Queensland University Of Technology Research Articles

Sessional Academic Success: A Distributed Framework for Academic Support and Development

With approximately half of Australian university teaching now performed by Sessional Academics, there has been growing recognition of the contribution they make to student learning. At the same time, sector-wide research and institutional audits continue to raise concerns about academic development, quality assurance, recognition and belonging (Red Report, 2008; May, 2013). In response, universities have increasingly begun to offer academic development programs for Sessional Academics. However, such programs tend to be centrally delivered, generic in nature, and contained within the moment of delivery, while the Faculty contexts and cultures that Sessional Academics work within are diverse, and the need for support unfolds in ad-hoc and often unpredictable ways. In this paper we present the Sessional Academic Success (SAS) program – a new framework that complements and extends the central academic development program for Sessional Academics at Queensland University of Technology. This program recognizes that experienced Sessional Academics have much to contribute to the advancement of learning and teaching, and harnesses their expertise to provide school-based academic development opportunities, peer-to-peer support, and locally contextualized community building. We describe the program’s implementation and explain how Sessional Academic Success Advisors (SASAs) are employed, trained and supported to provide advice and mentorship and, through a co-design methodology, to develop local development opportunities and communities of teaching practice within their schools. Besides anticipated benefits to new Sessional Academics in terms of timely and contextual support and improved sense of belonging, we explain how SAS provides a pathway for building leadership capacity and academic advancement for experienced Sessional Academics. We take a collaborative, dialogic and reflective practice approach to this paper, interlacing insights from the Associate Director, Academic: Sessional Development who designed the program, and two Sessional Academic Success Advisors who have piloted it within their schools.

Bridging the Gap between Tertiary Education and Work: Situated Learning in Accountancy

ABSTRACT In professions such as teaching, health sciences (medicine, nursing), and built environment, significant work-based learning through practica is an essential element before graduation. However, there is no such requirement in professional accounting education. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative case study of the implementation of a Workplace Learning Experience Program in Accountancy at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. The interview-based study documents the responses of university students and graduates to this program. The study demonstrates that a 100-hour work placement in Accountancy can enhance student learning. It highlights the potential value of the application of sociocultural theories of learning, especially the concept of situated learning involving legitimate peripheral participation (Lave and Wenger 1991). This research adds to a small body of empirical accounting education literature relating to the benefits of work placements prior to graduation. The effectiveness of this short, for credit, unpaid program should encourage other universities to implement a similar work placement program as a form of pre-graduation learning in professional accounting education.

Increasing the utility of systematic reviews findings through strategic communication

Kirsty Jones1, Philip Baker2, Jodie Doyle1, Rebecca Armstrong1, Tahna Pettman1, Elizabeth Waters1 Cochrane Public Health Group, Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health, The University of Melbourne School of Public Health & Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Address correspondence to Kirsty Jones, E-mail: kirsty.jones@unimelb.edu.au

Book Reviews

Benno Torgler of Queensland University of Technology and EBS Universitat fur Wirtschaft und Recht reviews, “Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery” by Daniel P. Aldrich. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores how social resources, networks, and connections influence postdisaster recovery, drawing upon experiences from four major disasters in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Discusses social capital—its role in postdisaster recovery; social capital—a Janus-faced resource for recovery; the Tokyo earthquake, 1923; the Kobe earthquake, 1995; the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004; Hurricane Katrina, 2005; and between state and market—the way forward. Aldrich is Associate Professor of Political Science at Purdue University.”

Motorcycle Engine Capacity May Not Underlie Increased Risks

AffiliationsThe authors are with the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

The first year experience of social work students: Developing a ‘sense of fit’ and engagement with the profession. A Practice Report

Engagement is believed to be critical to a successful first year experience. This paper examines a range of strategies introduced into a first year Social Work and Human Services unit at Queensland University of Technology. The focus of these strategies was to enhance student engagement through building connections with peers, lecturers and the Social Work and Human Services professions. It is argued in this paper that students are more likely to continue with their studies if they are supported in building an emerging identity as both a university student and as a Social Work or Human Services practitioner. A range of strategies was introduced, including restructuring the unit to include an early intensive teaching block; inviting current practitioners to speak with students about the realities of practice; and embedding an academic skills component into the unit. Feedback from students highlighted the success of these strategies in developing their academic skills, building connections and embedding a sense of fit with the profession.

Cultivating the Pedagogy of Experience Through International Field Trips

Urban and regional planners, in the era of globalization, require being equipped with necessary skill sets to better deal with complex and rapidly changing economic, sociocultural, political, and environmental fabrics of cities and their regions. To provide such skill sets, urban and regional planning curriculum of Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, offers planning practice in the international context. This article, first, reports the findings of pedagogic analyses of the international field trips conducted to Malaysia, Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan. The article, then, discusses the opportunities and constraints of exposure of students to planning practice beyond the Australian context.

Proceedings of the 16th Computational Techniques and Applications Conference

CTAC2012 was the 16th biennial Computational Techniques and Applications Conference, and took place at Queensland University of Technology from 23 - 26 September, 2012. The ANZIAM Special Interest Group in Computational Techniques and Applications is responsible for the CTAC meetings, the first of which was held in 1981. The conference attracted 95 contributed talks. All articles appearing in the CTAC2012 proceedings have been peer reviewed by at least two referees, and in most cases undergone revision prior to acceptance.

Enriching the community: the life and times of Frank Costello (1903–1987)

Frank Costello's long career represents a series of illuminating encounters with the development of Australian planning, design practice and education. His career stretched from the 1920s to the 1970s, first in Sydney and subsequently in Brisbane where he was the senior architect-planner at Brisbane City Council between 1941 and 1952. He also worked for a decade in the Queensland Department of Works. He had a parallel career as an educator, commencing part-time at Sydney Technical College in 1937 and from the mid-1940s at what is now the Queensland University of Technology where the final phase of his career came as a senior lecturer in architecture with special responsibility for town planning. Post-war Brisbane gave him the opportunity to put into practice much of the modernist ‘organic’ theory that he had accumulated from his extensive studies and travels abroad. This paper recounts Costello's life and times as a journeyman planner whose life stories and professional philosophy is illuminatingly representative of the evolution of mainstream Australian planning values and the limits to practice.

Editorial

For the first edition of the Evaluation Journal of Australasia for 2013, I would like to welcome Associate Professor Janet Clinton and Lyn Alderman as members of the editorial team. Both Janet and Lyn bring a depth of experience, expertise and a great deal of enthusiasm for evaluation and in the continued development of EJA. Currently, Associate Professor Janet Clinton is Director of the Centre for Program Evaluation at the University of Melbourne and Lyn Alderman is the Manager of Academic Quality and Standards at Queensland University of Technology. Lyn is also the Chair of the AES Journal and Publications Working Group.

RE: A Chimeric Vitronectin: IGF-1 Protein Supports Feeder-Cell-Free and Serum-Free Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, by Manton KJ, S Richards, D Van Lonkhuyzen, L Cormack, D Leavesley, and Z Upton. Stem Cells Dev 19:1298–1305

Stem Cells and DevelopmentVol. 22, No. 4 RetractionFree AccessRE: A Chimeric Vitronectin: IGF-1 Protein Supports Feeder-Cell-Free and Serum-Free Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, by Manton KJ, S Richards, D Van Lonkhuyzen, L Cormack, D Leavesley, and Z Upton. Stem Cells Dev 19:1298–1305Published Online:30 Jan 2013https://doi.org/10.1089/scd.2012.0706AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Concerns were raise by one of the coauthors, Luke Cormack, and, after an investigation was conducted by the authors' institution, The Queensland University of Technology; Stem Cells and Development is officially retracting the article, A Chimeric Vitronectin: IGF-1 Protein Supports Feeder-Cell-Free and Serum-Free Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, by Manton et al., from volume 19, issue 9 (pages 1298–1305).The concerns center primarily on whether the images provided in Fig. 1 show the colonies of the stem cell line described at the passage stated stained for the marker listed. There were also related concerns with the PCR data included.It is important to note that the corresponding author, KJ Manton, has denied deliberate wrongdoing. Stem Cells and Development acknowledges and appreciates the thoroughness of the investigation undertaken by the Queensland University of Technology.Stem Cells and Development believes that if the peer reviewers of the article had been aware of the extent and nature of the mistakes in the article that apparently went undetected by the authors through an initial submission, 2 revisions, as well as galley proof, and they would not have deemed the article acceptable.Stem Cells and Development is dedicated to the highest ethic standards of scientific publishing.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 22Issue 4Feb 2013 InformationCopyright 2013, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:RE: A Chimeric Vitronectin: IGF-1 Protein Supports Feeder-Cell-Free and Serum-Free Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, by Manton KJ, S Richards, D Van Lonkhuyzen, L Cormack, D Leavesley, and Z Upton. Stem Cells Dev 19:1298–1305.Stem Cells and Development.Feb 2013.687-687.http://doi.org/10.1089/scd.2012.0706Published in Volume: 22 Issue 4: January 30, 2013Online Ahead of Editing: December 23, 2012PDF download

Journalling and public health education: thinking about reflecting…

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to understand reflective journalling in a first year Public Health practice unit.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses pure phenomenography to interpret students’ descriptions of reflective journalling. Data were collected from 32 students enrolled in PUB215 Public Health Practice in the School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology. Participants completed a brief open‐ended questionnaire to evaluate the first assessment item in this unit, a reflective journal. Questionnaire responses were analysed through Dahlgren and Fallsberg's seven phases of data analysis.FindingsThe reflective journal required students to reflect on lecture content from five of seven guest speakers. Participants’ responses were categorised into four conceptions: engagement in learning, depth of knowledge, understanding the process and doing the task. Participants describe reflective journalling as a conduit to think critically about the content of the guest speakers’ presentations. Other participants think journalling is a vehicle to think deeply about their potential career pathways. Some define journalling as a pragmatic operation where practical issues are difficult to navigate. The reflective journal successfully: engaged students’ learning, increased students’ depth of knowledge and deepened students’ understanding of the journalling process.Originality/valueThis research gives an insight into how first year public health students understand reflective journalling, supports educators in reflective journalling assessments and confirms a reflective journal assessment can move student reflection towards higher order thinking about practice.

A snapshot of radiation therapy techniques and technology in Queensland: An aid to mapping undergraduate curriculum.

IntroductionUndergraduate students studying the Bachelor of Radiation Therapy at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) attend clinical placements in a number of department sites across Queensland. To ensure that the curriculum prepares students for the most common treatments and current techniques in use in these departments, a curriculum matching exercise was performed.MethodsA cross-sectional census was performed on a pre-determined “Snapshot” date in 2012. This was undertaken by the clinical education staff in each department who used a standardized proforma to count the number of patients as well as prescription, equipment, and technique data for a list of tumour site categories. This information was combined into aggregate anonymized data.ResultsAll 12 Queensland radiation therapy clinical sites participated in the Snapshot data collection exercise to produce a comprehensive overview of clinical practice on the chosen day. A total of 59 different tumour sites were treated on the chosen day and as expected the most common treatment sites were prostate and breast, comprising 46% of patients treated. Data analysis also indicated that intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) use is relatively high with 19.6% of patients receiving IMRT treatment on the chosen day. Both IMRT and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) indications matched recommendations from the evidence.ConclusionThe Snapshot method proved to be a feasible and efficient method of gathering useful data to inform curriculum matching. Frequency of IMRT use in Queensland matches or possibly exceeds that indicated in the literature. It is recommended that future repetition of the study be undertaken in order to monitor trends in referral patterns and new technology implementation.

Building leadership capability in a rapidly growing organisation

A major challenge for Arrow Energy has been balancing rapid growth while continuing to operate as an effective business. To meet this challenge, this extended abstract looks at one of the strategies: a leadership program designed in co-operation with Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The leadership program aims to establish a leadership culture that drives company performance and facilitates change, develops leadership networks to support Arrow's business objectives, and strengthens the talent pool to help in succession planning through commitment to individual development. Two programs were custom designed by QUT and launched in 2012: one for senior leadership and the other for emerging leaders at Arrow. Careful participant selection was vital to the program's success. Both programs were designed to provide participants with a highly experiential learning approach, far removed from traditional training programs they had previously attended. Participants were immersed in exploring real issues and challenges facing the company, as well as looking at how well their leadership approach fitted the needs of a rapidly growing organisation. The course design and use of innovative learning experiences have made the program successful. An important measure of this success has been the leadership development of each individual and the establishment of strong informal networks that are part of a mature organisation. Transfer of learning to the workplace was achieved by immersion in team-based leadership project initiatives, which reinforced the major theme of the program: leadership is a journey that requires sustained focus and development.

Exenatide extended-release; clinical trials, patient preference, and economic considerations

Type 2 diabetes remains an escalating problem worldwide, despite a range of treatments being available. The revelation that insulin secretion is under the control of a gut hormone, glucagon-like peptide 1, has led to a new paradigm in the management of type 2 diabetes, ie, use of medicines that directly stimulate or prolong the actions of endogenous glucagon-like peptide 1 at its receptors. Exenatide is an agonist at the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor, and was initially developed as a subcutaneous medication twice daily (ExBID). Clinical trials with ExBID established a role for exenatide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Subsequently, exenatide once weekly (ExQW) was shown to have advantages over ExBID, and there is now more emphasis on the development of ExQW. ExQW alone reduces glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body weight, and is well tolerated. ExQW has been compared with sitagliptin, pioglitazone, and metformin, and been shown to have a greater ability to reduce HbA1c than these other medicines. The only preparation of insulin with which ExQW has been compared is insulin glargine, and ExQW had some favorable properties in this comparison, notably causing weight loss compared with the weight gain on insulin glargine. ExQW has been compared with another glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, liraglutide, and was noninferior to liraglutide in reducing HbA1c. The small amount of evidence available shows that subjects with type 2 diabetes prefer ExQW to ExBID, and that adherence is high in the clinical trial setting. Health care and economic modeling suggests that ExQW will reduce diabetic complications and be cost-effective, compared with other medications, in long-term use. Little is known about whether subjects with type 2 diabetes prefer ExQW to other medicines, and whether adherence is good with ExQW in practice. These important topics require further study.

Fractional Differential Equations 2012

1 School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA 3Department of Mathematics, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan 4 School of Mathematics, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF2 4YH, UK 5Department of Engineering Mechanics, Hohai University, Xikang Road No. 1, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210098, China

Social Justice in Early Years Education: Practices and Understandings

The current political context necessitates discussions of social justice within education, and here we bring together early childhood professionals from a variety of perspectives to become part of the important debates that must be had. This special issue of Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood was first conceived at a meeting of academics interested in social justice in early childhood education in Albury, NSW, Australia. All of the editors are members of the Social Justice strand of the ARC Funded Excellence in Research in Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network (CRN), which is led by Charles Sturt University in partnership with Queensland University of Technology and Monash University. Some of the authors in this issue are also members of this research network, but their work is presented here with that of others from a variety of contexts. We believe that the combination of perspectives taken challenges old thinking about social justice in early years education in innovative ways.

SynthCon2: A Forum for Australian Organic Chemists

In April 2013, the second biennial SynthCon meeting, SynthCon2, was held in the Yarra Valley at Fergusson’s Winery. Building upon the success of SynthCon1, which had around 45 attendees, 55 delegates attended and presented recent results from their laboratories. SynthCon focuses on the needs of the synthetic organic chemistry community within Australia. Although the tyrannies of distance no longer impede the timely delivery of the latest international discoveries, conducting research in Australia still presents a unique range of challengesyand advantages. A central motivation behind the creation of these meetings was a desire to address the challenge of performing research within smaller institutes, and often in the absence of colleagues working in closely related fields. By providing a meeting focused on academics, without the distractions of international speakers, it was hoped that an environment conducive to the open and frank development of novel ideas could be created. While we have some way to go, our second meeting allowed delegates from the Australian National University, Biota International, CSIRO, Curtin University, Deakin University, Griffith University, Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, University of New England, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, University ofWestern Australia and University ofWollongong to meet and discuss new and unpublished chemistry. This Research Front presents a taste of the chemistry from this meeting, with research papers examining the synthesis and biological activity of Sunitinib analogues, facial selectivity in benzonitrile oxide cycloaddition, the enantioselective synthesis of kopsia and aspidosperma natural products, temperature responsive amphiphiles, and the ozonolysis of endoperoxides. Several highlights focused on emerging areas, such as ionic liquid conjugated proline catalysis, chemical activation of nitrenes and azides, and the role of peptide secondary structure in electron transfer, are presented. Finally, a focus article highlights 1-(acyloxy)benzotriazoles, and examines its utility. SynthCon2, and SynthCon1, was financially supported by Davies Collison Cave, CSIRO, Australian Journal of Chemistry, Biota International and Monash University. Thanks also to Amanda Lee, for her help behind the scenes, and in the creation of the cover art for this issue; Simon Lee, our trusted bus driver; Michael Blair, for the homebrew; and the Lupton doctoral students for venue set-up. Planning is under way for SynthCon3, which will be held in Victoria’s Yarra Valley in 2015. Our chair, Richard Payne, will be in contact in due course. Hopefully, SynthCon3 will see some familiar faces, along with new members of the community, as we continue to foster excellence in organic synthesis within the Australian chemistry community.

Snapshots of informed learning: LIS and beyond

Responding to the need for innovative LIS curriculum and pedagogy, grounded in both information and learning theory, this paper introduces the theory and practice of informed learning. After explaining how informed learning originated within the LIS discipline we outline the principles and characteristics of informed learning. Then we present snapshots of three units of study from LIS programs at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), followed by an overview of informed learning developments in a varied range of educational contexts beyond LIS programs. Finally, we reflect upon the relevance of informed learning to LIS education and its wider contribution to learning and teaching in higher education.

Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award 2012

Journal of Pharmacy Practice and ResearchVolume 42, Issue 4 p. 308-310 AwardFree Access Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award 2012 Jason Roberts BPharm (Hons), BAppSc, PhD, FSHP, Corresponding Author Jason Roberts BPharm (Hons), BAppSc, PhD, FSHP Pharmacist Consultant, NHMRC Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor and Clinical Director Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Burns Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Allied Health, Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QueenslandCorresponding author: Dr Jason Roberts, Burns Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane Qld 4029, Australia. E-mail: j.roberts2@uq.edu.auSearch for more papers by this author Jason Roberts BPharm (Hons), BAppSc, PhD, FSHP, Corresponding Author Jason Roberts BPharm (Hons), BAppSc, PhD, FSHP Pharmacist Consultant, NHMRC Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor and Clinical Director Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Burns Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Allied Health, Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QueenslandCorresponding author: Dr Jason Roberts, Burns Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane Qld 4029, Australia. E-mail: j.roberts2@uq.edu.auSearch for more papers by this author First published: 13 April 2015 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2055-2335.2012.tb00195.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume42, Issue4December 2012Pages 308-310 RelatedInformation