4E -
Tracks
Track 5
| Wednesday, July 10, 2024 |
| 1:45 PM - 3:10 PM |
| Room E3 |
Speaker
Dr Lauren Woodlands
Lecturer
Queensland University of Technology
1:45pm - 2:10pm Supporting staff to embed Indigenous knowledges and perspectives into learning and teaching practice
1:45 PM - 2:10 PMFinal abstract
Focus
This presentation shows how QUT supports tertiary staff to participate in the professional development program Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges in Learning and Teaching which enables them to embed Indigenous Perspectives in their practice. Staff can then benchmark the effectiveness of their practice against Advance HE’s 2023 Professional Standards Framework in a reflective application for the world-first specialist award Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges).
Context
This program is crucial as only 46% of universities report that Indigenous viewpoints are considered during curriculum design and just 15% had processes to embed Indigenous content in courses (UA, 2021). Pressure is often placed upon Indigenous staff, who constitute less than 1.5% of employees in Australian universities, with even less in academic roles (DESE, 2022; UA, 2022).
Description
Our program makes Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges ‘everybody’s business’ by equipping non-Indigenous staff to work in partnership with Indigenous staff in making curriculum, pedagogy and practice changes.
Method
The program will be evaluated through participant surveys (n=268), responses from recipients of the award and reflective insights from the program leads on the strategy, design and delivery.
Evidence
Since 2020, more than 1000 staff have engaged with the Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges in Learning and Teaching program (with 96% of staff n=268) agreeing or strongly agreeing that the educator’s approach supported their learning. There has been a substantial increase in the number of QUT’s subjects embedding Indigenous perspectives and knowledges in the curriculum, and 198 staff nationally have achieved Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges).
Contribution
Insights from the success of this initiative's approach can be used to inform university-wide programs to support the embedding of Indigenous perspectives and knowledges in university curriculum and staff practice.
Engagement
A guided reflection on three actions staff can put in place to influence their institutional practices on embedding in the curriculum.
This presentation shows how QUT supports tertiary staff to participate in the professional development program Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges in Learning and Teaching which enables them to embed Indigenous Perspectives in their practice. Staff can then benchmark the effectiveness of their practice against Advance HE’s 2023 Professional Standards Framework in a reflective application for the world-first specialist award Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges).
Context
This program is crucial as only 46% of universities report that Indigenous viewpoints are considered during curriculum design and just 15% had processes to embed Indigenous content in courses (UA, 2021). Pressure is often placed upon Indigenous staff, who constitute less than 1.5% of employees in Australian universities, with even less in academic roles (DESE, 2022; UA, 2022).
Description
Our program makes Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges ‘everybody’s business’ by equipping non-Indigenous staff to work in partnership with Indigenous staff in making curriculum, pedagogy and practice changes.
Method
The program will be evaluated through participant surveys (n=268), responses from recipients of the award and reflective insights from the program leads on the strategy, design and delivery.
Evidence
Since 2020, more than 1000 staff have engaged with the Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges in Learning and Teaching program (with 96% of staff n=268) agreeing or strongly agreeing that the educator’s approach supported their learning. There has been a substantial increase in the number of QUT’s subjects embedding Indigenous perspectives and knowledges in the curriculum, and 198 staff nationally have achieved Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges).
Contribution
Insights from the success of this initiative's approach can be used to inform university-wide programs to support the embedding of Indigenous perspectives and knowledges in university curriculum and staff practice.
Engagement
A guided reflection on three actions staff can put in place to influence their institutional practices on embedding in the curriculum.
Biography
Dr Lauren Woodlands lives, learns and teaches on Turrbal/Yugara land. She is a Lecturer in the QUT Academy of Learning and Teaching and Program Lead for Advance HE Fellowships at QUT. She has over 17 years of experience in learning and teaching roles in higher education including teaching into Creative Industries undergraduate and postgraduate courses, managing an integrated Support for Learning team and overseeing foundational learning and teaching professional development for staff. Lauren is interested in building capacity for learning and teaching staff and in over the last 5 years delivered professional development to academics in China and Taiwan as part of the Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for Advance HE. She is a Senior Fellow and an Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges).
Mr Tain Lloyd
Associate Lecturer
Queensland University of Technology
Co-presenter
Biography
Mr Tain Lloyd is a Wulgurukaba/Bindal man, Indigenous lead reviewer on the Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges) award, Educator within the QUT Academy of Learning and Teaching and co-teaches the Indigenous Perspectives and Knowledges in Learning and Teaching professional development program for staff. He also lectures within the Faculty of Health, where he teaches and oversees curriculum for undergraduate biomedical science students. He holds Senior Fellowship and Associate Fellowship (Indigenous Knowledges).
Dr Sarah Teakel
Charles Sturt University
2:15pm - 2:40pm Support for students. Increasing student success and mitigating academic integrity issues with discipline-specific tutors
2:15 PM - 2:40 PMFinal abstract
Focus
Evaluation of embedded tutors supporting students with a pedagogy of kindness in first year.
Background
The Australian Government is working on major tertiary education reforms via the Australian Universities ACCORD introducing new legislative requirements for higher education providers including a Support for Students Policy. In addition, recent advances in AI have the potential to significantly disrupt the higher education sector. Australian universities are required to submit a ‘credible action plan’ to mitigate the risk of the use of generative AI in higher education (TEQSA, 2023). Kindness in education is important for student wellbeing and learning (Mackay, 2021; Tan, 2022). A pedagogy of kindness is a teaching philosophy that fosters a supportive learning environment (Gorny-Wegrzyn, 2021; Stephens, 2021).
Description
Content expert tutors provided one-on-one draft assessment feedback to support students using a pedagogy of kindness to enable transformative learning. A responsive strategy using this pedagogical approach was implemented to decrease the incidence of student academic misconduct including the use of generative AI.
Method
Tutors were embedded in 24 first-year units to provide one-on-one draft assessment feedforward. Tutors received training on using the principle of the pedagogy of kindness; showing concern, compassion and empathy when interacting with students, and raising academic misconduct concerns. Tutors proactively contacted students who were identified as at risk of failing their unit.
Evidence
Of the 704 draft assessments, 51 students discussed academic integrity; with only one receiving a formal allegation. At-risk students who met with a tutor were more likely to pass their subject and achieved a higher average cumulative mark (51% vs 41%, p<0.05). Embedded support improved the student experience and student success.
Contribution
Tutoring students with a pedagogy of kindness increases meaningful and transformative learning.
Engagement
Reflective questions will encourage discussion on a pedagogy of kindness, and transition pedagogy in diverse educational settings.
Evaluation of embedded tutors supporting students with a pedagogy of kindness in first year.
Background
The Australian Government is working on major tertiary education reforms via the Australian Universities ACCORD introducing new legislative requirements for higher education providers including a Support for Students Policy. In addition, recent advances in AI have the potential to significantly disrupt the higher education sector. Australian universities are required to submit a ‘credible action plan’ to mitigate the risk of the use of generative AI in higher education (TEQSA, 2023). Kindness in education is important for student wellbeing and learning (Mackay, 2021; Tan, 2022). A pedagogy of kindness is a teaching philosophy that fosters a supportive learning environment (Gorny-Wegrzyn, 2021; Stephens, 2021).
Description
Content expert tutors provided one-on-one draft assessment feedback to support students using a pedagogy of kindness to enable transformative learning. A responsive strategy using this pedagogical approach was implemented to decrease the incidence of student academic misconduct including the use of generative AI.
Method
Tutors were embedded in 24 first-year units to provide one-on-one draft assessment feedforward. Tutors received training on using the principle of the pedagogy of kindness; showing concern, compassion and empathy when interacting with students, and raising academic misconduct concerns. Tutors proactively contacted students who were identified as at risk of failing their unit.
Evidence
Of the 704 draft assessments, 51 students discussed academic integrity; with only one receiving a formal allegation. At-risk students who met with a tutor were more likely to pass their subject and achieved a higher average cumulative mark (51% vs 41%, p<0.05). Embedded support improved the student experience and student success.
Contribution
Tutoring students with a pedagogy of kindness increases meaningful and transformative learning.
Engagement
Reflective questions will encourage discussion on a pedagogy of kindness, and transition pedagogy in diverse educational settings.
Biography
Sarah is the Manager of the Embedded Tutor Program, embedding tutors into key first-year undergraduate subjects to increase student engagement. Sarah has been involved in the training and support of tutors, evaluation of the Embedded Tutor Program, data analysis and research. Her research interests include feedforward, initiatives in learning and teaching in higher education, student retention and student success.
Mr Daniel Taylor-Griffiths
Doctoral Researcher
The University of Queensland
2:45pm - 3:10pm The Engagement Equation: Adding motivation, multiplying achievement
2:45 PM - 3:10 PMFinal abstract
Focus
This presentation focuses reports on a study of co-regulatory initiatives designed to improve student engagement.
Background/Context
Fostering student engagement (SE) in higher education (HE) is vital for academic achievement, personal growth, and employability (Trowler, 2022). However, students face challenges to engagement amidst competing priorities, leading to decreased indicators (QILT, 2022). Addressing this, our study examines two co-regulatory initiatives that target “pathways to engagement” (Trowler, 2022).
Description
In the time management group, students were helped to plan, monitor, control, and evaluate behavioural aspects of their engagement (i.e. time on task). In the motivation group, students navigated online materials based on principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Viskovich & Pakenham, 2020) to help regulate cognitive and emotional investment in their studies. Both initiatives included a goal-setting module, designed to facilitate the development of critical, political, and sociocultural aspects of their engagement.
Method
One hundred undergraduate students participated in a six-week pilot initiative during their first semester of studies. Students were allocated to one of the two groups and completed surveys alongside their activities. A subset was interviewed after completing the initiative.
Evidence
Statistical analyses of self-reported measures evaluated the initiatives’ influence on student wellbeing (quality of life, emotions), motivation (self-efficacy, value, perceptions of cost; Wigfield & Eccles, 2020), behavioural engagement (time on task), and academic achievement. Thematic analysis of open-ended student responses enhanced an understanding of the students’ experiences from their own perspective.
Contribution
This work contributes to our understanding of Trowler’s (2022) pathways to engagement and suggests that promoting self-regulated learning (Panadero, 2017) is key to facilitating engagement. The findings can be used to inform the design of quality student support and retention strategies.
Engagement
The following question will be posed:
How can/do you co-regulate students’ behavioural, cognitive, emotional, critical, political, and sociocultural engagement?
This presentation focuses reports on a study of co-regulatory initiatives designed to improve student engagement.
Background/Context
Fostering student engagement (SE) in higher education (HE) is vital for academic achievement, personal growth, and employability (Trowler, 2022). However, students face challenges to engagement amidst competing priorities, leading to decreased indicators (QILT, 2022). Addressing this, our study examines two co-regulatory initiatives that target “pathways to engagement” (Trowler, 2022).
Description
In the time management group, students were helped to plan, monitor, control, and evaluate behavioural aspects of their engagement (i.e. time on task). In the motivation group, students navigated online materials based on principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Viskovich & Pakenham, 2020) to help regulate cognitive and emotional investment in their studies. Both initiatives included a goal-setting module, designed to facilitate the development of critical, political, and sociocultural aspects of their engagement.
Method
One hundred undergraduate students participated in a six-week pilot initiative during their first semester of studies. Students were allocated to one of the two groups and completed surveys alongside their activities. A subset was interviewed after completing the initiative.
Evidence
Statistical analyses of self-reported measures evaluated the initiatives’ influence on student wellbeing (quality of life, emotions), motivation (self-efficacy, value, perceptions of cost; Wigfield & Eccles, 2020), behavioural engagement (time on task), and academic achievement. Thematic analysis of open-ended student responses enhanced an understanding of the students’ experiences from their own perspective.
Contribution
This work contributes to our understanding of Trowler’s (2022) pathways to engagement and suggests that promoting self-regulated learning (Panadero, 2017) is key to facilitating engagement. The findings can be used to inform the design of quality student support and retention strategies.
Engagement
The following question will be posed:
How can/do you co-regulate students’ behavioural, cognitive, emotional, critical, political, and sociocultural engagement?
Biography
Daniel Taylor-Griffiths is a PhD Candidate in the School of Education at the University of Queensland. He is committed to the mobilisation of educational psychology research to inform educational practice and policy.
Assoc Prof Jason Lodge
Deputy Associate Dean (Academic)
The University of Queensland
Co-presenter
Biography
Jason Lodge is an associate professor of educational psychology, head of the Learning, Instruction and Technology Lab in the School of Education and deputy associate dean (academic) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Queensland. His research focuses on the cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional mechanisms of learning in education. His work with the lab primarily emphasises self-regulated learning with technology.
Chair
Linda Ng
University of Southern Queensland
