4F -
Tracks
Track 6
| Wednesday, July 10, 2024 |
| 1:45 PM - 3:10 PM |
| Riverbank Room 1 |
Speaker
Ms Robin Shortland-Jones
Curtin University
1:45pm - 2:10pm Academic leaders’ role in pastoral care: An exploratory study of resource allocation and impact.
1:45 PM - 2:10 PMFinal abstract
Focus:
This research project explored academic leaders’ role in pastoral care, and the impact on staff and students.
Background/context:
Academic leaders (e.g. course/program coordinators, work-integrated learning directors) are increasingly expected to include pastoral care in their work (Marais, 2023). Literature indicates that students are in need of pedagogical, psychological and social support, yet pastoral care continues to be ill-defined and unrecognised by university administrators (Hughes et al, 2019; Laws & Fiedler, 2012).
Description:
An exploratory pilot study was undertaken to address three questions: (1) How much time do academic leaders dedicate to pastoral care of students?, (2) What impact does this pastoral care have on academic leaders?, and (3) How do students conceptualise the value and impact of the pastoral care provided by academic leaders? Our conceptualisation of pastoral care was adapted from Laws and Fiedler (2012).
Method(s): This mixed method study used fixed-period time sampling of pastoral care provision, in-depth staff interviews, and a qualitative online student survey (Braun et al., 2021). Braun and Clarke’s (2022) thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the qualitative data.
Evidence:
Academic leaders engaged in pedagogical, emotional and social support to varying degrees. Staff perceived the provision of this pastoral care as fulfilling and intrinsic to their role. A surprising number of students were unaware of the availability of this support within their program of study but most who availed themselves of this had a positive experience.
Contribution:
The data will inform advocacy with senior university leaders for recognition of the value of pastoral care and its inclusion in the workload for academic leadership roles. Valuing of pastoral care as a key aspect of these roles will enhance student experience and success.
Engagement:
Audience members will be invited to reflect on their experience of providing pastoral care, and discuss impacts on their own work.
This research project explored academic leaders’ role in pastoral care, and the impact on staff and students.
Background/context:
Academic leaders (e.g. course/program coordinators, work-integrated learning directors) are increasingly expected to include pastoral care in their work (Marais, 2023). Literature indicates that students are in need of pedagogical, psychological and social support, yet pastoral care continues to be ill-defined and unrecognised by university administrators (Hughes et al, 2019; Laws & Fiedler, 2012).
Description:
An exploratory pilot study was undertaken to address three questions: (1) How much time do academic leaders dedicate to pastoral care of students?, (2) What impact does this pastoral care have on academic leaders?, and (3) How do students conceptualise the value and impact of the pastoral care provided by academic leaders? Our conceptualisation of pastoral care was adapted from Laws and Fiedler (2012).
Method(s): This mixed method study used fixed-period time sampling of pastoral care provision, in-depth staff interviews, and a qualitative online student survey (Braun et al., 2021). Braun and Clarke’s (2022) thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the qualitative data.
Evidence:
Academic leaders engaged in pedagogical, emotional and social support to varying degrees. Staff perceived the provision of this pastoral care as fulfilling and intrinsic to their role. A surprising number of students were unaware of the availability of this support within their program of study but most who availed themselves of this had a positive experience.
Contribution:
The data will inform advocacy with senior university leaders for recognition of the value of pastoral care and its inclusion in the workload for academic leadership roles. Valuing of pastoral care as a key aspect of these roles will enhance student experience and success.
Engagement:
Audience members will be invited to reflect on their experience of providing pastoral care, and discuss impacts on their own work.
Biography
Robin Shortland-Jones is a social worker, who currently holds the role of Course Co-ordinator of the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) in the School of Allied Health at Curtin University. Robin has been a passionate social work educator for over 15 years, working with undergraduates and postgraduates, and been awarded several Learning and Teaching grants. Robin has been awarded Teaching excellence awards, including a recent Student Guild Excellence in Teaching. Her educational research explores simulation, cultural responsiveness, pastoral care and reflective teaching, and Robin has presented at national and international conferences.
Assoc Prof Margo Brewer
Director, Strategic Projects
Curtin University
Co-presenter
Biography
Associate Professor Margo Brewer is a speech pathologist who currently holds the role of Director of Strategic Projects in the School of Allied Health at Curtin University. Margo has held several leadership roles in academia over the past 20 years including the head of speech pathology, Director of Interprofessional Education, Director of Clinical Education, and Director of Innovation and Scholarship of Learning and Teaching. Margo has been awarded multiple teaching excellence awards, led local and national grants totally over $1 million, and published over 40 peer reviewed journal papers and book chapters and several interprofessional education guides. Her educational research has been presented on over 50 occasions at national and international conferences including international plenary addresses.
Mr Robert Kennelly
Adjunct University of Canberra
2:15pm - 2:40pm The findings of a three year study of communities of Practice (TATAL)
2:15 PM - 2:40 PMFinal abstract
Focus
The reporting of a longitudinal study into the evaluation of TATALs (Talking about Teaching and Learning); communities of practice.
Background/Context
Academics work within a landscape of continuing complexity; a landscape from which collaborative reflective conversations seem to have disappeared. In this environment, TATALers have taken up Palmer’s challenge “to grow as teachers…to do something alien to academic cultures…talk to each other” (1998, p. 12).
Description.
TATAL (Talking about teaching and learning) communities of practice employ models of social reflection to construct a teaching philosophy and a teaching portfolio through a process of writing stories as reflective inquiry that connect peers within and across disciplines, institutions and countries.
Methods.
This research is significant due to its longitudinal perspective across multiple TATALs. The project used a two-staged, mixed methods evaluation approach by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data across a period of 15 years. During Stage 1 historical data were gathered and examined from TATALs formed annually between 2008 and 2018 whereas Stage 2 investigated the five contemporary TATALs, formed in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Gathering methods included questionnaires, personal experience stories and focus group discussions.
Evidence of outcomes/effectiveness.
Evaluation of TATALers’ experiences suggest TATAL communities support participants’ learning for personal and professional growth, especially in relation to their identities as learners, teachers and researchers. TATAL participation has enhanced their teaching knowledge and skills to enrich students’ learning; and increased their confidence, competence, sense of connectedness and collaboration. Their abilities are widely recognised through the award of HERDSA Fellowships.
Contribution
This research underlines the work of hundreds of TATALers who have been TATALing since 2008. It highlights the work and achievements of this body of academics including; 21 HERDSA Fellowships, articles, book chapters and a dozen contributions to HERDSA connect.
Engagement.
We plan to engage the audience by posing reflective questions.
The reporting of a longitudinal study into the evaluation of TATALs (Talking about Teaching and Learning); communities of practice.
Background/Context
Academics work within a landscape of continuing complexity; a landscape from which collaborative reflective conversations seem to have disappeared. In this environment, TATALers have taken up Palmer’s challenge “to grow as teachers…to do something alien to academic cultures…talk to each other” (1998, p. 12).
Description.
TATAL (Talking about teaching and learning) communities of practice employ models of social reflection to construct a teaching philosophy and a teaching portfolio through a process of writing stories as reflective inquiry that connect peers within and across disciplines, institutions and countries.
Methods.
This research is significant due to its longitudinal perspective across multiple TATALs. The project used a two-staged, mixed methods evaluation approach by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data across a period of 15 years. During Stage 1 historical data were gathered and examined from TATALs formed annually between 2008 and 2018 whereas Stage 2 investigated the five contemporary TATALs, formed in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Gathering methods included questionnaires, personal experience stories and focus group discussions.
Evidence of outcomes/effectiveness.
Evaluation of TATALers’ experiences suggest TATAL communities support participants’ learning for personal and professional growth, especially in relation to their identities as learners, teachers and researchers. TATAL participation has enhanced their teaching knowledge and skills to enrich students’ learning; and increased their confidence, competence, sense of connectedness and collaboration. Their abilities are widely recognised through the award of HERDSA Fellowships.
Contribution
This research underlines the work of hundreds of TATALers who have been TATALing since 2008. It highlights the work and achievements of this body of academics including; 21 HERDSA Fellowships, articles, book chapters and a dozen contributions to HERDSA connect.
Engagement.
We plan to engage the audience by posing reflective questions.
Biography
Robert is a HERDSA Life member and a pioneer HERDSA Fellow he has worked as a lecturer in the Faculty of Management and more recently as an adjunct with the Canberra Business School of The University of Canberra where he is focused on researching and applying different methods of collaborative Reflective Practice. He has written extensively in this field and applies his learning to the design of communities of practice which focus on the passionate teacher as a collaborative reflective practioner.
This research has been conducted with Maria Northcote (Avondale University) and Coralie MacCormack (Independent Scholar) who co-founded TATAL (Talking about Teaching and Learning) with Robert Kennelly and within the HERDSA ACT Branch in September 2008. The research has been conducted longitudinally since 2020 and has considered the evaluations of TATAL programs since the inception of 2008.
It has also surveyed contemporary TATALers in three years; 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Ms Victoria A. Bauer
Leibniz University Hannover
2:45pm - 3:10pm Teaching statistics: A quasi-experimental analysis of ensuring student success with teaching formats
2:45 PM - 3:10 PMFinal abstract
Focus
The showcase focuses on presenting research results on a comparison of curricular conditions.
Background/context
While statistics education in higher education is typically lecture-based, there is advocacy for project-based learning to address student concerns (Jones & Palmer, 2022; Leston-Bandeira, 2013). However, there is limited research on how these differences in course formats actually affect student success, which we measure by registering, partaking, and grades in exams as dependent variables.
Description
Using the concept of student engagement (Kahu & Nelson, 2018), we investigate the influence of course and exam design on student success in statistics education at a large German university.
Methods
We conduct a most similar system design using administrative data for two related social science programs over eight semesters from four cohorts (n=328, n=282) of undergraduate students with similar social characteristics in the same faculty taught by the same professor The study compares students from one program receiving statistics training in large frontal lectures only conducting a written exam with the students from another program receiving additionally team- and project-based research seminars conducting project reports as final assessments. Our methods of analysis are box plots and t-tests.
Evidence
The results show that team- and project-based seminars lead to greater student success in quantitative statistics modules, as measured by higher grades and fewer delays in registering for and taking exams.
Contribution
A well-structured curriculum plays a critical role in student success worldwide, according to recent research (Vossensteyn et al., 2015; Williams & Harvey, 2015; Jansen, 2004). Our results emphasize the importance of course and exam design in shaping student outcomes, and highlight the benefits of engaging teaching methods in statistics education.
Engagement
Our goal is to engage the audience through mentimeter.com by asking about their experiences with research-led teaching and their views on reducing large lectures in quantitative methods education.
The showcase focuses on presenting research results on a comparison of curricular conditions.
Background/context
While statistics education in higher education is typically lecture-based, there is advocacy for project-based learning to address student concerns (Jones & Palmer, 2022; Leston-Bandeira, 2013). However, there is limited research on how these differences in course formats actually affect student success, which we measure by registering, partaking, and grades in exams as dependent variables.
Description
Using the concept of student engagement (Kahu & Nelson, 2018), we investigate the influence of course and exam design on student success in statistics education at a large German university.
Methods
We conduct a most similar system design using administrative data for two related social science programs over eight semesters from four cohorts (n=328, n=282) of undergraduate students with similar social characteristics in the same faculty taught by the same professor The study compares students from one program receiving statistics training in large frontal lectures only conducting a written exam with the students from another program receiving additionally team- and project-based research seminars conducting project reports as final assessments. Our methods of analysis are box plots and t-tests.
Evidence
The results show that team- and project-based seminars lead to greater student success in quantitative statistics modules, as measured by higher grades and fewer delays in registering for and taking exams.
Contribution
A well-structured curriculum plays a critical role in student success worldwide, according to recent research (Vossensteyn et al., 2015; Williams & Harvey, 2015; Jansen, 2004). Our results emphasize the importance of course and exam design in shaping student outcomes, and highlight the benefits of engaging teaching methods in statistics education.
Engagement
Our goal is to engage the audience through mentimeter.com by asking about their experiences with research-led teaching and their views on reducing large lectures in quantitative methods education.
Biography
Victoria A. Bauer is a research assistant and doctoral candidate at the Department of Political Science at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany, in the project "The Significance of the Institutional Context for Dropout and Long-Term Study (BiK)", funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and a member of the Graduate School of the Leibniz Center for Science and Society. Her research focuses on study trajectories and academic success, social inequalities in higher education, and higher education governance. Based on her master thesis, she published the book "Eine Frage der Messung sozialer Herkunft? Kulturelle Passung als Erklärung für soziale Disparitäten der Studienintention" [Does Measuring Social Origin Matter? Cultural Fit as an Explanation of Social Differences in Study Intention], published by Springer in 2022.
Chair
Nalini Pather
Director, Medical Education
The University of Queensland
