Regional University In Australia Research Articles

Improving assessment equity using Interactive Oral Assessments

Equity in assessment has been a major issue plaguing the higher education sector for a long time and although efforts have been made to implement a variety of assessments to address this issue, the assessment design tends to ignore the increasingly diverse student population. This article assesses the equity of Interactive Oral Assessments (IOAs) based on the principles of the McCES framework: match, comprehensible, challenge, elicit, and scaffold. Accordingly, the process of designing and administering IOAs is compared with each of the five principles and shows that the assessment environment for students from equity backgrounds is significantly improved. To do this, the data collected from teaching staff and students from a two-year mixed methods research project at a regional university in Australia is used to evaluate the claim. The findings demonstrate that IOAs offer an opportunity to assess students’ learning and clarify their ability to achieve learning outcomes which aligns with the McCES framework; therefore, it is argued that IOAs are an equitable assessment approach. The implications of the findings for academics, students, and educational institutions are significant. For academics, they can be confident that their assessment approach is equitable. For non-traditional students, the chances of succeeding in assessments and improvement in learning are enhanced. For educational institutions, a direct impact on reducing the gap between the performance of mainstream students and non-traditional students in relation to retention, attrition, and successful completions is expected.

Initial findings on student progress and satisfaction in a new model of hyperflexible online delivery for university students

University degrees are usually delivered in defined sessions —by term, semester, or in week-based blocks— whereby students are required to complete their studies by the due date. Term or session-based schedules that require students to complete the study within set timeframes are, however, potentially restrictive. Temporal challenges associated with work and life can impede progress and add to the specific problem of student attrition in online learning. As universities seek to deliver innovative options for their students, increased attention is being paid to alternate models of delivery. This paper reports on the development of a hyperflexible online Master of Business Administration (MBA) course by a regional university in Australia, which has grown to more than 1,000 students since its launch in 2017. Delivered entirely online, the degree was specifically designed to address an inequity; MBA programs are traditionally expensive, and in Australia, the requirement for students to travel to attend residential schools and examinations adds significant cost to already expensive tuition fees. This paper analyzed enrollment data, course analytics over a two-year period, and student surveys conducted at the end of the second year of delivery (n = 98) to evaluate the development and implementation of the course as a hyperflexible course whereby students have almost complete control over their study at the postgraduate tertiary level. Results highlight the potential for the model to enable student success through flexibility.

Students' digital technology attitude, literacy and self-efficacy and their effect on online learning engagement

This study utilised students' online engagement, digital technology attitude, digital literacy, and self-efficacy theories to develop and test a model connecting these factors within a regional university in Australia. A field survey collected data from 110 first-year students. AMOS 28 was employed for measurement and structural model path analysis. The study initially examined the impact of students' attitudes and digital literacy on their self-efficacy. Subsequently, the effects of self-efficacy on five dimensions of online engagement were assessed: social, collaborative, cognitive, behavioural, and emotional. The findings indicated that positive student attitudes and digital literacy significantly contributed to self-efficacy, which, in turn, positively affected the engagement dimensions. This suggests that when designing and facilitating online, blended, or technology-enhanced courses in higher education, educators should pay attention to various elements of engagement. The study highlights the importance of considering students' attitudes and digital literacy in fostering self-efficacy and enhancing online learning engagements. Further research and implications for future studies are also recommended.

Solving worded real-world problems using simultaneous equations by pre-service mathematics teachers in regional Australia: Performances and implications

<abstract> <p>Studies have shown that solving worded real-world problems is a difficult challenge for pre-service secondary mathematics teachers engaging study in most tertiary institutions. This case study reports the performances of three groups of regional pre-service mathematics teachers in their attempts to solve three different worded real-world problems through simultaneous equations in their formal assessments. These students were the first-year pre-service mathematics teachers enrolled in an undergraduate education program in a regional university in Australia. Their performances are compared by statistical analysis. The result of this study indicates that design of the word questions should consider challenging tasks appropriate for the students to achieve the pedagogical purpose in solving real-life problems that can best facilitate training the students towards becoming knowledgeable and motivated mathematics teachers for secondary schools, rather than ideologically making a levelling field with less challenging problems to achieve a high pass rate mandated by many institutions.</p> </abstract>

Enhancing Nursing Simulation Education: A Case for Extended Reality Innovation

This concept paper explores the use of extended reality (XR) technology in nursing education, with a focus on three case studies developed at one regional university in Australia. Tertiary education institutions that deliver nursing curricula are facing challenges around the provision of simulated learning experiences that prepare students for the demands of real-world professional practice. To overcome these barriers, XR technology, which includes augmented, mixed, and virtual reality (AR, MR, VR), offers a diverse media platform for the creation of immersive, hands-on learning experiences, situated within virtual environments that can reflect some of the dynamic aspects of real-world healthcare environments. This document analysis explores the use of XR technology in nursing education, through the narrative and discussion of three applied-use cases. The collaboration and co-design between nursing educators and XR technology experts allows for the creation of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences beyond traditional nursing simulation media, better preparing students for the demands of real-world professional practice.

‘More than Marking and Moderation’: A Self-Study of Teacher Educator Learning through Engaging with Graduate Teaching Performance Assessment

ABSTRACT Global attention continues to focus on the quality of teaching, teacher quality, teacher education programs and the preparation of graduates who are ready to teach. This self-study research focuses on one aspect of the preparation and assessment of graduates for teaching: the marking and moderation of a Teaching Assessment Performance (TPA), a mandated assessment tool implemented in Australian universities and education institutions that is used as one key determinant to assess graduate readiness for the profession. While there is a developing field of research related to the implementation and effectiveness of TPAs, less is known about the teacher educator expertise required to mark and moderate these assessments. The purpose of this self-study, conducted at Federation University, a regional university in Australia, aimed to identify and examine teacher educator marker and moderator experience and expertise through the establishment of a professional learning community (PLC). Using audio-recorded transcripts of team meetings and teacher educator vignettes, the data were analysed using NVivo and were individually and collectively categorised and coded. Reflecting in and on our practice, we focused on critical moments, interactions, and experiences to interrogate the data. The key themes included: 1) collaboration through marking and moderation; 2) reflection through critical engagement; 3) growth as a teacher educator and 4) enactment in teacher educator practice. This self-study of practice, using a PLC, enabled us to make our often-tacit knowledge, understanding and expertise explicit, and provided frameworks and structures for enacting this new knowledge in practice.

Solving problems involving numerical integration (I): Incorporating different techniques

<abstract> <p>Numerical integration plays an important role in solving various engineering and scientific problems and is often learnt in applied calculus commonly through the trapezium and Simpson's methods (or rules). A common misconception for some students is that Simpson's method is the default choice for numerical integration due to its higher accuracy in approximation over the trapezium method by overlooking the requirement for using Simpson's method. As learning progressed to other numerical methods scheduled later in advanced mathematics, such as interpolations and computational modelling using computing tools like MATLAB, there is a lack of articulation among these numerical methods for students to solve problems solvable only by combining two or more approaches. This classroom note shares a few teaching and learning practices the author experienced in lectures, tutorials, and formal assessments on comparing or combining different numerical methods for numerical integration for engineering students in applied calculus and advanced mathematics over the past decade at Central Queensland University (CQU), a regional university in Australia. Each case represents a common concern raised or a mistake made by some students in different times. These efforts helped not only correct the misconception on the use of Simpson's method by some students, but also develop students' strategic thinking in problem solving, particularly involving decision-making for choosing the best possible method to produce a more appropriate solution to a problem that does not have an analytical solution.</p> </abstract>

Community, Engagement and Connectedness: Reflections on Pathway Programs at a Regional Australian University

The progressive democratisation of Australian higher education has numerous causes including the increase in the number of universities and therefore university places across the later 20th and into the 21st century, as well as initiatives by governments of different ideological hues to increase the total percentage of the population with a university degree. This latter impulse, in particular, has increased significantly the number of students entering university via pathway programs, meaning programs which provide the opportunity to undertake study to inculcate university-standard skills and enable matriculation into university for people who are otherwise ineligible. The students in pathway programs are sometimes disengaged from learning, coming from so-called non-traditional pathways that may signify a disconnect between them and their institutions of learning. This practice report, therefore, examines efforts to address “connectedness” in pathway programs at a regional university in Australia. The pathway programs at UniSQ College are underpinned by an inclusive and holistic teaching philosophy that supports students’ access to higher education. Through the lenses of social, emotional, cognitive, behavioural, and collaborative engagement, practitioners examined and reflected on ways in which this philosophy was embedded in the day-to-day work of UniSQ College through deliberate efforts to promote and maintain connectedness. By reflecting on and articulating these connections, we have provided a base for developing a future evaluative framework that will critically examine the extent to which our practices, through student engagement, foster connectedness.

Exploratory Case Study on Solving Word Problems Involving Triangles by Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers in a Regional University in Australia

Studies have shown that solving real-world problems involving triangles is one of the most difficult topics for the pre-service secondary mathematics teachers engaging study and training in metropolitan institutions. We have known little about performances of the pre-service mathematics teachers from regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas engaging study and training in regional universities. This case study intends to explore whether solving word problems involving triangles would also be challenging for the RRR pre-service mathematics teachers, and what unique factors may negatively affect the RRR student teachers’ performances in solving word problems involving triangles. This study compared the works of two groups of the first-year pre-service mathematics teachers who enrolled in an undergraduate education program in a regional university in Australia. The two chosen word questions for comparison were parts of the assignments involving solving triangles to the students. Through statistical analysis, this study indicates that the considerable proportion of no attempts among the enrolled RRR students is the distinctive difference between the metropolitan and RRR pre-service mathematics teachers. Although still challenging, the RRR student teachers who attempted the word problems seemed performed better than the metropolitan students in solving word problems involving triangles.

Preservice Teachers’ Self-efficacy Through COVID-19: A Large Scale Survey of Students at a Regional University In Australia

Throughout 2020, the world was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of higher education, the pandemic critically affected professional experience, a core component of teacher education. This paper shares data from a large-scale survey about teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and the impact of COVID-19 on professional experience. Findings showed that the disrupted context had a moderate effect of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in relation to their classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. Qualitative results illuminated that the modes of learning, changing classroom contexts and communication between the pre-service teachers, school and their university were the underlying contextual factors that impacted pre-service teacher’s self-efficacy. Implications from these findings challenge universities to consider how to best support pre-service teachers’ progression in times of disruption and consider how Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs prepare pre-service teachers to teach in disrupted classrooms.

Course enhancement conversations: A holistic and collaborative evaluation approach to quality improvement in higher education

This practice article describes the use of collaborative evaluation for institutional improvement leading to continuous learning at a regional university in Australia. The University of Southern Queensland’s Academic Quality Framework (2019–2022) was developed in response to external drivers to improve practices relating to the comprehensive and systematic analysis of academic data. One aspect of the response was to introduce ‘course enhancement conversations’, which were a collaboration between the central Academic Quality Unit and academic staff, including course teams and learning and teaching leaders within schools and faculties. A feature of these conversations was the use of sentinel rather than performance indicators of course (not teaching) quality to prompt the holding of conversations. Conversations were conducted in a spirit of constructive collaboration, where the shared goal was to support course teams to deliver an outstanding student experience. Through adopting a collaborative approach to evaluation, Academic Quality Unit staff were evaluation champions who gradually acculturated academic staff and learning and teaching leaders to evaluative thinking and data-informed decision-making. Issues brought to light during these conversations have informed changes in practice at the university level, including the development of a new evaluation procedure to embed best-practice monitoring and evaluation across all levels of curriculum delivery.

Authentic assessment and work-based learning: the case of professional studies in a post-COVID Australia

PurposeTo explore the conceptualisation and operationalisation of authentic assessment in work-based learning and research.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between authentic assessment and work-based learning and research is examined using a postgraduate degree program at a regional university in Australia as a case example to identify unique pedagogical features of work-based learning as they are linked to assessment.FindingsA dynamic is created between formative and summative authentic assessment practices and the cross-current nature of learning in work and research, leading to a range of lifelong learning outcomes. A framework for such a dynamic is presented.Originality/valueThe pedagogy informing work-based learning emphasises developing higher-order thinking through reflective practice, developing competencies and capabilities associated with professional practice and developing academic writing and research skills to enhance professional identity at the postgraduate level for mid- to senior-career professionals. However, the relationship of authentic assessment to work-based learning and research has not been explicated in the literature and its application in post-COVID work environments has yet to be fully examined.

Design and implementation of multi-purpose quizzes to improve mathematics learning for transitional engineering students

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>For students who are academically ineligible to enter a bachelor program in engineering but still want to upskill their knowledge in engineering, many universities provide an associate degree program in engineering to these students. The higher achievers from the associate degree program can transfer to a full degree program in engineering. Mathematics courses in such associate degree programs are often challenging to both the teachers and students due to various reasons. This paper presents a small part of a mathematics revitalization project on pedagogical adjustment to scaffold mathematics learning for students in an associate engineering program at Central Queensland University (CQU), a regional university in Australia, from 2018 to 2020. The design and implementation of the online multi-purpose quizzes (MPQ) to improve both the learning environment and outcomes for the engineering students from 2018 to 2020 are reported in this work. Statistically, the online MPQ empowered students to achieve their best possible outcomes by attempting the questions with time flexibility, on a confined set of topics, and with more chances of amending errors than the traditional written assessments. Hence, their performance in the online MPQ was consistently better than that in the written assignments in 2018-2020. The weaknesses of the online MPQ are also discussed.</p>

Successful Integration of Virtual Worlds in Learning Environments: A Case Study of a Supportive Learning Ecosystem

Background: Using virtual worlds with students and faculty in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) can provide exciting opportunities to develop innovative pedagogies. This work can begin in the ITE courses and filter into K-12 classrooms. Identifying the best practices is of the utmost importance in facilitating effective teaching and learning. The present case study seeks to highlight the elements that influence the successful integration of virtual worlds in learning environments. Methods: This case study was part of a more extensive participatory action research project (PAR). In that four-year project (2010-2014), data were gathered from over 1500 ITE students and six faculty at a regional university in Australia. The inductive analysis of the data gave rise to several case studies, one of which is presented in this paper. The data sets were obtained from virtual world interventions, surveys and interviews. Results: It was found that virtual worlds can support teachers in developing innovative pedagogical approaches in classrooms. However, resistance from one or more elements in the learning ecosystem can hamper the integration of virtual worlds into the educational landscape. These elements range from learners to technology systems. The inductive analysis identified the variables that influence the adoption of virtual worlds and facilitate innovative pedagogies. Conclusion: This paper delineates various elements of a learning ecosystem and their importance in the adoption of a sustainable virtual world, regardless of the learning application used. A specific case study is discussed here, since it best demonstrates the value of a supportive learning ecosystem and the practical ways of utilizing its elements to support future integration of virtual worlds. Suggestions are also made for future implementations in any faculty across a university.

Effective Pedagogy of Guiding Undergraduate Engineering Students Solving First-Order Ordinary Differential Equations

An alternative pedagogical design is discussed that aims to guide engineering students to solve first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and is based on students’ learning weaknesses identified from previous teaching and learning activities. This approach supported student’s self-enrichment through exploration of relevant resources in ODEs, and guided students towards the choice of their own effective ways for solving ODEs for different problems. This paper presents the practices on designing and delivering solution techniques for first-order linear ODEs using this approach for more than 400 undergraduate engineering students at a regional university in Australia during 2014–2017. The timeline involved initial experimentation in 2014 and 2015, followed by refinements to the pedagogy based on student’s feedback. The refined pedagogy was then used for the advanced mathematics course in 2016 and 2017. Significant improvements were made in student’s learning outcomes in effectively and accurately solving the first-order linear ODEs over this period.

Does a peer social support group intervention using the cares skills framework improve emotional expression and emotion-focused coping in paramedic students?

There is growing concern for the health and wellbeing of paramedic students who are required to undertake work integrated learning (WIL) in the ambulance setting to become a registered paramedic. Paramedic culture, barriers to help seeking, and difficulty in accessing peer support is limiting their ability to express emotions and cope with workplace stress. This study aimed to examine whether participation in a peer social support group, using the CARES skills framework, changed paramedic students’ emotional expression and emotion-focused coping.A convenience sample of seventy-eight participants were recruited from a paramedic program at a single regional university in Australia. Due to small participant numbers third year students were assigned to the intervention group (n = 44) and second year students were assigned to the control group (n = 34). The intervention group received training on how to undertake a peer social support group using the skills embedded in the CARES framework and were encouraged to meet every two weeks over a twelve-week period. All participants completed online surveys consisting of the DASS-21 stress subscale, General Help Seeking Questionnaire, Emotional Approach Coping Scale, Emotional Expressivity Scale and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in week 1 and in week 12.Findings suggest that peer social support participation significantly increased emotional expression and emotion-focused coping when compared to the control group. Furthermore, this intervention significantly reduced participants’ reliance upon help seeking without a significant increase in external social support. This is the first known study to investigate the role of peer social support amongst paramedic students, and the findings provide new information on how to help individuals cope with the stressors of working in the ambulance setting. Future studies should investigate whether the positive effects of peer social support are consistent over time and focus on minimising sampling issues.

Finding resources, finding friends: using an alternate reality game for orientation and socialisation in a university enabling program

ABSTRACT Game-based learning has been recognised as a strategy to increase students’ engagement in higher education. Alternate reality games (ARG) provide players with the opportunity to apply newly developed knowledge and skills, such as visiting important campus locations and completing relevant activities. The collaborative nature of these games means they have the potential to support socialisation in the new environment. This study used a mixed-methods approach to examine the experience of 13 students who participated in an ARG during orientation week at a regional university in Australia. Data were collected using an online survey implemented at three time points, and from focus groups which took place at the end of the semester. Results of the analysis indicate that participants who played the game, reported a more positive emotional state, greater familiarity with the university campus and engaged in more social interactions than their peers who attended orientation, but did not play. These results suggest that an alternate reality game can engender positive emotions in new enabling program students and help them to create friendships at university. This impacts their sense of connectedness, one of the factors identified as important for success in higher education.

Students' perceptions of belonging in the School of Nursing at a regional university in Australia

BackgroundAttrition in pre-registration nursing degrees is a global issue. Students' perceptions of belonging is a factor that influences attrition. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate students' perception of belonging to a School of Nursing, as well as their intention to complete the pre-registration Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program following implementation of the Initiatives for Retention (IR) intervention. DesignA prospective cross-sectional survey of student nurses was undertaken using an online questionnaire. SettingA large regional university in Australia. ParticipantsPre-registration nursing students. MethodsPerceptions of Belonging were evaluated using the 24-item Belonging questionnaire comprising three subscales. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25. Pearson's correlation, Student's t-tests and one way ANOVA were used to assess associations and differences in belonging scores and student demographics, study status and participation in the Initiatives for Retention (IR) intervention. ResultsA total of 201 students responded to the voluntary questionnaire. The mean score for overall Belonging was 70.5 (maximum obtainable 96), mean Scores for University affiliation, University support and acceptance, and staff relations with students were 34.7, 24.1 and 11.8 respectively. Female students, those who were studying at the university for less than a year and those who participated in the IR intervention activities reported significantly higher University Belonging scores compared to their contemporaries. Logistic regression revealed that students studying the BN course for more than 3 years (OR: 0.43 95% CI 0.20–0.93, p = 0.031), and those employed (OR: 0.435, 95% CI 0.16–0.16, p = 0.022) were significant predictors of not attending the IR sessions. There were no significant differences in overall University Belonging scores based on other demographic characteristics and, study status. The majority of the students (84%) stated that they plan to continue and complete the BN program. ConclusionsMeasures designed to develop student involvement may positively contribute a successful relationship between the institution and the student, increasing the students' sense of belonging and decreasing attrition among student nurses. Practice implicationsInitiatives for Retention (IR) facilitate a greater sense of belonging in nursing students hence Schools of Nursing should consider embedding such strategies.

The Experiences of Healthcare Students Who Have Been Accused of Breaching Academic Integrity: A Study Protocol

Design: A mixed-methods design will be used to collect data for the study, with each stage being of equal importance. Stage one is an online survey and stage two is a series of semi-structured interviews. Context of study: To explore the experiences of healthcare students who have faced allegations of breaching academic integrity, to improve the support provided to these students. Objectives: The main objectives of this study are to explore and describe the experiences of these students to develop an understanding of the areas they need support while going through this process. Study population: Healthcare students studying at a regional university in Australia.

Unification of the common methods for solving the first-order linear ordinary differential equations

<p style="text-indent:20px;">A good understanding of the mathematical processes of solving the first-order linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is the foundation for undergraduate students in science and engineering programs to progress smoothly to advanced ODEs and/or partial differential equations (PDEs) later. However, different methods for solving the first-order linear ODEs are presented in various textbooks and resources, which often confuses students in their choice of the method for solving the ODEs. This special tutorial note presents the practices the author used to address such confusions in solving the first-order linear ODEs for students engaged in the bachelorette engineering studies at a regional university in Australia in recent years. The derivation processes of the four commonly adopted methods for solving the first-order linear ODEs, including three explicit methods and one implicit method presented in many textbooks, are presented first, followed by the logical interconnections that unify these four methods to clarify student's confusions on different presentations of the procedures and the solutions in different sources. Comparisons among these methods are also made.