Shelley Kinash

Virtual Ethnography: Interactive Interviewing Online as Method

Recognizing the power of the Internet to connect people, regardless of place or time, we explore the notion of a virtual form of ethnography, suggesting online, textual interactive interviews are worthy of research consideration. This paper reports on three research projects, drawing examples from almost ten years in the evolution of Internet supported conferencing software. It is the position of this paper that we were able to share and develop new insights into being authors, interlocutors, online learners, online researchers, and members of an educational context. Further, we feel that we were able to sustain conversations beyond the scope of many traditional face-to-face interview sessions, noting that the participants enjoyed the process and often found it hard to quit their interactions with us. Hence our position that even though the technology is still emerging and improving, the potential is clearly rich, inviting, and worth continued study.nstructor if given the authority in a social constructivist learning environment.

Discrepant stakeholder perspectives on graduate employability strategies

ABSTRACT A literature review identified 12 strategies that have been empirically linked to improvements in graduate employability. A survey methodology was used to investigate self-reported use and/or perspectives on these strategies among four stakeholder groups. The following questions were asked: to students – What strategies are you using to improve your graduate employability; to graduates – What strategies did you use to improve your employability?; to higher education career development professionals and educators – Which of the following employability strategies do you provide for students?; and to employers – Which of the following strategies undertaken by students does your organisation value when recruiting graduates? Across the four stakeholder groups, 705 responses were received and analysed. The key findings were discrepancies between the strategies reported in the literature and those indicated in the surveys, as well as discrepancies between stakeholder groups in regard to which strategies were indicated.

Uncoupling mobility and learning: When one does not guarantee the other

Mobile learning was an embedded component of the pedagogical design of an undergraduate course, Digital media and society. In the final semester of 2010 and the first semester of 2011, 135 students participated in an empirical study inquiring into their perceptual experience of mobile learning. To control for access to technology, an optional iPad student loan scheme was used. The iPads were loaded with an electronic textbook and a mobile application of the learning moderation system. Eighty students participated in ten-person focus groups. Feedback on mobility and the electronic text was positive and optimistic. However, the majority of students were not convinced that the trial made a difference to their learning. This result was interpreted to indicate that the presence or absence of mobile devices does not guarantee or preclude student learning.

Academic developer identity: How we know who we are

This paper explores academic developer identity by applying self-concept theory and appreciative inquiry to the personal journeys of two academic developers. Self-attribution, social comparison and reflected appraisals are presented and applied to explain how academic developers form their identities. Sociological principles are incorporated to describe the recursive informing of academic development and developer identities. The presentation of implications positions academic developers as higher education leaders.

The practice of quality in assuring learning in higher education

There remains a lack of published empirical data on the substantive outcomes of higher learning and the establishment of quality processes for determining them. Studies that do exist are nationally focused with available rankings of institutions reflecting neither the quality of teaching and learning nor the diversity of institutions. This article describes two studies in which associate deans from Australian higher education institutions and focus groups of management and academics identify current issues and practices in the design, development and implementation of processes for assuring the quality of learning and teaching. Results indicate that developing graduate attributes and mapping assessments to measure outcomes across an entire programme necessitates knowledge creation strategies and systems as well as inclusive decision processes. Common elements supporting consistently superior outcomes include inclusivity of a range of teaching and support academics; embedded graduate attributes; consistent and appropriate assessment; digital collection mechanisms; and systematic analysis of outcomes used in programme review.

University student experiences of mobile learning: One year beyond commencement

Mobile learning was an embedded component in the pedagogical design of an innovative undergraduate course, Digital Media and Society. This paper reports the experiences and perceptions of 189 students over three semesters in 2010 and 2011. Students were given the option of using their own devices or a university loaned iPad. The iPads were loaded with an electronic textbook and a mobile application of the learning management system. Feedback from students on mobility and the electronic text was positive and optimistic overall. However, the majority of these students were not convinced that the trial made a difference to their learning.

Pedagogical Sustainability of a Rural School and Its Relationship with Community

Abstract This article presents and analyses a single pedagogic case of a small, rural primary state school in Queensland, Australia. The researchers spent one day per week for nineteen weeks serving the role of visiting teachers to the school. The goal of the research was to inquire into the pedagogical sustainability of this rural school and its relationship with community. Data was interpreted through Kilpatrick, Johns & Mulford’s (2003b) school–community partnership framework. The key research finding was that the impacts of school–community partnership initiated through an inquiry-based teaching and learning project extended beyond the scope and longevity of the project, thereby predicting pedagogical sustainability.

Student feedback: a learning and teaching performance indicator

Purpose – The paper aims to disseminate solutions to common problems in student evaluation processes. It proposes that student evaluation can be applied to quality assurance and improving learning and teaching. The paper presents solutions in the areas of: presenting outcomes as performance indicators, constructing appropriate surveys, improving response rates, reporting student feedback to students and student engagement as a feature of university quality assurance. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach of this paper is comparative case study, allowing in-depth exploration of multiple perspectives and practices at seven Australian universities. Process and outcome data were rigorously collected, analysed, compared and contrasted. Findings – The paper provides empirical evidence for student evaluation as an instrument of learning and teaching data analysis for quality improvement. It suggests that collecting data about student engagement and the student experience will yield more useful data...

Do university students, alumni, educators and employers link assessment and graduate employability?

ABSTRACT Within higher education literature, assessment and graduate employability are linked and co-presented, in that quality student assessment is purported to enhance employability. This research was designed to query the extent to which these same conceptual links are perceived by those actively involved in higher education. Four stakeholder groups from multiple disciplines and eight Australian states and territories (students, alumni, educators and employers) were interviewed about graduate employability (n = 127). Interviewers intentionally omitted any mention of assessment to determine whether the various stakeholders would bring it up themselves when asked questions such as what is and is not effective for nurturing employability. The results indicated that among the educators, assessment emerged as a dominant theme. While the three other stakeholder groups infrequently used the term assessment, they did discuss related educational concepts and practices in the context of enhanced employability. All stakeholder groups identified a missing link between theory and practice, with educators specifying that link as assessment. Recommendations to improve employability through assessment are the key takeaways from this research.

Inspiring Academics: Learning with the world's greatest university teachers

During the past several years, while visiting colleges and universities across the nation, I’ve been struck by the renewed attention being paid to undergraduate education. The debate has focused on the core curriculum and the quality of campus life. Especially significant is the fact that students themselves increasingly have raised concerns about the priority assigned to teaching on the campus. (Boyer, 1990, p. xi)