Showcase:Retention

Project Winners

L&T Week 2015Tuesday 1st September 2015

First year in T&L Grants

First year in higher education – setting the scene

Professor Sally Kift

Project 1 Engagement of external

students in online learning: Scoping the knowledge field for first year Bachelor of Nursing and Health science students

The Research Team• Professor Marilynne N. Kirshbaum, Nursing• Lyndall Warton, Library services (previously)• Lolita Wikander, SL in Nursing• Robyn Williams, SL & Theme leader in Health

Sciences• Peta Harbour, Lecturer in Nursing

Aims and Rationale • High attrition across CDU (30%)• Nursing ranges from 20-37%

WHY?• 80% of nursing students external, distance

learning• Engagement is critical: involves active

participation and collaborative learning• Here lies the problem:• What does the literature say?

A Multi-Layered Approach

Adequate resourcing

Use of technology

Thoughtful planning

Student readiness

and maturity

Tutorials

Scenarios Blogs

4 Phases:1) Systematic

critical review2) Focus group

discussion3) Pilot

programme4) Guide to 1st Yr

Curriculum Principles for DL

Systematic Review• What impacts external student engagement with

online learning for Bachelor of Nursing and Health Science students?

• PICO: Population = 1st yr. nursing/health science students, Intervention = engagement, Control or Comparision = none, Outcome = matrix of knowledge

• Search terms: engagement, participation, involvement, distance learning, distance education, online, success, challenges, off-campus, teaching, learning, blended learning…

First Cut For Categories

• Learning and teaching strategies• Strategies for improving student experience

(support, student coaching, targeting guidance)• Factors that impact positive experiences/success

(conceptual/qualitative based studies)• Benchmarks/assessmentsPLUS: • RECENT REPORTS that synthesise best evidence and

opinion

EXCLUDED: studies comparing face-to-face with online, not relevant

Project 2 Preparing for first year

chemistry

Vinuthaa Murthy: SPACSGeorge Lambrinidis: SALLMuhammad Nawaz: SALL

Preparing for Chemistry

• Your thinking underpinning the initiative – how did you identify the opportunity or need?

• The process of developing the initiative – what steps did you take to develop and implement the initiative?

Preparing for Chemistry

Course site

Preparing for Chemistry

• The ways in which your initiative aligns with the Transition Pedagogy principles

• Any outcomes achieved thus far. 

3 day workshop: before start of semester2 follow-on sessions : Week 4 & 5

Each day/session with specific Foundational Concepts of Chemistry

Preparing for Chemistry

Each day/session with specific Foundational Concepts of Chemistry

• Periodic Table & Chemical formulae• Chemical Reactions• Chemical Composition• Stoichiometry• General steps• Solution stoichiometry

Preparing for Chemistry

3 day workshop: Before start of semesterNumber registered: 36Attended: 15

2 follow-on sessions : Week 4 & 5Number registered: 24Attended: 13

Total Number registered: 53Attended: 21

Preparing for Chemistry

Survey Results: only 9 answeredHelped me learn the Chemistry concepts: 8 positiveHelped me feel confident : 7 positiveHelped me fill gaps in knowledge : 8 positiveMet my expectations: 7 positive

What other kind of additional support wouldhelp you with your studies in Chemistry?More stoichiometry calculations

One on one tutoring

Maths for chemistry

Project 3Law Students’ Research

Handbook

Project 4: Tapping into the teaching

experiences of fourth year pre-service teachers to increase

support and reduce stress for students in their first year.

Gretchen GengRichard MidfordTherese Kersten

Jenny BuckworthBrendon

HyndmanLeigh Disney

BackgroundStress experienced by first year education students - A study in 2014• First year teacher education students appear to

be under more stress than those in other years. • The common trigger is teaching practice.

Development of the project

• Fourth year students• First year students• Teaching practice

Difficulties/Issues• Ethics application (research assistant)• Obtain approval from participating schools• Two pairs from two local schools

ParticipantsPair 1 Pair 2

Interesting FindingsFirst year students:• Worried about not enough background

knowledge (not blended in)• Knowing teaching tasks and delivering teaching• Very stressed at the start, but getting better later

(with more understanding of school culture and more confidence of classroom management)

Interesting FindingsFourth year students• Pairing up is good idea but it needs earlier

arrangement.• Time consuming• Helping developing mentoring skills • Open your eyes• Informal conversation is valuable.

Media InteractionInformation published in Higher Education section in The Australian June 24, 2015

More Findings are Coming

We are still analysing the data from the interviews.

Project 5 How do the prior educational experiences of international

students impact on their learning?

Janice Catterall, Claire Aitchison and Nicola Rolls

Method Progress to date

Short survey and in-depth interviews/focus groups completed with 9 undergraduate students and 4 postgraduate students. Students were from Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

Early FindingsUndergraduates’ prior experiences• Exams=100% • No home-based assignments/projects (mainly

revision done at home)• Textbook-based reading• No research, paraphrasing, in text citation or

referencing• Writing tasks short (e.g. 500 words). Mostly

descriptive

Early FindingsPostgraduates’ prior experiences

Much greater variation with some students having a similar experience to Australian students and some having a similar experience to the undergraduates. i.e. little experience with research, long writing tasks or citation practices.

Issues• Students reported that they were overwhelmed in

the first semester with responsibilities associated with being independent for the first time; shopping, cooking, cleaning, paid work, culture shock..

And • Large assessment load. E.g. UG unit with 3

written assignments and a 50% exam. Postgraduates had 2 units with 2000 word essays due in Week 5.

Implications If successful learning and teaching depends on building on students’ prior educational experiences in a way that is inclusive of diversity;

How can we best respond?

Thank You