Education Commons^™

Paramedicine And Social Work: Case Studies In Authentic Student Recruitment, Nathalie Collins, Lynelle Watts, Renee Strauss, David Hodgson

eCULTURE

Selling the course experience to future students has been corporatised across the Higher Education sector. At many universities marketing and sales specialists, such as ECU’s Student Recruitment Team, rather than academic staff, field prospective student enquiries. Representing courses authentically is crucial to matching future students with an appropriate course experience and career, as well is managing future students’ expectations. A challenge for academics is communicating the course/career experience to university sales agents (recruiters). A challenge for recruiters is conveying an authentic course experience to future students when they have not taken a course themselves. This paper selects two ECU courses, …

Performance, Assessment And Communication In One App: Mobile Tablet Assessment Is Here To Stay, Alistair Campbell Phd, Susan J. Main Mrs

eCULTURE

It is high time we moved performance assessment into the mobile age. Performance is one of the most difficult tasks to assess using traditional methods. The pen-and-paper method generates multiple administrative bottlenecks that prevent the assessor from focusing on their primary task of professional judgment. The application of mobile technology and tablet devices can now replace pen-and-paper assessment, and achieve significant synergies resulting from the combination of technology with the assessors’ professional judgment.

The presentation will demonstrate how the application of mobile technology to the assessment of performances can be successfully achieved. The Touch2Assess (T²A) software process developed …

“It’S The Best Idea Ever!”: Exam For The Byod Generation., Susan J. Main Mrs, Alistair Campbell Phd

eCULTURE

This research sought to investigate the feasibility of digitising exams to improve student outcomes and was based on research suggesting that the handwriting speed of undergraduate students limits their ability to demonstrate knowledge, while poor legibility makes it difficult for the assessor to accurately judge the quality of the response. Research found that the handwriting speed of undergraduate students was equivalent to fluency data on 11-year-old schoolchildren, which is a significant concern when we consider that handwriting fluency accounted for considerable variance in writing quality and tutor marks for examination answers. This generation of students typically relies on digital technologies …

Australian Midwifery Students' Views About Profession-Specific Peer Mentoring, Sara J. Bayes, Doreen Collyer, Kirsten Dobbs, Laura Walsh

eCULTURE

Midwifery is one of the most demanding professions there is, and midwifery students can find coping with the practice aspect of their course difficult. Mentoring is one way of supporting health clinicians’ emotional wellbeing; to date however, there is little research on mentoring for midwifery students. In this study, the aim of which was to discover midwifery students’ views of profession-related peer mentoring, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 21 midwifery students at one Australian university. Analysis of the data revealed that most participants felt they would benefit from and would like to know more about mentoring. The qualitative …

Clinical Placement Before Or After Simulated Learning Environments? A Naturalistic Study Of Clinical Skills Acquisition Amongst Early-Stage Paramedicine Students, Brennen W. Mills Mr, Owen Carter A/Prof, Cobie Rudd Prof, Nathan Ross Mr, Louise Claxton Mrs

eCULTURE

Background

There is conflicting evidence surrounding the merit of clinical placements (CP) for early-stage health-profession students. Some contend early-stage CPs facilitate contextualisation of subsequently learned theory. Others argue attending CP before attaining skills competency is problematic and should only occur after training in simulated-learning environments (SLE). The evidentiary basis surrounding the extent to which either is true remains limited.

Methods

First-year paramedicine students (n=85) undertook three days of CP and SLEs as part of course requirements. Students undertook CP either before or after participation in SLEs creating two groups (Clin→Sim/Sim→Clin). Clinical skills acquisition was measured via objectively-structured clinical examinations (OSCE) …

Using Eye Tracking, Time-To-Action, Heart-Rate And Perceived Task Difficulty To Assess Level Of Distraction And Performance Of Entry-Level Paramedicine Students In Low- Versus High-Fidelity Simulation, Owen Carter, Brennen W. Mills, Cobie Rudd, Natalie Strobel, Louise Claxton, Nathan Ross

eCULTURE

Introduction

There is limited research investigating the usefulness of high-fidelity simulations (HFS) for early-stage students. Some argue the additional expense of HFS over low-fidelity simulation (LFS) is unnecessary as early-stage students are too easily distracted by non-relevant stimuli inhibiting student’s ability to focus on the core task. However, the extent to which this is true is yet to be empirically tested.

Methods

First-year paramedicine students were randomly assigned to complete either a LFS or HFS involving a collapsed patient with an obstructed airway. Level of distraction was measured via eye-tracking, arousal via heart-rate (HR), task difficulty via the NASA TLX, …

Promoting Creativity Through Explicit Teaching Strategies, Mark Mcmahon, Andrew Ewing

eCULTURE

Creativity is a recognizable and valued skill but is prone to multiple interpretations both in terms of its very nature and how it can be developed in students. This paper highlights one approach that has been taken in an undergraduate unit in creativity that has involved the implementation of a staff development program in applying explicit teaching strategies. The approach integrates a conceptual model of teaching creativity with the application of a professional development program called Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID). The intervention was undertaken as part of an OLT grant in collaboration with Victoria University that explored the value …

Everything In Moderation: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Rowena H. Scott, Bev Ewens, Lesley Andrew

eCULTURE

This discussion paper describes the review and development of a standardised moderation of assessment process in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. This initiative was the result of collaboration between two nursing course coordinators and a Centre for Learning and Development academic who provided the scholarship of moderation of assessments. A review of the current moderation processes revealed the potential for variation amongst markers especially due to the large number of new and sessional academic staff. A recommendation from the review was the need for a moderation process that provides evidence for reporting and is not difficult for academic staff …

Develop A Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Sids) Education Package In Jordan: Using Participatory Action Research Approach To Create Ripple Of Change, Shereen Hamadneh, Jehan Hamadneh

eCULTURE

IInfant mortality is high in Jordan, a developing country in the Middle East, at 19 per 1000 live births. Most mortality risk factors are preventable. The SIDS incidence rate has also been extrapolated as 11.22 per 1000 live births [1]. This is much higher than the United State of America (USA), a developed country (0.54 per 1000 live births) [2]. Most of modifiable SIDS risk factors can be reduced by increasing knowledge, change behaviors and practices regarding SIDS risks and prevention measures.

There has not been a major investment in educating Jordanians about SIDS. Heath care providers are identified …

Moocs, Learning Analytics And Learning Advisors, Ron Monson, Diane Bunney, Teresa Lawrence

eCULTURE

The advent of Massive Open Online Courses has been variously described as heralding the end of the modern university or alternatively, an over-hyped re-badging of existing online content whose advantages have already been realised. Appeals to ideology however, have typically characterised coverage of both polarities rather than hard evidence; in particular, there has been much less analysis on just how learning outcomes are impacted by either “face-to-face” interaction or online/digital environment. Less dichotomously and even more rarely addressed is perhaps a more pertinent question: What blending of the two learning modes works best and in what circumstances? In this paper …

The Future Of Assessment Is Mobile, Alistair Campbell

eCULTURE

Mobile devices now allow us to capture a students learning in situ. Although the iPad is largely used in education, its use is often as a supportive tool and not on endemic to assessment. Digitisation of assessment holds the promise of reducing the assessment load to two-thirds of the current administrative workload. The process transforms to a co-creative learning experience negotiated between the teacher, student and parent.

Sids Poster, Shereen Hamadneh

eCULTURE

This study sought to develop, implement and evaluate a Jordanian SIDS Education Prevention Program (JSEPP), to reduce mortality rates due to SIDS in Jordan. This study targeted health care providers, who subsequently delivered the information to families.

Can We Use Grammar To Support Students’ Communication Skills?, Rebecca Blaxell

eCULTURE

Communication skills consistently rank as one of the skills most desired by employers and is included in the graduate attributes at ECU. This paper looks to examine why sound grammatical skills are considered important and what role it plays in the development of communication skills. It looks at the role of grammar in the tertiary classroom and at possible ways that university educators can help support students’ understanding of the grammatical structures needed in the text types that are most closely associated with the workforce. Using Halliday’s interpretation of register, grammar can be considered in terms of the function needed …

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 …

Creating Cultural Empathy And Challenging Attitudes Through Indigenous Narrative Project, Toni Wain, Moira Sim, Colleen Hayward, Juli Coffin, Donna Mak, Cobie Rudd

eCULTURE

The gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is too large to ignore. This has been attributed to social and economic disadvantage, access to health care and lack of cultural appropriateness of health services and providers. Creating culturally secure healthcare requires that we explore new ways for health professionals to relate to Aboriginal people. This article describes the development, implementation and early results from the Creating cultural empathy and challenging attitudes though Indigenous narrative project. The purpose of the project is to collect and trial narrative resources to engage students in stories of Indigenous people’s perceptions and experience …

Engaging Students In Peer Review: Feedback As Learning, Catherine Moore, Susan Teather

eCULTURE

There is a growing interest in developing the capabilities of learners to evaluate and improve their own work, as well as that of others (Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Oliver, 2011). At ECU our new undergraduate curriculum framework titled Curriculum 2012: Enabling the learning journey promotes the active engagement of students in assessment for 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 are in relation to the standard, and then develop pathways …

Workplace Integrated Learning, Environmental Volunteering Or Service Learning?, Rowena H. Scott, Eddie Van Etten

eCULTURE

This discussion paper introduces the concept and practice of environmental volunteering as part of the process of Workplace Integrated Learning (WIL) at Edith Cowan University. As well as introducing the theoretical background and definitions of both volunteering and WIL, this paper describes examples from Natural Sciences domain of students doing environmental voluntary work with community groups as a practicum which is a core unit within their course. Literature suggests that these examples should neither be defined as volunteering nor WIL so their definitions and classifications are debated. Review of these examples in light of the literature suggests the conclusion that …

Using The Delphi Technique To Identify Components Of A Tertiary Strategic Hrm Curriculum, Helen Sitlington, Alan Coetzer

eCULTURE

This study sought to identify key knowledge, skills and attitudes required of SHRM graduates as identified by experts in the academic and practitioner fields. The Delphi technique was selected as it has been used effectively in other contexts to develop consensus amongst experts for a range of purposes, including curriculum design. Explanation of this technique, the rationale for its use and reflections on its use in curriculum design by both participants and researchers is provided.

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

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

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

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 Synchronised Development Of Academic And Employability Skills And Attributes At University, Rebecca Blaxell, Catherine Moore

eCULTURE

In a competitive, culturally diverse and increasingly internationalised workplace students can no longer assume that possession of a tertiary degree will naturally lead to employment. There has been a shift in the mindset of employers, who now seek to employ graduates with “employability” skills and attributes in addition to traditional expertise within their discipline (DEST, 2002). At first glance this appears to have placed an additional burden on universities in preparing students to be active citizens and engaged leaders, both within their chosen field and broader society. This paper discusses the project we embarked upon to compare the skills and …

E-Books For Research & Knowledge Creation!, Atul Chandra

eCULTURE

New opportunities and challenges of the digital age are creating a paradigm shift in research, teaching and learning. As a result, the traditional education model based on the printed book, is radically being transformed. There is now an opportunity to convert the existing “educational factories” into future “educational laboratories”, by exploiting constructivist methodologies. For maximum impact, it is imperative that the rapidly evolving digital technologies, such as e-Books enable academic research and education in a constructivist way. In order to evaluate the digital needs of academia, the definition of digital natives and digital immigrants have been expanded to introduce the …

Using Digital Lectures To Assist Student Learning, Ray Boffey, Paul Gerrans, Sophie Kennedy

eCULTURE

This study explores the use and usefulness of digital lectures as a resource to augment conventional face-to-face lectures for students in an undergraduate business course. Twelve digital lectures were provided to students enrolled in a third year finance unit of study. The digital lectures were prepared at the desktop using proprietary software to record on-screen activity (including lecture slides, real-time annotations and demonstrations) and voice-over narration. Each lecture was made available online and on CD concurrently with the face-to-face lecture (attendance at which was voluntary). Twelve principles of multimedia design (Mayer 2009), based on dual-coding theory (Paivio 2006) and a …

Are They All The Same? Lurkers And Posters On The Net, Beth Walker, Janice Redmond, Andras Lengyel

eCULTURE

Contemporary trends aim to shift the majority of services offered online. While expectations are very high that people will engage, learn and communicate via the Internet not everyone does and not all technologically designed services are successful. Little is known about online behaviour. This paper adds to the knowledge about two online behavioural groups, Lurkers and Posters by identifying two categories within each of these groups. The two types of Lurkers identified were categorised as Passive and Active Lurkers while the two types of Posters identified have been categorised as either Initial or Responding Posters. This information is valuable as …

A Novice Lecturer’S Foray Into Creating An Engaging Online Learning Experience In A Higher Education Environment, Jenni Parker

eCULTURE

As student enrolments increase in online learning courses in higher education it is imperative for universities to address a number of challenges in order to provide quality learning experiences. One of the key challenges is identifying how to construct interactive and engaging student-centred environments that can support communication and collaboration. This article describes how an existing instructional framework was used to redesign an online unit to create a student-centred learning environment supported by technology to encourage learners to interact, communicate and collaborate. It explains the rationale for the unit design and how new technologies were used by students as cognitive …

Five Myths And Realities About Generation Y, Jenny Devine

eCULTURE

The notion of generational differences has been around since society has been documented. The bible documents conflict between generations. In the 1950’s, Elvis Presley’s unashamed hip swivelling was surely going to be the end of society. Our parents did not understand us, and we struggle to understand why our children would prefer to spend hours on interactive video games instead of kicking a football in the park. Our world is very different today from the world of our parents, grandparents and their parents, so it stands to reason that generations will adapt to a different world as well as influence …

Improving Marking Of Live Performances Involving Multiple Markers Assessing Different Aspects, Julia Wren

eCULTURE

Assessment in the arts can be challenging. The problems associated with assessing student performances are that judgements are complex and even more so when they involve multiple markers (Campbell, 2005). It can be difficult to ensure assessment is fair, valid and reliable and that students are provided with clear feedback that is meaningful to them. This paper describes the development and trialling of an innovative, technology supported tool, designed to improve the confidence, efficiency and effectiveness of student performance-based assessment in arts education. This project is a work in progress and early trials of the Internet based digital computer technology …

In-Course Language Support: Working Towards Best Practice, Anne Harris, Joanna Ashton

eCULTURE

In Australian universities, student demographics over the past decade have changed markedly. The main shift is an increase in the number of students who have English as an additional language or are the first in their family to enter higher education. As student populations diversify, many universities are recognising that language and academic support programs require different emphases. For years, the fundamentals of learning support revolved around centrally run workshops and individual consultations but recently, a number of universities have moved towards contextualised in-course support. This paper looks at a similar shift. In 2010, learning support at Edith Cowan University …