Tony Harland

Scaffolding Critical Thinking in the Zone of Proximal Development.

This paper explores student experiences of learning to think critically. Twenty‐six zoology undergraduates took part in the study for three years of their degree at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Vygotsky’s developmental model of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) provided a framework as we examined how critical thinking was developed. There was very little evidence of critical thinking at first year as students experienced a high‐level of material scaffold in the form of course documents, textbooks, problem solving‐exercises and discussions that were primarily aimed at the acquisition of factual knowledge. In large classes students were anonymous to lecturers and they relied on each other for support. In years 2 and 3, learning to do research became the main scaffold for critical thinking and students gradually changed their views about the nature of knowledge. Verbal scaffolding and conversation with lecturers and peers allowed students to extend their ZPD for critical thinking. They began to accept responsibility for their own and their peers’ learning as they practiced being a zoology researcher. These findings are discussed in relation to two approaches to scaffolding in the ZPD and it is suggested that research should be an integral part of the first year if critical thinking remains a key aim for higher education.

Zoology Students' Experiences of Collaborative Enquiry in Problem-based Learning

This paper presents an action-research case study that focuses on experiences of collaboration in a problem-based learning (PBL) course in Zoology. Our PBL model was developed as a research activity in partnership with a commercial organisation. Consequently, learning was grounded in genuine situations of practice in which a high degree of collaboration was essential for a successful outcome. A particular social context was established in which tutors and students endeavoured to interact as learners to negotiate and construct new understandings and develop life-long learning skills. Students valued the quality of working relationships, the democratic way in which group work was facilitated, and the opportunities for freedom of action and thought. During the course, participants achieved new insights into themselves as learners and this meta-cognitive skill was seen as important for developing the necessary competence in diagnostic self-assessment for PBL. Students had not previously encountered PBL and the transitional nature of their experiences is discussed.

Academic Development as Academic Work

In this paper the authors reflect on their experiences of being academic developers and suggest how our profession might advance in the future. Our inquiry focuses on academic development and how we can support our clients more effectively. We propose that the profession of academic development should aim for academic status with many more research‐active staff contributing to its knowledge base. If this profession were located within the already recognized research field of higher education, we believe a number of potential benefits could accrue. These include a new level of professional standing, greater efficiency in our universities and a more substantial academic development community. Our thoughts and arguments on the nature of our work are framed within a discussion of professional identity, knowledge and academic freedom.

Developing a portfolio to promote authentic enquiry in teacher education

This paper presents a case study of tutor and student experiences of using a portfolio in a pre-service teacher-education programme for university lecturers. The portfolio aimed to provide a space for ‘authentic enquiry’ that focused on student self-determination and the process, rather than the outcomes, of learning. The rationale behind the portfolio is explained with reflections on practice as the curriculum developed during the research cycle. Initially, portfolios were evaluated formatively during supervisory meetings and each student decided what part of their portfolio should remain private and what the tutor might read and comment on. In the second phase of development, formative judgements about work were no longer made and portfolios became private documents. Challenges for student teachers were associated with the novelty of the experience, the time taken for reflection to develop and the individualistic nature of the task. My own challenges centred on new methods of supervision and trying to live up to the explicit values that informed the curriculum.

Problem-Based Learning in Asian Universities.

This study reports teacher and student experiences of problem‐based learning (PBL) in three Asian countries. PBL was introduced to provide an education that would allow students to compete successfully in a changing world. Student and tutor experiences were positive and PBL was seen to work extremely well, despite the typical problems that students can experience working in groups. However, conceptions of PBL varied between tutors, and PBL as a ‘method’ appeared to have limited utility for guiding teaching practice. There was evidence that students were developing useful knowledge and lifelong learning skills, but there were concerns about where this occurred in the PBL curriculum. We looked closely at the PBL tutorial in each programme, and how it lived up to the idea that it should be a key site for facilitating higher‐order thinking. We found that the tutorial was largely a space for reporting the outcomes of student inquiries, and there was little evidence for critical engagement. A key impediment to such engagement was the cultural inappropriateness of challenging peers or the tutor. A new type of academic socialisation may be required for Asian students and tutors to explicitly help them overcome this. A conceptual foundation for PBL is suggested, in which it is understood as a methodological idea founded on a system of principles, practices and methods. Introduced as a methodology, tutors and course teams would take the basic idea of PBL and align it with their ontological and epistemological beliefs as a starting point for instructional design and teaching.

Neoliberalism and the academic as critic and conscience of society

This paper provides a critique of academic experiences of neoliberal economic reform at a New Zealand (NZ) university. The authors engaged in a collaborative inquiry that was based upon a developing theoretical perspective of the reform process and how this affected their academic lives. We were keen to develop an understanding of liberal educational philosophy and how neoliberalism impacts on this. In this context we examined the nature of compliance and an academics role in society. We conclude that universities in NZ are historically liberal and that there are limits to the neoliberal project due to the relationship that individuals have with knowledge and the pressures that come from being part of a worldwide academic community that aspires to excellence in research and teaching. However, new compliance measures, such as Performance-based Research Funding, have changed academic work and made a broader societal role for academics more difficult. In serving society universities are required to accept a role as critic and conscience of society. We suggest that academics must be both critic and conscience and that this responsibility can be fulfilled through our conduct, empowerment and speaking on behalf of others.

Learning about case study methodology to research higher education

Learning about teaching through inquiry is a sound practice for professional development and the university teacher-as-researcher is now commonplace. With the proliferation of inquiry-based postgraduate programmes in university teaching, more academics from across the disciplines are learning new ways of doing research. In this paper, I draw on 10 years’ experience of teaching research methods in higher education. I teach on a one-year part-time course that aims to help academics change their practice and contribute to the theories of teaching in higher education through publication of their work. The preferred research method is case study and there are four questions that both inexperienced and experienced participants can find challenging: what is the potential of case study; what forms of data are acceptable; when does analysis stop and what makes a quality case study? I conclude with a set of recommendations for the new researcher aimed at enhancing the quality of research. Suggestions include properly integrating existing theory into published work, avoiding positivist analogues to judge research, using multiple methods in research design and avoiding writing descriptively or without a critical audience in mind.

Reflection on practice: collaborative action research for new academics

Abstract This article examines the experiences of recently appointed academics at two universities, one in the United Kingdom and the other in New Zealand. The groups at each university used collaborative action research methods during an academic year to support their transition. Our study looks at the outcomes of the project and reports on the experiences of establishing an academic career. These experiences are characterised by continually having to rise to new challenges such as getting research programmes under way, dealing with lecture preparation and high teaching loads. New starters reported problems associated with academic identity, lack of support and exploitation. We review our attempts to use collaborative action research to support professional development. In providing a safe community away from departments, we hoped that individuals would systematically enquire into their own practice. The group also served to provide an audience for the publication of this form of research, and as a critical community for contesting ideas and action.

Contrasting views of induction

This article focuses on the induction experiences of new academic staff and the role of their head of department in this process. Respondents reflected on personal experiences and their narratives give a fine-grained account of the same event from two contrasting perspectives. We expected to find that the heads would be key figures in the induction process, but we discovered a more complex situation in which contributions were largely hidden or indirect. We encountered many contradictions as each party recalled events. Meaningful communication had been sporadic at best, and professional and personal relationships were left undeveloped. In all cases, there was little genuine understanding of the potential of induction, and this was particularly evident in the lack of personal action displayed by the new academics. Some heads had developed a deeper theoretical position on induction but few of their ideas were realized in practice. We propose that this was mainly due to the heads’ lack of experience and because induction outcomes were not systematically evaluated.

An assessment arms race and its fallout: high-stakes grading and the case for slow scholarship

This research questions the impact of assessment on university teaching and learning in circumstances where all student work is graded. Sixty-two students and lecturers were interviewed to explore their experiences of assessment at an institution that had adopted a modular course structure and largely unregulated numbers of internal assessments. Lecturers rewarded student work with grades and controlled study behaviour with assessment. In some situations it was possible to experience hundreds of graded assessments in an academic year. Students were single-minded when it came to grades and would not work without them. These conditions contributed to competition for student attention and a grading arms race between academics and subjects. In this context, the spaces for achieving certain educational objectives, such as fostering self-motivated learners, were marginalised. Both students and lecturers were unsatisfied with this situation, but neither group could envisage radical change. Students were generally happy to accumulate small marks, while being irritated and stressed by frequent grading. Lecturers were aware of better practices but felt trapped by circumstances. The idea of slow scholarship is introduced to encourage a re-think of such assessment practices, support a positive shift in assessment culture and contribute to the theories of assessment.