Education Commons^™

Assessment Of Medical Students’ Learning Outcomes In Australia : Current Practice, Future Possibilities, David Wilkinson, Benedict Canny, Jacob Pearce, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Jacob Pearce

All 19 medical schools in Australia examine and assess the performance of their students, but do so largely in isolation from each other. That is, most schools design, develop and deliver their own exams, against their own curriculum and standards, and students pass, fail and are graded with little external moderation or comparison. Accreditation of schools by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) provides some reassurance that assessment practices are appropriate in medical schools. However, very limited data are available for benchmarking performance against any national standard, or between medical schools in Australia. The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration has been designed …

Same Admissions Tools, Different Outcomes : A Critical Perspective On Predictive Validity In Three Undergraduate Medical Schools, Daniel Edwards, Tim Friedman, Jacob Pearce

Dr Jacob Pearce

Admission to medical school is one of the most highly competitive entry points in higher education. Considerable investment is made by universities to develop selection processes that aim to identify the most appropriate candidates for their medical programs. This paper explores data from three undergraduate medical schools to offer a critical perspective of predictive validity in medical admissions. This study examined 650 undergraduate medical students from three Australian universities as they progressed through the initial years of medical school (accounting for approximately 25 per cent of all commencing undergraduate medical students in Australia in 2006 and 2007). Admissions criteria (aptitude …

Same Admissions Tools, Different Outcomes : A Critical Perspective On Predictive Validity In Three Undergraduate Medical Schools, Daniel Edwards, Tim Friedman, Jacob Pearce

Dr Tim Friedman

Admission to medical school is one of the most highly competitive entry points in higher education. Considerable investment is made by universities to develop selection processes that aim to identify the most appropriate candidates for their medical programs. This paper explores data from three undergraduate medical schools to offer a critical perspective of predictive validity in medical admissions. This study examined 650 undergraduate medical students from three Australian universities as they progressed through the initial years of medical school (accounting for approximately 25 per cent of all commencing undergraduate medical students in Australia in 2006 and 2007). Admissions criteria (aptitude …

Research Report : Higher Education Enrolment Growth : Exploring Recent Change By Provider Type, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Ali Radloff

This paper provides a snapshot of the higher education sector following recent policy changes that have promoted growth and expansion. The emphasis of this work is to highlight the relative enrolment changes among the different types of higher education providers in the sector during this growth period. The analyses show that most growth in the sector has been in universities – because it is universities which were the specific aim and beneficiaries of substantial change in policy and funding provision. However, the data also suggest that at the same time, other providers such as Private HEPs and TAFEs have managed …

Digital Fluency For The Digital Age, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

A digital fluency subject to teach students the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the digital age is needed, writes Gerald White.

Changing Deferral Patterns : The Influence Of Growth, Changing Support And Geography, Sheldon Rothman, Daniel Edwards

Dr Sheldon Rothman

This Joining the Dots Research Briefing examines changes in university deferral rates over the period from 2008 to 2012. The focus of the analysis is on Victorian school leavers, whose transitions after school completion are followed through the On Track survey, funded by the Victorian Government. The analysis aims to explore the extent to which deferral rates for young people from rural areas have changed over this time, and the influence policy changes to financial support may have had on the decision to defer a university offer.

Research Report : Higher Education Enrolment Growth : Exploring Recent Change By Provider Type, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

This paper provides a snapshot of the higher education sector following recent policy changes that have promoted growth and expansion. The emphasis of this work is to highlight the relative enrolment changes among the different types of higher education providers in the sector during this growth period. The analyses show that most growth in the sector has been in universities – because it is universities which were the specific aim and beneficiaries of substantial change in policy and funding provision. However, the data also suggest that at the same time, other providers such as Private HEPs and TAFEs have managed …

Profiling Diversity Of Australian Universities, Marian Mahat, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Leo Goedegebuure, Eva Van Der Brugge, Frans Van Vught

Dr Daniel Edwards

This chapter contributes to the discourse about diversity of public institutions in the Australian Higher Education system. While there is scepticism around whether or not universities in Australia are significantly different from each other, there has been little effort to objectively examine whether this claim is reasonable. The research in this chapter offers a contribution to taking the discussion of diversity to the next level. The research does not promise neat solutions, but our analysis aims to go beyond existing discourse to explore emerging dynamics - regardless of the traditional 'groupings' of institutions. We do this by creating classification structures …

Kidsmatter And Young Children With Disability: Evaluation Report, Katherine Dix, Jane Jarvis, Phillip Slee

Dr Katherine Dix

Parental Engagement In Learning, Robert Simons

Dr Robert Simons

Robert Simons examines whether levels of parental engagement can be improved by increasing the capacity of schools and principals for local decision making.

Select Readiness: Assessing The Clinical Learning Environment Of A Regional Branch Medical Campus, Margaret A. Hadinger Edd, Ms, Erica T. Mahady Ma, Edward Norris Md, Fapm, J Alan Otsuki Md, Mba

Edward R Norris MD, FAPA, FAPM

No abstract provided.

Digital Fluency: Skills Necessary For The Digital Age., Gerry White

Dr Gerald K. White

Many researchers argue that major innovations, especially the internet, adopted by society, have an effect on the structure of the human brain, which may or may not be a change for the better. If the structure of the human brain and ways of finding information and communication are changing as a result of the internet, then changes to the way that students learn, and probably what they are learning, would appear to follow. This article examines the skills that will be required for the twenty first century that will need to be embedded in educational curricula in order to achieve …

Interpreting Data: Where’S The Evidence?, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix

Digital Fluency : Skills Necessary For Learning In The Digital Age, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This article examines the skills that will be required for the 21st century that will need to be embedded in educational curricula in order achieve them. It begins by considering how communicating between people has changed and current educational responses. A view of 21st century skills follows with an argument for some core subjects that will be necessary. Learning and teaching are then discussed leading to a view about what is needed in order to develop digital fluency in education, for now and the future.

Partnering For School Improvement : Case Studies Of School-Community Partnerships In Australia, Sharon Clerke

Sharon Clerke

The case studies in this booklet illustrate the creative ways in which Australian schools are responding to local needs by establishing and building partnerships with community organisations and businesses. These partnerships have been formed to share resources, both human and material. They are providing students with access to breakfast clubs, homework and tutoring programs, after-school fitness and sporting activities, and other programs designed to re-engage students. Local businesses that want students to know more about employer expectations and the realities of the workplace are providing work placements and work experience, traineeships and apprenticeships. Some schools are partnering with other educational …

Learning And Fearing Mathematics, Sarah Buckley, Kate Reid

Dr Sarah Buckley

Findings from psychology and neuroscience can help educators to better understand the processes underlying children’s learning of, and feelings towards, mathematics. Sarah Buckley and Kate Reid explain.

Session M - From Experimental Psychology To A Science Of Learning, Ottmar Lipp, Sacha Develle

Dr Sacha DeVelle

Concurrent Session Block 3

Towards A Science Of Learning, Sacha Develle

Dr Sacha DeVelle

Recent discoveries in neuroscience, psychology and education have raised new questions about how learning takes place, emphasising the need for inter-disciplinary collaboration for a new ‘science of learning’, as Sacha DeVelle explains.

Influences On Children’S Numeracy Skills, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

John Ainley reports on an analysis of the impact of background characteristics on young children's numeracy skills.

Informing Policy And Practice, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Comparing results from large-scale assessments can usefully inform education policy and planning, and educational practice in schools and classrooms, as John Ainley explains.

Reading And Engagement, Nicole Wernert

Nicole Wernert

In order to learn, students need to have some level of engagement in their classroom activities, including engagement in reading, as Nicole Wernert explains.

Making A Difference In Developing Countries, David Tout

David (Dave) Tout

The work of ACER in education is making the difference in educational outcomes for students across the world, particularly in developing countries.

Questioning The Standards Of Literacy And Numeracy, David Tout, Juliette Mendelovits

David (Dave) Tout

David Tout and Juliette Mendelovits examine why we receive such differing reports on the literacy and numeracy skills of young Australians.

Questioning The Standards Of Literacy And Numeracy, David Tout, Juliette Mendelovits

Juliette Mendelovits

David Tout and Juliette Mendelovits examine why we receive such differing reports on the literacy and numeracy skills of young Australians.

Towards A Growth Mindset In Assessment, Geoff Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

Assessment and reporting processes shape student, parent and community beliefs about learning – sometimes in unintended ways.

Informing Policy In Developing Countries, Petra Lietz, Mollie Tobin

Dr Petra Lietz

Petra Lietz and Mollie Tobin discuss the impact of large-scale assessment programs on education policy in developing countries.

Mental Health Promotion And Early Intervention In Rural And Remote Australia Through The Kidsmatter Initiative, Katherine Dix, Stephen Mcdonald

Dr Katherine Dix

Testing A Model Of Undergraduate Competence In Employability Skills And Its Implications For Stakeholders, Denise Jackson

Denise Jackson

Despite the development of employability skills being firmly entrenched in higher education’s strategic agenda worldwide; recent graduates’ standards in certain skills are not meeting industry expectations. This paper presents and tests a model of undergraduate competence in employability skills. It highlights those factors which impact on competence in employability skills and identify ways in which stakeholders can adjust curricula and pedagogy to enhance graduate skill outcomes. Data was gathered from an online survey of 1008 business undergraduates who self-rated their competence against a framework of employability skills typically considered essential in graduates. The data was analysed using multiple regression techniques. …

Session O - Do Boys And Girls Read Differently Online? Evidence From Pisa 2009 Digital Reading Assessment, Tom Lumley, Dara Ramalingam, Juliette Mendelovits

Dr Tom Lumley

Concurrent Session Block 3

Cultural Differences In Teaching And Learning, Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

People in different cultures might learn in fundamentally different ways, Hilary Hollingsworth explains.