Jillian Downing

Teacher educators' readiness, preparation, and perceptions of preparing preservice teachers in a fully online environment: an exploratory study

With a view to attracting more students and offering flexible learning opportunities, online teaching and learning is becoming increasingly widespread across the higher education sector. It is now found across a wide range of disciplines (e.g., business, health, psychology, accounting, information technology) and program levels (e.g., from associate degrees to doctorate degrees). Online delivery is also strongly represented in the teacher education sector at many universities. Research of online delivery in higher education generally and teacher education specifically has pointed to a range of benefits and challenges associated with this mode of learning. Within the teacher education literature, many aspects of the online preparation of teachers remain poorly understood. More specifically, there is scant literature on the experiences and beliefs of teacher educators in relation to their readiness and preparation for online teaching as well as their beliefs in relation to the appropriateness of online education for preservice teachers. This article responds to this gap in the literature and reports on an exploratory study that worked with academic staff, teaching in a fully online teacher education course, at a mid-size Australian university. Twenty-seven teacher educators completed a 34-item questionnaire that consisted of closed and open-ended questions. With regards to readiness and preparation for teaching online, the majority of teacher educators reported lacking confidence and competence in the technological and pedagogical skills required to teach online. By and large, the study participants were welcoming of individualized “at-elbow” support that seemed to abate some of their fears of online teaching. The teacher educators were generally divided on whether the online classroom was an appropriate method for preparing preservice teachers. This article concludes with several recommendations for consideration by teacher educators who work in an online environment and sets the stage for a more ambitious study.

Improving research about us, with us: a draft framework for inclusive autism research

Abstract It is both epistemologically as well as ethically problematic if the autistic voice is not heard in relation to social scientific research seeking to further develop knowledge of autism. Ever since autism first emerged, it has remained medicalised and almost exclusively the preserve of non-autistic researchers. More recently, autistic individuals have begun to contribute to autism research. However, the vast majority of research in autism is still undertaken on autistic people, rather than with them, and is often not concerned with improving the day-to-day lives of people with autism. We discuss the concepts of participatory research and emancipatory research before presenting a draft framework for what we regard as truly inclusive research in autism. Our proposals are firmly based on ideas developed by the members of a university-based group of autistic adults (the Asperger’s Consultation Group) as well as the knowledge and experience of the other contributors.

Applied or Denied?: The eLearning Experience of an Autistic, Mature-Aged University Student

As universities expand so too does the diversity of students. Widening participation requires higher education providers to be responsive to the needs of all students by ensuring an accessible and engaging learning environment. Todays cohort includes an increased number of students with autism, a spectrum condition that has the potential to be either beneficial or detrimental to their success in higher education. This article reports on a mature-age student with autism who publicly announced his struggle with the eLearning environment, somewhat ironically, in the asynchronous discussion board. While eLearning offers designers and teaching staff an opportunity to adopt an applied and collaborative approach to the learning environment, for this student it created a challenging landscape dominated by steep mountains and roadblocks. What the student revealed has implications for course designers, teaching staff, and university administrators as they undertake to provide an eLearning environment that is suitable for all students, including those with autism.

‘You want us to teach outdoor education where?’ Reflections on teaching outdoor education online

ABSTRACT This article reports on the experiences of two lecturers working at the University of Tasmania required to teach outdoor and sustainability education (O&SE) courses online. Using an (auto)ethonographic case-study approach, the lecturers were interviewed with a view to exploring their perceptions, challenges, ethical dilemmas, tensions, opportunities and experiences in this space. A number of themes emerged, including commitment to quality teaching and learning, the role of experience, and experiential learning, in the online space, the challenge of fostering a connection to place, difficulties faced when trying to develop a learning community, and the role of professional learning and support in terms of pedagogy and technology in the online space. These themes, and their implications for teaching and learning in higher education both generally, and specifically in O&SE, are discussed in light of what is a mounting body of literature exploring the move to online delivery in higher education.

‘I did think it was a bit strange taking outdoor education online’: exploration of initial teacher education students’ online learning experiences in a tertiary outdoor education unit

ABSTRACT With a view to attracting more students and offering flexible learning opportunities, online teaching and learning is becoming increasingly wide-spread across the higher education sector. This research reports on the experiences of eight initial teacher education students who studied an outdoor education unit in the online space. Using a descriptive qualitative case study approach, the students were interviewed with a view to exploring their experiences of studying outdoor education in the online space. Students spoke about the ways in which the online teaching space, the role of the field experience and the assessment tasks contributed to, or detracted from, their learning experiences. Our study revealed that with careful design and delivery, the online space was an effective way to deliver a foundational outdoor education unit. This article concludes with a discussion of how these findings sit alongside recent papers that advance our understandings of teaching and learning in outdoor education.

“There was nowhere to hide…”: the surprising discovery of how weekly web conferences facilitated engagement for online initial teacher education students

ABSTRACT This paper reports on the ways that weekly webconferences (WC) facilitated engagement for thirty-two ITES enrolled in a capstone unit in their final semester of study in a teacher education course. Using a descriptive mixed-methods case study approach, the initial teacher educationstudents (ITES) completed questionnaires, participated in follow-up interviews and completed their assessment tasks to shed insight into the impact of the WC. The findings reveal the powerful ways that the WC facilitated engagement for ITES in their studies and helped develop the professional attributes expected of graduates. Importantly, the study revealed that the WC enabled a deeper level of engagement, satisfaction and sense of achievement than alternative activities, including face to face tutorials.

Applied Learning design in an online VET Teacher Education course: A pedagogical framework that responds to the needs of mature-aged, employed students

As one of the major contributors to the education sector in Australia, Vocational Education and Training (VET) operates within a number of contexts, including schools, private training providers and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges. It takes responsibility for the continuing education of nearly two million students (from high school age to mature age) each year. Within VET there are approximately eighty thousand teachers employed, mostly on a part-time basis, delivering a wide range of courses (e.g., construction, hospitality, aged care, business, retail, tourism, arts, child-care) and catering for both employed students (e.g., apprentices) and pre-employment students. Unlike many other countries, teachers employed within the VET sector in Australia are not required to hold a degree in teaching, although a growing number are interested in pursuing a university degree in order to progress their career and professionalism. This paper considers four aspects of VET teacher-education in Australia. Firstly, it provides an overview of the qualifications and experience required by providers of VET and identifies the opportunities universities have to offer additional professional development. As VET teachers are likely to be mature-aged, juggling work with study and been away from formal study for some time, there is a need for providers to consider how best to respond to these students. Secondly, this paper describes the approach taken by the University of Tasmania in a relatively new VET teacher-education programme, a Bachelor of Education (Applied Learning). The specialty focus of the course, ‘applied learning’, represents the desired pedagogical approach in VET settings bringing application and theory together in an integrated fashion in order to facilitate effective learning. An innovative approach was adopted to the design and development of units within the course, in order to create a learning environment that ‘walked the talk’ of applied learning whilst still reflecting the academic rigor expected in a university degree course. A set of six theoretically underpinned ‘applied learning’ design principles were articulated, which guided teaching staff as the course was developed, incorporating aspects such as student collaboration, integrating learning tasks with workplace roles, and ensuring that assessment tasks were authentic and applied. The third part of this paper considers a recently completed doctoral study on the effectiveness of the design principles guiding the course. The findings led to a greater understanding of the nature, characteristics and needs of the students, including a vulnerability for self-doubt and withdrawal but also a desire to contribute altruistically and positively to the learning community. The investigation concluded that an applied learning approach that respects and integrates the students’ lived experience can lead to positive, even transformational outcomes for students. The study also identified ways for course designers to capitalise on the affordances of web-based technology to support geographically and characteristically diverse students. Finally, this paper considers the future of VET teacher-education in Australia and more broadly, considering the growing demand for high quality VET education and the subsequent role for universities. Most importantly, the paper contends that providers must consider how best to ensure a relevant, engaging and rewarding Higher Education experience for a diverse and dedicated VET workforce, who are developing the next generation of workers in a wide-range of industries and professions.

VET teaching and teacher education

Welcome to this Special Edition of the International Journal of Training Research, with the theme of VET Teaching and Teacher Education. Within this edition are six articles, each addressing a particular aspect of the central theme, and I hope you enjoy engaging with all of them. This Special Edition is the culmination of a number of activities beginning in 2010 when Professor Erica Smith, one of Australia’s champions of Vocational Education and Training (VET) teacher education, instigated the creation of a VET working group that would sit within the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE). Erica circulated a plea to all deans of education in Australian universities, asking them to nominate their VET teacher-educator (if they had one!) to join our group. For me, as the sole VET teacher-educator at the University of Tasmania, it was wonderful to connect with like-minded peers across Australia, all of whom are passionate about the value of VET teacher education and the need for it to remain part of the offerings in our universities. Since that time, Australian Council of Deans of Education Vocational Education Group (ACDEVEG) (as we became known) has worked collaboratively on a number of activities, from representations to the Productivity Commission’s research into the VET workforce, to responses to federal government inquiries, and providing support and advice to each other in our mission to encourage and strengthen VET teacher education. Our group represents a wonderful example of would-be competitors working together for the betterment of a common cause.

Design principles for applied learning: bringing theory and practice together in an online VET teacher-education degree

Abstract This paper reports on a doctoral study that investigated an alternative pedagogical approach in an online VET teacher-education course offered at a mid-sized university in Australia. Students in the course were mature-aged and adding study to their role as in-service VET teachers. Building on previous research, a set of design principles was created to guide the development of the course and ensure it responded to the students’ characteristics and provided an ‘applied learning’ environment where theory and practice could be authentically integrated in their work contexts. The study evaluated the effectiveness of the design principles by investigating the experiences of the students and teaching staff over an 18-month period. In an era of increasingly diverse student cohorts and fully online courses, the applied learning design principles offer a contemporary framework to guide the development and delivery of courses.

The Experiences and Perceptions of Non-Traditional Students Enrolled in an Online Teacher Education Course

This chapter reports on an investigation of the experiences of non-traditional students enrolled in a fully online teacher-education course at a mid-sized university in Australia. The research sought to better understand the students; to identify what helped or hindered their ability to remain motivated, engaged and satisfied with their chosen course.