Deanne Gannaway

Strategies for effective dissemination of the outcomes of teaching and learning projects

This paper describes an empirical study that addresses the question of how higher education institutions can disseminate effectively the outcomes of projects that seek to achieve large-scale change in teaching and learning. Traditionally, dissemination of innovation and good practice is strongly advocated within universities, but little consideration is given to developing enabling strategies and processes. Most current models of dissemination focus on sponsored workshops, seminars and courses; upgrading infrastructure; journal articles and scholarly publications; resource websites; some form of ‘teaching excellence’ awards; and showcases of good practice. Although these are useful and do constitute a degree of dissemination, they are not sufficient for leading widespread changes in practice or implementation across an institution or discipline. A central task of this study has been to unravel the hitherto contested and unclear terms to explore the complex relationships between ideas and innovations and their dissemination better.

What's in their baggage? The cultural and social capital of Australian students preparing to study abroad

Governments and educational institutions promote study abroad in the belief that it offers valuable learning experiences for all students. Yet studies suggest that equitable access to study abroad is more myth than reality. This study took a narrative approach supported by survey data to explore this issue at one Australian university. The survey indicated that the majority of students are effectively excluded from the universitys Student Exchange Programme, and that those included generally have high cultural, social and economic capital. Interviews revealed how multiple dimensions of privilege typically work to make study abroad imaginable, affordable and do-able for some. These findings are complicated by one students atypical narrative, which serves to raise further questions for research.

Cultivating change: disseminating innovation in higher education teaching and learning

Effective dissemination is crucial if innovation and development in teaching and learning in higher education are to lead to sustainable changes in practice. In 2003, King used an agricultural metaphor to challenge innovators to understand the purposes behind their dissemination aims. Similar to the way that seed can be spread, one could choose to widely scatter the information, and hope it grows wherever it lands; one could actively direct the scattering; or one could nurture and propagate future adoption in an ongoing manner. A recent investigation into dissemination strategies used in Australian teaching and learning innovation grants shows that certain dissemination strategies might make the ground more fertile and receptive to the seeds sown. To those engaged in funded projects grappling with translating project outputs and outcomes to sustainable changes in practice, this paper offers a framework and tools designed to help prepare the soil and cultivate change.

The Bachelor of Arts: slipping into the twilight or facing a new dawn?

Undergraduate students have historically engaged with the humanities and social sciences through the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree programme. Recent experiences suggest that the relevance and the value of the degree to the modern world is now being challenged: populist press questions the value of the humanities to the modern knowledge economy; public funding for teaching in the social sciences and humanities in higher education has been slashed in the UK and elsewhere; humanities and social sciences schools and departments in the USA, New Zealand and Canada rationalised and restructured; BA programmes in some Australian universities closed. All seems to suggest that the sun is setting on the BA. This paper argues that, in Australia at least, these actions have been made on the basis of a flawed understanding of contemporary BA programmes. It asserts that the contemporary BA is a very different creature to that of even the recent past. The paper offers a new definition of the contemporary Australian BA degree programme developed as a result of a comparative historical analysis research study across 39 Australian institutions. It extends an argument that perhaps the time is right for a re-examination of what is meant by ‘BA’ – before we declare the degree a relic of the past.

So how big is big? Investigating the impact of class size on ratings in student evaluation

Abstract Australian universities have a long history of use of student satisfaction surveys. Their use has expanded and purpose changed over time. The surveys are often viewed as distorted by external influences such as discipline context, class size and year level of participants. This paper reports on the results of a large-scale investigation interrogating the influence of class size on student satisfaction ratings. The investigation was conducted at a large, comprehensive, research-intensive Australian university. It drew on the data from a survey administered to all students in all units of undergraduate and postgraduate study conducted across the university over four semesters. Data were collated into four class size categories. This categorised data were subjected to statistical analyses. This paper discusses the approach taken, the results of the analysis and their implications for student evaluation of teaching and learning.

Towards a Curriculum Typology for Australian Generalist Arts Degree Programmes.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is arguably one of the longest‐established and largest degree programmes in the Australian higher education system. Traditionally, the BA programme is a liberal arts degree that is considered the first step in the lifelong journey of learning and that is frequently marketed as such. Yet, in an increasingly commercial world, the relevance and the value of a generalist arts degree to the contemporary Australian society and economy are frequently called into question by students, prospective employers and university administration. A recent national federally funded project in Australia investigated the nature and roles of Australian arts programmes. Analysis of generalist arts degree programmes on offer at 40 Australian universities between 2001 and 2008 resulted in the development of a typology describing common features and purposes of these programmes. This article argues that this typology can be used to develop a common framework to clarify and articulate the purpose and intention of an arts programme.

WIL in Liberal Arts Programs: New Approaches

Abstract In a service-led, knowledge-based economy, employers increasingly expect universities to deliver a workforce suited to this environment. This emphasis is evident in contemporary Australian higher education, which is shifting to an acquisition of vocational outcomes. However, vocational outcomes are not traditionally viewed as outcomes of liberal arts programs. Balancing new expectations with traditional perspectives generates a tension between assuring graduates employment outcomes and maintaining the integrity of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) as a liberal arts program. Getting it wrong can result in fragmented and unstable curricula. One of the many ways that Australian BA programs are grappling with this problem is through the provision of work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for liberal arts students. In professions-based programs such as engineering or dentistry, the shape and nature of these courses may be obvious. It is less so in the generalist BA. Australian BA programs offer students the opportunity to engage with WIL in a variety of ways. Evidence from national studies investigating the Australian BA between 2008 and 2016 highlight common features of practice – such as the objectives, activities, and structure, and indicate that two approaches to providing WIL opportunities in the BA are evident. In order to meet the goals and aspirations of both economic and social purposes of higher education, liberal arts programs tend to adopt either a transactional or a transformational model. Each model has particular characteristics and approaches to practice that can inform the development of new programs and policies more globally.

Future Doctors' Perceptions about Incorporating Nutrition into Standard Care Practice

ABSTRACT Objective: The increasing prevalence of chronic disease has been largely attributed to long-term poor nutrition and lifestyle choices. This study investigates the attitudes of our future physicians toward nutrition and the likelihood of incorporating nutrition principles into current treatment protocols.Methods: Setting: The setting of this study was an Australian university medical school. Subjects: Subjects including year 1–4 students (n = 928) in a 4-year medical bachelor, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) degree program. Students were invited to participate in a questionnaire based on an existing instrument, the Nutrition in Patient Care Attitude (NIPC) Questionnaire, to investigate their attitudes toward nutrition in health care practices.Results: Respondents indicated that “high risk patients should be routinely counseled on nutrition” (87%), “nutrition counseling should be routine practice” (70%), and “routine nutritional assessment and counseling should occur in general practice” (57%). However, despite overall student support of nutritional counseling (70%) and assessment (86%), students were reluctant to perform actual dietary assessments, with only 38% indicating that asking for a food diary or other measure of dietary intake was important.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that future physicians are aware of the importance of considering nutrition counseling and assessment. However, students are unlikely to adequately integrate relevant nutritional information into their treatment protocols, evidenced by their limited use of a basic nutritional assessment. This is potentially the result of a lack of formal nutrition education within their basic training.

Reflecting on institutional support for SoTL engagement: developing a conceptual framework

Abstract This paper considers the support required to develop Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) capability across institutions. Rather than developing a checklist or a standardised audit approach, this paper describes the reflective journey taken by a group of academic developers who used strategies and structures previously identified in the literature to develop a conceptual framework for academic professional development. The framework was refined through an iterative process, including reflection on its use within diverse institutional contexts, combined with evaluative feedback from recognised experts in the field. The resulting framework is designed to facilitate and guide conversations to support institutional decision-making related to SoTL capacity building.

Understanding learning and teaching in MOOCs from the perspectives of students and instructors: A review of literature from 2014 to 2016

This article presents the results of a literature review on key learning and teaching dimensions in MOOCs. 95 studies published from January 2014 to October 2016 were selected for review. Four important learning and teaching dimensions were identified, and relationships between these dimensions were presented. The key dimensions and sub-dimensions reported in this literature review are student factors (education background, country of origin, age, gender, and motivation), teaching context (motivation, challenge, and pedagogical preference), student engagement (emotional, social, behavioural, and cognitive engagement), and learning outcomes (perception, retention, and grade). The review provides evidence of a relationship between student factors and engagement and a relationship between student engagement and learning outcomes.