Jill Lawrence

Digital literacy in higher education: the rhetoric and the reality

Two interrelated myths arise from the way practitioners in higher education respond to an increased emphasis on technological delivery. One myth stems from the view that tertiary education students are digital natives who have universal and uniform digital experiences. This myth presumes that the technological experiences of these students are homogeneous and linked to a sophisticated knowledge and understanding of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The second myth emanates from the idea that the Internet is a panacea for the issues of increasing costs of higher education and increasing demand by students for authentic and interactive learning opportunities. The assumption here is that technology underpinning online learning is quick, easy to use, can be accessed by everyone, and is appropriate for all learning activities.

Transnational Pedagogy from Policy to Practice: Beginnings of the Journey

Abstract In 2005, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) declared its vision to be Australia’s leading transnational educator. To define and develop USQ’s ‘transnational pedagogy’, the then Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Engagement and Social Justice) initiated a consultative project team from across the university community, consisting of Excellence in Teaching Award winners and noted teachers nominated by their Faculties. This paper describes this attempt to operationalise the transnational agenda ‘glocally’ by considering the ‘global’ within ‘local’ contexts. A genealogical approach was used as a diagnostic tool to facilitate and problematise the stages along the journey. The approach involved consultation and collaboration, from the early stages of problematising and conceptualising transnational pedagogy to developing the USQ transnational framework of principles and strategies for learning and teaching. The six stages described in the paper include: problematisation, reflection on past and present practices, re-evaluation of truths, development of shared understandings, evolution of processes, and identification of future possibilities. The paper reports on these processes of collaboration and outlines how the conceptual framework of transnational teaching and learning was disseminated throughout the USQ community.

Reframing e‐assessment: building professional nursing and academic attributes in a first year nursing course

This paper documents the relationships between pedagogy and e‐assessment in two nursing courses offered at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. The courses are designed to build the academic, numeracy and technological attributes student nurses need if they are to succeed at the university and in the nursing profession. The paper first outlines the management systems supporting the two courses and how they intersect with the e‐learning and e‐assessment components of the course design. These pedagogical choices are then reviewed. While there are lessons to be learnt and improvements to be made, preliminary results suggest that students and staff are extremely supportive of the courses. The e‐assessment is very positively received with students reporting increased confidence and competency in numeracy, as well as IT, academic, research and communication skills.

Strategies for leading academics to rethink humanities and social sciences curricula in the context of discipline standards

Abstract The introduction of discipline standards in Australia has required a comprehensive rethinking of humanities and social science curricula from first year through to graduation. This paper proposes a model to facilitate academics’ engagement with discipline standards and their implication for first-year curricula. The model supports discipline-focussed professional development that integrates consideration of discipline threshold learning outcomes, first-year pedagogy principles, and discipline threshold concepts. The model is demonstrated using strategies that were applied, tested, and shown to be effective in workshops across five disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Teaching the history threshold learning outcomes to first-year students

Stakeholder ownership and implementation are crucial when applying the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to the development of curriculum. Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) are a case in point. While they might seem to be triumphs of managerialism over pedagogy, we argue that they can be used to build lecturers’ deep engagement with the teaching of their discipline and thus foster sustainable change. By extending the professional use of TLOs, beyond the stages of agreement, establishment and early dissemination, to the point of implementation, we offer a framework for how to elicit collegial conversations to improve teaching and learning practice in history. First, we combine ‘Decoding the Disciplines’ methods developed by historians at Indiana University. Second, we add key principles of first-year pedagogy, associated with Sally Kift. Third, we link to Threshold Learning Outcomes. The framework is supplemented by a good practice guide that translates our theoretical model into practical strategies in teaching and assessment.