Showing papers in "Higher Education Research & Development in 1985"
TL;DR: This article reviewed some salient findings of recent research into how higher education students learn and outlined five main areas for future development: the theory of study process; the conditions for deep approaches to learning; transition, progress, and persistence; studies of everyday learning; and action research into the content and context of learning.
Abstract: This article reviews some salient findings of recent research into how higher education students learn. The defining features of the research examined here are its emphasis on idipgraphic explanation and its concern with realistic learning activities. Examples of investigations into approaches to learning, outcome space, learning styles, orientations to learning, conceptions of learning, and the context of learning in higher education are provided. Against this background, five main areas for future development are outlined: the theory of study process; the conditions for deep approaches to learning; transition, progress, and persistence; studies of everyday learning; and action research into the content and context of learning. The paper concludes with a discussion of certain problems in relating the research findings to practice.
115 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present five classical methods of shaping students' learning: didactic instruction in the form of lectures; discussion methods; practical work in laboratories, studios etc; provision for the students' private study, including individualized learning techniques and computer-based methods; and the assessment of students' progress.
Abstract: The paper opens with a brief statement of the two conceptual frameworks on which the analysis is based. The author then takes up in turn the five classical methods of shaping students' learning: didactic instruction in the form of lectures; discussion methods; practical work in laboratories, studios etc; provision for the students' private study, including individualized learning techniques and computer‐based methods; and the assessment of students' progress. He outlines the main departures from customary practice in each area, with special attention to small‐group techniques. Finally, since a critical aspect of development is the dissemination of fresh techniques, there is a section on development strategy.
47 citations
TL;DR: Two core subjects in operations and strategic management have been developed for the final year of a Bachelor of Business (Management) degree as mentioned in this paper, which are interrelated and emphasise experiential learning.
Abstract: Two core subjects in operations and strategic management have been developed for the final year of a Bachelor of Business (Management) degree. The subjects are interrelated and emphasise experiential learning. Objectives of the subjects are presented, and the reasons for their experiential emphasis given. Experiential exercises for some topics are briefly described, together with an assessment of their worth and the reasons for their development. The exercises include a work study of leggo block construction, role plays, environmental scanning, industrial negotiations, and a business simulation that threads through both subjects.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether academic staff's perceptions of the relative importance of teaching and research in the university's reward structure had changed over the nine year period 1973•1982.
Abstract: This paper is based on an opportunity which arose, in a major metropolitan Australian university, to use empirical data to investigate change. The question addressed was whether academic staff's perceptions of the relative importance of teaching and research in the university's reward structure had changed over the nine year period 1973‐1982. Reference is made to a theoretical orientation concerning rewards, morale and institutional health, in the framing of hypotheses and in discussion of the implications of the findings. Efforts to change the status of teaching, relative to research, are noted, as well as problems confronting such efforts.
16 citations
TL;DR: The authors showed that despite the existence of these courses and a steady enrolment in them, little is known about the extent of the problem or its nature, despite the fact that many universities now run language classes for students from a non-English speaking background (NESB).
Abstract: Many universities now run language classes for students from a non‐English speaking background (NESB). This is a clear indication that the universities believe that some of their students have difficulties with the English language. However, despite the existence of these courses and a steady enrolment in them, little is known about the extent of the problem or its nature.
14 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that younger students were more likely than older students to attribute importance to their study methods, which is particularly encouraging, given the findings of earlier studies that it is indeed the younger students who are most likely to be utilising inappropriate learning strategies and, probably in consequence, performing less ably in their examinations.
Abstract: A survey of 563 students at an Australian university found that effort was seen to be the major cause of their first year grades by both successful and unsuccessful students. Younger students were more likely than older students to attribute importance to their study methods. This is particularly encouraging, given the findings of earlier studies that it is indeed the younger students who are most likely to be utilising inappropriate learning strategies and, probably in consequence, performing less ably in their examinations.
10 citations
TL;DR: In‐depth interviews with discontinuing first‐year students made possible identification of five basic patterns, each of which represented a problem central to the decision to discontinue.
Abstract: Reasons for wishing to discontinue study which are given by students in formal applications to withdraw or in response to questionnaires tend to simplify the grounds for leaving. External factors such as accident, ill‐health, financial or family problems which are cited as “acceptable” reasons for leaving may merely reinforce or even disguise an underlying problem. In‐depth interviews with discontinuing first‐year students from the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences made possible identification of five basic patterns, each of which represented a problem central to the decision to discontinue. These patterns may be identified as (a) commitment to a prior goal; (b) need for “time out”; (c) reality‐testing a career; (d) specific academic difficulty which aroused strong latent fear of failure; (e) factors beyond the control of the individual, such as accident, illness, family crisis or lack of money for the continuation of study.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a curriculum experiment designed to provide a "liberal" complement to the vocational core of an undergraduate program, based on three educational assumptions: the content of what is to be taught and the ways in which teaching and learning should be conducted.
Abstract: The paper describes a curriculum experiment designed to provide a “liberal” complement to the vocational core of an undergraduate programme. After tracing the genesis of the new “context” curriculum its rationale is set out in terms of three key educational assumptions. From these flow implications for both the content of what is to be taught and the ways in which teaching and learning should be conducted.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a feedback questionnaire for heads was developed in response to one head's request, where staff views both on the importance of various functions and attributes of heads and on heads' performance were sought; the results of appraisals by academic staff in nine departments were discussed.
Abstract: Heads of departments in institutions of higher education grow into their job. Typically, there is no job description, no list of activities heads must perform or decisions they must take. And there is no clarification of the importance of different aspects of their various functions to the department, and no feedback to heads on how they are performing. At the University of Queensland a feedback questionnaire for heads was developed in response to one head's request. Staff views both on the importance of various functions and attributes of heads and on heads' performance were sought; The results of appraisals by academic staff in nine departments are discussed Results showed the importance of the head's interpersonal skills, particularly in dealing with unsatisfactory staff performance; and also of the professional and personal authority required for heads to act effectively as advocates for their departments vis‐a‐vis the university administration. A second means of assistance to heads was throu...
5 citations
TL;DR: Double degree courses (studies in which two disciplines are taught in a conscious relationship to one another) are almost exclusively a phenomenon of the university sector in Australian tertiary education as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Double‐degree courses (studies in which two disciplines are taught in conscious relationship to one another) are almost exclusively a phenomenon of the university sector in Australian tertiary education This article examines the double‐degree program from the college perspective It describes a rationale for the approach and suggests why colleges should pursue this type of study program; it describes several organisational models which have been initiated in various institutions both in Australia and overseas; it considers the areas in which such development might take place in a college; it discusses the advantages and limitations of these courses and it highlights some of the difficulties and issues in their implementation
3 citations
TL;DR: The separation of the complementary processes of evaluation and planning arises from the common practice of forming a special committee to undertake an institutional or departmental review as discussed by the authors, which often engenders suspicions of bias and covert motives.
Abstract: Institutional review rarely produces benefits commensurate with the effort expended. Major causes of this disappointing result are neglecting the political dimension of evaluation and separating the review process from ongoing decision making. Reviews often engender suspicions of bias and covert motives. These must be allayed by a clear commitment to respect the rights of participants, to recognise the legitimacy of their divergent viewpoints, and to negotiate about the purposes and control of the evaluation. The separation of the complementary processes of evaluation and planning arises from the common practice of forming a special committee to undertake an institutional or departmental review. Furthermore, review reports generally contain fragmented arrays of assessments for individual components of institutional/departmental performance. The information obtained is usually not structured to relate directly to current problems and decision choices. Evaluation and planning can be integrated by e...
TL;DR: This paper conducted student surveys during each of the two semesters of the first year of operation of the Context Curriculum at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and found that most students and their teachers were positively disposed towards the context curriculum.
Abstract: Student surveys were conducted during each of the two semesters of the first year of operation of the Context Curriculum at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology The processes of the evaluation used are related to current ideas on evaluation The evaluation relied heavily on the development and use of student questionnaires Later in the year teaching staff and departmental heads were surveyed Teaching staff were consulted about the questions to be included in the student questionnaire and also about the procedures to be used for analysis of the student responses and distribution of the summaries of responses Special care was taken to ensure that the summaries for particular classes were revealed only to the class teacher The evaluation showed that most students and their teachers are positively disposed towards the Context Curriculum However, students were generally unsure of their department's support of the Context Curriculum The opinions of teachers of the Context Curriculum and h
TL;DR: In this paper, the procedure of ego-state reframing is described, and its application to an academic setting illustrated by reference to three cases: a lecturer who used the technique to overcome his anxiety before large classes; a tutor able to become closer to her students; and a third employed the method to overcome a writing block.
Abstract: The procedure of ego‐state reframing is described, and its application to an academic setting illustrated by reference to three cases. One of these is a lecturer who used the technique to overcome his anxiety before large classes; a second is a tutor able to become closer to her students; and a third employed the technique to overcome a writing block. The efficacy of the approach is discussed in terms of the four elements essential to successful psychotherapy.
TL;DR: A number of strengths and weaknesses have been detected in the background knowledge and skill of chemistry teachers, such as knowledge of the persons of chemistry and familiarity with socially useful chemicals and their origins as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A number of strengths and weaknesses have been detected in the background knowledge and skill of chemistry teachers. Two weaknesses, knowledge of the persons of chemistry and familiarity with socially useful chemicals and their origins, have been recently identified. The trends in chemical curricula for general education are such that a remedy for these weaknesses is necessary. A number of suggestions that have been used occasionally in teaching chemistry at the universities and CAEs, are made for regular inclusion in undergraduate courses. School teaching is a major outlet for chemistry graduates and this fact should be recognised in designing these curricula in higher education.