Showing papers in "Higher Education Research & Development in 1989"

Approaches to the Enhancement of Tertiary Teaching

Abstract: Recent research in the areas of cognitive psychology and student learning involves changed conceptions of the natures of learning and of teaching, with promising implications for the enhancement of tertiary teaching. A model of learning is presented, proposing that the teaching context, students' approaches to learning, and the outcomes of learning, form a system in a state of equilibrium. Three approaches to enhancing teaching follow from the model: additive, interactive, and contextual. Additive approaches ignore both students' approaches to learning and the institutional context, and are relatively ineffective. Genuine improvements in student learning involve interactive and contextual approaches to teaching, which can be activated through appropriate staff development.

Undergraduate Student Stress and Coping Strategies

Abstract: This study of stress among 107 undergraduate students enrolled in various degree strands in a Victorian Institute of Technology reveals that major stressors are both academic and personal in nature. Students generally are more likely to use direct‐action strategies in their attempts to cope with college stress, while male students rely. more on palliative techniques compared with female students. The findings are consistent with related research in the USA and Israel, and suggest that the experience of stress for undergraduate students is not necessarily culturally specific. Further examination of the nature and extent of student stress on a longitudinal basis is recommended. Some areas that need attention are identified in the paper.

PhD Education and Australia's Industrial Future: Time to Think Again

Abstract: This paper reports an empirical and analytic study concerning the PhD education of mathematicians and scientists. Apart from describing the context and aims of the study, the paper presents selected aspects of an attitude survey of employers and PhD graduates in industry and commerce. Among the issues examined are the expectations and perceptions employers entertain of PhD graduates, the effectiveness of doctorate education as a preparation for research careers in industry, perceived shortcomings in traditional PhD education, as well as directions for modification.

Achieving Academic Literacy: Disciplined Discourse

Abstract: Concerns that students increasingly come to tertiary studies ill‐prepared for academic pursuit in the disciplines have generated a broad range of supplementary tuition in Australian Universities during the past decade. Many researchers and tertiary teachers have from experience realized that tertiary learning skills are very much context‐, or discipline‐specific. This paper is concerned with making context‐specific expectations known to students through a process of ‘showing how’, rather than ‘telling what’. Two highly specialized teaching structures were used to generate appropriate questions for students, thereby providing parameters for their search and research and ultimately, their writing in the discipline.

Higher Degree Completion and Completion Times

Abstract: In discussing aspects of postgraduate student progress, currently under scrutiny as a potential performance indicator, this paper draws upon the most recent research in the Australian context. Thereby it sheds new light on differences by discipline and gender, further illuminates the circumstantial, individual and institutional factors which may lead to long enrolments and attrition, and examines some of the measures that could be taken to address the issue.

Assessing Research Performance of University Academic Staff: Measures and Problems

Abstract: Under the federal government's current policy on funding university research, institutions which can best identify and encourage the higher performers amongst their academic staff will fare better than others. However, in order to secure a strong position in competing for these government funds universities will need to know more about the research activity of their academic staff and how staff in different disciplines are likely to respond to the increased use of performance indicators. This paper reports the views of staff from one Australian university on such issues. One of the main findings is that potential research output is influenced by a range of factors including the differences in research styles, methods and strategies and the degree of dependence on funds. Such findings favour the differential use of performance measures depending on the nature of the research undertaken rather than the use of measures which are intended to standardise research output within or across disciplines.

Assessment of the English Skills of Tertiary Students

Abstract: Despite increasing concern about student writing at the tertiary level there has been little empirical research into the nature and extent of the problem in Australia. The writing skills of three samples of university students in different courses were assessed using the multiple choice English Skills Assessment (ESA) test, and two other measures developed by the researchers: a detailed error checklist and wholistic ratings. The error checklist was intended to supplement as well as complement the skills areas covered by the ESA. On average, students responded correctly to 86 per cent of the ESA test items and made a total of 21 errors per 1000 words when writing narrative. The checklist enabled the detection of important deficiencies in writing not identified by the ESA, particularly in some areas of punctuation and sentence structure. Some different emphases are indicated for the testing of writing skills at the university level.

Modern Language Teaching in Australian Universities

Abstract: This paper reports the attitudes of academics teaching languages other than English in Australian universities. The data are derived from a national survey in 1984 which asked a range of questions ranging from background details on students, characteristics of course structures, methods of teaching, and perceptions of the attitudes of students to numerous issues relevant to the teaching of languages. The responses of these language teachers are analysed with respect to theories of language teaching. The matters of major concern to language teachers highlighted by the study are shown to be relevant to current debate about the future of modern, especially Asian, language teaching.

Students’ Perceptions of Priorities in Nurse Education: Research Findings and their Curriculum Implications

Abstract: A credible assumption is that the success of any curriculum intended for adult students is a function of the match between the curriculum and the needs and aspirations of participating students. This assumption provided a basis for investigating the educational priorities of students undertaking nurse education programs in selected N.S.W. colleges of advanced education. The investigation involved a longitudinal study together with several comparative studies. The findings of the studies present a picture of groups of students who are ambivalent towards many of the objectives and priorities of their vocational programs. The origins of that ambivalence appear to reside both in a restricted view of the nurse's role and in anxieties and doubts which students have about their clinical experience and competence. The ambivalence experienced by the students appeared to be working to divert their attention, if not to alienate them altogether, from aspects of their programs and indeed from the vision of nu...

Culture Clashes, Value Conflicts and Professional Education

Abstract: Radical changes have taken place in the conditions of professional practice in recent decades, which have been recorded and analysed by a number of authors, together with various proposals for the adaptation of courses of professional training. One area in this evolution which has received less than systematic investigation is the greatly increased occurrence of clashes arising from ethical complications in much professional practice, a major source of which has been the greatly increased intermingling of cultures worldwide. In the present paper it is argued that the training of professional practitioners in the understanding of value conflicts is different in nature from the training in the knowledge and techniques specific to a profession. The distinction is traced and a definition offered of the educational problem involved in preparing professional practitioners for handling such matters. The remainder of the paper is taken up with a review of several approaches that have been reported.

Textbook Selection: Evaluative Criteria

Abstract: As the task of selecting an appropriate textbook for a course is difficult this article presents a procedure (checklist) which instructors might adopt to assist in their decision making. The Textbook Selection Checklist is developed from a strong empirical base and has been trialled to assess the relative merits of introductory and educational psychology textbooks published since 1975. The results of this assessment are provided and the implications for students, instructors, and publishers are discussed.

Learning Styles Compared Across Health Science Courses

Abstract: The Honey and Mumford Learning Style questionnaire was applied to undergraduate students at the first and third year level courses in Nursing, Optometry and Podiatryin the Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Health Science, and to students in the post‐graduate courses in Nursing and Nutrition and Dietetics. With one exception, there were no significant differences between first and third year student results for any learning style or course. The mean scores from all courses fell within the normal range defined by Honey and Mumford, but some differences were identified in the preferred learning styles across the different disciplines. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the use of different teaching techniques such as structured lectures, practical exercises, case discussions and role‐play, as the findings may be used to predict the type of instructional techniques which would be most effective. Recommendations are made on the most appropriate of these techn...

The Impact of Word Processing on Faculty Writing Behaviour

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a research project on the impact of word processing on faculty writing behaviour. A case study methodology was used to conduct the research. Data from 120 faculty members (N = 150) were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Final results indicate that faculty are increasingly adopting word processing for writing (69%) and are changing their writing behaviour in this process: they do more revisions, write most of their works online, use computer‐mediated communication to support their writing and use spelling checkers on a regular basis. The major Expected Benefit identified by respondents is the ease of text revision: this feature is the primary cause for the adoption of word processing among faculty. The major Expected Disadvantages are the amount of learning required at the time, both initially and on an on‐going basis, that is consumed. Unexpected Outcomes of word processing were also identified, such as more concern with page layout, reusing previ...

Masters Degree Programs in Colleges of Advanced Education: Graduate Characteristics and Outcomes

Abstract: To obtain evaluative data on outcomes of the Advanced Education Institution Award scheme a study which included a survey of graduates from masters programs in Australian colleges of advanced education in the years 1980–1985 was undertaken. The survey was designed to identify graduate characteristics, to analyse award distribution across disciplines and to obtain general evaluative data on awards and masters degrees. The impact of gender in each of these analyses was to be considered. Further, details on employment and further study activities were to be documented.

Self‐Help Change Techniques for Tertiary Level Teachers

Abstract: In recent years, numerous studies have indicated that very brief therapeutic interventions can produce successful outcomes. Many of these interventions do not need the presence of a therapist but may be used on a self‐help basis. Three particularly effective techniques, creation of a motivational state, the ‘clenched fist’ as an anchor, and a relaxation package, are described in this article. Case studies illustrate how each of these has been used by a university staff member to solve a specific problem.

Departmental Planning: Use of the Directional Matrix

Abstract: Directional Matrices have been used in businesses to assist the identification of an organisation's strengths and weaknesses. This approach also has application to the activities of departments within institutions of higher education. In particular it was applied to the Graduate School of Environmental Science at Monash University to assist the planning of the School's operations. Data from a sample of the School's staff and members of its Board of Studies indicated that most of the twelve activities identified were important and were performing relatively well. Although differences in the data from the two groups occurred, results obtained from the Matrix were not substantially influenced by this variation. Observations of the responses to the Matrix help to show how future application could be improved.