A roadmap to generate renewable protein binders to the human proteome
- Authors: Colwill, Karen , Persson, Helena , Jarvik, Nicholas , Wyrzucki, Arkadiusz , Wojcik, John , Koide, Akiko , Kossiakoff, Anthony , Koide, Shohei , Sidhu, Sachdev , Dyson, Michael , Pershad, Kritika , Pavlovic, John , Karatt-Vellatt, Aneesh , Schofield, Darren , Kay, Brian , McCafferty, John , Mersmann, Michael , Meier, Doris , Mersmann, Jana , Helmsing, Saskia , Hust, Michael , Dubel, Stefan , Berkowicz, Susan , Freemantle, Alexia , Spiegel, Michael , Sawyer, Alan , Layton, Daniel , Nice, Edouard , Dai, Anna , Rocks, Oliver , Williton, Kelly , Fellouse, Frederic , Hersi, Kadija , Pawson, Tony , Nilsson, Peter , Sundberg, Marten , Sjoberg, Ronald , Sivertsson, Asa , Schwenk, Jochen , Takanen, Jenny , Hober, Sophia , Uhlen, Mathias , Dahlgren, Lars-Goran , Flores, Alex , Johansson, Ida , Weigelt, Johan , Crombet, Lissette , Loppnau, Peter , Kozieradzki, Ivona , Cossar, Doug , Arrowsmith, C. , Edwards, Aled , Graslund, Susanne
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nature Methods Vol. 8, no. 7 (2011), p. 551-558
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- Description: Despite the wealth of commercially available antibodies to human proteins, research is often hindered by their inconsistent validation, their poor performance and the inadequate coverage of the proteome. These issues could be addressed by systematic, genome-wide efforts to generate and validate renewable protein binders. We report a multicenter study to assess the potential of hybridoma and phage-display technologies in a coordinated large-scale antibody generation and validation effort. We produced over 1,000 antibodies targeting 20 SH2 domain proteins and evaluated them for potency and specificity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), protein microarray and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We also tested selected antibodies in immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence assays. Our results show that high-affinity, high-specificity renewable antibodies generated by different technologies can be produced quickly and efficiently. We believe that this work serves as a foundation and template for future larger-scale studies to create renewable protein binders.
A journey to transformism in Australia teacher education : Reconceptualising teacher education in the 21st Century
- Authors: Dyson, Michael
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Book
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- Description: This book presents an alternative way of perceiving both formal schooling and teacher education. It challenges the educational community to examine the current practice of education and suggests a transforming alternative. Using the methodology and writing style of auto ethnography, the author has investigated an internship, in which interns were given room to negotiate their role, make mistakes, form relationships, and come to know the work of teachers. They were encouraged to become thinkers and were nurtured in their state of 'becoming' by mentors. As a result of this study a new model of teacher education, known as 'The Transformism model',is suggested. This involves the evolution of student teachers from a 'me view' perception to a 'worldview' perception. This model is not about training people to be teachers but is about the education of teachers through the adoption of adult learning and the incorporation of "Choice Theory". A new form of educational politics and practice is proposed where people come together in community; share their beliefs and knowledge, their likes and dislikes, their differences and their similarities in openness and with hope for a better world. " From publisher site"
Making a difference by embracing cooperative learning practices in an alternate setting: an exciting combination to incite the educational imagination
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Classroom Interaction Vol. 47, no. 2 (2012), p. 13-24
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- Description: This paper outlines a study of an alternate approach to educating Year 9 students in a residential setting. The School for Student Leadership (SSL) in Victoria, Australia, provides a nine-week program focusing on leadership, relationship-building and self-awareness. The philosophy of the school, which has continually evolved since its inception in 2000, appears to have strong connections with the principles of cooperative learning, while also being influenced by theories relating to experiential and service learning and adolescent leadership development. A mixed methods approach was used to collect data through surveys and focus group interviews relating to student perceptions of their educational experience at the SSL. The qualitative findings presented in this paper suggest that all five elements of cooperative learning, as theorized by Johnson and Johnson (1989; 2009), feature in students' discussions of their experiences and that cooperative learning within this context provides a unique platform for the development of positive attitudes toward learning and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
What might a person-centred model of teacher education look like in the 21st century? The transformism model of teacher education
- Authors: Dyson, Michael
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Transformative Education Vol. 8, no. 1 (2011), p. 3-21
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- Description: This article focuses on Big Picture thinking about 21st-century teacher education and presents a conceptual shift as the result of two decades of research and practice centred around an understanding that we live in a world troubled by a massive breakdown in relationships. Through reflection within four specific educational contexts and with the recognition of a need for the personal and social development of teachers, a person-centred model of teacher education, the transformism model, has been developed. The transformism, or evolution of teacher education, seeks to use a different mind-set, or a changed psychology, which moves away from a focus on the control of others by those who think they know what is best. Rather it is about transformative learning, achieved through reflection within a landscape of transformation. Effective teacher education, using this model embraces Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future and the embedding of Glasser’s choice theory. The conceptual shift occurs through a major change in consciousness and the concomitant development of a worldview rather than a me view
Alternative settings - alternative teachers? Reflections on teaching outside the mainstream
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Joint AARE-APERA conference,Australian Association for Research in Education p. 1-12
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- Description: While alternative educational settings in Australia have expanded over the past two decades, there has been little formal research conducted into teacher perceptions of what it means to teach outside the mainstream. This paper outlines part of a longitudinal study involving the School for Student Leadership (SSL), an alternate educational setting in Victoria, Australia, which offers residential programs for Year 9 students. The SSL began operating in 2000 as the Alpine School situated at Dinner Plain and since then two further campuses have been added. A research partnership between Monash University Gippsland and the SSL began in 2001, with this component commencing in 2009 involving a mixed methods study consisting of both surveys and interviews. The focus of this paper is the qualitative findings resulting from interviews with 33 teachers across the 3 campuses. While a small body of literature relating to environmental and experiential education (Brown, 2006, Schartner, 2000, Simmons, 1988, Smith-Cabasto & Cavern, 2006) from a teaching perspective does exist, none really captures the breadth of the type of program offered through the SSL, which does not sit in isolation from broader educational, social and global discourses. While there is an ongoing debate about how we should educate young people there are some points of general agreement. One is that we live in a world of rapid global, technological and social change and education should equip young people to deal with these changes. This particular research provided an opportunity to seek teachers' perceptions about whether this goal was easier to achieve in a non-traditional setting. A particular focus was on participants' current perceptions about their role as 'teacher' and whether it differed depending on the setting. The findings provided interesting insights about the focus of the teachers that choose to become involved, with most suggesting that they were searching for more meaningful ways to connect their pedagogy and practice. They also felt that mainstream settings rarely provided opportunities for the development of substantive relationships with students. There was an acknowledgement that the alternate setting of the SSL did provide a greater opportunity for equipping students to deal with change but this also required teachers to respond differently, shifting the emphasis from content to context and from being a teacher to being an educator, facilitator or mentor.
Educating generation Y in alternate settings : What seems to work
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Zink, Robyn
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Australian Association for Research in Education
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- Description: Abstract: This paper presents one element of our research conducted in a contemporary, yet alternate, school setting. This setting provides ten-week residential programs for Year nine students. Year nine has been identified as a significant time when students become disengaged with schooling. These Year nine students also belong to a group known as Generation Y (Gen Y). This group is characterised as having difficulties with communication, developing relationships and functioning as a community. However, our research, at the 'Remote School' suggests that the students in this residential school develop skills that enable them to communicate more effectively and establish relationships with others. One of the key aspects of this appears to be the relationships they form with each other and with the staff while on the program. The environment, or the ecosystem developed in this unique setting, allows students to interact more explicitly with the complexity of life and, in doing so, recognise diversity and the shades of grey, which start to colour their worlds. The students talk about feeling challenged in forming relationships and about comprehending more about themselves, how they operate and how others operate. It would seem likely that there is a gap in understanding the capacities of Year nine students and Gen Y students, who are construed as being difficult to communicate with, form relationships with, or fail to function effectively in communities. It is this gap in understanding, based on the experiences of the young people at the Remote School, which we explore in this paper.
How do preservice teachers learn to become quality teachers? Factors to consider in addressing the issues facing 'new teachers'
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Hutchinson, Steve
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Practical Experiences in Professional Education Vol. 11, no. 1 (2008 2008), p. 44-56
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Choice theory, relationships and community
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 4 p. 43-67
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- Description: The themes of ‘relationships’, and ‘community’, amongst others, have been constantly framed and reframed in the research conducted at the three campuses of the School for Student Leadership (SSL), and in the SSL China project, over the past 16 years. The student participants involved in the various research projects continue to highlight these themes and others, revealing that something unique happens at the SSL. This chapter on the student perspective discusses the themes of relationships and community, in the context of an Indigenous cohort of students who attended the Alpine School, which is what the SSL was originally known as. They were a unique cohort, who attended for a 6-week shortened program in 2006. Through focus group discussions at the end of their stay, these students provided through their narratives, key insights into what the experience meant to them. It appears that while the focus of the SSL experience is different, much of what is covered is transferable into mainstream schooling, which means that schools both nationally and internationally have much to learn from the practices of the SSL. This is further evident in the next chapter (Chap. 5), which is also on the student perspective, particularly examining leadership and student engagement in relation to the SSL experience.
Enhancing interpersonal relationships in teacher education through the development and practice of reflective mentoring
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Interpersonal Relationships in Education: From theory to practice Chapter 4 p. 37-56
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- Description: This chapter presents research on a model of reflective mentoring developed and implemented as a way of enhancing interpersonal relationships between pre service and mentor teachers involved in a longitudinal school-based professional experience. The process of reflective mentoring (Dyson, 2002) was developed as an alternative to the more traditional forms of supervision, which tend to involve a power relationship in which the student teacher is monitored and assessed by an experienced teacher or a university lecturer.
Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book
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- Description: This research-based book focuses on the development and evolution of the School for Student Leadership (SSL), an alternate and unique residential school for year-nine students, operating in Victoria, Australia. It traces the journey of the SSL, a state secondary school, from a single campus in 2000, to its current three campuses, with more to come in the future. The book documents the key findings and insights from a university/school research partnership spanning a 16-year period. Central themes running throughout the book include the importance of social and emotional development/competence to support and guide learning in adolescence; the nature and value of adolescent leadership; relationships and community as foci of middle-years education together with what constitutes a modern ‘rite of passage’. The book explains how, in this particular alternate setting, deliberate steps have been taken – and responsively changed over time – to develop knowledge, skills and competencies, which enable the building of meaningful and sustainable relationships and social and emotional competence within the community. Many of the lessons learned in this setting reveal the potential for transference into mainstream educational settings, to enable all year-nine students to receive the same opportunities to grow and develop as those who have attended the SSL.
The journey begins
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 1 p. 1-6
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- Description: This chapter introduces the reader to the journey underpinning the creation of the School for Student Leadership (SSL), which was known initially as the Alpine School. This unique educational establishment is unlike any other in Australia, or perhaps the world, and has offered a distinctive and highly valuable experience to more than 5000 Victorian secondary school students since its inception in 2000. Mark Reeves was appointed the inaugural principal of what was then known as the Alpine school, and remains principal of the three campuses that form the school today. The initial campus was established within the pristine environment of Dinner Plain in the high country of Victoria, Australia. It has since expanded into the Snowy River area in Marlo East Gippsland, and Glen Ormiston in West Victoria. What has added to the distinctiveness of the SSL is involvement in ongoing research in partnership with university educationalists/researchers, thereby ensuring its programs and operations are continually responsive to the findings and recommendations of that research. In this opening chapter, a brief background is provided, followed by an overview of the content of the book, to guide the reader in the research journey that has underpinned the development of this unique school.
A narrative account of the research journey
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 3 p. 27-42
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- Description: This narrative chapter unravels the story of the research journey undertaken over the last 16 years as part of a partnership between the Alpine School/School for Student Leadership and staff from Monash University’s Gippsland campus, which later became part of Federation University, Australia. It has been written in a narrative style to provide a conceptual context for discussing some of the major research insights from this partnership, including the significance of a ‘Landscape of Transformation’ as an overarching framework that has emerged from this longitudinal study. An outline of the research directions, and the associated teams who have been involved, is clarified. Also presented is a full listing of publications and reports associated with the research, with a focus on some of the key findings which are covered in more detail in later chapters.
The student perspective
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 5 p. 69-90
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- Description: As previously highlighted in Chap. 4, the themes of ‘relationships’, ‘community’, ‘student engagement’, ‘leadership’, and ‘communication’ continually emerge in the research that has been conducted with the School for Student Leadership (SSL). This chapter draws on the data gathered from participating students during 2006 from the Alpine campus and 2007 from both the Alpine and Snowy River campuses. Data consisted of responses to pre and post surveys and focus group discussions. Common themes emerged as the students told their stories about their time at the SSL. They highlighted the value of the opportunities provided for developing a better understanding of themselves as individuals, while also learning to value being part of a community. However, the focus of this chapter is on leadership and its concomitant impact on communication. The data revealed that students often arrived at the school with limited understandings of leadership, couched in traditional views of authoritarian styles which were accepted as being the only way to lead. The experiences at the school provided opportunities for students to obtain a broader understanding of what it means to be a leader, particularly from an adolescent perspective. The underpinning philosophy of the SSL, together with the match between theory and practice, encourages and guides students in understanding themselves and their value to the group, while also facilitating integrated and authentic leadership, which is distinguishable by positive social outcomes.
Concluding summary
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 12 p. 203-205
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- Description: This final summary brings to a conclusion the narratives and the research associated with our description of the journey of development of this unique school.
Shifting the focus in teacher education: foregrounding the value of teacher/student relationships
- Authors: Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: The Australian Teacher Education Association Conference p. 1-6
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- Description: Alternate or non-traditional educational settings within Australia have undergone a period of expansion over the last decade, yet there has not been any substantive recognition of this growth within teacher education programs (Plunkett & Dyson, 2010). However, since 2000 a research partnership that has been operating between one of Victoria’s most innovative alternate educational settings - the School for Student Leadership (SSL) and Monash University, has attempted to redress the dearth of research into alternate settings and related potential change within Teacher Education. This paper reports on part of that ongoing longitudinal mixed method study, specifically highlighting the impact that reflection on practice, which is built into the program, has had on building positive relationships between staff and Year 9 students (Dyson & Plunkett, 2010). Findings support Mezirow’s (1991) contention that transformative learning occurs as the result of the reflection process, which in turn leads to a shift in the role and nature of the teacher and allows for openness in communication with students, creating enhanced relationships. As acknowledged by both Cranton (2007) and Glasser (1998) the recognition of the importance of self and ones values and beliefs in relation to others is an essential part of learning. In particular we suggest that connectedness, especially between teacher and students, promotes active engagement concomitantly enhancing transformative learning. We propose that it is important that an understanding of these factors should foreground any discussions about future developments in teacher education.
Making a difference: a different way of being a teacher in an alternate educational setting
- Authors: Plunkett, Margaret , Dyson, Michael
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AARE Conference 2010 p. 1-13
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- Description: Alternate or non-traditional educational settings within Australia have undergone a period of expansion over the past two decades, with a greater range of opportunities being afforded to both students and teachers. Although very little research has been conducted, most studies to date have concentrated on the student experience of education in such settings. There has been minimal focus on teachers, particularly in relation to self perceptions and what it might mean to be a teacher in an environment that differs substantially from the type of educational setting in which many teaching careers had begun. This paper outlines part of a longitudinal study involving the School for Student Leadership (SSL), an alternate educational setting in Victoria, Australia , which offers residential programs for Year 9 students. The focus of the school is on the development of self-understanding and positive relationship building through a holistic approach that is underpinned by the philosophy of cooperative learning. Not all teachers would choose to teach in this type of school, so this project aimed to investigate the hopes and aspirations of the teachers working in the SSL. The findings illustrated a genuine commitment to the principles underpinning the core moral purpose of the SSL and the concomitant level of involvement required. While most did not see their role as teacher to be substantively different from their earlier perceptions, they acknowledged the difference in emphasis that was both possible and necessary within the different context of the setting.
Becoming a teacher and staying one: examining the complex ecologies associated with educating and retaining new teachers in rural Australia?
- Authors: Plunkett, Margaret , Dyson, Michael
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 36, no. 1 (2011), p. 31-47
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- Description: Abstract: The problem of teacher retention has intensified in Australia, particularly in rural areas, with a number of studies suggesting that beginning teachers are not entering the profession with a commitment to remaining there. This paper reports on a study of 102 new teachers graduating from a rural campus of a major Australian university. Utilising a self devised survey over a 3 year period, graduate reflections were captured on what it meant for them to become a teacher. The research sought to determine graduates’ goals and aspirations for working in the profession in both the long and the short term. Participants reported that while they were looking for stability and would like to remain in their current positions, they were hampered by the present contractual system which eroded any sense of permanence. It is argued that contractual employment disrupts the development of a sense of belonging to the profession and the building of meaningful connections between teachers and their schools, a factor that will require attention if retention issues within rural Australia are to be seriously addressed.
A unique educational experience for adolescents: what do students and parents love and fear about the School for Student Leadership?
- Authors: Plunkett, Margaret , Dyson, Michael , Schneider, Peter
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AARE 2013: Shaping Australian Educational Research, Australian Association for Research in Education p. 1-9
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- Description: The School for Student Leadership (SSL) was set up in Victoria, Australia, in 2000 to provide an avenue for Year 9 students in government secondary schools to experience an alternative to the ‘traditional classroom’. The three campuses of the school provide nine-week fully residential programs that promote the development of leadership skills and relationship building, within a framework underpinned by experiential education and cooperative learning practices. At a time when engagement and expectations are not necessarily in alignment, an opportunity to experience education in a unique way is enticing for both students and their parents. Yet there are also associated fears, particularly for parents. For example, the experience provided deviates substantially from the traditional school curriculum and this could be seen as impacting on student progress. There are also fears about how fifteen year olds will cope with sharing dormitories, taking responsibility for their own washing and cleaning, helping with cooking, taking part in physically challenging expeditions, having limited access to social media and surviving without ‘junk food’. This paper reports on part of a longitudinal study that began in partnership with Monash University in 2000. The most recent aspect involved a mixed methods study to collect data from parents and students who were participating in the program at the SSL during Terms 3 and 4 in 2012. Pre and post surveys were conducted as well as interviews with both parents and students. Data was analysed using SPSS and NVivo, however the focus of this paper will be the qualitative aspects of the initial findings from the interviews. Preliminary findings from 12 focus group and 24 individual interviews conducted with student participants, suggest a high level of respect for and engagement with the program offerings. While initial concerns about coping with physical and social challenges were expressed, educational concerns were almost non-existent. A major theme that emerged from the data was the importance of relationships, with the vast majority perceiving that lifelong friendships had been forged with their peers. Students also drew clear distinctions between the positive relationships they had developed with SSL teachers compared to teachers at their home schools. Parents were also overwhelmingly positive about the experiences they perceived their adolescent children had while at the SSL, despite initial fears. Interviews with 15 parents illustrated that they did have a number of concerns that were both educational and social, which was different to the focus of the students. However the reality for these parents was that these fears did not come to fruition, and thus they ended up sharing their child’s enthusiasm for the program, which they felt had supported both cognitive and social development in their adolescent children to a greater extent than traditional education.
The parent perspective
- Authors: Plunkett, Margaret , Dyson, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, Thriving and Reviving in Adolescence : Research and Narratives from the School for Student Leadership Chapter 7 p. 107-125
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- Description: This chapter discusses the parent perspective in terms of what parents of students attending the SSL think about their child's involvement. Over time, a number of projects have examined parent perceptions but the most recent one is discussed in this chapter. This particular project involved surveying and interviewing parents of students attending the three SSL campuses during Terms 3 and 4 of the 2012 school year. While the sample is not large, it certainly provides support to the large body of anecdotal evidence about the very high level of parent satisfaction with the SSL. The findings from the interviews conducted with 15 parents have already been published in a refereed conference paper, which is referred to later in this chapter. The findings from the pre- and post-surveys completed by 38 parents indicated that parents were aware of both the benefits and challenges faced by their children. Moreover, they had very high expectations in terms of the type of growth in understanding of self, others and the ecosystem in which they were living, as outcomes of the SSL experience. Post-survey results illustrated that these expectations were not only met but exceeded.
Experimenting with place : The China project
- Authors: Plunkett, Margaret , Dyson, Michael , Holcombe, Wendy
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 11 p. 173-201
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- Description: This chapter presents an overview of a research project conducted to determine the impact of an immersion experience in China that was offered to students attending the Alpine campus of the SSL in 2014. The students participated via a state government initiative—the Victorian Young Leaders to China (VYLC) program, which aimed to aid intercultural awareness and understanding of secondary school students. Through pre- and post-surveys and focus group discussions with 43 students and 10 teachers, data was collected about the immersion experience and the impact it had on the participants. Both students and teachers reported on the value of the experience, particularly in terms of increasing intercultural awareness. However, as it was the first time that the China program was offered through the SSL, a number of issues and challenges were highlighted, which provided a sound context for associated changes to ensure that future experiences were as successful as possible. The program was also offered to groups of students attending the SSL during 2015 and 2016 due to the positive feedback from the initial pilot reported in this chapter.