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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Importance Of Trust And Authenticity Among Stakeholders Involved In Higher Education Data Infrastructure Redevelopments: An Australian Critical Discourse Study, Elizabeth Cook Jan 2023

The Importance Of Trust And Authenticity Among Stakeholders Involved In Higher Education Data Infrastructure Redevelopments: An Australian Critical Discourse Study, Elizabeth Cook

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Governments require higher education providers (HEPs) to be transparent in their use of public funds and have developed specialised higher education (HE) data infrastructure to enable the data transfer from HEPs to government departments. In 2018, Australia’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment launched Transforming the Collection of Student Information (TCSI) to enhance HE data infrastructure for student data transfer. This critical discourse study explores the discourses, discursive strategies and perspectives surrounding TCSI. Findings included HEP issues and concerns that the interviewees believed were inadequately addressed or ignored despite the Department’s claims of extensive engagement with HEPs to achieve mutually …


Valuing The Leadership Role Of University Unit Coordinators, Coral Pepper, Susan Roberts Jan 2016

Valuing The Leadership Role Of University Unit Coordinators, Coral Pepper, Susan Roberts

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper we describe the experiences of 64 unit coordinators across 15 Australian universities, gathered during 2011/2012 as part of an Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) project. Our intention was to gain insight into how unit coordinators (academics who coordinate a discrete unit of study) perceive their role as leaders of learning in higher education and whether the support provided to them by their institutions meets their needs. The study is of international significance given the rapidly changing higher education landscape with larger class sizes, reduced funding and the increasing use of technology occurring globally. Following a brief …


Investigating First Year Education Students’ Stress Level, Gretchen Geng, Richard Midford Jan 2015

Investigating First Year Education Students’ Stress Level, Gretchen Geng, Richard Midford

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper investigated the stress levels of first-year education students who undertake teaching practicum and theory units during their first year of teacher education program. First, 139 first-year and 143 other years’ education students completed the PSS-10 scale, which measures perceived level of stress. Then, 147 first-year education students completed an online questionnaire to identify the particular stressors in their learning experience. The first-year education students had significantly higher stress levels than other years’ education students, (p < .01). Contributing stressors included academic work commitment; completing placement and related performance assessments in schools and at university; having a good understanding of the requirements of professional teaching, such as classroom management, and working with mentor teachers; and conflicting work and family commitments. These findings provide greater understanding about the stressors experienced by first-year education students and usefully inform ways to help this group achieve their study and career goals.



Embedding Academic Socialisation Within A Language Support Program: An Australian Case Study, Shelley E. Beatty, Ashok Collins, Maureen A. Buckingham Jan 2014

Embedding Academic Socialisation Within A Language Support Program: An Australian Case Study, Shelley E. Beatty, Ashok Collins, Maureen A. Buckingham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper describes discipline-specific transition support utilised to follow-up the Post-Entry Language Assessment (PELA) recently introduced at Edith Cowan University as one strategy to address declining rates of English language proficiency. Transition support was embedded within a first year core unit and emphasis was placed on assisting students to develop spoken and written communicative competencies by scaffolding assessment tasks and providing other academic supports that used contextualised examples. While general satisfaction with the academic support offered during the course was high, the program achieved limited success in encouraging at-risk students to seek support. Further investigation into methods of encouraging student …


Cohesion, Coherence And Connectedness: The 3c Model For Enabling-Course Design To Support Student Transition To University, Suzanne Sharp, John A. O'Rourke, Jeniffer M. Lane, Anne-Maree Hays Jan 2014

Cohesion, Coherence And Connectedness: The 3c Model For Enabling-Course Design To Support Student Transition To University, Suzanne Sharp, John A. O'Rourke, Jeniffer M. Lane, Anne-Maree Hays

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent Australian government policy has focused on attracting students from under-represented and diverse groups to tertiary education with university enabling courses one pathway for these students. The trend towards broader participation has altered traditional perceptions of a typical university student and raised delivery challenges. The ability to engage these students as learners and improve their academic outcomes and confidence towards successful course completion, is increasingly important to universities because of attrition costs to governments, students and higher education institutions, and is increasingly reflected in academic literature. While strategic student support options have been examined in detail, less focus has been …


The Development Of A Student Focused Model For Transition To University, Lynne Cohen, Catherine Ferguson, Bronwyn Harman, Mary Boyce, Anne Harris, Megan Le Clus May 2013

The Development Of A Student Focused Model For Transition To University, Lynne Cohen, Catherine Ferguson, Bronwyn Harman, Mary Boyce, Anne Harris, Megan Le Clus

eCULTURE

The transition to university is a well recognised challenge, especially for non-traditional students. This paper presents a student-focused model for the transition to university, developed through an extensive literature review, discussions with a range of professionals nationally and internationally, and first year teaching practice. The model was applied to the development of a range of strategies to be implemented at one institution. The use of the model may facilitate the development of a university-wide approach to the issues of student transition to university and the first year in higher education experience. The model will allow a balanced approach to be …


Improving Assessment Outcomes Through The Application Of Innovative Digital Technologies, Julia Wren, Alistair Campbell, John Heyworth, Christine Lovering May 2013

Improving Assessment Outcomes Through The Application Of Innovative Digital Technologies, Julia Wren, Alistair Campbell, John Heyworth, Christine Lovering

eCULTURE

Assessing students’ live performances is challenging because the marker needs to make complex judgements often very quickly while at the same time recording information and viewing the performance. The challenge increases when multiple markers are involved and moderation of marks is required. It can be difficult to maintain sound assessment principles, such as fairness and validity, and to offer students quality and timely feedback. This paper describes a two phase, qualitative, action research project which trialled the use of an innovative, digital technology-supported assessment tool designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of assessment and moderation of live performances. The …


Embedding Innovative Assessment Practices To Develop Critical Appraisal Skills In A Third Year Social Science Unit, Susan Teather, Catherine Moore May 2013

Embedding Innovative Assessment Practices To Develop Critical Appraisal Skills In A Third Year Social Science Unit, Susan Teather, Catherine Moore

eCULTURE

There is a growing imperative in tertiary education (nationally and internationally) to enable lifelong learning as a graduate outcome (Bologna Process, 2010: Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Oliver, 2011). At ECU our new undergraduate curriculum framework titled Curriculum 2012: enabling the learning journey promotes lifelong learning and assessment for learning. Lifelong learning implies developing both the capacity to learn and the ability to direct learning. In order to successfully direct their own learning beyond university students need to be able to identify the standard of performance to which they should aspire as a result of that learning, accurately locate where they …


Designing An Authentic Blend: Development Of A ‘Real-Life’ Learning Environment For Higher Education , Tara Smith, Jenni Parker May 2013

Designing An Authentic Blend: Development Of A ‘Real-Life’ Learning Environment For Higher Education , Tara Smith, Jenni Parker

eCULTURE

Increasing student enrolments in higher education have created new challenges for universities to address, if they are to provide a quality learning experiences for all students. One key challenge is identifying how to construct more flexible, interactive and engaging student-centred environments that can support students’ transition to the workplace. This article describes how teaching and learning processes have been reengineered to design an authentic blended learning environment that offers students real-life learning experiences supported by new technologies.


First Year Experience (Fye): International Students’ Experiences , Catherine Ferguson, Bronwyn Harman, Lynne Cohen, Shelley Beatty, Mary Boyce, Sue Sharp, Kevin Vanderplank May 2013

First Year Experience (Fye): International Students’ Experiences , Catherine Ferguson, Bronwyn Harman, Lynne Cohen, Shelley Beatty, Mary Boyce, Sue Sharp, Kevin Vanderplank

eCULTURE

International students confront a range of challenges during their transition to living and studying in Australia. Despite these challenges over 80% of international students reported high satisfaction with their life and study within Australia. This qualitative study reports on the experiences of 53 first year international students at ECU. Participants were students from across a range of study areas who responded to an online or face to face survey. Participants were required to respond to four questions which were analysed thematically to provide a summary of their experiences. Survey questions included their positive and negative experiences of being a first …


The Digital Filing Cabinet: Using Web2 Technologies To Collaborate Create And Manage Student Information, Jenny Lane, Alistair Campbell Feb 2013

The Digital Filing Cabinet: Using Web2 Technologies To Collaborate Create And Manage Student Information, Jenny Lane, Alistair Campbell

eCULTURE

This paper discusses the development and piloting of a digital filing system. It promotes the idea of the paperless office or teaching space of the future. This is a tool to improve efficiency, accountability and collaboration when managing data. This system allows you to have access to all your records wherever you are. It allows joint authoring and input of data. Teachers, managers and students, who need to store and manage important data, can customize the toll o meet their needs. It supports a vision of a learning community of the future where all the needed information is right at …


Completing A Phd By Publication: A Review Of Australian Policy And Implications For Practice, Denise Jackson Jan 2013

Completing A Phd By Publication: A Review Of Australian Policy And Implications For Practice, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2013

There is increasing impetus for higher degree by research students to publish during candidature. Research performance, including higher degree completions and publication output, commonly determines university funding and doctorates with publishing experience are better positioned for a career in softening academic labour markets. The PhD by Publication provides a pathway for candidates to foster and demonstrate their publishing capabilities. It also provides existing academics a means of achieving doctoral status while managing the ‘publish or perish’ milieu endemic to their work. This paper clarifies the precise nature and significance of the PhD by Publication pathway in the Australian context and …


Identifying Students Requiring English Language Support: What Role Can A Pela Play?, Anne J. Harris Jan 2013

Identifying Students Requiring English Language Support: What Role Can A Pela Play?, Anne J. Harris

Research outputs 2013

The number of higher education providers implementing a post-entry English Language Assessment (PELA) has increased exponentially in the past six years. This uptake has been driven largely by the “Good Practice Principles”, the TEQSA Act 2011, and TEQSA’s Quality Assessment on English Language Proficiency. Evidence suggests that at least 50% of Australian universities now offer some form of PELA, but few compel students to complete it. This paper discusses four years of learning that took place in one university, beginning with trialling a range of PELAs through to the endorsement of a short written task in all undergraduate courses. It …


Reengineering The Academic Unit's Research Practice: A Stages Model, Dieter Fink Jan 2011

Reengineering The Academic Unit's Research Practice: A Stages Model, Dieter Fink

Research outputs 2011

The paper presents a stages model that guided the efforts of an academic unit at an Australian university to improve its research performance. Aiming to grow the research culture it used the re-engineering approach to bring about a transformation. There are four stages in the model used: establishing the current research presence, facilitating research interaction, increasing research transactions and achieving research transformation. Part of stage 1 was a survey to establish significant gaps between staff research expectations and perceptions. Progress for stages 1 and 2 were able to be managed within the academic unit but stage 3 was largely influenced …


Enhancing Psychology Students' Experiences: The Development Of An Undergraduate Leadership Programme, Lynne Cohen, Paul Chang, Joyce Hendricks, Vicki Cope, Bronwyn Harman Jan 2011

Enhancing Psychology Students' Experiences: The Development Of An Undergraduate Leadership Programme, Lynne Cohen, Paul Chang, Joyce Hendricks, Vicki Cope, Bronwyn Harman

Research outputs 2011

Leadership is a practical skill, highly valued by employers but not formally taught in Australian psychology curricula. The Edith Cowan University School of Psychology and Social Science developed a programme aimed at addressing the lack of leadership training in undergraduate psychology students. This 12-month extracurricular programme provided theoretical and practical experience in leadership, and incorporated a formal series of workshops and seminars with three curricular components: leadership knowledge, leadership skills, and leadership in action. Students were then provided with the opportunity to develop and practise their leadership skills by participating in a series of expert-driven seminars, through role-playing, perspective taking, …


A Process For Transition To Sustainability: Implementation, Sandra Wooltorton, Marilyn Palmer, Fran Steele Jan 2011

A Process For Transition To Sustainability: Implementation, Sandra Wooltorton, Marilyn Palmer, Fran Steele

Research outputs 2011

This paper reports the outcomes of the second action cycle of an ongoing project at Edith Cowan University (ECU) called "Transition to Sustainability: ECU South West" which is located in a small, single faculty regional university campus. The overall project has comprised three action research cycles, the first of which was the planning cycle which established the importance of building a community of practice with a learning stance for sustainability transition. It also highlighted the issue of a common definition of the term sustainability; of including cross-disciplinary perspectives; and of working with the local community. The second action cycle which …


Staff Perspectives On The Role Of English Proficiency In Providing Support Services, Sophia Harryba, Andrew Guilfoyle, Shirlee-Ann Knight Jan 2011

Staff Perspectives On The Role Of English Proficiency In Providing Support Services, Sophia Harryba, Andrew Guilfoyle, Shirlee-Ann Knight

Research outputs 2011

A case study approach was applied to understand the challenges of offering support services to international students (IS) within a university setting. A social constructivist theoretical framework informed the collection and analysis of data. Perspectives from service providers - general and academic staff members and international students were triangulated. To date, 63 participants have been interviewed and preliminary findings show that although international students encounter a number of academic and socio-cultural difficulties during university transition, many do not access support services offered by university for various reasons including; perceived language and cultural barriers, unawareness, feeling uncomfortable; and avoiding any stigma …


Steering In The Same Direction? : An Examination Of The Mission And Structure Of The Governance Of Providers Of Pathway Programs, Rodney A. Gillett Jan 2011

Steering In The Same Direction? : An Examination Of The Mission And Structure Of The Governance Of Providers Of Pathway Programs, Rodney A. Gillett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of the study was to examine the mission and structure of governance of three providers of pre-university pathway programs based in Australia and operating on a global basis. The aim of the research was to investigate changes, if any, to the purpose and form of governance in this sector for which virtually no research has been undertaken. The literature review of governance in the higher education sector on a global scale in relation to universities revealed an increasing trend toward a corporate style of management. The literature also revealed that the distributors of pathway programs are operating in …


An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Investigation Of The Organisational Strategies Employed To Prevent And Ameliorate Workplace Bullying In University Settings, Dragana Krestelica Jan 2005

An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Investigation Of The Organisational Strategies Employed To Prevent And Ameliorate Workplace Bullying In University Settings, Dragana Krestelica

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Workplaces abound in conflict. Individuals within organisations are therefore vulnerable to a wide range of intimidating interactional tactics. These tactics can have an extremely negative impact upon individual workers and upon subsequent organisational performance. Consequentially, the diverse forms of organisational social harassment, and specifically bullying, place a large financial burden upon both organisations and nations. Therefore, the identification of strategies used to prevent and ameliorate workplace bullying and an examination that highlights their comparative success or failure is of great importance for all employers, employees and government. This study focuses upon those strategies used to prevent and ameliorate such workplace …


Quality Management In Australian Higher Education : A Critical Review, Trudi Cooper Jan 2004

Quality Management In Australian Higher Education : A Critical Review, Trudi Cooper

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Quality management in higher education is a politically contentious issue in Australia. as it is in North America, New Zealand, and many European countries. The Australian government has instituted a quality management system for higher education that it claims will improve university efficiency, accountability and quality. Critics assert that the current quality management system is detrimental to universities and undermines the capability of universities to deliver maximal benefits to individuals and to society. Evaluation of the basis of conflicting claims is necessary to enable decisions about the usefulness of current practices and decisions about whether existing quality management arrangements should …


The Eclipse Of Equality Of Opportunity?, Simon Marginson Jan 1991

The Eclipse Of Equality Of Opportunity?, Simon Marginson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Equality of opportunity has been the most important organising principle in education policies in postwar Australia. Equality of opportunity was central to the expansion of publicly-funded education: the promise of upward social mobility through education had broad appeal. Equality of opportunity objectives are now being displaced by the newer and more limited concept of market equity. Equality of opportunity usually implies equality of the educational resources provided to each child, and sometimes goes further to mean positive discrimination in favour of the disadvantaged. However, equity is usually understood only as the right to participate in education. Whereas economic objections used …