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This article describes the design of a web-based environment that links teaching strategies used in different faculties with graduate attributes. Whilst graduate attributes have existed at the University of Wollongong since the 1990s, this is the first time teaching strategies that enable students to develop these attributes have been articulated and shared electronically. The strategies are the practical or tacit knowledge of university teaching. The paper provides a background for the role of graduate attributes in higher education and explains the reason for focussing on teaching strategies. It describes the website resource with some examples and outlines dissemination and evaluation plans for the initiative. It is hoped that the website will become a "growing" site as a resource for a university community to share teaching strategies across different faculties.

The rationalisation of class sizes and subject offerings in majors, and the implementation of workloads models establishing parity in teaching hours and in student load per staff member across Faculty have created considerable challenges for tertiary foreign-language teaching over the past decade. This paper presents one way of responding to the imperatives of the new order, involving the adaptation and management of traditional class activities so that they remain valid in a group of 60 or more students, and the development and delivery of computer-based activities to allow students to receive as much (or as little) individualised instruction as they need outside of class. It reflects on principles and practices which, although not new, have assumed particular importance in the new environment, and analyses the impact of the changes on the dynamic of the class.

This article describes how an Informatics subject has integrated information literacy skills into its curriculum assessment practice. The paper provides a background on the role information literacies have in student learning and explains the importance of ensuring the literacies are aligned with subject content and assessment practice. It describes the results of an informatics subject that has been developed through collaboration between Academic and Faculty Librarian.

This paper is an expanded version of a talk given at a Generic Skills Workshop at the University of Wollongong, and was intended for academic staff from any discipline and general staff with an interest in teaching. The issues considered in the paper include the capacity of all to learn, the distinction between learning as understanding and learning as information, the interaction between the communication and content of ideas, the tension between perception and content in communication between persons, and the human functions of a love of learning. In teaching, the creation of a fear-free environment is emphasised, as is the use of analogy as a means of breaking out of one discipline and making connections with another, with mathematics and history being used as a possible example. Some of the issues raised are explored in more depth in the notes at the end of the paper, to which there are references in the main text.

Clinical learning is foundational to the University of South Australia's Bachelor of Nursing program and students are expected to undertake a variety of clinical experiences during the three-year program. The Discipline of Nursing and Rural Health, in collaboration with academics, clinicians and managers, developed an instrument to evaluate contextual learning, involvement and reflection of nursing students during clinical placements. Following a simple research study using the instrument, it was decided to continue such evaluation on an ongoing basis. The instrument was found to be beneficial for students, industry partners and academics in attaining feedback. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to illustrate the process by which the evaluative instrument was developed, to report the results of the survey, and to explore the positive learning outcomes that might result with the use of the instrument.

The position of this paper is to further the discussion on what constitutes academic assessment in the PhD by artefact and exegesis. In doing so, it explores some of the ideas that arose in setting up the PhD in creative writing at Swinburne University of Technology. Thus, I: (1) survey some of the questions that arise about the journeys made by the candidate, supervisor and examiner of the PhD in creative writing; (2) introduce discussion about what constitutes academic knowledge with particular reference to the PhD in writing at Swinburne University of Technology, Lilydale Campus; (3) bring to the fore multiple possibilities in understanding possible conceptualizations of legitimate scholarly, intellectual and cultural research; and (4) survey some ideas about research and/as creativity. In doing so, I provide the basis for discussion of the dynamic nature of research, and situate this discussion within the framework of assessment.

Increasing numbers of international students studying health sciences in Australia necessitates research into appropriate ways to support cultural diversity in teaching. International students commonly face problems in adapting to culturally different education and health care systems and this complicates the development of the discipline specific skills that they have come to learn. This paper presents a curriculum review of a course, titled "Language and Communication in Physiotherapy" in a Physiotherapy Masters Program for international students. The aim was to redevelop the course to better align with principles of internationalisation of the curriculum, seeking to ensure that the course did not follow a deficit model of meeting international students' needs. A philosophical shift was considered by staff and led to a revision of course aims, content and assessment. Instead of viewing students as having "gaps" in understanding or skills that needed to be patched up in order to fit Australian norms, it was considered that the chief aim of the course was to foster the development of cultural competence. Course changes made as an outcome of the review were evaluated and the outcomes suggest that some of the changes were successful, whilst others require further development. The process of reflective practice followed in undertaking this review was helpful not only in devising course content and assessment changes useful to students' learning, but also in advancing the cultural competence of teachers involved in the course.

The concern in Australian universities about the prevalence of plagiarism has led to the development of policies about academic integrity and in turn focused attention on the need to inform students about how to avoid plagiarism and how to properly acknowledge. Teaching students how to avoid plagiarism can appear to be straightforward if based on the notion that plagiarism is copying without proper acknowledgment. This paper reviews the term "proper acknowledgment" in the academic context and argues that proper acknowledgement can be a matter of context and perception. In this paper forms of plagiarism are reviewed, reasons for student plagiarism are considered and different contexts for acknowledgement and how these fit in with concepts of attribution and originality are discussed. Comments from international students new to Australian academic culture provide insights and reveal that students in trying to master the rules of acknowledgment can be perplexed and concerned about when and why they should acknowledge.

Despite a growing body of evidence, the common causal factors of plagiarism among international students are still widely seen to be poor language skills or a lack of academic integrity on the part of the students. This research uses the experiences of a particular cohort of students to explore these assumptions. It investigates and compares the notion of academic integrity and the understanding of plagiarism of both Indian postgraduate students who are currently studying in Australia and students currently studying at Indian universities. Postgraduate international students from India have studied in English at an undergraduate level in India and have a clear understanding of academic integrity in their own context. However their undergraduate experience occurs in a culturally different context to that of the Australian university system and they face the challenge of learning new academic conventions. This paper argues that students coming from different educational cultures require proper and explicit induction into the principles and philosophy behind many western academic conventions as different conventions of scholarship in the Australian education system can create unique difficulties for them. To accuse international students in general of a lack of integrity because they plagiarise or to blame only their lack of language skills for plagiarising seems to be arguable. Rather, the impact of transition from a different university culture without explicit academic skills orientation and instruction needs to be addressed. The paper also points towards the paradox of punishment in western universities where international students have to prove their integrity and innocence regarding the ethical principles of a new and foreign culture.

This paper reports on developments in teaching and learning for first year employment relations students at the University of Wollongong based on creating conditions of learning informed by Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development" theory. Essentially, this meant emphasising collaborative learning (group work) in the lecture theatre and in assessment tasks to provide opportunities for students to "learn the language" of employment relations. The paper also considers collaboration between an employment relations discipline lecturer and an learning development discipline lecturer that helped identify the objectives for teaching and learning (the desired attributes of a Wollongong Graduate, ethical concerns about how students' may affect one another in group work, and developing knowledge and skills to equip students to be effective in employment relations practice) within a particular task environment (characterised by an organisational imperative to "do more with less," and students' beliefs that lectures have the purpose of didactic information delivery) simultaneously with teaching. This paper offers readers a case study of the application of a teaching and learning theory that may stimulate reflection on their practice.

Issues of academic plagiarism in educational institutions are often played out in the public arena. Media reports that "scandals" occur in universities where plagiarism has gone undetected, or unpunished can undermine public faith in the academic integrity of higher education. Antiplagiarism software has been successfully marketed to universities as a means through which to detect and deter plagiarism. One commercially available product, Turnitin, has been embraced and implemented in many educational settings around the globe. Although Turnitin has been heralded as an effective measure to combat plagiarism, little empirical research has been undertaken to examine user perceptions of its effectiveness. This paper details a site-specific case study which explores the perspectives of seven teachers across five faculties at South-Coast University about the effectiveness and usability of Turnitin. The findings indicate that Turnitin assists in detecting passages where text matches other sources. However, the software does not indicate whether plagiarism has occurred or not. That remains the decision of the teacher. Additionally, such software should not be considered a panacea for plagiarism. Students still require explicit teaching of the concept of textual attribution, often with subject-specific examples to understand acknowledgement conventions within academia.

This paper highlights the growing need for the provision of discipline-based flexible online courses for teachers in Higher Education as well as acknowledging the significance of interdisciplinary cooperation in this endeavour. It describes the approaches taken in designing and delivering these courses and discusses some of the challenges inherent in developing, implementing and evaluating such discipline-based Higher Education courses, through examining the Graduate Certificate in Law Teaching (GCLT) Course in the Faculty of Law at Monash University, Australia.

Universities are no-longer isolated places where the intellectually or socially advantaged undertake research and contemplation. Universities are central to social and economic policy and can be used to meet the social and economic requirements of the new globalised environment. This paper explores the role of the internationalisation of universities in Australia, facing the challenge of globalisation, in light of declining government support of higher education institutions. A large part of internationalisation involves an increase in international student numbers, and this alongside changes in internal governance, is changing the role of academics within universities. This paper examines the new demands for an international educational literacy, examining the effect of these demands on academic professionals.

This paper reports the results of a research project investigating the use that Distance Education (DE) students at university make of the learning materials that are supplied to them. The research is based on a survey of 998 DE students enrolled in ten undergraduate subjects spread across all five Faculties at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in New South Wales, Australia. CSU is Australia's largest DE provider of higher education. The project addressed the following questions: (1) The extent to which DE undergraduate students use their learning materials; (2) The extent to which students undertake the learning activities that are often incorporated in learning materials; (3) The extent to which students obtain learning materials beyond the printed learning materials, especially their use of library facilities and the internet to research topics in their study programs; and (4) The way in which DE undergraduate students approach their study and the study strategies that they adopt. The paper reports the major conclusions from the survey. It was found that the majority of students read most or all of the learning materials that were sent to them. They relied heavily upon the prescribed textbooks, did some additional reading as recommended, to a limited extent carried out additional reading beyond that recommended, and worked through the provided learning materials in a methodical manner. They generally completed, in their minds if not always on paper, the study tasks embedded in the learning materials. Those students that read less and paid less attention to study tasks tended to study in a way that was focused on passing assessment tasks. Overall the study provides a strong argument for the retention of printed learning materials as students seem to work well with them, and the more effectively students use them the better they seem to perform.

This paper examines student experiences and perceptions of two models of team-teaching employed at a regional Australian university to teach a large undergraduate marketing subject. The two team-teaching models adopted for use in this subject can be characterised by the large number of team members (ten and six) and the relatively low level of team involvement in the planning and administration of the team-teaching process. The paper examines students' experiences in an effort to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the team-teaching approach from the students' perspective. This paper contributes to our knowledge of teaching practice by identifying, amongst other things, aspects of the team-teaching approach that both facilitate and hinder student learning. Data for this study was collected on each teaching model through two identical surveys. In total, data was collected from 440 student responses. Despite the relatively weak forms of team-teaching adopted to teach this subject, the majority of the students liked the concept of team-teaching. The findings in this study suggest that team-teaching can facilitate student learning through the generation of interest and exposure to 'experts', but can hinder student learning if the team fails to act as a cohesive unit and work together to adequately link learning concepts. This study also argues that the most critical factor in determining the success or failure of a team-teaching effort is the actual composition of the team. A key implication of this study is that a team that comprises of "good teachers" (perceived as those skillful in teaching large classes) is far more important than a team comprising of "experts" in different knowledge areas. This aspect of team-teaching is often overlooked in the literature.

This paper reports the findings of a major national research project examining the use of multiple modes of delivery in Australian universities. A variety of factors including the increased use of online educational technology has pushed Australian universities in recent years to extend the ways in which they deliver learning and teaching. However, the extent of the uptake of these modes of delivery has remained somewhat unclear as have the precise reasons why universities have adopted multiple modes. The paper reports the result of a survey which clarifies the extent of the use of multiple modes of delivery in Australian universities and case study research that attempts to unpack the reasons for adoption. The research finds that traditional face to face delivery is still the dominant form of delivery but universities are experimenting with a surprisingly wide variety of alternatives.

Non attendance of lectures and tutorials appears to be a growing trend. The literature suggests many possible reasons including students' changing lifestyle, attitudes, teaching and technology. This paper looks at the reasons for non attendance of students in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Wollongong and identifies relationships between attendance, participation and performance. The results indicate that there are valid reasons for non attendance that are both in the control of learners and teachers. There are also clear benefits for students to be gained in attendance; however, changes in the way we learn, teach, assess and use technology are recommended if we wish to reverse the trend.

Murdoch University's public relations program attracts a significant number of international students. Up to 60% of students in some units come from Singapore and Malaysia. While many spend at least one year in Australia as part of the three year degree, students in both countries may complete the entire degree offshore from 2007. The authors rewrote a second year public relations unit with the aim of making it more relevant for local and international students. This posed particular challenges in terms of pedagogical and conceptual approaches. For instance, there are cultural and linguistic issues which influence the ways students learn, and which have particular implications for a unit which expressly aims to consolidate students' professional writing skills. There are also implications for public relations theory, which tends to be dominated by Western concepts and models, and public relations practice, which varies in different countries. This paper offers a reflection on the issues we addressed in the redevelopment of the unit, as well as some suggestions for future teaching and learning practices.

In late 2003, the regional campus of the University of South Australia initiated a peer-mentoring program aimed at assisting the smooth transition of new students to university life. In particular, the Nursing and Rural Health unit envisaged a program that would be effective and rewarding for both student mentees and mentors. This paper presents an analysis of the peer-mentoring program initiated. It begins by discussing the concept of mentoring and the advantages and disadvantages of peer-mentoring programs in educational institutions. It then introduces the program, describes how it was conceptualised, implemented and strengthened and how the program developed into a unique "pop-up" model of mentoring that fitted the needs of mentees and mentors. The paper evaluates the experiences of mentees and mentors and concludes with some suggestions for improving the program, which others may learn from.

This paper critically evaluates the pilot of a Thesis Writers' Circles program offered to Education PhD and DEd students at the University of Melbourne in semester 2, 2005. The analysis focuses on the needs of those students that were felt to be well-met by this model of support. Broadly, the paper identifies two distinct but inter-related themes: firstly, the challenge of developing writing skills to a level sufficient to meet the demands of preparing a research thesis; secondly, the importance for research higher degree students of building confidence as apprentice academic writers. In relation to the latter theme, the paper identifies the benefits of community participation and peer-collaboration in working towards the aim of consolidating a thesis-writing identity. It is in this capacity, we argue, that thesis writers' circles have distinct advantages compared with other forms of candidature support, making them a valuable supplement to both conventional supervision practices and generic English language and thesis writing programs. The paper affirms the importance not only of equipping international and non-English speaking background (NESB) students with writing tools and strategies, but also of creating opportunities for all postgraduate research students to receive (and offer) non-judgmental feedback on work-in-progress within a discipline-specific learning and discourse community.

The perceived importance and the prevalence of academic development programs worldwide mean that it is critical that characteristics essential for the success of such programs be identified and incorporated. This article recognises the manifold perspectives on identifying such characteristics, but argues that if it is desirable that an academic development program has ethical outcomes, then an ethical perspective is an appropriate starting point. From the basis of ethical principles, two vital characteristics of academic development programs are identified--vision and choice. In this paper, contemporary conceptualisations of academic development programs are considered first, then characteristics consistent with ethical principles are identified and amplified. The paper concludes with a description of an existing graduate certificate in higher education, and its graduates' outcomes as an example.

The Response Ability Project, funded under the Mindframe National Media Initiative in Australia, seeks to influence tertiary curricula so that graduates in journalism will be aware of and able to respond appropriately to issues relating to suicide and mental illness. Whilst the initial multi-media resources developed to support journalism educators have been received well, engagement with media organisations and individual journalists under other Mindframe projects have revealed further complexities associated with the reporting of suicide and mental illness. In particular, journalists have indicated that the issues become more problematic when they are required to report suicides in other contexts, such as murder-suicides, deaths in custody and voluntary euthanasia. Similarly, the reporting of mental illness was more complex in the context of crime and in the reporting of the mental health care system. This paper will highlight some of these new complexities of reporting and discuss how the Response Ability project has responded through the development of supplementary resources to allow educators to raise such issues with students.

This paper describes the organisation, preparation and delivery of a major project, namely, a national roundtable conference on assessment, in the context of a wider project involving the development and application of a model of collaboration between tertiary institutions based on a distributive leadership framework. It analyses feedback received from round table participants and comments on both the utility and the limitations of the adopted model for the purpose of the round table project.

The use of evaluation to examine and improve the quality of teaching and courses is now a component of most universities. However, despite the various methods and opportunities for evaluation, a lack of understanding of the processes, measures and value are some of the major impediments to effective evaluation. Evaluation requires an understanding of what to evaluate, how to evaluate it, how to collect and analyse the information and how to action and implement what has been learned. The aim of this paper is to describe an instrument to document not only the evaluative process, but also evaluative outcomes. The Course Improvement Flowchart (CIF) provides a template for the application of an action inquiry framework. Throughout this process, the CIF template can be used to document key recommendations emanating from multiple sources of feedback so that a proactive statement of intent or action plan for teaching and course improvement is written. The resultant improvements that may be achieved in teaching and course quality may lead to more satisfying teaching experiences, improved student outcomes and heightened professional growth as a teacher.

This article presents a reflection and comparison of two of my teaching pedagogical approaches for the Business Organisations Law curriculum to undergraduate non-law students at Charles Sturt University. The purpose is to compare and evaluate efficacy of a traditional, lecture-based learning (LBL) with a combination of LBL and problem-based learning (PBL) in improving performance and outcomes for students enrolled in the accounting and business degrees. Research methods to compare outcomes and performances were evaluated using modified versions of several LBL and PBL related survey questionnaires and a Study Process Questionnaire (SPV) developed by John Biggs for use with Australian tertiary students, and validated for use with students in several Asian countries. Data regarding students' perceptions of LBL and a combination of LBL and PBL were further collected using a 13-point interview questionnaire. Responses from a Likert scale were calculated in percentages and considered in terms of a mean response and data from the qualitative responses coded in NVIVO and analysed thematically. Also, "tests scores" (assignments and final exam results--mostly problem questions) from a traditional LBL class were compared with the scores from a mixture of both LBL and PBL. Though groups' means of both LBL and PBL were closer, the results combined with other indicia revealed that students studying the course through a combination of both lectures and PBL tutorials in a teaching session performed significantly better. The paper recommends a cumulative dual approach as effective course delivering methods. A bibliography is included.

For most students assessment guides their study and learning practice. Yet in the literature associated with the first year of study at university, few have mobilised the power of assessment to develop and engage first year undergraduate students. This paper presents a model of assessment for first year students which separates the semester into three overlapping assessment phases: assessment for transition, assessment for development and assessment for achievement. The implementation and usefulness of the model is supported by examples from mathematics, engineering, computing, communication and nursing studies at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). Particular attention is paid to assessments for transition which occur early in the semester and are linked more closely with processes than specific content. Evidence is collated on the success of assessments in improving the participation of students, especially distance education students.

This paper describes a study of the integration of graduate attributes into Business education using an online system to facilitate the process. "ReView" is a system that provides students with criteria-based tutor feedback on assessment tasks and also provides opportunities for online student self-assessment. Setup incorporates a process of "review" whereby assessment criteria are grouped into graduate attribute categories and reworded to make explicit the qualities, knowledge and skills that are valued in student performance. Through this process, academics clarify and make explicit the alignment of assessment tasks to learning objectives and graduate attribute development across units and levels of a program of study. Its application in three undergraduate Business units was undertaken as a collaborative action research project to improve alignment of graduate attributes with assessment, identification of assessment criteria and feedback to students. This paper describes the use of Review and presents an analysis of post-ReView data that has institutional implications for improving assessment and self-assessment practices.

This paper explores some of the ways in which our insights into the pedagogy of postgraduate supervision may benefit from understanding some of the attributes of psychotherapy. It proposes that psychotherapy involves teaching and learning processes that can be fruitfully compared with the idealised pedagogical model of the dialectic. It develops insights into postgraduate supervision as pedagogy by interrogating the intersection of teaching and learning with some aspects of psychotherapy. In doing so, it shows how those pedagogical aspects of psychotherapy can enable a deeper understanding and richer practising of postgraduate supervision. This paper works within a model postulated by Gregory Ulmer. In his development of an idea that there is in academic writing the self and the researched, the conscious intellectual semiotic and that arising from storytelling, Gregory Ulmer surveys the idea of "mystories." This word encompasses the self, the story and the mystery of this. I propose my own version of this as the "subjective academic narrative." (A bibliography is included.)

Purpose: This paper reports on the adaptation of an existing interpretive and critical research methods course in nursing for postgraduate student health professionals in a School of Population Health and Clinical Practice. Methods: A cyclical approach of inquiry, reflection and planning was undertaken by the teaching team to make changes to the existing course for implementation for the current and following academic year. Critical reflections from two student evaluations during the course contributed to the re-design. Main Findings: Two main findings emerged: (1) cross-disciplinary teaching teams can work successfully if there is true collaboration of stakeholders; and (2) it is feasible to conduct an effective interdisciplinary qualitative research methods course for student health professionals. Conclusions: Interdisciplinary research methods courses need to be structured so that students interact with each other to enhance their knowledge of other disciplines and value learning about other professional viewpoints and issues.

In this paper we outline the review and iterative refinement of assessment procedures in a final year graphic design subject at the University of Wollongong. Our aim is to represent the main issues in assessing graphic design work, and informed by the literature, particularly "notions of creativity" (Cowdroy & de Graaff, 2005), to develop and incorporate assessment procedures that allow creative ability to be assessed with greater transparency and objectivity. In the first iteration we developed a structure to standardise and clarify the existing model for the subject. Once this structure was in place we identified issues that would benefit from a review of the literature on assessment in the creative disciplines and the broader field of pedagogy. We marked the shift from surface approaches to learning to deep approaches to learning (Moon, 1999) at the point where we identified gaps in the learning outcomes. Our response was to move the focus from the outcome to the process and to introduce a staged assessment procedure with a stronger emphasis on formalised reflection, cycling throughout the design process. We divided the learning process into two streams: thinking and making as a means to clarify facets of learning. As we continue to refine this model we note and respond to the relationship between assessment and learning. We propose ideas for future investigation, based on identifying levels of design thinking achieved by students in the most recent iteration of the program, and how these might be improved. A bibliography is included.

Although much has been written on the first-year experience of students at higher education institutions, less attention has been directed to the expectations of students when they enter an institution for the first time. This paper provides additional insights into the expectations of students at an Australian university and highlights areas in which students' expectations may not necessarily align with the realities of common university practices. By providing opportunities for students to articulate their expectations, staff are able to use the responses for a constructive dialogue and work towards a more positive alignment between perceived expectations and levels of student satisfaction with their experience. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Public relations educators delivering courses to international students find that each cohort of students interprets and understands public relations theory and its application to practice according to their respective cultures. The premise of this paper is to reflect on some of the interpretations and expectations of public relations students enrolled in postgraduate master classes from 2003 to 2007 in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, at the University of South Australia. The Australian masters' classes include cohorts of international students from diverse cultures. This paper suggests that public relations educators need to adapt their style of delivery and methods of assessment to facilitate optimum engagement of diverse groups of students taking account their varied political, religious and social backgrounds that shape their thinking and perception of public relations theory and practice. (Contains 3 endnotes.)

There is a burgeoning amount of research into happiness and greatly increased popular attention, so it seems logical to add a course on happiness to the university curriculum. We encountered, in developing and running such a course, a number of dilemmas that the topic of happiness makes especially acute. Should the teacher remain separate from the class, as an authority, or participate in group activities? Is the primary goal of the class to learn content or to change the relationship of students to the world? What does a mark for learning content signify if developing happiness habits is a goal? Should one goal of the class be for the teacher to be happy and, if so, does this conflict with student learning? These dilemmas reflect larger questions about the purpose of university education. This paper reflects on those questions through our experience of formulating and delivering a new university class on happiness. (A Bibliography is included.)

This paper derives from collaborative research undertaken by staff at the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre, into our own teaching practice. It articulates a particular strand of inquiry emanating from the research: the importance of Indigenous knowledges as this is taught at Woolyungah in the discipline of Indigenous Studies. The paper is a reflection of Woolyungah's pedagogical aims, and its development as a Unit that seeks to embed other knowledges into the realm of critical inquiry within subjects taught at the Unit. It also reflects student responses to our pedagogy. The writers are Indigenous and non-Indigenous and have collaborated with all teaching staff involved to present this work as a starting point for discussions about the emerging discipline of Indigenous Studies, its rigour as an academic field of inquiry and our commitment as educators to the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges in our programme.

This paper addresses the retention issues presented when large numbers of students from low socio-economic backgrounds and associated disadvantaged educational histories live together on-campus. It reports research in progress on a new approach taken at the University of New England (UNE), Australia, aimed at encouraging the growth of learning communities in colleges through the training and subsequent support of senior students charged with helping first year students negotiate the transition to successful university study. It outlines the issues faced by both the first year students and the senior students, strategies implemented, outcomes to date and plans for further change. UNE is a regional university with 5,000 on-campus students, half of whom live in seven residential colleges. It appears that for these students, traditional lectures and workshops on learning strategies and techniques are not as effective as layered, personal "at the elbow" learning support in a non-threatening, social environment. (Contains 6 tables.)

This paper reports findings from interviews with fourteen Australian artist academics, who discuss the complex relationships between their Arts practice, their Research and their Teaching. We refer to this as the ART nexus because of the strong flow of information reported between these three activities. However, this information flow is not achieved without conflict. Conflict arises over the balance of time available and different mindsets required for differing activities, and there can be hesitation about analysing intuitive creative thought. The findings reveal ways in which information is "translated" for different audiences including undergraduate and postgraduate students, who are both recipients of and contributors to the nexus. The article problematises the ART nexus in an attempt to offer greater insight into the ways in which individual artist academics teach through their arts practice and their research, within a university system that struggles to accommodate this breadth of endeavour. (Contains 2 tables.)

This paper reflects on insights that emerged from the findings of a qualitative study conducted by the author in 2007 with third year management students from an Australian university on their perceptions in relation to business ethics. The findings revealed an attitude of cynicism with regard to the application of ethical principles beyond university years--in "the real world of business". This led the author to engage in more systematic efforts to address this problem, and to this end, she found Mezirow's notion of transformative learning inspiring and valuable. It is contended that reflection and critical thinking are crucially important skills to enable consciousness shifts that will lead to a deeper understanding and greater appreciation of the importance of ethical conduct in management. They can act as antidotes to attitudes of cynicism which make students feel powerless and dejected, disinclined to apply the knowledge gained during their training beyond university years. A selection of examples of class activities and assessments to foster transformative learning is provided. (Contains 1 footnote.)

This paper attempts to unpack the teaching and learning experiences of academics and students when a new way of teaching radiation physics was introduced. In an attempt to articulate the University of Wollongong's commitment to the enhancement of the teaching/research nexus and to the development of learning communities, staff of the School of Physics in the Faculty of Engineering at University of Wollongong (UOW) implemented an action research project teaching scientific computing methodologies used in radiation physics to a combined laboratory class of postgraduates and undergraduates. The design of the practical laboratory classes took account of the expected heterogeneous computing skills and different knowledge of radiation physics of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Based on an earlier study, it was presumed that postgraduate students would be in a good position to support undergraduates. We illustrate how broad-based conceptions of the value of learning communities and their role in fostering the teaching/research nexus may be challenged by an internationalised student body. In this case, the previous patterns of undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments, which the pilot study had canvassed, did not hold true; almost all of the postgraduate students were international students, only recently arrived in Australia. This, along with other factors, meant that learning outcomes and students' responses to the innovation were not what were expected. We suggest a path forward, both for the specific subject in which the innovation occurred, and for other similar attempts to bring together academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students in a nascent learning community, in the light of ongoing trends towards internationalisation. (Contains 4 tables.)

This paper introduces a novel focus of undergraduate research of which there have been few similar reports. Examples of staff-student research partnerships in teaching and learning are starting to appear in the literature but pedagogic research conducted entirely by undergraduate students is exceptional. The Undergraduate Learning and Teaching Research Internship Scheme (ULTRIS) was conceived at The University of Western Australia (UWA) to introduce undergraduate students to authentic research outside their chosen discipline. By focusing their research on a teaching and learning issue of identified priority for the University, students were able to make significant contributions to the understanding of the problem and provide insights to inform future changes in policy and practice. Beyond the benefits to the institution and the individual students, the model of undergraduate research described in this paper heralds an opportunity for research into teaching and learning to gain acceptance and interest amongst a new and previously uninvolved cohort of investigators. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Research into, and discussions on, the relationships between teaching and research activities in universities and other tertiary education institutions have been gathering momentum for a number of decades in many parts of the world. The foci of these researches and discussions have varied greatly. At one end of the spectrum are the publications which were the result of large-scale projects, generally commissioned by a national body or an institution; these projects often had a broad focus. At the other end are the products of pursuits by an individual with a personal interest in the field, exploring a specific aspect of practice. This paper initially explores some key publications based on commissioned projects in the US, UK and Australia in order to gain a "big picture" view of the teaching-research (TR) connection, then looks at TR relevant discussions emanating from the work of prominent scholars, and finally provides an insight into strategic initiatives for promoting TR connections at an institutional level. The paper provides evidence for the widening of discussion base for TR connections, while narrowing the discussion focus to student engagement, in different parts of the world.

This paper explores the interface between digital technologies and the teaching labour process in Australian higher education. We develop an adaptation of the seminal Clark (1983, 1994, 2001) and Kozma (1991, 1994) debate about whether technology merely delivers educational content unchanged--technology as the "delivery truck"--or whether education is changed as a result of using different technologies--education as "groceries". Our adaptation is an extension of this metaphor to include the academic teacher as the driver of the grocery truck. With the implementation of new educational technologies, the human resource management aspects of job design, motivation, skilling and work identity are often overlooked, with critical debate about the impact on the teaching labour process seldom considered. In this argument, we will unpack the Clark-Kozma dichotomy of the education/technology interface by looking beyond the embedding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Australian higher education to examine more broadly the changes to the traditional academic role as the creator, developer and delivery agent of the educational groceries. This has been reinforced by the marketisation of the sector and the concomitant reconfiguration of the traditional teaching process. All this has led to changes in the sense of work identity for academics (McShane, 2006). While we embrace ICT as a potential benefit for both students and academic teachers, we seek to ensure that the "truck driver's" evolving role is acknowledged in scholarly debates and included in models of learning and teaching if long-term sustainable work practices are to be achieved. One such model is offered. (Contains 1 figure.)

This paper reports on the experiences gathered as a result of the foundation, implementation and on-going development of an interprofessional course for undergraduate health science students in The School of Health Sciences (SHS) at The University of Newcastle. The purpose of the course was to provide commencing students (n=600) with a transitional period, inclusive of academic, social and administrative support. The course also provided fundamental health related content relevant to all health science professions. Data in the form of student evaluations was collected over the three years of implementation through questionnaires, focus groups, university based student evaluations and unsolicited student feedback. A feedback loop was implemented annually and evaluations of the data applied upon reflection of student perceptions of the course. Findings suggest that despite some initial difficulties, the majority of students reported the provision of basic course and program specific information coupled with course coordinator support through immediate responses to questions assisted them to reduce their initial first year experience anxieties. Furthermore, students suggested that the student-centred changes made within this course be applied to other university courses. In conclusion, it is evident that the value of student feedback and the implementation of adaptations and rigorous change as a result of the feedback is highly significant in the improvement of courses and the ultimate satisfaction of student cohorts. (Contains 4 figures.)

This paper reports on Stage 1 of a learning and teaching project focused on students studying in the Chinese and English language delivery of transnational Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs of an Australian university. The programs are delivered using limited and intensive face-to-face teaching augmented by self-directed and web-based learning, and ongoing (mainly email) contact with lecturers before and after they have returned to Australia. The aim of this stage of the project is to provide a greater understanding of students' instructional preferences so that, where appropriate, lecturers can better scaffold learning and teaching arrangements (Stage 2 of the project) to assist them to meet the learning objectives of the MBA program. Survey data was collected from students studying the MBA in Hong Kong and Singapore in English (EMBA), and in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in Chinese (CMBA). Findings demonstrate that whilst students ranked teacher directed, face-to-face instructional delivery highly, they also indicated that an independent, web-based learning environment was their least-preferred approach to learning. These findings put lecturers in a more informed position when it comes to them planning how to best assist students from Confucian-heritage backgrounds to work productively and successfully in their studies. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

This paper describes the development of a peer review of teaching model for the Faculty of Health at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The process involved using the nominal group technique to engage Faculty academic staff to consider seven key decision points that informed the development of the peer review of teaching model. Use of the consensus based nominal group technique established collegial discussion and networking among participants, and has expanded the discussion within the Faculty about peer review of teaching. Although the academics come from a diverse multi-school and multi-program Faculty, there was high levels of consensus on the structure and process of the developed peer review of teaching model.

In disciplines such as Management, where research capacity is not seen as an obvious workplace skill, it is difficult to get students to engage in research activities. They see them as too difficult and without value. However, research activities in undergraduate Management education are vital as tools for developing key learning attributes such as critical thinking and skills in analysis and argument. Convinced of the high value of integrating research activities into undergraduate Management Education, I took on the challenge to find alternative ways for students to develop their research capacity and engage in actual research. Drawing on reflections on my experience of teaching undergraduate management subjects with research components, in this paper I discuss how Web-based research can promote critical thinking and raise consciousness among management students. This experience included designing strategies to introduce a form of electronic literacy into undergraduate education, to assist students to learn how to use the Web critically for research purposes, while enhancing learning based on conventional resources. In the methodology I propose for researching contemporary issues by collecting and analysing data from the Web I adapt the critical pedagogy of Freire for adult literacy into new forms of literacy involving critical use of the new media of communication. (Contains 7 footnotes and 1 table.)

Academics often treat students' discipline-specific literacy as unproblematic. In doing so they may underestimate the difficulties for university students as they move between subjects of study that may involve different disciplines, language genres and academic practices. This paper describes an initiative aimed at supporting students in reading academic articles in preparation for completing an essay for an assessment task. This initiative involved a structured and collaborative two-week tutorial exercise that provided students with practice in using a framework to extract the main ideas from academic readings. Students were surveyed after this exercise, and their reflections of its value are described in this paper. The findings of this study will inform further stages of the project which aim to develop and investigate practical ways to develop student's academic literacy across several business disciplines.

In this paper we provide a template for transitioning from tutorial to larger-class teaching environments in the discipline of history. We commence by recognising a number of recent trends in tertiary education in Australian universities that have made this transition to larger class sizes an imperative for many academics: increased student enrolments in the absence of a concomitant rise in teaching staff levels, greater emphasis on staff's research and service, and governmental and institutional pressures to maximize resource efficiency. All this, of course, taking place in an environment where staff are required to engage with discipline-specific pedagogies in teaching and learning to ensure that their departments, faculties and institutions successfully meet and maintain standards of quality in the delivery of higher education. The main challenge historians face here, we argue, is to ensure that the "higher order thinking skills" associated with the discipline are developed in a learning environment often deemed incompatible with doing so. Dealing with this issue requires a particular approach to curriculum design, one that systematically unpacks the signature skills of historical thinking/writing/reading and engages with the pedagogy of large-class teaching environments. What follows is an account of our foray into unfamiliar territory, which, we hope, can act as a guide to academics moving in a similar direction. (Contains 2 footnotes and 5 tables.)

Australian higher education institutions are increasingly operating within broader political, economic and social frameworks and the global context. The link between productivity and high level skills and qualifications and the importance of establishing a systematic process for ensuring increased participation of those from under-represented groups have been emphasized. In relation to the law profession in Australia, over the past twenty years there has been a proliferation of law schools established to meet increasing demand, with higher student numbers and greater diversity of backgrounds evident. Concerns about the stresses on law students and the consequences for their mental well-being (especially compared to students in other disciplines) have come to the fore following recent research into the issue. In 2007, funding was provided to the Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD) to establish a national exploration of approaches to and the practices of legal education, with the aim of ensuring the provision of high quality outcomes for the increasingly diverse range of legal education students. A key focus was building legal academic skills in using scaffolded learning approaches through establishing collaborative workshops. Surveys, baseline data analysis and network meetings were some of the other methodological processes utilized in the project. The collaborative workshop processes occurring at a national level, resulted in the development of quality assessment tasks in areas such as group work and reflection, with positive written feedback being obtained. This paper focuses on the links between wider assessment approaches within graduate attributes and catering for student diversity. Relevance for redefining effective academic practice within other professional disciplines in the changing contexts of higher education is evident. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The range of rationales that underpin conceptions of flexible education, and the re-making over time of the official meaning of flexibility in national education policy, have led to the point where flexibility might be found, or be required, in nearly every aspect of Australian higher education. This paper seeks to identify those rationales and the development of public policy rhetoric that have framed the development of the meaning of flexible education over time in an Australian context. By considering the intersection of theoretical and policy perspectives on flexible education with the realities of teaching and learning practice in the discipline context of engineering, this paper proposes the essential importance of individual context and agency in the making of real meaning from, and creating practical boundaries around, the otherwise tenuous definitions of flexibility often offered by institutional policy.

In higher education settings, assessment tasks get the attention of students, but once students submit their work they typically become disengaged with the assessment process. Hence, opportunities for learning are lost as they become passive recipients of assessment outcomes. Future-learning oriented assessment engages students in the assessment process to improve both short- and long-term outcomes by requiring students to make sophisticated judgments about their own learning, and that of their peers. In this paper, we describe and critique three initiatives that experimented with future-learning oriented assessment within a faculty of education. These initiatives involved self- and peer-assessment in a mathematics education subject for first year pre-service teachers; peer assessment of individual contributions in a group project using a Wiki; and self- and peer-assessment to help students learn about leadership. Based on our experiences, we conclude with suggestions of how others might also use self- and peer-assessment to work towards better short- and long-term learning outcomes in higher education. (Contains 2 footnotes.)