共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 684 毫秒
1.
Lucy D Mercer-Mapstone Kelly E Matthews 《Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education》2017,42(1):98-114
Higher education institutions globally are acknowledging the need to teach communication skills. This study used the Science Student Skills Inventory to gain insight into how science students perceive the development of communication skills across the degree programme. Responses were obtained from 635 undergraduate students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science at an Australian research-intensive university. Students rated their perceptions of two communication skills, scientific writing and oral scientific communication, across the following indicators: importance of, and improvement in, developing communication skills; the extent to which communication skills were included and assessed in the degree; confidence in using communication skills; and belief of future use of communication skills. While the majority of students perceived both communication skills to be important and of use in the future, their perceptions of the extent to which those skills were included and assessed were less, with oral communication being included and assessed less than scientific writing skills. Significant differences among year levels were discerned for most indicators, signifying a lack of coherent opportunities for students to learn and develop these skills across year levels. Results are discussed through the lens of progressive development of complex learning outcomes, with suggested areas for curriculum development and future research. 相似文献
2.
Yvonne Hodgson Cristina Varsavsky Kelly E. Matthews 《Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education》2014,39(5):515-530
This study reports on science student perceptions of their skills (scientific knowledge, oral communication, scientific writing, quantitative skills, teamwork and ethical thinking) as they approach graduation. The focus is on which teaching activities and assessment tasks over the whole programme of study students thought utilised each of the six nominated skills. In this quantitative study involving two Australian research-intensive universities, the teaching activities identified by students as developing the broadest number of skills were laboratory classes and tutorials. Lectures were only effective for developing scientific knowledge and, to a limited extent, ethical thinking. Assessment tasks that students perceived to utilise the broadest range of skills were assignments and oral presentations. The findings of this study document the students’ perspective about their gains in skill sets, and the teaching activities and assessment tasks that require them to use and thus develop these skills. The findings provide an opportunity to evaluate the constructive alignment of skills development, teaching activities and assessment tasks from a student’s perspective. Further research is required to actually measure the skills that students gain over their whole programme of study. 相似文献
3.
Lucie S. Dvorakova 《Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education》2017,42(6):900-913
The development of transferrable skillsets, articulated in statements of graduate learning outcomes, is emphasised in undergraduate science degree programmes. Science students enrolled in dual (double) degrees comprise a significant minority of Australian science undergraduates. Research comparing perceptions of single and dual degree students on their science learning outcomes has rarely been explored. The Science Students Skills Inventory was used to compare the perceptions of single (n = 640) and dual (n = 266) degree undergraduate science students. The instrument explored science graduate learning outcomes across six indicators: importance; the extent to which outcomes were included; the extent to which they were assessed; improvement; confidence; and likely future use. Analysis of findings, employing the planned–enacted–experienced curricula framework, offers insight into potential avenues towards coherence of the experienced curriculum by arguing the need for shared perceptions of graduate learning outcomes for single and dual degree science students. The key contribution of this study is a shift towards progressive curriculum development that draws on both single and dual degree student perspectives to achieve graduate learning outcomes. Recommendations include: whole-of-programmes curricular pathways premised on progressive development of learning outcomes that are inclusive of dual degree students, explicit interdisciplinary learning opportunities, and adoption of dual/single status as a demographic variable reported in future research. 相似文献
4.
The ability of graduates to proactively develop, adapt and repackage their capabilities (or attributes) is an essential aspect of employability. This study was conducted at Deakin University, where graduate capabilities have been recast as graduate learning outcomes, and employability is frequently referenced. In light of significant curriculum reform to make graduate capabilities prominent, we investigated student perceptions of graduate capabilities and associated learning outcomes, as well as preparation for employment, to better understand how we can engage students in developing and showcasing their employability. We interviewed 45 students across 10 focus groups and qualitatively analysed their responses for commonly recurring themes. Focus groups were completed in two stages with data analysis and adjustment of questions between stages to enable validation and greater depth of understanding. Our analysis suggests that even with capabilities renamed as learning outcomes, students find graduate learning outcomes too generic to be meaningful and are most likely to engage with learning outcomes that are contextualised and assessed. Our case study illustrates ways to combat this – particularly the importance of assessment design and consistent, student-focused communication in engaging students in the development of capabilities and in the curation of evidence for employability. Students also suggest that advice from employers, professionals and recent graduates, and exposure to industry-related experiences could help make graduate capabilities more meaningful. 相似文献
5.
Kelly E Matthews Peter Adams Merrilyn Goos 《Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education》2017,42(4):564-579
In the biosciences, quantitative skills are an essential graduate learning outcome. Efforts to evidence student attainment at the whole of degree programme level are rare and making sense of such data is complex. We draw on assessment theories from Sadler (evaluative expertise) and Boud (sustainable assessment) to interpret final-year bioscience students’ responses to an assessment task comprised of quantitative reasoning questions across 10 mathematical and statistical topics. The question guiding the study was: do final year science students graduate knowing the quantitative skills that they have, and knowing the quantitative skills that they do not have? Confidence indicators for the 10 topics gathered students’ perceptions of their quantitative skills. Students were assigned to one of four categories: high performance-high confidence; low performance-low confidence; high performance-low confidence; or low performance-high confidence – with those in the first two categories demonstrating evaluative expertise. Results showed the majority of students effectively evaluated their quantitative skills as low performance-low confidence. We argue that the application of evaluative expertise to make sense of this graduate learning outcome can further the debate on how assuring graduate learning outcomes can enhance student learning. 相似文献
6.
7.
Elke Stracke 《Teaching in Higher Education》2013,18(6):616-629
This paper discusses the role of peer support groups (PSGs) in realising graduate attributes in the research degree. The literature indicates that top-down embedding of graduate attributes has met with only limited success. By taking a bottom-up approach, this paper shows that PSGs offer an opportunity to improve the graduate attribute outcomes of universities. This paper presents the experiences of research students in three PSGs in New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia, and the results of an exploratory opinion survey that required past and present PSG members to share their learning experiences about the development of graduate attributes. The participants favoured five attributes: communication, critical thinking, self-motivation, research organisation and teamwork. Viewing the development of graduate attributes through the lens of the students adds to our understanding of how PSGs help them to develop graduate attributes and contribute to university efforts to instil these attributes by taking into account experiential learning. 相似文献
8.
David Kember 《Higher Education》2009,57(1):37-55
Results from a programme level survey at a university in Hong Kong were used to select six departments which had good records
in developing graduate capabilities. Focus group interviews were conducted with students in the departments to discover which
capabilities students thought were important, how the capabilities were nurtured and the influence of the teaching and learning
environment on their development. Analysis of the data showed that the findings were consistent with a previous quantitative
model. Capabilities were developed if the curriculum made demands on students to practise the use of the capability. Intellectual
capabilities were nurtured through active learning experiences, performed in class or for assessment, which required the practise
of the capability. Communication and teamwork skills developed through group projects and activities in which communication
was practised. 相似文献
9.
Trena M. Paulus Brian Horvitz Min Shi 《Educational technology research and development : ETR & D》2006,54(4):355-385
Teamwork skills such as conflict resolution and communication strategies are challenging to teach. The use of stories may
help develop these complex skills. Although engagement is generally seen as a key component of learning environments, what
constitutes engagement has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to examine how graduate instructional design
students engage with and learn from stories in an online environment. This WisdomTools Scenario (Scenario) was designed specifically
to facilitate the development of teamwork skills. Students followed the experiences of two fictitious student teams and discussed
what happened asynchronously with small dialogue groups. Through a qualitative case study analysis, four themes emerged which
captured how students engaged with and learned from this environment. First, engagement was evident through students’ emotional
reactions to the characters. Second, this engagement was affected by perceived credibility and relevance of the scenes. Third,
students often reflected on their prior experiences and demonstrated an increased awareness of teamwork issues. Fourth, students
reported various degrees of application of what they learned to their team practice. Implications for the design of story-based
learning environments are explored. 相似文献
10.
ABSTRACTFor higher education graduates to be effective in the workplace, they require strong technical skills and the capability to operate across diverse knowledge landscapes to solve real world problems. At an Australian university, an interdisciplinary, short-term study tour programme was utilised to enhance students’ inexplicit employability skills with a focus on managing complexity while developing agility and creativity. To investigate the effectiveness of such a programme, we examined students’ perceptions of an interdisciplinary teamwork assessment task that was undertaken in an international context via a study tour model. We achieved this by, first, introducing a purposely designed interdisciplinary teamwork assessment task, which focused on students presenting innovative ideas to peers and industry members. Second, we elicited student responses via a case study approach that incorporated mixed methods, utilising several data collection instruments prior to, during, and after students participated in a study tour. The findings suggest that integrating a purposely designed interdisciplinary teamwork assessment task, via a short-term study tour model, uncovered certain inexplicit employability skills, namely managing complexity, developing agility and creativity. We make specific recommendations to support this insight, contributing to the mobility teaching and learning research field. 相似文献
11.
Zhanna Bagdasarov Yupeng Luo Wei Wu 《Journal of Research on Technology in Education》2017,49(1-2):55-72
The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to explore the impacts of tablet technology in a college classroom on students' perceptions of their own learning. Students were asked about oral, written, and graphical communication and critical thinking skills. Mid-semester and end-of-semester surveys were administered to tablet-enabled classes for collection of self-report data. Additionally, objective performance data were gathered from sections of the same courses taught using traditional methods and compared with learning outcomes of those taught using tablets. Students reported that using tablet technology was beneficial for all three types of communication skills. Findings also indicated that tablet usage contributed to a positive effect on dimensions of critical thinking. Implications for these findings are discussed. 相似文献
12.
This article studies the relationship between students’ perceptions of teaching and learning in a multidisciplinary honours programme and their impact on graduate attributes acquisition. The study, conducted among 73 honours students in a Dutch research university, evaluates perceived improvement in graduate attributes through annually collected survey data pertaining to student motivation, perception of the teaching and learning environment, engagement in the programme and registered course marks. The evaluation study reveals that to the extent of the perceived development of graduate attributes, three factors play crucial roles: students’ performance motivation, the amount of teacher support in creative and critical thinking, and students’ inclination to approach the honours track as a learning community. 相似文献
13.
A pilot programme on child abuse issues was introduced into the pre‐service teacher education curriculum at University College of Central Queensland in 1987. Queensland Department of Family Services personnel provided assistance in planning and provision of resources. Time was allocated in each of the three years so that students’ developing educational ideas could be paralleled with growth in attitudes, knowledge and thinking about child abuse. Student evaluation determined subsequent content and processes. Students involved in the programme now have completed their first year in the field and their perceptions of the programme are described together with survey results for entering students. Implications for reporting, continuing education and professional roles in prevention of child abuse are outlined. 相似文献
14.
Anissa Ryan Stewart Jacqueline Marie Reid Jeffrey C. Stewart 《Teaching in Higher Education》2013,18(8):931-942
This study examined discursive choices made by the instructor of a Black Studies course in constructing what counted as blogging and the history of jazz; how students showed evidence of meeting the course requirements, and how particular students engaged with issues of race and diversity in their blogs. The instructor required blogging to enable an interactional form of learning that supported development of a writing voice, criticality, and thinking in interdisciplinary ways. Students entered the course having different prior experiences and understandings of jazz and the class format allowed students to move from whatever path they were on to embrace the positive nature of diversity in the creation of culture. 相似文献
15.
16.
Claire T. McEvoy Ruth F. Hunter Kyle B. Matchett Linda Carey Michelle C. McKinley Karen D. McCloskey 《Journal of Further & Higher Education》2018,42(4):454-466
There is still much to learn about the support required by postgraduate research students, across academic disciplines, to facilitate successful completion of a research degree. The primary aim of this study was to explore postgraduate medical science research students’ perceptions of academic and mentoring support at different stages during their degree programme. A second aim was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of peer mentoring as a strategy to enhance student support in this population. A mixed method study design was used. Students first completed an online questionnaire, which was then supplemented with focus group discussion to explore emergent findings in greater depth. The main results indicated that the nature and quality of academic supervision support have a significant influence on research student training and development. ‘Functional’ and ‘relationship development’ concepts of supervisory styles were highlighted as important aspects to perceived support in this research population. The main facilitators to enhance academic support were effective communication, project planning and timely feedback. There was a high degree of acceptability for a peer mentoring programme as a complementary approach to enhance student support. Peer mentoring psychosocial functions such as friendship, counselling and career guidance were considered potentially beneficial to enhancing student support. Students also discussed peer coaching as central to their learning and research skill development. This work is a useful starting point to explore perceptions of research student support in the target population. Further work is required to develop strategies to enhance student support in academic practice. 相似文献
17.
Students' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of the World Wide Web as a Research and Teaching Tool in Science Learning 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Students often make little linkage from lesson to lesson on what they learn in the regular classroom. Having them take responsibility for what they are learning is one way of having them think and connect these thoughts together. This qualitative study looks at the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) as a research and teaching tool in promoting self-directed learning in a group of 15 year old students. The perceptions of students on the effectiveness of the World Wide Web in assisting them with the construction of knowledge on Photosynthesis and Respiration are reported and discussed in this paper. The study showed that the students found that the WWW had a number of positive effects on their learning including motivation for independent learning. However, the unedited and unstructured nature of the WWW meant that many of the sites they visited had information that was too difficult to understand and that time was required to improve technical and critical thinking skills to search effectively. The teacher's role as facilitator and guide was crucial to the success of their learning. 相似文献
18.
Samuel I. Bellman 《College Teaching》2013,61(1):53-57
Using a sample of 751 undergraduate students and 85 of their faculty, the author examined the extent of faculty-student differences in their priorities placed on eight learning goals. The findings show that students placed significantly more importance on career preparation, scientific reasoning, personal development, and art and cultural appreciation and that faculty placed significantly more importance on critical thinking and mastery of discipline content. Students and their faculty did not differ significantly on the priorities they placed on basic academic skills, citizenship, and values. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of curriculum development and an increasing belief that student development and learning are improved when curricula assess and incorporate students' goals and priorities. 相似文献
19.
Madan L. Gupta 《Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education》2004,29(1):63-73
Students in a physical sciences course were introduced to cooperative learning at the University of Queensland, Gatton Campus. Groups of four to five students worked together in tutorial and practical sessions. Mid-term and practical examinations were abolished and 40% of total marks were allocated to the cooperative learning activities. A peer- and self-assessment system was successfully adapted to account for individual performance in cooperative learning group assignments. The results suggest that cooperative learning was very well received by students, and they expressed willingness to join cooperative learning groups in other courses. In addition, cooperative learning offered many benefits to students in terms of graduate attributes such as teamwork, communication, lifelong learning and problem-solving. 相似文献
20.
Su-Chi Fang Hsin-Yi Chang Wen-Hua Chang Hsin-Kai Wu Chih-Ming Chen 《International Journal of Science Education》2016,38(12):1945-1971
In order to promote scientific inquiry in secondary schooling in Taiwan, the study developed a computer-based inquiry curriculum (including structured and guided inquiry units) and investigated how the curriculum influenced students’ science learning. The curriculum was implemented in 5 junior secondary schools in the context of a weeklong summer science course with 117 students. We first used a multi-level assessment approach to evaluate the students’ learning outcomes with the curriculum. Then, a path analysis approach was adopted for investigating at different assessment levels how the curriculum as a whole and how different types of inquiry units affected the students’ development of conceptual understandings and inquiry abilities. The results showed that the curriculum was effective in enhancing the students’ conceptual knowledge and inquiry abilities in the contexts of the six scientific topics. After the curriculum, they were able to construct interconnected scientific knowledge. The path diagrams suggested that, due to different instructional designs, the structured and guided inquiry units appeared to support the students’ learning of the topics in different ways. More importantly, they demonstrated graphically how the learning of content knowledge and inquiry ability mutually influenced one another and were reciprocally developed in a computer-based inquiry learning environment. 相似文献