Education Commons^™

Rethinking Combined History Departments: An Argument For History And Anthropology, Ageeth Sluis, Elise Edwards

Elise M. Edwards

Many opportunities for more integrated teaching that better capture the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary scholars' work and better achieve the aims of liberal arts education still remain untapped, particularly at smaller schools where combined departments are often necessary. The disciplinary boundaries between history and sociocultural anthropology have become increasingly blurred in recent decades, a trend reflected in scholarly work that engages with both fields, as well as dual-degree graduate programmes at top U.S. research universities. For many scholars, this interdisciplinarity makes sense, with the two disciplines offering critical theoretical tools and methods that must be used in combination to tackle …

The Value Of Academic Group Work: An Examination Of Faculty And Student Perceptions, Joanne P. Labeouf, John C. Griffith, Marian C. Schultz

John Griffith

Perceptions Of Instructors And Students With Respect To Synchronous Video Learning, John Griffith, Marian C. Schultz

John Griffith

Re-Integrating Academic Development And Academic Language And Learning: A Call To Reason, Alisa Percy

Alisa Percy, PhD

This paper argues for the re-integration of academic development (AD) and a academic language and learning (ALL) practitioners in Australian higher education. This argument is made as universities aim to develop internationally recognised, inter-disciplinary and standards-based curricula against the backdrop of international comparative education (e.g., Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), the Australian Qualifications Framework and a quality emphasis on English language standards (e.g., Tertiary Education Quality and Assessment Agency). Drawing on Rowland's argument that professional life in the academy has become fragmented across five fault lines ([2002]. Overcoming fragmentation in professional life: The challenge for academic development. Higher Education …

A Critical Turn In Higher Education Research: Turning The Critical Lens On The Academic Language And Learning Educator, Alisa Percy

Alisa Percy, PhD

This paper suggests that historical ontology, as one form of reflexive critique, is an instructive research design for making sense of the political and historical constitution of the Academic Language and Learning (ALL) educator in Australian higher education. The ALL educator in this paper refers to those practitioners in the field of ALL, whose ethical agency has largely been taken for granted since their slow and uneven emergence in the latter half of the twentieth century. Using the lens of governmentality, genealogical design and archaeological method, the historical ontology proposed in this paper demonstrates how the ethical remit of the …

Black And Male On Campus: An Autoethnographic Account, Royel Johnson

Dr. Royel M. Johnson

The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to explore the ways in which race and racism coalesce in shaping the college experiences of Black men. I employ Critical Race Theory (CRT) to analyze my own reflections about lived realities experienced as an undergraduate at a predominantly White institution (PWI). Findings center on the role that race played in shaping my experiences related to achievement, engagement, and representation in college. Implications for the study highlight the importance of grit and double consciousness in the success of Black men in college, as well as the role of “racial symbolism” in coloring their …

An Australian Based Study On The Readability Of Hiv/Aids And Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Trial Informed Consent Documents, Laura Buccini, Donald Iverson, Peter Caputi, Caroline Jones

Don C. Iverson

The aims of this study were to measure the readability of Australian based informed consent documents and determine whether informed consent readability guidelines have been established by Australian human research ethics committees (HRECs). A total of 20 informed consent documents, 10 HIV/AIDS and 10 type 2 diabetes, were measured for readability using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Gunning Fog Index (Fog). Published guidelines and policy statements of the two local HREC who approved the 20 clinical trials under study where examined to identify whether they had any formal policies/guidelines on the readability of informed consent documents. The two …

The Sociobehavioural Cancer Research Network: Background Progress Report, Lori Lockyer, R Futcher, F Ashbury, Don Iverson

Don C. Iverson

The Sociobehavioural Cancer Research Network (SCRN) was established in 1994 by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) with funding from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). The network was created to facilitate the development of behavioural science studies that would contribute to a fuller understanding of the cancer experience, from prevention through detection, treatment and post treatment (including palliative care). This article describes the nature of network research, the development and organization of the Sociobehavioural Cancer Research Network and the challenges it faces.

Assessing Clinical Trial Informed Consent Comprehension In Non-Cognitively-Impaired Adults: A Systematic Review Of Instruments, Laura Buccini, Don Iverson, Peter Caputi, Caroline Jones, Sheridan Gho

Don C. Iverson

This systematic review identifies and critically evaluates instruments that have been developed to measure clinical trial informed consent comprehension in non-cognitively-impaired adults. Literature searches were carried out on Medline (Ovid), PsycInfo, CINHAL, ERIC, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library for English language articles published between January 1980 and September 2008. Instruments were excluded if they focused on consent onto paediatric trials, the construct under study was primarily capacity or competency, or the instrument was developed specifically for psychiatric or cognitively-impaired populations. Instruments selected for review were evaluated against the following criteria: (1) method of item generation; (2) type and format of test …

What Factors Influence Children's Activity?, Anne-Maree Parrish, Kenneth Russell, Heather Yeatman, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

The school environment has an essential role in encouraging children to exercise. This study explores variables which may contribute to increased activity levels on the playground.

Editorial: Social Inclusion--Are We There Yet?, Kimberley Mcmahon Coleman, Alisa Percy, Bronwyn James

Alisa Percy, PhD

This special edition of the Journal of Academic Language and Learning arose out of a Forum titled Critical Discussions about Social Inclusion held at the University of Wollongong, Australia in June 2011. It was organised by academic language and learning educators from five different universities: Ingrid Wijeyewardene from the University of New England, Helen Drury from the University of Sydney, Caroline San Miguel from the University of Technology Sydney, Stephen Milnes from the Australian National University, and ourselves from the University of Wollongong. Initially funded by a grant from the Association for Academic Language and Learning, this funding was later …