University Of Queensland Research Articles

Exploring whether home-based neuromodulation can boost the analgesic effects of exercise in people with knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a double-blinded, pilot randomised controlled trial

IntroductionKnee osteoarthritis (OA) represents a leading cause of disability globally. Exercise has been demonstrated to improve pain and function in people with knee OA. However, when in pain, commencement of...

Supporting students to develop artificial intelligence literacy

This panel explores strategies for supporting students in developing artificial intelligence (AI) literacy within higher education. The aim is to address the gap between technology-enabled learning and teaching activities and student adoption. Research highlights fundamental differences in how students learn and their learning conditions, impacting their ability to effectively incorporate digital technologies. The evolving definition of AI literacy emphasises awareness, ability, and social impact. Panelists include Associate Professor Jason Lodge (The University of Queensland), Professor Margaret Bearman (Deakin University), Associate Professor Tim Fawns (Monash University), and Dr Paula de Barba (Monash University). Topics covered include evaluative judgment, the dynamic nature of AI literacy, and self-regulated learning. The panel format includes presentations and audience-driven discussions, emphasising the need to balance students’ capabilities with their learning environment.

Learning Design isn’t a profession (yet)

This symposium aims to identify key barriers and opportunities in developing learning design as a recognized profession through three provocative discussions. The first provocation challenges the distinctions among learning designers, instructional designers, educational technologists, and similar roles. The goal is to explore the potential for a unified professional identity. The second provocation addresses the lack of official recognition for learning designers, examining sociological theories of professionalization, the implications of formalizing the field, and possible next steps. The third provocation asks what could and should be included in a formal education pathway. As a starting point this provocation will include the comparison of curricula from Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, and University of Technology Sydney. Attendees will engage in lively discussions and contribute insights to advance the recognition and development of learning design as a profession.

The Role of the Textile Industry and Permitting Systems in Advancing the Environmental Dimensions of the SDGs in the MENA Region

The textile industry plays a key role in driving development and human welfare, but it is also a sector struggling to address its contribution to the triple planetary crisis – climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the environmental implications are compounded by the region’s water scarcity, land degradation and energy dependence. This article emphasises the urgent need to transition towards a sustainable and circular textile value chain to accelerate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this respect, permitting processes play a key role. However, the role of permitting systems in driving us towards a sustainable economy for textiles has not been exhaustively explored, if at all. Drawing upon research conducted by the UNEP Law Division in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology, as well as a broader literature review, this article examines the role of the textile industry in the MENA region and the importance of developing, or strengthening existing, legislation relating to permitting procedures, with a specific focus on Morocco, Türkiye, Jordan, and Egypt. The article underscores the pivotal role of environmental permitting processes in addressing the environmental footprint of the textile sector, mainly related to the production phase of the industry. While many countries already have permit processes in place, there is a need for policymakers to review and strengthen these frameworks to ensure comprehensive integration and address existing gaps. By doing so, countries can more effectively regulate and minimise the environmental impact of textile activities, thereby advancing the environmental dimensions of the SDGs.

A bibliometric analysis of accounting education literature in the digital era: current status, implications and agenda for future research

Purpose This study aims to identify and discuss influential aspects of accounting education literature in the digital era, such as key streams, themes, authors, keywords, journals, affiliations and countries. It also constructs agendas for future research. Design/methodology/approach The current study uses a bibliometric approach to analyze 287 studies indexed by the Scopus Database from 1982 to 2023. Findings The analysis reveals three themes: “the impact of emerging technologies on the accounting profession,” “the essential skills for modern accountants” and “the integration of technology into the accounting curricula.” Beyond this, the analysis points out that Macquarie University and the Queensland University of Technology were the most productive institutions. Furthermore, the leading journal was the Accounting Education Journal. The USA and Australia were leading in total citations and publications, while 2023 was the peak publishing year. Research limitations/implications The study acknowledges that alternative search keywords, databases and research categories may reveal unexplored relationships. The present study’s findings have crucial theoretical and practical implications for researchers in the accounting domain, higher education institutions and policymakers. Originality/value The study contributes to the extant accounting literature by presenting a holistic view of the impact of emerging technologies on accountants’ skills, profession and accounting curriculum, identifying gaps in the literature and proposing a research agenda.

First person – Vikas Tillu

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Vikas Tillu is co-first author on ‘ Precision in situ cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy of optogenetically positioned organelles’, published in JCS. Vikas is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the lab of Nicholas Ariotti at Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Australia, investigating in situ receptor trafficking analysis using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET).

Student Led Observations for Course Improvement (SLOCI)

As universities strive to enhance course delivery and the student experience, typical end-of-semester course evaluations have been demonstrated to provide insufficient and potentially biased detail for course improvement and innovation. The Student Led Observations for Course Improvement (SLOCI) team at The University of Queensland aims to provide high-quality student experience data through a student-led approach. The team comprises current undergraduate university students who have a basic understanding of pedagogical strategies and methods of evaluation, bridging the gap between students and academics. SLOCI utilises a course partnership model to work with academics to identify key research questions that can direct and inform a process of real-time feedback. Since 2018, SLOCI has conducted 48 single-semester course partnerships and nine research partnerships focussed on other aspects of the student experience. The student experience data generated from these collaborations has underpinned improvements resulting in higher student engagement and better learning outcomes.

Gender diversity and research productivity in accounting and finance at Australian and New Zealand HEIs

ABSTRACT This study has two main objectives. First, it refreshes investigations into research productivity within the accounting and finance domains across Australian and New Zealand higher education institutions from 2011 to 2022. Second, it reflects on affirmative action in Australia, arguing that its impact on women's experiences should extend beyond mere numerical measures. Analysing 48 top journals reveals a steady increase in research output with notable contributions from the University of New South Wales, Monash University, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Queensland. Authors with five or more publications rank in the top 5%, highlighting the difficulty of achieving prolific publishing. Significantly, gender diversity improved, with female authorship rising from 19.27% to 31.73%, indicating a shift towards more inclusive research environments. However, a persistent gender gap among highly published authors suggests ongoing challenges. The study also examines job mobility among top contributors, offering insights into career progression within the academic community. Overall, the findings provide new insights into research productivity, the impact of affirmative action on gender diversity, and career mobility within the academic field of accounting and finance..

Understanding COVID-19 and its Impact on Social connection at the Outdoor Recreational Spaces Among CQUniversity students

Preventive measures have been widely used to stop the COVID-19 outbreak, which may have a devastating impact on the social connection among university students. Particularly, Outdoor recreation has been limited due to the COVID-19 restrictions. This study seeks to understand Central Queensland University students’ knowledge about COVID-19 preventive measures and identify the consequence of this practice on the social connection at the outdoor recreational spaces by using a mixed-method design (online survey and interview). Central Queensland University students (CQU) enrolled in Participatory Health Research completed an online survey (N=22) and participated in an online interview (N=15). The results showed that students understood clearly about COVID-19 preventive measures (N=22, 100%). Students had a high number of social connections at the recreational areas, both in-person (Mean=7, Std=7) and virtually (Mean =2, Std=7) before COVID-19. Conversely, during the COVID-19 outbreak, social contacts at the recreational areas had dropped for in-person (Mean=4, Std=5.5) while connection via online platforms slightly increased (Mean =3, Std=5). Their level of social connectedness during COVID-19 moderately connected (N=8, 36%). Students’ experienced impact on the three socioecological levels of intrapersonal (e.g. stress, loneliness, and behavior change), interpersonal (e.g. contacting via social media) and environmental (e.g. parks needed for emotional support).

Delegation of financial decision-making to spouse in old age

Delegation of financial decision-making to spouse in old age Professor Anup Basu from Queensland University of Technology explains the process of delegating financial decision-making to spouses in old age. Ageing can cause cognitive abilities to decline, adversely impacting financial decision-making capacity. Although in many married households, one spouse is primarily responsible for managing household finances, discharging this responsibility can become challenging with age, and it may become necessary to share it with the other spouse.

Sustainable Sip: Learning Concepts Of Business Sustainability Through A Hybrid Game

We present Sustainable Sip, a hybrid multiplayer round-based game designed to provide an experiential learning environment for university-level students at the University of Queensland, Australia. It aims to facilitate literacy around the fundamental concepts of business sustainability, specifically the tensions and interplay between economics and sustainability, and systems thinking. This paper represents stage 1 of this project (design, development, testing). Impact assessment will be covered by stage 2 (application), which is outside the scope of this paper. Each player manages a coffee shop in a competitive market, seeking to maximise their customer base, whilst minimising the production of waste (unsold coffee tokens). Each round, players must decide how much coffee (inventory) to buy from the wholesaler, and the price to sell coffee to customers. Players aim to balance the dimensions of economic performance, environmental sustainability, and customer loyalty; the player that best achieves this wins the ‘Sustainable Sipper’ award. ‘Customer loyalty’ is a central concept, calculated in the app for each player and is influenced by the shop’s coffee price, quantity of waste the shop produces, and a player’s ability to meet customer demand. The game design explicitly draws from system thinking, user-centred and hybrid design, and from self-determination theory (motivation). Sustainable Sip has undergone early testing with preliminary feedback highlighting that the gameplay is simple, intuitive and interactive, aspects that are attributable in part to the game design and the hybrid approach.

How do clinical placements influence the career decisions of new-graduate physiotherapists in Australia? A qualitative exploration.

The variables that contribute to positive and negative experiences of clinical education amongst student physiotherapists are well established. Multiple stakeholders are invested in the ongoing success of physiotherapy clinical placements given workforce challenges within the profession and the emerging relationship between clinical placements and new-graduate recruitment. However, little is known about the relationship between clinical placement experiences and the career decisions of new-graduate physiotherapists. To explore the influence of clinical placement experiences on new-graduate physiotherapists' career intentions and decision making. A qualitative study which used a general inductive approach. New-graduate physiotherapists (n = 18) were recruited through a snowball sampling approach and participated in semi-structured interviews. Ethical approval was obtained from The University of Queensland. Four overarching themes were generated; (1) clinical placements impact career decisions, (2) placements as a trial for future employment to identify professional preferences, (3) feeling valued as a team member, and (4) clinical educators' shape placement experiences. Clinical placements play a significant role in directing new-graduate physiotherapists' careers, with clinical placement viewed as an opportunity to explore one's career options. A complex interplay of clinical and nonclinical variables was acknowledged by new-graduates, with positive experiences during clinical placements considered to increase new-graduate physiotherapist intentions to work in similar settings or contexts. Factors that contributed to positive experiences included accessible mentorship from clinical educators with regular feedback, and opportunities for the students' contribution and clinical capacity to be acknowledged and valued. Recommendations are made for creating supportive workplace environments for clinical education and include prioritizing supportive mentorship. Clinical placement providers intending to recruit new-graduates who have attended their workplace as students may benefit from implementing strategies that assist students to feel supported as valued members of the team. Additionally, the findings of this study may guide education providers when considering the training delivered to new and existing clinical placement sites with the aim of providing supported student learning environments.

Evaluating the importance of rural internships to subsequent medical workforce distribution outcomes: an Australian cohort study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the importance of rural internships to observed medical workforce distribution outcomes up to 8 years post-medical school.Design and settingCohort study of medical graduates of The University of Queensland...

Australian criminal justice student’s beliefs about lie detection methods

Criminal justice practitioners’ use of erroneous lie-detection methods contributes to inaccurate convictions and research indicates some Queensland police are using fallible methods. A recent study showed that Queensland universities primarily ignore the topic of lie detection. Thus, criminal justice students entering Queensland universities with fallacious lie detection beliefs are unlikely to have them corrected. It was unknown if Australian criminal justice students hold inaccurate lie detection beliefs. Therefore, this mixed-methods study investigated undergraduate students’ beliefs about lie detection methods, many of whom were enrolled in criminal justice-focused degrees at a Queensland-based university. Sixty undergraduate students responded to open and closed-ended questions regarding their intentions to work in the criminal justice system, their opinion on their lie detection ability, methods used to determine deception, and thoughts about cross-cultural lie detection. The findings revealed a prevalence of false beliefs about cues to deception indicating educational needs for Australian criminal justice-career-focused students.

Research Productivity of Institutes in Hospitality and Tourism: Integrating Metrics of Total and per Capita Contribution

ABSTRACT Despite the existence of many published articles that examined research productivity in hospitality and tourism, prior studies on research productivity per capita in institutes are rare, if ever any. The novel contribution of this research lies in the utilization of a new method to measure research productivity by analyzing the total and per capita research productivity of the top 50 most productive institutes in hospitality and tourism. The findings showed that the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Sun Yat-Sen University ranked in the top two positions in total research productivity in 2022 and 2023. However, regarding faculty research productivity per capita, the University of Queensland and Washington State University claimed the first and second spots in 2022, respectively. Xiamen University and the University of Macau emerged as leaders in 2023. These divergent results depict the multi-facets of an institute’s research productivity, urging researchers to comprehend the research productivity of institutes from various aspects.

Dynamics of productivity in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] in subtropical Australia

AbstractPigeonpea productivity can be enhanced by optimally matching the physiology of genotypes to environmental conditions. Information on crop responses to the environment has been lacking for the short‐duration pigeonpea genotypes, which are being trialed to develop the Australian pigeonpea industry. The objective of this study was to examine the dynamics of productivity in relation to radiation use efficiency (RUE) and its influence on yield partitioning. Seven field trials, employing three pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.). Millsp.] genotypes, were established at the Gatton Campus, the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 summer seasons. The study reveals that leaf area development, influenced by growing environment, genotypes, and their interactions, were the key factors for the differences in leaf area duration and RUE. Pigeonpea planted in December had higher seasonal (1.11 g MJ−1) as well as reproductive (0.71 g MJ−1) RUE, resulting in significant differences in total dry matter (TDM) and grain yield (GY). GY was positively associated with seasonal RUE (R2 = 0.62), and the relationship was stronger (R2 = 0.83) for the reproductive phase (RUE(R)). The positive association between GY and RUE(R) suggested that maintaining optimum leaf area during the grain filling period is crucial to achieve higher productivity. Variations in GY were related to amount and rate of TDM accumulation before flowering (R2 = 0.51 and R2 = 0.53, respectively). Hence, achieving greater TDM before flowering was determinant for achieving higher productivity. The present study provided updated information on dynamics of productivity that will enable more comprehensive modelling of pigeonpea adaptation under subtropical conditions.

Applying Iterative Student Feedback across Flipped Classroom and Flexible Teaching Approaches: Impact on Veterinary Students' Learning Experience.

No single teaching strategy supports all learning styles in veterinary science students. To facilitate more convenient and flexible teaching, learning, and revision, an innovative online digital learning platform-VetCloud-was developed to provide access to modularized programme content across courses to promote active, integrated learning. This study aimed to understand student perceptions regarding the enhancement of the student learning experience in a foundational course in gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology at The University of Queensland across two learning cycles, via applying iterative student feedback in transitioning a flipped classroom approach using VetCloud for the delivery of lecture content in 2022 to a flexible learning approach in 2023. By 2023, the use of VetCloud in the flexible learning approach improved students' work/study/life balance, reduced their stress levels, and enabled a more efficient use of their time when studying, compared to the flipped classroom approach in 2022. Surveying student perceptions was integral to maximizing their learning experience. Data clearly demonstrates that students will mix-and-match how they interact with available options provided via flexible delivery on an individualized basis. This teaching method offers veterinary educators an innovative and efficient approach to veterinary student education in anatomy and physiology while enhancing student well-being.

Editorial

We are pleased to bring you Volume 53 Issue 1 of The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. We wish to thank the authors, reviewers, and editorial board members for their contributions to this volume. Thanks also to the Indigenous Engagement Division at The University of Queensland and Informit for their financial support of the journal. We hope you enjoy this volume of AJIE.

An Interview with Volker Boege

Dr Volker Boege is a Senior Research Fellow for Climate Change and Conflict at Toda Peace Institute. He has made significant contributions to peace studies, particularly in the Pacific region. His work focuses on hybrid political orders, traditional conflict transformation methods, and the link between environmental degradation and conflict. Currently, he researches the intersection of climate change, land, migration, identity, and conflict, with a focus on Pacific Island Countries. Dr Boege is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Queensland’s School of Political Science and International Studies. His career includes research roles at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, the University of Duisburg, and the peace research institute BICC. He has lectured extensively and in the 1980s/1990s advised the Green Party in the German Parliament on peace and security policy. Through his diverse roles and research, Dr Boege has advanced the integration of environmental and traditional approaches in conflict resolution.

A retrospective descriptive review of community-engaged research projects addressing rural health priorities

BackgroundMost rural populations experience significant health disadvantage. Community-engaged research can facilitate research activities towards addressing health issues of priority to local communities. Connecting scholars with community based frontline practices that are addressing local health and medical needs helps establish a robust pipeline for research that can inform gaps in health provision. Rural Health Projects (RHPs) are conducted as part of the Doctor of Medicine program at the University of Queensland. This study aims to describe the geographic coverage of RHPs, the health topic areas covered and the different types of RHP research activities conducted. It also provides meaningful insight of the health priorities for local rural communities in Queensland, Australia.MethodsThis study conducted a retrospective review of RHPs conducted between 2011 and 2021 in rural and remote Australian communities. Descriptive analyses were used to describe RHP locations by their geographical classification and disease/research categorisation using the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes and the Human Research Classification System (HRCS) categories.ResultsThere were a total of 2806 eligible RHPs conducted between 2011 and 2021, predominantly in Queensland (n = 2728, 97·2%). These were mostly conducted in small rural towns (under 5,000 population, n = 1044, 37·2%) or other rural towns up to 15,000 population (n = 842, 30·0%). Projects mostly addressed individual care needs (n = 1233, 43·9%) according to HRCS categories, or were related to factors influencing health status and contact with health services (n = 1012, 36·1%) according to ICD-10 classification.ConclusionsConducting community focused RHPs demonstrates a valuable method to address community-specific rural health priorities by engaging medical students in research projects while simultaneously enhancing their research skills.