Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Cross-Cultural Teacher Perspectives On Student Engagement In Virtual Learning Environments During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ishaq Al-Naabi, Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Loeurt To, Deborah Odu Obor

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The rapid transition to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for teachers, students, and higher education institutions, impacting students' learning and engagement in the learning process. Based on Self-Determination Theory, this paper employs a collective case study research methodology to examine teachers' strategies for supporting students' learning and engagement in virtual learning environments during emergency remote teaching in the pandemic era, with the goal of offering guidelines to assist teachers in fostering student learning and engagement in these virtual settings. The inductive thematic analysis of eight semi-structured interviews with teachers from Spain, Oman, Nigeria and Cambodia revealed …

Understanding Diversity In Undergraduate Learning Of Cost-Benefit Analysis, Sarah Yu

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This paper presents a case study that reflects on teaching an economic unit, Cost-benefit analysis (CBA), to a diverse undergraduate student body at the researcher’s institution. CBA is an applied economic technique that attempts to assess the economic efficiency of proposed public policies through the systematic prediction of social costs and social benefits. Students in this CBA unit are required to complete an online test, CBA report and a final examination. In the CBA Report, the students perform analytical work to explain the relationships among events, identify options, evaluate choices, and predict the effects of actions. This paper investigates the …

Student Engagement And Satisfaction With Online Learning: Comparative Eastern And Western Perspectives, Marcela Fang, Kijung Choi, Soojung Kim, Bing Chan

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This study investigated the antecedents of student engagement in online learning and the consequent impact on higher education students’ satisfaction with online learning. More specifically, a structural model was proposed to examine students’ perceptions of adaptability, interactivity, computer/ Internet self-efficacy and psychological safety as key factors impacting their engagement with online learning tools and satisfaction with the online learning experience. A self-administered online survey was conducted with 539 undergraduate students in China, Australia, and South Korea. Structural equation modelling and multigroup analysis were used to test the study’s hypotheses. The findings indicated that the proposed four antecedents significantly impacted their …

An Evidence-Based Approach To Developing Faculty-Wide Training For Graduate Teaching Assistants, Jenny Slaughter, Thomas Rodgers, Claudia Henninger

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

In 2000, Sharpe proposed a framework for graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training based on three key principles: departmental training, faculty training, and accreditation. Sharpe’s paper culminated in a call for Higher Education (HE) institutes to adopt this framework. Whilst the principles of Sharpe’s work remain relevant, the shape and structure of HE and accrediting bodies has changed due to the increasingly competitive market environment. Herein we provide an updated framework for GTA training based around implementation at a large English Russell Group University. We identify seven key elements for effective GTA training based on literature. We then demonstrate how this …

Attempts To Replicate The Skills, Attributes And Capabilities Associated With International Mobility In An Online World: A Case Study, Nayiri Keshishi, Alexander Seal, Karl Jicha, Brittany Gaustad Shantz, Anne Dorothée Slovic

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

In recent years, obstacles to physical mobility, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, have hastened the turn towards online platforms for educational and social activities. Many study abroad programs have had to adapt to such circumstances and embrace virtual environments in the face of limited physical mobility. In this case study, we look at how one multi-university program, the UGPN Academy, was able to expand international student learning efforts despite travel limitations due, in part, to adapting to online communication technologies and environments. Through comparison of surveys administered to participants pre- and post-participation, students reported that having an online community as …

Digitalisation Of Writing In Higher Education: The Covid-19 Pandemic Impact, Natalia Mospan

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of higher education worldwide. It also has facilitated digital writing in remote classrooms and beyond. During lockdowns, digital writing has become a constant way of communication in our lives. The research examines the COVID-19 pandemic impact on digital writing transformation in higher education. It also assumes the dependence of writing modes on distance learning types. Empirical evidence gathered through quantitative and qualitative research methods involves higher education teachers and students surveyed in a Ukrainian university to understand their perceptions and experience of writing online during the Coronavirus lockdowns in 2020-22. The research …

Online Teaching Effectiveness In Higher Education: Faculty Perspectives In India, Lokanath Mishra, Roshan Lal Raina

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic demanded the closure of education institutions abruptly in the middle of the academic term, disrupting regular teaching and learning activities throughout the world. The teaching fraternity immediately moved to online teaching to minimize learning damage and continue academic activities. With the sudden shift from traditional practices to online teaching, the key question arises about effectiveness of online teaching in higher education and how the teaching fraternity pursues academic activities, grouped under pre, during and post online teaching. This study aimed at examining the faculty perspective of online teaching in higher education without much experience and preparation. Data …

Beyond Traditional Peer-To-Peer Teaching Evaluation: Using Pedagogical Theory In Conceptualizing A Collaborative Teaching Development Program, Renee Mazurek, Monna Arvinen-Barrow, Wendy Huddleston, Renee Reckelberg

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This paper discusses how pedagogical theory can be used in conceptualizing a collaborative teaching development program in higher education. A theoretically driven teaching development program can be of benefit to both the reviewer and the reviewee by providing (a) a foundation for the reviewee to examine their educational content being reviewed; and (b) a systematic framework for the reviewee for evaluating the content under review. Appropriately used pedagogical theory enables the constructive alignment of teaching, learning, and assessment. This collaborative, self-reflective, and bi-directional teaching development process facilitates a sense of self-determination, which facilitates motivation and achievement of goals.

The Impacts Of Supervisor – Phd Student Relationships On Phd Students’ Satisfaction: A Case Study Of Vietnamese Universities, Mai Le, Long Pham, Kioh Kim, Nhuong Bui

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This study focuses on investigating impact of supervisor – PhD student relationship on PhD students’ satisfaction with their supervisors’ supervisory styles and their skill development. A survey was conducted among 430 respondents who both finished or were doing their doctoral study at universities in Northern, Central and Southern cities in Vietnam in social science, economics and business management majors. Findings revealed that the leadership, helping, understanding and responsibility relationship between supervisors and PhD students were positively associated with PhD students’ satisfaction with supervisors’ supervisory style while the uncertain, dissatisfied and admonishing types of relationships were negatively associated with PhD students’ …

Sharing The Construction Of Assessment Rubrics With Students: A Model For Collaborative Rubric Construction, Jason K. Morton, Maria Northcote, Peter Kilgour, Wendy A. Jackson

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Traditionally, rubrics were used simply as grading tools to provide marking frameworks that were transparent to students. More recently, rubrics have been promoted as educational tools to inform students of good practice with the assumption that they engage with these rubrics to guide their learning. However, some tensions arise from this approach, including the assumption that students actually engage with assessment rubrics and, most notably, whether students understand the purpose of rubrics and the language used within. In response, this paper promotes the practice of teachers involving their students in the co-construction of rubrics by presenting a Model of Collaborative …

Taking An Action Reflective Assessment Approach When Teaching Dispute Management, Pauline Collins

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Encouraging life-long learner skills and preparing students for a new style of lawyering in the 21st Century to meet changing needs requires approaching teaching in renewed ways. This paper describes the action reflection learning approach adopted when teaching a mediation law course in an Australian law school. The approach and outcomes are described with specific attention to how this style of teaching enriches the student experience. Student reflections describe the teaching method as having developed their skills, learning and appreciation of a new conflict resolution advocacy style.

Designing A Peer-Led Approach To Teaching Review And Enhancement In Academia, Dominique Moritz, Simone Pearce, Larissa S. Christensen, Drossos Stamboulakis

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

One of the challenges of 21st-century academia is meeting the often-competing demands from students, universities, and professional associations. Among many diversities, students at regional universities, such as the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), often have higher rates of first-in-family learners than metropolitan counterparts. Law academics at regional universities, then, must address the challenges of maintaining high-quality teaching to fulfil student satisfaction for a diverse student demographic, while both meeting university and professional requirements and supporting students’ personal satisfaction. One avenue to support academics in enhancing teaching practices while aligning with university and professional obligations is through peer discussion, review, …

Work-Integrated Learning: The New Professional Apprenticeship?, Kate Ashman, Francine Rochford, Brett Slade

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This article considers the intersection between two major themes in university policy: the improvement of participation by rural and regional communities and the dimension of graduate employability. It argues that work-integrated learning has the potential to address both themes, but that the development of an apprenticeship model for prestige degrees such as law may deliver additional benefits to rural and regional student engagement. It considers a radical approach to employability by the reintroduction of the apprenticeship approach in disciplines of law and accounting specifically to assist scaffolding of learning for rural and regional students. It considers the modern context of …

The Higher Degree By Research Student As ‘Master’: Utilising A Design Thinking Approach To Improve Learner Experience In Higher Degree Research Supervision, Luke Van Der Laan, Gail Ormsby, Lee Fergusson, Maria Pau

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This article presents a work-based learning and research approach to professional postgraduate education specifically in the case of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) programs. It highlights a prototype of the Cohort-based Advisory Team (CAT) model as a useful strategy. The authors propose that a design thinking approach that empathises with the student experience as the “Master” of the design reveals insights that may inform future formal higher education in the professions. An overview of the design thinking process associated with the Professional Studies programs as developed at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) is provided. Case accounts of HDR students …

Using Peer Assisted Learning To Improve Academic Engagement And Progression Of First Year Online Law Students, Lynda Crowley-Cyr, James Hevers

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The University of Southern Queensland’s online study environment continues to grow with over 16,000 students studying online. Pre-Covid-19, online enrolments typically represent around 67% of all students studying at USQ. This article usefully analyses quantitative data in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot of an online peer-assisted learning program for first-year Law students. The article asks whether a customised online Meet-Up program can objectively enhance student engagement and academic performance in a first-year law course. Results from the pilot were positive and are a productive contribution to the literature on online peer-assisted learning.

Addressing Academic Rejection: Recommendations For Reform, Kelly-Ann Allen, Gregory M. Donoghue, Saeed Pahlevansharif, Shane R. Jimerson Professor, John A.C. Hattie Professor

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The aim of this paper is to provide a number of reasoned and evidence-supported arguments and a list of recommendations for reducing the impact of academic rejection. A brief literature review examined the prevalence and negative impacts of academic rejection including its purported purposes, predictors, and consequences. Findings revealed that the topic of academic rejection is largely under-studied, with very few empirical investigations. The extant literature typically places the onus on the individual academic to deal with rejection. Few articles have recommended institutional changes to ameliorate the known mental health impacts of rejection. We propose that the discovery and dissemination …

Improving Postgraduate Students' Scientific Literacy And Self-Efficacy Using International Collaborative Research Workshops: An Exploratory Case Study In A Chinese University, Qing Zhang, Jingmin Wang, Ruihong Ji, Tairan Huang

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Postgraduate education in China bears the dual mission of "high-end talent supply" and "scientific and technological innovation" as delegated by the Ministry of Education of China (2017). Improve the quality of postgraduate student training and management is essential for Chinese universities to meet this requirement. This paper investigates the practical effectiveness of using a specially designed, internationally collaborative research training workshop to enhance new Chinese postgraduate students' scientific literacy and self-efficacy.

The research results show that the workshop, which integrates seminar presentations and both individual and group-based student activities, is of practical significance for improving the experiences of first-year postgraduate …

Online Discussion Boards: Improving Practice And Student Engagement By Harnessing Facilitator Perceptions, Tracy Douglas, Allison James, Louise Earwaker, Carey Mather, Sandra Murray

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This research explores the perceptions of facilitators in asynchronous online discussion to improve practice and student engagement in Higher Education. Traditional didactic delivery of learning content may fail the expectations of student and academic stakeholders. The pressure to teach within constrained resources presents challenges, but also provides stimulating opportunities for optimising use of educational technology. Fostering student engagement requires rethinking traditional classroom and online delivery.

The study explores the challenges and benefits experienced, resulting in the identification of key themes from which implications for practice are discussed. In doing so, it broadens conceptual understandings, while offering recommendations for university teachers, …

Shared Learning Objectives In Interdisciplinary Projects: Game Design In A Sino-Scandinavian Context, Henrik Engström, Ruimin Lyu, Per Backlund, Marcus Toftedahl, Palle Rosendahl Ehmsen

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The learning goals of project-based courses are typically specific for each involved discipline. Game development is deeply interdisciplinary and some of its core principles are shared across disciplines, from art to programming. This article presents a project-based approach where students majoring in arts and students majoring in technology share learning objectives. The course has been developed in a Sino-Scandinavian collaboration. Experiences from well-established Scandinavian game development programmes have been transferred to a Chinese university context.

This article presents an explorative mixed method evaluation of this course. The research design had two phases with an initial qualitative analysis resulting in a …

An Investigation Of Students’ Learning Achievement And Perception Using Flipped Classroom In An Introductory Programming Course: A Case Study Of Thailand Higher Education, Jarutas Pattanaphanchai

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Computer programming is a difficult subject for most novice programming students which leads to a high rate of dropout or failure. Flipped classrooms have been increasingly used to teach programming students to practice their programming skills in the class based on their knowledge acquired from outside the classroom. This study investigated students’ learning achievement which was measured by their performance on a coding test and an exam. We compared students’ programming test scores of the traditional classroom in semester 1 of the academic year 2016 with the flipped classroom in semester 1 in 2017. In addition, we studied students’ perception …

Making The Case For Oracy Skills In Higher Education: Practices And Opportunities, Marion Heron

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

In this paper I make the case for embedding oracy practices in the HE curriculum through explicit teaching of oracy skills and a shared common language to describe these skills. Active learning and teaching approaches as well as growing expectations of graduate employability skills have resulted in greater demands on students in UK higher education in terms of their oracy (speaking and listening) skills. Whilst oracy skills have long been the focus of studies in compulsory educational contexts, there is little transfer of research findings to a higher education context. With the aim of opening up the discussion on oracy …

The Flipped Classroom With Tutor Support: An Experience In A Level One Statistics Unit, Ramzan N. Khan, Rashmi Watson

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The flipped classroom aims to improve learning by engaging students in educational activities outside of traditional lessons. Flipped classrooms have steadily gained popularity in the last decade and are a topic of discussion in teaching and learning forums. However, its adoption in mathematics and statistics has been subdued. Most higher education mathematics and statistics are still delivered through traditional lectures where students are passive participants. In this study, experiences of flipping a large first-level statistics class are presented. The implementation included a combination of peer learning and tutor-assistance in lectures. Student performance, in the form of final examination and overall …

Student Perceptions Of The History Lecture: Does This Delivery Mode Have A Future In The Humanities?, Thomas Buchanan, Edward Palmer

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This article reports on a large survey of undergraduate history students, and reveals their attitude toward lecturing, particularly in the discipline of history. We argue that the evidence shows that students like lecturing and believe it aids their learning. In particular students value enthusiasm, organization, and an interesting analysis/argument in lecture presentations. We conclude that this suggests that historians should maintain the lecture when they are able to deliver lectures with these characteristics. Otherwise, they should adopt more interactive techniques.

A Vision Of You-Topia: Personalising Professional Development Of Teaching In A Diverse Academic Workforce., Lisa Thomas, Kathryn Harden-Thew, Janine Delahunty, Bonnie Amelia Dean

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

The higher education (HE) sector in Australia is in a state of flux due to a range of social, political and economic factors. Increased competition, greater student diversity, tautening of industry exigencies, reduced funding, and rapid technological advances are key drivers of change in this environment. Within this period of transformation, HE institutions remain steadfast in maintaining quality teaching and learning practices. Challenges are therefore presented on the traditional role and function of the teaching academic, creating opportunities to explore how staff can be better prepared to teach into the new era of HE.

Professional development for learning and teaching …

The Power Of Freedom: Setting Up A Multimodal Exhibition With Undergraduate Students To Foster Their Learning And Help Them To Achieve, Sandra Abegglen, Tom Burns, Sandra Sinfield

Journal of Peer Learning

The present paper explores the opportunities created by an emancipatory approach to learning and teaching when combined with embedded peer mentoring. First year undergraduate students—most from non-traditional backgrounds—were set the task to explore learning spaces at their university and to present their findings in creative ways in a Multimodal Exhibition during Enhancement Week. They were supported by second year students on their course who acted as coaches, role models, and critics. Our experience—and feedback by students—showed that serious learning is taking place when students are given “the freedom to learn.”

Taking Risks With Their Hearts: Risk And Emotion In Innovative Forms Of Assessment, Tania Leiman, Elizabeth Abery, Eileen M. Willis

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Research involving student and tutor responses to a ‘pedagogy of the heart’ approach in a first year university health science topic revealed anxiety, insecurity and perceptions of unpredictability in relation to an innovative arts-based assignment designed to elicit and assess experiential or imaginal knowledge. Using the lens of contemporary theories of risk, and explicitly considering the role of emotion in assessment, this paper identifies both the effectiveness of and challenges encountered in this form of assessment. It also explores the relationships between risk and emotion, and between risk and assessment, particularly for young people in the higher education context. By …

Learning On Placement: A Sociomaterial, Practice-Based Approach To Work-Integrated Learning, Bonnie Amelia Dean

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The Australian higher education environment has undergone significant change in recent years in order to better prepare learners with the essential knowledge, skills, and experiences to compete in an increasingly globalised, technological, and innovative workplace. One way universities are preparing their learners is by embedding aspects of work within or alongside curriculum, through work-integrated learning (WIL) initiatives.

However, in recent WIL studies, concerns have been raised around a perceived lack of alignment between university program structures, particularly in the form of assessments employed to evaluate and report learning, with the type of learning that occurs in the workplace through authentic …

Strengthening The Intersections Between Secondary And Tertiary Education In Australia: Building Cultural Capital, Katie Hughes, Claire Brown

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This paper begins by outlining the ‘education revolution’ policy direction of the Australian federal government, and the ways in which it envisages meeting its goal of having a 40% of the population between 25 and 34 with a Bachelor’s degree by 2025, and ensuring that 20% of tertiary students come form LSES backgrounds. This is contrasted with the achievements of the UK government’s ‘Widening Participation’ strategy. It then discusses the institutional and policy challenges which broad social inclusion goals generate for secondary and tertiary sectors – challenges which are likely to fundamentally reshape both sectors whilst also forcing them to …

Features Of Engaging And Empowering Experiential Learning Programs For College Students, Jeffrey Perrin

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

This study describes three collegiate programs that have a high interest in creating engaging learning environments outside of the classroom. The three settings in this study are a three-year degree granting college focusing on internship-based learning, a nationally recognized service-learning program at a private university, and a small private college emphasizing work and service. Research was guided by two exploratory questions: (1) How can students, faculty, administrators, and community partners’ work together to create engaging learning experiences? (2) How can students feel empowered through experiential learning programs? Three themes emerged as important aspects of experiential programs that foster engagement and …

Encouraging And Evaluating Class Participation, Kathleen E. Czekanski, Zane Robinson Wolf

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Many faculty interpret student responses to faculty questions as evidence of an actively engaged classroom. Because of this conviction, class participation, whether graded or ungraded, appears in many course syllabi in colleges and universities and is often promoted as the responsibility of students to contribute to the learning environment. Class participation provides faculty with some confidence that learning is taking place during a course and that students are reading assignments. While faculty may debate that attendance should not be used as a stand-in for class participation, this may not be a universally held belief or practice. Some faculty create rubrics …