Debra Mary Bath

Beyond mapping and embedding graduate attributes: bringing together quality assurance and action learning to create a validated and living curriculum

With increasing importance being placed on the development of generic skills in higher education, institutions are espousing, as part of their mission and objectives, which generic skills their graduates achieve, and teachers are being required to document how their courses and programs support the development of those skills and attributes. The mapping of opportunities for development of graduate attributes in the planned curriculum thus plays an important role in relation to quality assurance and reporting processes, and embedding these opportunities in curricula may ensure alignment between the espoused curriculum and the taught curriculum. But are these processes enough to ensure that what is espoused and enacted through the curriculum is aligned with what students experience and learn? This issue is addressed here through a case study of a team of university teachers at one Australian institution who went beyond the mapping and embedding of graduate attributes in their courses of study, and engaged in a process of action learning to create a valid and living curriculum for the development of graduate attributes.

Academic developers: an academic tribe claiming their territory in higher education

In this paper we review the current debate regarding the work of academic developers in higher education and their rightful “place” in higher education, particularly with regard to notions of the discipline, research and scholarship of teaching. We describe and compare the work of discipline academics and academic developers and argue that the two are more similar to each other than different. We acknowledge the challenges and tensions that exist in the overlap between the domains of expertise of discipline academics and academic developers, and attempt to articulate sources of these tensions in a conceptual model. Ultimately we defend two propositions: (1) that academic developers are, by the nature of their work, academics, and (2) that the discipline that academic development is a part of, namely the discipline of higher education, is a legitimate academic discipline in its own right. The consequences of these two propositions are explored.

The Relationship between Epistemological Beliefs and the Propensity for Lifelong Learning.

The characteristics of lifelong learners have been extensively discussed in the literature and generally encapsulate two broad dimensions; skills and abilities related to learning, and beliefs about learning and knowledge. This study examined the factors that may predict such characteristics and thus an individuals propensity to engage in lifelong learning in a sample of university students. Together, openness to experience, change readiness, approaches to learning, self-efficacy and epistemological beliefs significantly predicted lifelong learning characteristics. In particular, the unique contribution of epistemological beliefs to the profile of a lifelong learner was supported. Results indicate that these beliefs may be a key predictor of lifelong learning.

Predicting Social Support for Grieving Persons: A Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective

Research has consistently reported that social support from family, friends, and colleagues is an important factor in the bereaved persons ability to cope after the loss of a loved one. This study used a Theory of Planned Behavior framework to identify those factors that predict a persons intention to interact with, and support, a grieving person. Questionnaire data from 160 university students showed that together behavioral, normative, and control beliefs and past behavior significantly predicted intention after controlling for gender and past experience. Behavioral beliefs, followed by control beliefs and past behavior, were the most important predictors of intention to support a grieving person.

Developing and evaluating authentic integration between research and coursework in professional doctorate programs

Integration has always been a prominent issue debated in the burgeoning literature on professional doctorate programs. This focus on integration, however, has largely involved the integration between theoretical and practical understandings of various professions. Exploring the integration between research and coursework components of professional doctorate programs has received less attention. This article explores the character of the integration between coursework and research in several professional doctorate programs at a number of Australian research‐intensive universities and universities of technology. Using a content analysis methodology, this research charted the various models for sequencing research and coursework and established whether integration was an explicit or implicit goal of the espoused curriculum. It also sought to explore whether there were differences in the levels of integration in professional doctorate programs across different types of universities or patterns of variation across disciplines.

Evaluation of a university-wide strategy providing staff development for tutors: effectiveness, relevance and local impact

In this article we report on the results of an evaluation of a two‐tiered strategic approach to the development of sessional teaching staff in one Australian university. Analysis of the data reveals a tension between the institutional imperatives underpinning the strategy and its local implementations. This tension ultimately undermines the effectiveness of such development strategies. We identify and describe various dimensions of this tension and its impact on programme quality and effectiveness and make recommendations for future strategic initiatives and their implementations.

Evaluation of a networked staff development strategy for departmental tutor trainers: benefits, limitations and future directions

As part of the 1997–1999 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Plan, the University of Queensland mandated that all its academic departments should conduct tutor training. The Universitys academic development unit, TEDI (the Teaching and Educational Development Institute) designed a network‐based staff development strategy for the development of departmental staff designated as tutor trainers. The strategy was known as the Tutor Training Network (TTN). This paper describes the strategy and reports on an evaluation of the Network programme. The data show that although it was very successful, the network‐based strategy has a limited lifespan. Nonetheless it is an effective strategy for wholesale staff development to support institution‐wide implementations of policy or changes in practice.

Where should the balance be between “scientist” and “practitioner” in Australian undergraduate psychology?

Abstract The scientist–practitioner model of training in psychology has been widely influential in the development of undergraduate curricula in Australia. The model had its origins in post-war America and has formed the basis for accreditation of psychology courses in Australia since the late 1970s. Recently a reconsideration of the model in Australian undergraduate psychology was argued for, suggesting that the absence of significant practical skills development in most curricula is detrimental to the disciplines graduates and their employers. The authors agree that the need for some practical skills development in undergraduate curricula is becoming increasingly important for psychology. Many of the exemplars of curriculum revision provided, however, are impractical and are unlikely to make significant contributions to Australian programs. There is an urgent need to consider the graduate attributes desired for 3-year and 4-year trained psychology graduates who will go on to employment without completi...

CEQ and GDS outcomes in psychology, 1994-2003

This study was undertaken to develop and evaluate the efficacy of an early intervention for children who had been injured in an accident. The aim of the intervention was to prevent the development of longterm psychological consequences. Brochures were developed for children, adolescents, and their parents. These brochures detailed common responses to trauma (and normalized such responses), and suggestions for minimizing any post-trauma distress. Participants were children aged 7-15 admitted to hospital for traumatic injury. The intervention was delivered to one of two hospitals, within 72 hours of the trauma. 103 children and parents participated in the study. The parents and children completed structured interviews and questionnaires 2 weeks, 4-6 weeks and 6 months post-trauma. Outcome analyses also indicated that the intervention reduced parental distress at 4-6 weeks post-trauma. The intervention did not impact significantly on child adjustment over this time period. Results of the 6 month follow-up suggested that the intervention resulted in an amelioration of child anxiety from one to six months post-trauma, whereas the controls exhibited an increase in anxiety over this time period. Overall, it was concluded that the early intervention is a simple, practical, and cost-effective method of reducing child and parent distress post-trauma.

Replication of the Learning Alliance Inventory to Blended Student Populations.

The therapeutic working alliance by Bordin has been demonstrated as a ‘common ground’ variable attributable to change in identified change enterprises, including education. In this context, working alliance (renamed learning alliance) has been empirically demonstrated to predict positive on-campus student outcomes. However, minimal research investigating whether learning alliance predicts blended student outcomes has been conducted. A measure of on-campus student teaching alliance (the learning alliance inventory, LAI; Rogers), which operationalises (measures) learning alliance using three subscales (collaborative bond, teacher competency and student investment) was administered to 199 Australian tertiary students, enrolled in a counselling program delivered in the blended learning modality (online learning coupled with synchronous tutorials and an on-campus intensive). The aim of the study was to investigate if this on-campus measure of learning alliance can validly measure learning alliance in blended student populations as well. Results revealed that learning alliance in the blended student population is best operationalised as a two-factor model (collaborative bond and student investment) only. Thematic analysis of an open question revealed learning alliance in the blended teaching environment is understood as four themes: qualities of the teacher, teacher style, mastery of the technology and unique online factors. These results were interpreted as evidence that the bond factor of the original learning alliance construct as operationalised by Bordin (1979) continues to be important in the blended teaching space, but other factors unique to blended learning are important for online learning alliance, including content relevancy, currency and validity, as well as a transparent and structured course delivery style, flexibility when technology fails and online objectivity. Study limitations, implications and future research recommendations are discussed.