exploration. In a changing culture towards ‘compliance and accountability’ there is a shift to performance indicators, increasing reliance on outputs such as student evaluations of teaching by government bodies, university performance reviews and rewards. This considered, there is some urgency in ensuring that we know what these instruments are in fact measuring and that these instruments are designed to be reliable and valid.

Published abstract. Show less

The theme of the conference was ‘Adaption and change in tertiary education’. The papers were presented in the following thematic areas: Development and change in tertiary institutions; Alternatives in higher education; Vocational education; Staff promotions and student evaluation of teaching; Assessing students, students learning; A problem orientation; Theory and practice in agriculture and science; Methods and resources. The papers presented under the ‘Vocational education’ theme were: Towards a strategy for excellence in vocational education / Nick Zepke; The TAFE National Centre for Research and Development / William C. Hall; The roles of graduate diploma courses in professional education / Clive B. Kings; The relationship between technical education and industrial training / D. Comley. Show less

Traditionally, universities base their reputation on their ability to attract funding and carry out discipline-based research, often precluding education research. In recent times, there has been an increased emphasis on education, particularly in Australian universities, with additional funding becoming available to encourage efforts to improve learning and teaching, including education research. In this paper we describe the genesis of the Education Research Group of Adelaide (ERGA), an emergent ‘community of practice’ that provides opportunities and support for cross-discipline collaboration and communication on education research issues. ERGA’s activities have an emphasis on evidence-based, practical approaches to education, and are designed to encourage the development and dissemination of grass-roots innovation and research. We describe the factors that led to development of ERGA, and discuss the progress made to becoming a viable community of practice.

Published abstract. Show less