The impact of enabling programs on indigenous participation, success and retention in Australian higher education
- Pitman, Tim, Harvey, Andrew, McKay, Jade, Devlin, Marcia, Trinidad, Sue, Brett, Matthew
- Authors: Pitman, Tim , Harvey, Andrew , McKay, Jade , Devlin, Marcia , Trinidad, Sue , Brett, Matthew
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education : From Policy to Practice Chapter 14 p. 235-249
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Indigenous people remain extremely under-represented in Australian higher education. Despite a substantial increase in the overall number of Indigenous university enrolments since the demand-driven system was introduced, representation remains well below population parity (cf. Department of Education and Training 2015; Wilks and Wilson 2015). Along with participation rates, the university success and retention rates of Indigenous students are also relatively low (Behrendt et al. 2012). The causes of this under-representation and under-achievement have been well-documented. At one level, the relatively low secondary school completion and achievement levels of Indigenous people help to explain under-representation at the next level of education. At a deeper level, educational outcomes reflect broader disadvantage, historical exclusion and discrimination, and a system of education in which respect for culture and diversity often remains limited (Liddle 2016).
- Authors: Pitman, Tim , Harvey, Andrew , McKay, Jade , Devlin, Marcia , Trinidad, Sue , Brett, Matthew
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education : From Policy to Practice Chapter 14 p. 235-249
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Indigenous people remain extremely under-represented in Australian higher education. Despite a substantial increase in the overall number of Indigenous university enrolments since the demand-driven system was introduced, representation remains well below population parity (cf. Department of Education and Training 2015; Wilks and Wilson 2015). Along with participation rates, the university success and retention rates of Indigenous students are also relatively low (Behrendt et al. 2012). The causes of this under-representation and under-achievement have been well-documented. At one level, the relatively low secondary school completion and achievement levels of Indigenous people help to explain under-representation at the next level of education. At a deeper level, educational outcomes reflect broader disadvantage, historical exclusion and discrimination, and a system of education in which respect for culture and diversity often remains limited (Liddle 2016).
'Low income doesn't mean stupid and destined for failure' : challenging the deficit discourse around students from low SES backgrounds in higher education
- Authors: McKay, Jade , Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol. 20, no. 4 (Apr 2016), p. 347-363
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The discourse around students from low socio-economic backgrounds often adopts a deficit conception in which these students are seen as a 'problem' in higher education. In light of recent figures pointing to an increase in the number and proportion of these students participating in higher education [Pitman, T. 2014. "More Students in Higher ed, But it's no more Representative." The Conversation 28: 1-4] and an absence of evidence to support deficit thinking, this deficit discourse requires re-examination. Qualitative data from 115 interviews carried out across 6 Australian universities as part of a national study reveal that, contrary to the conception of these students as a 'problem', students from low SES backgrounds demonstrate high levels of determination and academic skills and that they actively seek high standards in their studies. This paper critically examines deficit conceptions of these students, drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 89 successful students from low SES backgrounds and 26 staff members recognised as exemplary in their provision of teaching and support of students from low SES backgrounds. Drawing on these findings, this paper challenges the deficit discourse and argues for a more affirmative and nuanced conception of students from low SES backgrounds.
- Authors: McKay, Jade , Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol. 20, no. 4 (Apr 2016), p. 347-363
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The discourse around students from low socio-economic backgrounds often adopts a deficit conception in which these students are seen as a 'problem' in higher education. In light of recent figures pointing to an increase in the number and proportion of these students participating in higher education [Pitman, T. 2014. "More Students in Higher ed, But it's no more Representative." The Conversation 28: 1-4] and an absence of evidence to support deficit thinking, this deficit discourse requires re-examination. Qualitative data from 115 interviews carried out across 6 Australian universities as part of a national study reveal that, contrary to the conception of these students as a 'problem', students from low SES backgrounds demonstrate high levels of determination and academic skills and that they actively seek high standards in their studies. This paper critically examines deficit conceptions of these students, drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 89 successful students from low SES backgrounds and 26 staff members recognised as exemplary in their provision of teaching and support of students from low SES backgrounds. Drawing on these findings, this paper challenges the deficit discourse and argues for a more affirmative and nuanced conception of students from low SES backgrounds.
Teaching students using technology : Facilitating success for students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds in Australian universities
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 32, no. 1 (2016), p. 92-106
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Australian higher education has adopted a widening participation agenda with a focus on the participation of disadvantaged students, particularly those from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds. As these students begin to enter university in greater number and proportion than ever before, there is increasing interest in how best to facilitate their success. A recent national study employed semi-structured interviews to ask 89 successful LSES students what had helped them succeed. Twenty-six staff experienced in effectively teaching and supporting LSES students were also interviewed about what approaches they used in their work. Analysis of the study's findings indicates a strong theme related to the use of technology in effectively teaching and supporting LSES students. In particular, the use of a range of resources and media, facilitating interactive and connected learning, enabling personalised learning and assuring high academic standards were found to contribute to student success. The implications of these findings are discussed with a specific focus on promoting effective teaching practice and informing related policy. At a time when the diversity of the student cohort in Australian higher education institutions is increasing, the findings reported in this paper are both timely and critical for educators and institutions. © 2016 Australasian Journal of Educational Technology.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 32, no. 1 (2016), p. 92-106
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Australian higher education has adopted a widening participation agenda with a focus on the participation of disadvantaged students, particularly those from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds. As these students begin to enter university in greater number and proportion than ever before, there is increasing interest in how best to facilitate their success. A recent national study employed semi-structured interviews to ask 89 successful LSES students what had helped them succeed. Twenty-six staff experienced in effectively teaching and supporting LSES students were also interviewed about what approaches they used in their work. Analysis of the study's findings indicates a strong theme related to the use of technology in effectively teaching and supporting LSES students. In particular, the use of a range of resources and media, facilitating interactive and connected learning, enabling personalised learning and assuring high academic standards were found to contribute to student success. The implications of these findings are discussed with a specific focus on promoting effective teaching practice and informing related policy. At a time when the diversity of the student cohort in Australian higher education institutions is increasing, the findings reported in this paper are both timely and critical for educators and institutions. © 2016 Australasian Journal of Educational Technology.
Effective University leadership and management of learning and teaching in a widening participation context: Findings from two national Australian studies
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tertiary Education and Management Vol. 19, no. 3 (2013), p. 233-245
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The widening participation agenda in Australian higher education heralds changes that demand fresh thinking in university leadership and management of learning and teaching. The findings from interviews, across two national studies in 16 Australian universities, with 50 staff and 89 successful students from low socio-economic backgrounds, provide the basis for new directions related to the leadership and management of university teaching and learning in the context of an increasingly diverse student body. These directions relate to: institutional strategic alignment; reward for and recognition of teachers; appropriate resourcing; and effective structure and organization of teaching and learning support. © 2013 European Higher Education Society.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tertiary Education and Management Vol. 19, no. 3 (2013), p. 233-245
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The widening participation agenda in Australian higher education heralds changes that demand fresh thinking in university leadership and management of learning and teaching. The findings from interviews, across two national studies in 16 Australian universities, with 50 staff and 89 successful students from low socio-economic backgrounds, provide the basis for new directions related to the leadership and management of university teaching and learning in the context of an increasingly diverse student body. These directions relate to: institutional strategic alignment; reward for and recognition of teachers; appropriate resourcing; and effective structure and organization of teaching and learning support. © 2013 European Higher Education Society.
Effective university teaching: views of Australian university students from low socio-economic status backgrounds
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tertiary Education and Management Vol. 19, no. 3 (2013), p. 233-245
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The widening participation agenda in Australian higher education heralds changes that demand fresh thinking in university leadership and management of learning and teaching. The findings from interviews, across two national studies in 16 Australian universities, with 50 staff and 89 successful students from low socio-economic backgrounds, provide the basis for new directions related to the leadership and management of university teaching and learning in the context of an increasingly diverse student body. These directions relate to: institutional strategic alignment; reward for and recognition of teachers; appropriate resourcing; and effective structure and organization of teaching and learning support. © 2013 European Higher Education Society.
- Description: C1
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tertiary Education and Management Vol. 19, no. 3 (2013), p. 233-245
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The widening participation agenda in Australian higher education heralds changes that demand fresh thinking in university leadership and management of learning and teaching. The findings from interviews, across two national studies in 16 Australian universities, with 50 staff and 89 successful students from low socio-economic backgrounds, provide the basis for new directions related to the leadership and management of university teaching and learning in the context of an increasingly diverse student body. These directions relate to: institutional strategic alignment; reward for and recognition of teachers; appropriate resourcing; and effective structure and organization of teaching and learning support. © 2013 European Higher Education Society.
- Description: C1
Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds : Practical advice for institutional policy makers and leaders
- Devlin, Marcia, Kift, Sally, Nelson, Karen, Smith, Liz, McKay, Jade
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Kift, Sally , Nelson, Karen , Smith, Liz , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-32
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description:
This resource has been developed as part of a national research project, Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Resources for Australian higher education
. This guide provides practical advice about the teaching characteristics and strategies that contribute to the success of students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) and about the ways in which student agency may be enabled. This raises the question of how to identify LSES students. While it is necessary to identify students from LSES backgrounds at a policy level, and perhaps for measuring performance and allocating funds, it is very difficult, and potentially undesirable, to target students from LSES backgrounds individually for teaching and learning or support purposes. Good practice in teaching and supporting LSES students benefits all students. This guide has been prepared with this in mind. This guide is not intended as a manual for teaching LSES students, nor is it prescriptive about how the advice it offers might be implemented. Instead, it offers general, practical advice that has emerged from relevant literature in the field, 26 interviews with academic and professional staff in six universities experienced in the effective teaching and support of LSES students, and 89 interviews with successful LSES students in three universities about what helped them succeed. The guide draws on the voices of staff and students and through sharing their views offers broad advice in five areas of teaching that may be of assistance to busy teaching staff. We recommend considering the advice and suggestions in this guide within the context of your discipline and workload.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Kift, Sally , Nelson, Karen , Smith, Liz , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-32
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description:
This resource has been developed as part of a national research project, Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Resources for Australian higher education
. This guide provides practical advice about the teaching characteristics and strategies that contribute to the success of students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) and about the ways in which student agency may be enabled. This raises the question of how to identify LSES students. While it is necessary to identify students from LSES backgrounds at a policy level, and perhaps for measuring performance and allocating funds, it is very difficult, and potentially undesirable, to target students from LSES backgrounds individually for teaching and learning or support purposes. Good practice in teaching and supporting LSES students benefits all students. This guide has been prepared with this in mind. This guide is not intended as a manual for teaching LSES students, nor is it prescriptive about how the advice it offers might be implemented. Instead, it offers general, practical advice that has emerged from relevant literature in the field, 26 interviews with academic and professional staff in six universities experienced in the effective teaching and support of LSES students, and 89 interviews with successful LSES students in three universities about what helped them succeed. The guide draws on the voices of staff and students and through sharing their views offers broad advice in five areas of teaching that may be of assistance to busy teaching staff. We recommend considering the advice and suggestions in this guide within the context of your discipline and workload.
Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds : Practical advice for teaching staff
- Devlin, Marcia, Kift, Sally, Nelson, Karen, Smith, Liz, McKay, Jade
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Kift, Sally , Nelson, Karen , Smith, Liz , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-32
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description:
This resource has been developed as part of a national research project, Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Resources for Australian higher education
. This guide provides practical advice about the teaching characteristics and strategies that contribute to the success of students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) and about the ways in which student agency may be enabled. This guide is not intended as a manual for teaching students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, nor does it prescribe how the advice it offers might be implemented. Instead, it offers general, practical advice that has emerged from relevant literature in the field, 26 interviews with academic and professional staff in six universities experienced in the effective teaching and support of LSES students, and 89 interviews with successful LSES students in three universities about what helped them succeed. The guide draws on the voices of staff and students and, through sharing their views, offers broad advice in six areas of teaching that may assist busy teaching staff. We recommend considering the advice and suggestions in this guide within the context of your professional life, discipline and workload.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Kift, Sally , Nelson, Karen , Smith, Liz , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-32
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description:
This resource has been developed as part of a national research project, Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds: Resources for Australian higher education
. This guide provides practical advice about the teaching characteristics and strategies that contribute to the success of students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) and about the ways in which student agency may be enabled. This guide is not intended as a manual for teaching students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, nor does it prescribe how the advice it offers might be implemented. Instead, it offers general, practical advice that has emerged from relevant literature in the field, 26 interviews with academic and professional staff in six universities experienced in the effective teaching and support of LSES students, and 89 interviews with successful LSES students in three universities about what helped them succeed. The guide draws on the voices of staff and students and, through sharing their views, offers broad advice in six areas of teaching that may assist busy teaching staff. We recommend considering the advice and suggestions in this guide within the context of your professional life, discipline and workload.
Effective teaching and support of students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds : Resources for Australian higher education
- Devlin, Marcia, Kift, Sally, Nelson, Karen, Smith, Liz, McKay, Jade
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Kift, Sally , Nelson, Karen , Smith, Liz , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-104
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description:
The project found that the sociocultural incongruity that exists between students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds and the institutions in which they study can be bridged through the provision of an empathic institutional context that: - values and respects all students - encompasses an institution-wide approach that is comprehensive, integrated and coordinated through the curriculum - incorporates inclusive learning environments and strategies - empowers students by making the implicit, explicit, and - focuses on student learning outcomes and success. These characteristics were derived through the project’s literature analysis and are supported by the evidence from interviews with 26 experienced staff and 89 successful LSES students conducted as part of this project. Synthesis and analysis of the interview data revealed four key themes to which institutions and staff need to attend to ensure the effective teaching and support of LSES students. The study found that the empathic institutional context: 1. employs inclusive teaching characteristics and strategies 2. enables student agency 3. facilitates life and learning support, and 4. takes into account students’ financial challenges. The project has generated a new integrated national resource, comprising five interrelated sets of materials and exemplars, all of which have been made available to the sector via the project website
1. a conceptual framework relevant to the Australian context 2. advice for policy makers and teaching and learning leaders 3. practical guidelines for academic staff 4. materials to support professional development, and 5. a repository of effective policy, programs and practice.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Kift, Sally , Nelson, Karen , Smith, Liz , McKay, Jade
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-104
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description:
The project found that the sociocultural incongruity that exists between students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds and the institutions in which they study can be bridged through the provision of an empathic institutional context that: - values and respects all students - encompasses an institution-wide approach that is comprehensive, integrated and coordinated through the curriculum - incorporates inclusive learning environments and strategies - empowers students by making the implicit, explicit, and - focuses on student learning outcomes and success. These characteristics were derived through the project’s literature analysis and are supported by the evidence from interviews with 26 experienced staff and 89 successful LSES students conducted as part of this project. Synthesis and analysis of the interview data revealed four key themes to which institutions and staff need to attend to ensure the effective teaching and support of LSES students. The study found that the empathic institutional context: 1. employs inclusive teaching characteristics and strategies 2. enables student agency 3. facilitates life and learning support, and 4. takes into account students’ financial challenges. The project has generated a new integrated national resource, comprising five interrelated sets of materials and exemplars, all of which have been made available to the sector via the project website
1. a conceptual framework relevant to the Australian context 2. advice for policy makers and teaching and learning leaders 3. practical guidelines for academic staff 4. materials to support professional development, and 5. a repository of effective policy, programs and practice.
Leading sustainable improvement in university teaching and learning : Lessons from the sector
- Devlin, Marcia, Smeal, Georgia, Cummings, Rick, Mazzolini, Margaret
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Smeal, Georgia , Cummings, Rick , Mazzolini, Margaret
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-64
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Overall, the investigation found that universities that wish to improve the quality of teaching and learning should take an approach that aims to be: collaborative and developmental; embedded; sustainable; and focused on enabling innovation and enhancement. The seven interlinked insights characteristic of sustainable, positive change in teaching and learning in Australian universities are as follows. 1. Efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning are aligned with the strategic direction of the university The evidence indicates that efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning within an institution should be aligned with the strategic direction of the university. While this might seem self evident, the findings indicate that there are sometimes tensions between overall institutional priorities and efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Careful strategic thinking can ensure efforts to enhance teaching and learning provide a means through which universities can enact aspects of their strategic plans. 2. Senior executives support teaching and learning enhancement, and resources for those improvements are allocated as part of the universityʼs planning and budget cycle The study found that embedding and sustaining good teaching and learning practice requires high-level support within an institution. In addition to providing stable representation and championing of teaching and learning, effective support was found to also incorporate institutional investment in the form of funding and resourcing positions and initiatives. It was found that sustainability relies on institutional funding that ensured ongoing impetus for, and successful work in, enhancing teaching and learning. 3. Staff workload allocations allow time for innovation, enhancement and improvement in teaching and learning The project findings indicate that the major factor inhibiting efforts to improve teaching and learning is high staff workloads and the consequent lack of time to engage with, and contribute to, teaching and learning enhancement efforts. This finding mirrors those of several other recent Australian studies of the changing academic profession, although this current project notes the applicability of workload matters to both academic and professional staff. If leaders in Australian universities wish to enhance teaching and learning, fresh thinking, policy and planning is needed around academic and professional staff roles and workload allocation. 4. Effective leadership proactively manages tensions between discipline research endeavours and efforts to improve teaching and learning This research found that a major cultural impediment to enhancing teaching and learning is the privileging of research over teaching and learning within an institution. The findings suggest that effective leadership and management of the tensions that arise between research endeavours and efforts to improve teaching and learning are critical if the latter are to be successful. The findings suggest that the reconciliation of research and teaching and learning can be achieved to some extent through a range of means, including the facilitation of research and scholarship around teaching and learning. Leading sustainable change in university teaching and learning: Lessons from the sector 6 5. Teaching and learning are supported by relevant research and scholarship conducted within the institution and in collaboration with other institutions and relevant bodies The study findings indicate the importance of research and scholarship in the area of teaching and learning. External interface, networking and exchange with stakeholders and bodies outside the institution are critical to ensuring enhancement efforts fit with the broader context in which they are occurring. Some of the benefits of engaging in such research and scholarship were: increased reflection on practice; a heightened awareness of the link between an individualʼs own teaching and their studentsʼ outcomes; increased innovation in teaching; improved morale; enhancing the quality of teaching and learning both within an institution and more broadly; and opportunities to both benchmark and improve teaching performance. The potential for research into teaching and learning to contribute to resolving the tensions between discipline research and teaching and learning was also noted. 6. A distributed teaching and learning support structure exists within the institution and is coordinated from the centre The findings of this research showed that a distributed institutional support structure for teaching and learning enhancement, coordinated from the centre, was perceived to be the most effective approach. Most commonly this involved cooperation between a central teaching and learning centre and one or more of: teaching and learning committees; the associate deans (teaching and learning) or equivalent; educational development and other staff located in the faculties; and a critical mass of people with a commitment to teaching and learning improvement and enhancement who have the capacity to lead. 7. Mechanisms to recognise excellence in teaching and learning and to enable teaching and learning career pathways are in place This study found that professional development, reward and recognition mechanisms and enabling career pathways for those committed to teaching and learning are important components in the successful leadership of teaching and learning enhancement. The project findings indicate the centrality of linking efforts to enhance teaching and learning with promotion opportunities. The research findings indicate that university promotion criteria that incorporate excellence in teaching and learning scholarship and practice allow appropriate recognition, enable the sustainability of excellent practice and help embed enhancement.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , Smeal, Georgia , Cummings, Rick , Mazzolini, Margaret
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article , Technical report
- Relation: Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-64
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Overall, the investigation found that universities that wish to improve the quality of teaching and learning should take an approach that aims to be: collaborative and developmental; embedded; sustainable; and focused on enabling innovation and enhancement. The seven interlinked insights characteristic of sustainable, positive change in teaching and learning in Australian universities are as follows. 1. Efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning are aligned with the strategic direction of the university The evidence indicates that efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning within an institution should be aligned with the strategic direction of the university. While this might seem self evident, the findings indicate that there are sometimes tensions between overall institutional priorities and efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Careful strategic thinking can ensure efforts to enhance teaching and learning provide a means through which universities can enact aspects of their strategic plans. 2. Senior executives support teaching and learning enhancement, and resources for those improvements are allocated as part of the universityʼs planning and budget cycle The study found that embedding and sustaining good teaching and learning practice requires high-level support within an institution. In addition to providing stable representation and championing of teaching and learning, effective support was found to also incorporate institutional investment in the form of funding and resourcing positions and initiatives. It was found that sustainability relies on institutional funding that ensured ongoing impetus for, and successful work in, enhancing teaching and learning. 3. Staff workload allocations allow time for innovation, enhancement and improvement in teaching and learning The project findings indicate that the major factor inhibiting efforts to improve teaching and learning is high staff workloads and the consequent lack of time to engage with, and contribute to, teaching and learning enhancement efforts. This finding mirrors those of several other recent Australian studies of the changing academic profession, although this current project notes the applicability of workload matters to both academic and professional staff. If leaders in Australian universities wish to enhance teaching and learning, fresh thinking, policy and planning is needed around academic and professional staff roles and workload allocation. 4. Effective leadership proactively manages tensions between discipline research endeavours and efforts to improve teaching and learning This research found that a major cultural impediment to enhancing teaching and learning is the privileging of research over teaching and learning within an institution. The findings suggest that effective leadership and management of the tensions that arise between research endeavours and efforts to improve teaching and learning are critical if the latter are to be successful. The findings suggest that the reconciliation of research and teaching and learning can be achieved to some extent through a range of means, including the facilitation of research and scholarship around teaching and learning. Leading sustainable change in university teaching and learning: Lessons from the sector 6 5. Teaching and learning are supported by relevant research and scholarship conducted within the institution and in collaboration with other institutions and relevant bodies The study findings indicate the importance of research and scholarship in the area of teaching and learning. External interface, networking and exchange with stakeholders and bodies outside the institution are critical to ensuring enhancement efforts fit with the broader context in which they are occurring. Some of the benefits of engaging in such research and scholarship were: increased reflection on practice; a heightened awareness of the link between an individualʼs own teaching and their studentsʼ outcomes; increased innovation in teaching; improved morale; enhancing the quality of teaching and learning both within an institution and more broadly; and opportunities to both benchmark and improve teaching performance. The potential for research into teaching and learning to contribute to resolving the tensions between discipline research and teaching and learning was also noted. 6. A distributed teaching and learning support structure exists within the institution and is coordinated from the centre The findings of this research showed that a distributed institutional support structure for teaching and learning enhancement, coordinated from the centre, was perceived to be the most effective approach. Most commonly this involved cooperation between a central teaching and learning centre and one or more of: teaching and learning committees; the associate deans (teaching and learning) or equivalent; educational development and other staff located in the faculties; and a critical mass of people with a commitment to teaching and learning improvement and enhancement who have the capacity to lead. 7. Mechanisms to recognise excellence in teaching and learning and to enable teaching and learning career pathways are in place This study found that professional development, reward and recognition mechanisms and enabling career pathways for those committed to teaching and learning are important components in the successful leadership of teaching and learning enhancement. The project findings indicate the centrality of linking efforts to enhance teaching and learning with promotion opportunities. The research findings indicate that university promotion criteria that incorporate excellence in teaching and learning scholarship and practice allow appropriate recognition, enable the sustainability of excellent practice and help embed enhancement.
Participation and equity : a review of the participation in higher education of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds and Indigenous people.
- James, Richard, Bexley, E., Anderson, A., Devlin, Marcia, Garnett, R., Marginson, S., Maxwell, L.
- Authors: James, Richard , Bexley, E. , Anderson, A. , Devlin, Marcia , Garnett, R. , Marginson, S. , Maxwell, L.
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Book
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Authors: James, Richard , Bexley, E. , Anderson, A. , Devlin, Marcia , Garnett, R. , Marginson, S. , Maxwell, L.
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Book
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
Research challenges inherent in determining improvement in University teaching
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Issues in Educational Research Vol. 18, no. n1 (2008), p. 12-25
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Using a recent study that examined the effectiveness of a particular approach to improving individual university teaching as a case study, this paper examines some of the challenges inherent in educational research, particularly research examining the effects of interventions to improve teaching. Aspects of the research design and methodology and of the analysis of results are discussed and recommendations for improvements for future research are made. (Contains 1 table.)
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Issues in Educational Research Vol. 18, no. n1 (2008), p. 12-25
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Using a recent study that examined the effectiveness of a particular approach to improving individual university teaching as a case study, this paper examines some of the challenges inherent in educational research, particularly research examining the effects of interventions to improve teaching. Aspects of the research design and methodology and of the analysis of results are discussed and recommendations for improvements for future research are made. (Contains 1 table.)
Studying and Working: A national study of student finances and student engagement
- Devlin, Marcia, James, Richard, Grigg, Gabrielle
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , James, Richard , Grigg, Gabrielle
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 14, no. 2 (2008), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A key determinant of the new relationship between students and universities in Australia is the changing nature of higher education funding arrangements and the shift towards “user pays”. In 2007, the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) completed a commissioned national study, Australian University Student Finances 2006: Final Report of a National Survey of Students in Public Universities. Drawing on the project report, this article discusses selected findings relating to student expectations and engagement to present a worrying picture of financial duress and involvement in paid work and examines the possible effects on the quality of higher education.
- Authors: Devlin, Marcia , James, Richard , Grigg, Gabrielle
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 14, no. 2 (2008), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A key determinant of the new relationship between students and universities in Australia is the changing nature of higher education funding arrangements and the shift towards “user pays”. In 2007, the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) completed a commissioned national study, Australian University Student Finances 2006: Final Report of a National Survey of Students in Public Universities. Drawing on the project report, this article discusses selected findings relating to student expectations and engagement to present a worrying picture of financial duress and involvement in paid work and examines the possible effects on the quality of higher education.
Interdisciplinary higher education and the Melbourne model
- Davies, Martin, Devlin, Marcia
- Authors: Davies, Martin , Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: Philosophy of Educaiton Society of Australasia Conference; Wellington, New Zealand; 6th-9th December 2007; published in Creativity, enterprise, policy : New directions in education p. 1-16
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The so-called ‘Melbourne Model’ has recently been adopted by the Council of the University of Melbourne, Australia after a long consultation process and widespread media attention. It proposes the design of new subjects which offer what are referred to as ‘different ways of knowing’ from students’ ‘core’ disciplines, partly through ‘the delivery of breadth subjects that are interdisciplinary in character’. This paper explores interdisciplinary higher education in the light of The Melbourne Model’. Definitional issues associated with the term ‘academic discipline’, as well as the newer terms ‘interdisciplinary’, ‘pluridisciplinary’, ‘cross-disciplinary’, ‘transdisciplinary’ and ‘multidisciplinary’ are examined. Some of the pedagogical issues inherent in a move from a traditional form of educational delivery to that underlined by the Melbourne Model are outlined. Some epistemological considerations relevant to multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity are discussed.
- Authors: Davies, Martin , Devlin, Marcia
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: Philosophy of Educaiton Society of Australasia Conference; Wellington, New Zealand; 6th-9th December 2007; published in Creativity, enterprise, policy : New directions in education p. 1-16
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The so-called ‘Melbourne Model’ has recently been adopted by the Council of the University of Melbourne, Australia after a long consultation process and widespread media attention. It proposes the design of new subjects which offer what are referred to as ‘different ways of knowing’ from students’ ‘core’ disciplines, partly through ‘the delivery of breadth subjects that are interdisciplinary in character’. This paper explores interdisciplinary higher education in the light of The Melbourne Model’. Definitional issues associated with the term ‘academic discipline’, as well as the newer terms ‘interdisciplinary’, ‘pluridisciplinary’, ‘cross-disciplinary’, ‘transdisciplinary’ and ‘multidisciplinary’ are examined. Some of the pedagogical issues inherent in a move from a traditional form of educational delivery to that underlined by the Melbourne Model are outlined. Some epistemological considerations relevant to multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity are discussed.
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