Large Australian University Research Articles

A pedagogical evaluation of an institution's digital assessment platform (DAP): Integrating pedagogical, technical and contextual factors

An assessment for learning approach is foundational for student learning. The necessity to shift teaching and learning online as a response to COVID-19 has propelled digital assessment into the mainstream within higher education institutions. User experience is a common indicator of effectiveness of technologically enhanced initiatives; however, measuring the pedagogical impact of digital assessment initiatives has not been straightforward. This paper presents a pedagogical evaluation, incorporating staff and student perspectives, of a digital assessment platform (DAP) at a large Australian metropolitan university. Data were collected using surveys, interviews, focus groups and case studies and incorporated findings from student evaluations of courses and a student-staff partnership project. Results highlight strong pedagogical reasons for continuing the digital assessment initiative, while also identifying constraints and opportunities for improvement. The insights generated through this evaluation emphasise the importance of considering technical, pedagogical and contextual factors and the interplay between the factors. In a quality assurance climate, where the demand for this type of institution-wide evaluation is increasing, this study contributes an approach that addresses some of the complexities and challenges of evaluating digital assessment initiatives in higher education. Future research is needed to understand more fully the relationships between pedagogical and contextual factors when undertaking an evaluation. Implications for practice or policy: The DAP enabled the (re)design of authentic, inclusive, engaging and secure assessment tasks. Educator support is critical in learning the system and creating assessment with high pedagogical merit. Student familiarisation opportunities with using the DAP are beneficial. The DAP’s longevity within the institution is crucial considering the significant effort required of educators and students. Contextual influences blur understanding of pedagogical factors.

The impact of an online doctoral writing group

Abstract Challenges with writing have been identified as a key factor in the timely completion of PhD programs. Doctoral writing groups, where students provide peer feedback on drafts, are increasingly being implemented as a potential solution to support and develop student writing. This paper presents an exploration of the impact of an online doctoral writing group program at a large Australian university. The group supports students in writing a research article for publication in an academic journal and includes both facilitator-led instruction and peer feedback. We explored the group’s impact on the participants’ writing ability, feedback literacy, and general well-being. Data were drawn from two doctoral writing groups and derived from several sources: session transcripts, focus groups, anonymous surveys, student drafts, and published samples of students’ academic journal articles. We found that instruction was key to demystifying the writing process and developing feedback literacy. Furthermore, the online delivery mode provided access to support for cohorts traditionally excluded from these opportunities, as well as a safe space that fostered a sense of well-being. This approach suggests a sustainable and effective model for implementation in graduate programs.

Indigenous students' experiences of being taught indigenous health

BackgroundIncreasing the numbers of Indigenous health professionals is an international priority to enhance health outcomes for Indigenous communities. It is also incumbent on academics to ensure all graduates are culturally safe to work with Indigenous Peoples, and that accredited health degrees contain appropriate Indigenous content, improving the cultural competence of the registered health workforce. However, little current research investigates Indigenous tertiary students' experiences of learning about Indigenous health. AimTo explore Indigenous students' experiences of being taught Indigenous health. DesignThis study employed an online survey (16 % response rate) developed to evaluate student's beliefs, attitudes and learning experiences following operationalisation of a university Indigenous Graduate Attribute. An Aboriginal researcher also conducted Yarning Circles with Indigenous students as a culturally appropriate means to deepen insight into their experiences of studying Indigenous health topics alongside non-Indigenous peers. SettingA large urban Australian university. ParticipantsTwelve Indigenous students from four health disciplines completed the anonymous survey. Five Indigenous midwifery students participated in a Yarning Circle. MethodsSurvey data were analysed descriptively using SPSS version 27. Qualitative data from Yarning Circle transcripts were analysed thematically from an inductive Indigenous standpoint. ResultsResults from the survey demonstrated unanimous agreement that all health students should learn about Indigenous Peoples' health and cultures. However, most participants agreed that there needed to be more content on Indigenous knowledges, derived from Indigenous authors, researchers, and community presenters.The Yarning Circle yielded rich discussion of students' experiences, explored across three key themes and associated sub-themes. Themes were: When your culture is content; Being an Indigenous student; and Sources of strength and support as Indigenous students. ConclusionsFindings indicate the importance of framing Indigenous content, incorporating Indigenous knowledge into curricula, ensuring Cultural Safety in classrooms with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and supporting Indigenous students to excel.

Investigating Copyright as a Mechanism for Combatting Unauthorised Student Academic file-sharing in Higher Education: Findings from an Explorative Study

AbstractAcademic file-sharing services encourage students to upload materials, sometimes their own study notes for example, but can also include copyrighted university documents, in exchange for access to downloading resources from a common repository. In this process, the lines between legitimate study help and academic misconduct are unclear. Integrity-based strategies to combat these transactions have been limited. Removal by copyright mechanisms has been identified as a potential approach but has been hampered by the enormity of the task and the resource intensity required to make an impact at scale. This explorative study at a large Australian university sought to remove a percentage of copyrighted material from two commonly used academic file-sharing websites and to understand the experience of users in uploading files. Findings from the study were encouraging and informative, resulting in a suite of initiatives being introduced across the institution to prevent uploading in the first instance as well as, where possible, addressing misconduct when it occurred. Limitations included that the study was only undertaken as one university and therefore does not represent the contexts of different institutions. Further, it only investigated two websites out of many available. Future research could explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by academic file-sharing services to retain existing users and attract new ones. This work provides a clearer picture of how an institution’s copyrighted material is hosted on two academic file-sharing websites and offers an effective and potentially scalable copyright approach that could be adapted by other higher education institutions.

Improving the quality of allied health placements: student, educator and organisational preparedness

ABSTRACT Work Integrated Learning is essential for healthcare degrees where students learn to become healthcare professionals. As a complex form of learning the quality of student placement experiences are variable, impacting student wellbeing and development of professional competencies. Getting it right, students enter the workforce ready to practice. Getting it wrong can have deleterious effects on all stakeholders. Although research has examined placement quality for students, less is known about the experiences of other stakeholder groups (e.g. placement educators, university academics and professional support staff). Our research addresses this gap. Using narrative interviewing methods, underpinned by social constructionism, we interviewed fifty-one participants: 19 allied healthcare students, 15 placement educators, 12 university academics and 5 professional staff from a large Australian university. We identified four preparedness themes impacting on placement quality, namely: University, Placement Site, Placement educator and Student preparedness. Within these themes, good practice is highlighted alongside examples of unsettling experiences. Curricula should be reviewed to ensure students are prepared as agentic learners for the complexities of the workplace. Furthermore, universities should co-design placements in partnership with healthcare organisations and educators to enable students to optimise their learning and contribution to patient/client care.

Identity transitions, experiences, and agency: a collaborative autoethnography of Asian international TESOL doctoral students

ABSTRACT This research explored the identities and agency of Asian international TESOL doctoral students at a large Australian university, employing a sociocultural perspective and collaborative autoethnography with qualitative content analysis. The study revealed that these doctoral students navigated complex, co-evolving identities – including learner, early-career researcher, and academic – shaped by their prior professional and research experiences. It highlighted significant identity tensions influenced by the temporal dimensions of their experiences, where past and current identities, as well as imagined future selves, informed their academic decisions and coping strategies. This temporal interplay was conceptualised through Vygotsky’s concept of perezhivanie, reflecting how personal and situational factors coalesced to impact their academic trajectories. A conceptual model, informed by these findings, illustrated how identity and agency were mediated by personal experiences and situationally catalysed tensions. This study highlighted identities as significant and formative episodes in the doctoral learning experience, offering insights into the challenges and developmental trajectories of international doctoral students. It further substantiates the value of a sociocultural perspective for understanding and supporting the academic and professional growth of this cohort.

From script to screen

In an age of ‘deepfakes’, designing learning media and video intentionally and ethically becomes more important than ever. Emerging educational research focuses on generative large language models, which use neural networks to produce human-like text based on prompts. Yet the educational design of synthetic media, particularly AI-generated avatars, which are also currently produced from text prompts, remains less explored. This paper share insights from an ongoing evaluation of realistic, AI-generated avatars as educational presenters at a large Australian metropolitan university. Using commercially available software, we created a suite of AI-generated avatars and accompanying interactives to explore the topic of ethics in business intelligence which was delivered to approximately 1200 students across two semesters in 2022 and 2023. The aim was to provoke critical discussion around ethical decision-making with AI by immersing students in text-to-video technology as part of their learning experience. To better understand students’ perceptions of synthetic media as a stimulus for learning, we conducted four focus groups over two iterations of the course. Our multidisciplinary team also documented the design, development, and implementation challenges of AI-generated avatars. Preliminary findings suggest that clarifying design intentions is key to the effective and ethical application of AI-generated avatars. Automating video content with synthetic media to simplify certain types of educational content could be a catalyst for increased sharing and collaboration. While traditional video formats may prove a simpler choice in the short-term, this study indicates the potential of more hybrid human and nonhuman representation in certain contexts. Students were comfortable with synthetic media use and blending humans and nonhuman elements, expressing a desire for greater interaction with both. We propose a posthuman perspective on AI-generated avatars, one which acknowledges the messy and entangled nature of learning and teaching with technology, that often surfaces issues of ethics and power. To assist educators, ‘VIEW’ is outlined, a brief educational design guide for AI-generated avatars that considers aspects such as the intentions or purpose of the video, the suitability of video as a medium, implementation, and ethical questions. Finally, we suggest more critical and ethical studies on the emergence of synthetic media applications in higher education are needed.

Immersed in scholarly projects: Upskilling our future medical workforce

Introduction: Much has been written about the need for medical students to have research skills. Increasing numbers of medical schools are incorporating compulsory research experiences to increase research literacy. However, little is known about the student perceptions of, and outcomes from, those programs. We aimed to examine medical students' perceptions of a compulsory 6-week scholarly project at a large Australian university. There was a particular focus on comparing students’ perceptions based on their prior research experience. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to survey 418 final-year medical students. Responses were analysed using descriptive and bivariate statistics. Results: One hundred and eleven students responded to the survey (27% of the cohort). Fifty-one percent had prior research experience. The majority of respondents perceived they had enhanced their confidence (69%) and research skills (74%), and as a result of this unit, 62% reported enhanced willingness to participate in future research projects. Students produced a variety of outputs in addition to their assessment requirements. Students without prior experience were significantly more likely to report they were suitably challenged and their project had enhanced their skills in interpreting and applying evidence. Conclusion: We found that short (6-week) scholarly projects enhanced final-year medical students’ perceived ability to interpret and apply evidence. Many students also reported an increased willingness to participate in future research activities. As clinician research literacy and engagement are thought to improve healthcare performance and health outcomes, scholarly experiences in the final year of medical school have the potential to enhance graduate enquiry to improve healthcare.

Leading Academic Development in Dynamic Higher Education International Settings

Within the super complex higher education environment academic development inhabits a dynamic domain that varies from institution to institution. Leading academic development requires the ability to effectively lead change, people, programmes, and yourself. This paper provides a critically reflective narrative of my experiences leading academic development across a lifespan in Australia and the UK. The narrative of my leadership development is shaped by my reflection on the University of Liverpool’s Leadership Commitment Framework and the UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education and integrated throughout three case studies. The first case study, set in a large Faculty in an Australian university, explores inspirational, distributed, and entrepreneurial leadership; academic development initiatives are relatively informal in this case. The second case study, set in a large Australian university at the institutional level explores strategic leadership of processes and people; academic development initiatives are more formalised through university governance processes in this case. The third case, set in a Russell Group university in the UK, explores transformational leadership relevant to leading academic development teams and programmes in a highly regulated environment. Across the three cases issues of identity, influence, and power in relation to leading academic development in dynamic environments are explored and insights highlighted to provide advice and guidance to aspiring leaders of academic development and leaders of learning and teaching in higher education.

Embracing the Extend Platform in Postgraduate Education: Unveiling Student Perspectives on Technological Trends in Course Delivery

Recent global events have made it crucial for higher education to continuously update course content with digital alternatives to meet evolving student expectations and enhance their learning experience. The extent of course redevelopment varies widely, depending on the specific learning outcomes. While numerous studies investigate the impact of digitally revitalized course materials on tertiary students, less is known about the user experiences of international postgraduate students in the context of a second language teaching methodology course using different delivery modes. Our study examined postgraduate students’ perceptions of Extend using the Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM 2). Extend is an online platform implemented as the main course delivery platform in two postgraduate courses at a large urban Australian university. The results from mid-term evaluation surveys and end-of-semester course evaluations indicated that most students had positive attitudes towards Extend, finding it beneficial for content inclusivity and course objective transparency. The findings highlight both the perceived usefulness and ease of use for building their independent learning journey. However, for a long-term successful learning outcome in delivering this platform across various class deliveries, other aspects related to individual differences need to be taken into consideration.

Beyond emergency remote teaching: did the pandemic lead to lasting change in university courses?

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted traditional methods of teaching and learning within higher education. But what remained when the pandemic passed? While the majority of the literature explores the shifts during the pandemic, with much speculation about post-pandemic futures, a clear understanding of lasting implications remains elusive. To illuminate this knowledge gap, our study contrasts pedagogical practices in matched courses from the pre-pandemic year (2019) to the post-pandemic phase (2022/2023). We also investigate the factors influencing these changes and the perceptions of academics on these shifts. Data were gathered from academics in a large comprehensive Australian university of varying disciplines through a mixed-methods approach, collecting 67 survey responses and conducting 21 interviews. Findings indicate a notable increase in online learning activities, authentic and scaffolded assessments, and online unsupervised exams post-pandemic. These changes were primarily driven by university-guided adaptations, time and workload pressures, continued COVID-19 challenges, local leadership, an individual desire to innovate, and concerns about academic integrity. While most changes were seen as favourable by academics, perceptions were less positive concerning online examinations. These findings illuminate the enduring effects of the pandemic on higher education, suggesting longer-term implications than previous studies conducted during the acute phase of the pandemic.

The Role of Enterprise Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Leaders' Experience

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted workplaces, with public health orders requiring people to shift their workplaces into their homes. Consequently, many organisations pivoted to online operation and utilised technology such as Enterprise Social Media (ESM) to help manage this transition. In this study we explore leaders' diverse use of ESM during the pandemic, including whether it was used for performance management and how it shaped leaders’ social behaviour. We conducted fifteen semi-structured interviews with leaders in a large Australian University using the ESM technology. Our results explore the nuances of ESM use during this time including how it was used as a social tool, a communication tool, and as an informal means to collect performance data. Interviews also revealed concerns with ESM use such as privacy and information redundancy. Our work advances the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) literature by conceptualising cognitive and affective mechanisms to understand how utilisation moderates TTF outcomes. These mechanisms are contingent on how leaders use ESM and the level of their interactions and engagements. We identify practical implications of ESM use at a time of crisis including leader training, clear guidelines for internal communication, efficient information sharing practices, and informed consent for ESM-related data collection practices.

Should Learning Analytics Models Include Sensitive Attributes? Explaining the Why

Many educational institutions are using predictive models to leverage actionable insights using student data and drive student success. A common task has been predicting students at risk of dropping out for the necessary interventions to be made. However, issues of discrimination by these predictive models based on protected attributes of students have recently been raised. An important question that is constantly asked is: should the protected attributes be excluded from the learning analytics (LA) models in order to ensure fairness? In this work, we aimed at answering questions that if we exclude the protected attributes from the LA models, does the exclusion ensure fairness as it <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">supposedly</i> should? Does the exclusion affect the performance of the LA model? If so, why? We found answers to these questions and went further to explain why. We built machine learning models and performed empirical evaluations using a 3-year dropout data for a particular program in a large Australian university. We found that excluding or including the protected attributes had marginal effect on predictive performance and fairness. Perhaps not surprisingly, our findings suggest that the effect of including or excluding protected attributes is a function of how they relate with the prediction outcome. More specifically, if a protected attribute is correlated with the target label and proves to be an important feature, then their inclusion or exclusion would have effect on the performance and fairness and vice versa. Our findings provide insightful information that can be used by relevant stakeholders to make well-informed decisions.

Wellbeing integrated learning design framework: a multi-layered approach to facilitating wellbeing education through learning design and educational practice

The interest in wellbeing education has risen dramatically as we emerge from a global pandemic and examine what is needed to address the lingering impacts in education. Of course, the need for wellbeing education was apparent long before this, driven by a need to mitigate the growing mental health challenges faced by our youth. Indeed, there is a substantial body of evidence for the impact of such education on students in primary through to tertiary settings. However, little is known about how we are “educating the educators” to facilitate wellbeing through their curriculum and educational practices. This goes beyond the topics or content of wellbeing education to focus more on how we create enabling environments for wellbeing to emerge in our educational practices. This article proposes a Wellbeing Integrated Learning Design (WILD) Framework to address this gap. We outline the central tenets of the WILD framework, including the underpinning theoretical principles and systems approach that guided the development. Practical examples are provided to demonstrate how the framework can be applied in preparing experienced educators to build enabling environments in their own context. We reflect on the insights gained in trialing the approach in an education faculty in a large Australian university and explore the opportunities to refine the framework further to support its replication in other educational settings.

Enhancing Novice Educator Confidence to Teach Synchronously Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Educators’ perceptions of their teaching competence contribute to feelings of wellbeing and teaching effectiveness, which in turn impacts the quality of student learning. In the context of emergency remote online teaching brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, introductory workshops on educating using Zoom videoconferencing software were conducted at a large Australian university. The workshops sought to equip educators with the skills and confidence needed to make the transition to online teaching, thus reducing educator anxiety and improving their wellbeing. Attendees of the workshops were surveyed (104 responses) to understand what influenced educator confidence development, perceptions of successful online teaching approaches, and advice for new online educators. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was used to analyse educators’ open-text responses. The study demonstrated that both professional development and practical experience increased novice online educator confidence and expertise in using videoconferencing software to engage learners. Educators required a foundational level of technological knowledge before they could develop a deeper understanding of how the technology could be used for pedagogical purposes. Short just-in-time workshops were identified as an influential factor in fostering initial confidence and expertise, which worked to reduce educator apprehension about using the technology, ultimately contributing to enhanced wellbeing and student outcomes.

Nursing students' interprofessional socialisation and readiness for interprofessional learning: A cross-sectional research study

BackgroundInterprofessional education programs in university settings have facilitated the development of student attributes needed to become a team-player, understand roles and responsibilities of other health disciplines, and acquire knowledge to deliver patient-centred care. Although the benefits of interprofessional education are widely acknowledged, there is limited research on interprofessional socialisation within university contexts. ObjectivesTo examine readiness of undergraduate nursing students for interprofessional learning and interprofessional socialisation. DesignA cross-sectional design was used to examine the correlation between interprofessional learning and socialisation, and group differences between mode of study, year level, and prior healthcare experience. SettingA large Australian regional university, across two campuses. ParticipantsA total of 103 undergraduate nursing students across year levels, including 58 enrolled on-campus, and 45 studying externally. MethodStudents completed an online survey using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale and the Interprofessional Socialisation and Valuing Scale. Data analyses included independent t-tests, and a one-way between subjects ANOVA. ResultsNo significant differences in student readiness for interprofessional learning or interprofessional socialisation were found between on-campus and external modes of study and between healthcare experience and no prior healthcare experience. Participants with previous healthcare experience had significantly higher scores for interprofessional socialisation than those with no previous healthcare experience. ConclusionsReadiness for interprofessional learning and interprofessional socialisation and were not impacted by the students' mode of study; however, previous experience in the healthcare industry and duration of study significantly improved interprofessional socialisation skills. As nursing students advance through their study, they may experience interprofessional education opportunities that influence their perceived socialisation skills.

International tertiary education students experienced difficulties in dietary transitions in Australia: A qualitative study.

More attention to the diet and nutritional status of international students in Australian universities is indicated. This qualitative research aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of dietary changes among international students after they arrived in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with international students from China and India who were studying at a large urban Australian university. An approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed for coding and data analysis. A total of 14 interviews were included. International students were able to consume more international foods, dairy products and animal proteins in Australia as a result of increased exposure to a larger variety of these foods compared with their home countries. However, they experienced some difficulties in eating vegetables and authentic traditional foods due to limited availability and higher prices in Australia. It was challenging for these students to live independently and cook for themselves for the first time and with a limited food budget and time, but many students improved their cooking skills over time. Less frequent main meals with more snacking sessions were reported. Weight fluctuations were commonly experienced and craving for traditional foods no longer accessible may negatively impact mental health. International students adapted to the Australian food environment but believed the food choices available did not meet their food preferences or perhaps nutritional requirements. Some intervention from universities and/or government may be needed to ease the barriers to consumption of affordable and desirable meals in a time-saving manner for international students.

Sleep as a mediator of the relationship between social class and health in higher education students.

A substantial body of research indicates that higher education students from lower social class backgrounds tend to have poorer health than those from higher social class backgrounds. To investigate sleep as a potential mediator of this relationship, online survey responses of students from five large Australian universities, one Irish university and one large Australian technical college were analysed in three studies (Study 1 N=628; Study 2 N=376; Study 3 N=446). The results revealed that sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, pre-sleep worries and sleep schedule variability mediated the relationship between social class and physical and mental health. Sleep remained a significant mediator when controlling for related variables and other mediators. Thus, the findings suggest that sleep partly explains social class differences in health. We discuss the importance of addressing sleep issues among students from lower social class backgrounds.

Learning technology as contested terrain: Insights from teaching academics and learning designers in Australian higher education

Learning and teaching is no longer the exclusive domain of teaching academics and is increasingly reliant on third-space professionals, in particular learning designers. The sharing of the design of the learning and teaching space is underlined by the increasing collaboration between teaching academics and learning designers. This qualitative study explores how these two key stakeholders understand learning technology, which is critical to shaping the teaching and learning process in contemporary higher education. Foucauldian discourse and power were employed as the theoretical lens to analyse semi-structured interviews with 12 teaching academics and 5 learning designers at a large Australian university. Although learning designers and teaching academics share a mutual interest in improving the learning and teaching process, the findings also revealed five discourses where practice was contested: centralisation, surveillance, institutional homogenisation, responsibility, and efficiency. This article calls for a new focus on the collaborative aspect of the learning design and teaching process that is constantly (re)negotiated between these two main stakeholders. Implications for practice or policy: Teaching academics and learning designers should develop practices that recognise the collaborative nature of learning technology in higher education. Universities should develop practices and policies that reduce tensions within the five identified discourses of learning technology to ensure a more collaborative teaching academic-learning designer relationship.

Identifying the phases of learning in an Australasian undergraduate architecture design studio model

An understanding of the theoretical basis of the design learning process, and the resulting partnership between students and teachers in contemporary design studios, is required to optimise learning. Students’ learning in the architecture design studio has been widely studied, however the specific activities of students and teachers, and the interpersonal interactions between them, have not been investigated in great depth. This research identifies a complex, nuanced situation, one with three consecutive phases of different learning activities and relationships. An undergraduate architecture program at a large Australian university is analysed using a modified Delphi method to investigate the perceptions of staff and students and achieve convergence upon a shared understanding of how the design learning process unfolds through three distinct phases to support learning.