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This paper describes an Australian Learning and Teaching Council funded project for which Learning Design is encompassed in the broadest sense. ALIUS (Active Learning In University Science) takes the design of learning back to the learning experiences created for students. ALIUS is not about designing a particular activity, or subject, or course, but rather the development of a method, or process, by which we have re-designed the way in which learning occurs in large university classrooms world wide. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The literature suggests that collaborative approaches to leadership, such as distributed leadership, are essential for supporting educational innovators in leading change in teaching in universities. This paper briefly describes the array of activities, processes and resources to support distributed leadership in the implementation of a network, the Science and Mathematics Network of Australian University Educators--SaMnet. The research study investigated participating educational innovators' experiences of distributed leadership using a mixed method approach after 2 years of immersion in SaMnet. Fifty innovators from 100 were surveyed and data analysed to obtain influences of the teams, the institution and SaMnet. Focus groups were used to extract rich descriptions of the experiences of the innovators. The study suggests that distributed leadership as the approach underpinning SaMnet cultivated leadership helping to complement team and institutional influences in a measurable way and to support educational innovators in leading change in university science and mathematics teaching.

The Science Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) are a consensus set of academic standards for Australian university Science education. They were developed by Prof. Brian Yates and Prof. Sue Jones, supported by Dr Jo-Anne Kelder, during 2010-2011. The co-authors of this paper are key figures in Australian Science education, and in this manuscript, we have used a reflective semi-structured interview approach to describe the process of developing the Science TLOs and consider their subsequent effect on tertiary science education in Australia. This manuscript documents Sue and Brian's impact on science curriculum through the lenses of leadership, community and practice. We have a twofold aim: first to draw lessons for harnessing consensus in scientific communities on the value and purpose of a tertiary science education, and second to celebrate the success of these influential and impactful leaders in our community. We demonstrate how work to develop the TLOs has transformed tertiary science education in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student experience surveys have become increasingly popular to probe various aspects of processes and outcomes in higher education, such as measuring student perceptions of the learning environment and identifying aspects that could be improved. This paper reports on a particular survey for evaluating individual experiments that has been developed over some 15 years as part of a large national Australian study pertaining to the area of undergraduate laboratories--Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory. This paper reports on the development of the survey instrument and the evaluation of the survey using student responses to experiments from different institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. A total of 3153 student responses have been analysed using factor analysis. Three factors, "motivation," "assessment" and "resources," have been identified as contributing to improved student attitudes to laboratory activities. A central focus of the survey is to provide feedback to practitioners to iteratively improve experiments. Implications for practitioners and researchers are also discussed.

Microcomputer based laboratory activities have been suggested to have a number of benefits in science education. However, their implementation produces mixed results, and student perception data have in the past yielded responses that are negative regarding the technology. This work presents a case study of three first year undergraduate chemistry experiments in which negative views of hand-held graphic data logger devices were significantly alleviated by replacing them with notebook computers equipped with equivalent software. Widespread improvements in student perceptions of their laboratory experience were observed, prominently including reduced negativity concerning the equipment, an increased perception of understanding, an increased perception of simplicity, and more positive perceptions of overall laboratory experience. These improvements, which were not limited to perceptions directly concerning the technology specifically, suggest a broad range of substantial advantages is present in providing a suitable user interface.

keywords > prescribing > mental health: services > community care These keywords are based on the subject headings from the British Nursing Index This article has been subject to a [...]

Research has been conducted on the reaction of the bulky stabilized ylides with the 1,2-dioxines. Results indicate that this reaction produce diversely functionalized cyclopropanes in diastereomeric excess and excellent yield.

The preparation of a range of new 6-heterocyclic substituted 2-aminoquinolines by using Buchwald-Hartwig chemistry is described. The introduction of the amino functionality of the 6-heterocyclic 2-aminoquinolines has involved additional Buchwald-Hartwig chemistry using lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide as an ammonia equivalent.