AISHE-J - The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
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Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars.
No full textData analysis is central to credible qualitative research. Indeed the qualitative researcher is often described as the research instrument insofar as his or her ability to understand, describe and interpret experiences and perceptions is key to uncovering meaning in particular circumstances and contexts. While much has been written about qualitative analysis from a theoretical perspective we noticed that often novice, and even more experienced researchers, grapple with the ‘how’ of qualitative analysis. Here we draw on Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework and apply it in a systematic manner to describe and explain the process of analysis within the context of learning and teaching research. We illustrate the process using a worked example based on (with permission) a short extract from a focus group interview, conducted with undergraduate students.
A Journey of Learning: Reflecting on Two Lenses of Leadership Development
No full textThis paper shares a personal reflection on engaging two leadership development lenses – Goleman’s (2000) leadership styles and Silsbee’s (2010) coaching voices - which have resonated with me as a facilitator of learning. The application and reflection has resulted in a heightening of self-awareness, enriching presence, allowing unlearning and relearning which continues to frame everyday practice and modus operandi. The intention of this paper is to open up new ways of reflective practice and thinking for the reader, encouraging reflection on possibilities for experimenting with integrating leadership styles and coaching voices into their practice. It is a reflective paper, not a critique of frameworks, drawing exclusively on two leadership development frameworks as interpreted and operationalised by the author, with relevance for educators, coaches and other professionals. A brief insight into Goleman (2000) and Silsbee’s (2010) frameworks is provided, while the focus is on sharing a personal journey of adapting and adopting these frameworks within a single context. The extent to which the reader reflects on the usefulness of these models, for their specific context, will be one measure of the paper’s effectiveness.
Are you listening to how I look? An exploration of the impact of emotional labour on educator effectiveness in higher education.
No full textA publication that has been cited in excess of three thousand times cannot fail to capture attention. Three decades on from the identification of a new form of labour by Hochschild and there is still much to explore with regard to emotional labour. Recent publications of literature concerning emotional labour have all helped to fill a gap left by the neglect of the impact of emotional labour on educator effectiveness in higher education. The purpose of emotional labour is to promote in others a feeling of being cared for. This paper will add to the topic by exploring the role and value of emotional labour with respect to lecturers in higher education. This objective is addressed by the author reflecting on her experience of 20 years employed in higher education predominantly in Ireland and is complimented by an analysis of the literature. It will identify types of emotional labour and emotional labour strategies within an Irish context. It will also examine the managerial implications of emotional labour and its impact on educator effectiveness. A related line of inquiry in the paper is the inclusion of aesthetic labour as an emotional labour strategy. To date aesthetic labour has been researched in isolation. This paper is unique in evaluating aesthetic labour along with the more widely researched forms of emotional labour in the context of educator effectiveness in higher education
Aligning for learning: Including feedback in the Constructive Alignment model
No full textConstructive Alignment is an approach to curriculum design and delivery in which learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities and assessment are integrated to create the conditions for high-level learning. Increasingly, research acknowledges the critical role that feedback plays in learning. This feedback, if it is to be effective, needs to be based on and consistent with learning outcomes, assessment criteria and learning and teaching activities. This paper proposes that, although it may be implicit in the Constructive Alignment model, the potential of feedback to significantly impact on student learning warrants its explicit inclusion as a key element of the model. Moreover, feedback, and in particular formative feedback, provides ongoing opportunities for teachers and students to monitor the extent of the alignment of the existing three elements of the constructive alignment model. In this way, feedback can deepen the shared understanding of the learning design for both students and teachers and sustain its coherence
Formative test-driven development for programming practicals
No full textSub-optimal performance in programming practicals may be associated with a lack of contemporaneous formative feedback in the laboratory session. Although automated testing is a key feature of industrial software development, its routine use in educational coding settings remains uncommon. Additionally, written or verbal specifications cannot fully encode the required functionality with sufficient brevity and precision, leading to uncertainty of expectation amongst students. Literature reports of automated testing centre mainly on student-written tests as an end product and on summative grading systems utilising testing.This study therefore examines the effect of adopting a signature pedagogy of test-driven development that utilises formative automated testing in advanced applied programming laboratories. Laboratory sessions were re-designed to incorporate automated formative feedback using lecturer-supplied tests using industry-standard frameworks. A first-principles methodology from best practices in formative feedback shaped the implementation. Furthermore, technology choices minimised student effort whilst remaining tolerent of student-specific technology choices. Tools for staff use were additionally developed to tabulate and aggregate test results to guide subsequent sesions.A mixed-method evaluation combined qualitative learner views and practitioner reflections, supported by ongoing test performance collection. Adoption of the test-driven signature pedagogy were shown to provide improved certainty of completion and correctness. Student feedback particularly noted the easy penalty-free access to formative feedback within familiar programming environments. Utilisation of industry-standard tools and a common project layout promoted and focused student discussion with peers and staff. It is concluded that a test-driven signature pedagogy utilising lecturer-composed formative test cases could improve outcomes in advanced applied programming courses
Preparing students for science practical sessions: engaging with digital resources to enrich the learning experience
No full textA key element in any science based module is its practical component. Here, students can acquire and develop hands-on skills in a powerful learning environment. In addition, during these sessions, they engage with group work, assessment including self-assessment, feedback, academic writing, problem solving and metacognitive skills. Whilst many educators have focused on the design/format of their practical session and on the accompanying assessment strategies employed, only recently has the preparation for practicals come to the fore. Traditionally, students are required to read pre-prepared text in a paper-based laboratory manual before entering the session. The text provides background to the principle/theory/technique being examined. However, in the majority of cases, this text is not read leading to a lengthy compulsory pre-practical talk being required, reducing practical learning time. Pre-lecture resources were previously shown to benefit learners by reducing cognitive load. In a study by Seery and Donnelly (2012), students engaged with introductory eResources and quizzes before lectures with results highlighting the approach made it difficult to determine which students had, or did not have, prior knowledge of the particular subject area. In the innovation described in this paper, the pre-lecture concept was transferred to the practical environment. A customised pre-practical video was recorded, edited and circulated to students prior to a laboratory session. Students were advised to view the video and complete a smartphone app-based quiz on the video content, before their practical session. Thirty-nine second year molecular bioscience students took part in the innovation and were invited to volunteer in the evaluation of the study via an anonymous online questionnaire. Twenty-seven students participated and provided feedback on their experience. Overall, there was significant engagement with the approach, with students recognising the value of viewing the pre-practical video and performing the quiz with regard to their learning and understanding. This paper presents an overview of the approach implemented, insights from its evaluation, and recommendations for educators aiming to implement the pre-practical concept.
Envisioning changing role of university teacher in online instructional environments
No full textOnline teaching offers new ways to facilitate learning processes. Yet adoption of online teaching by university teachers is low. This essay explores why university teachers seem unable to take over the new roles that are needed for online teaching.The essay first shows how online teaching challenges the traditional roles of university teachers. This traditional role is changing from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side”. Online teaching is instrumental for this change, but this change also impacts and redefines the traditional fact-to-face teaching.The essay explores three barriers to effective online teaching by university teachers: University teachers are socialized as content experts; university teachers do not get sufficient training in online teaching; and university teachers are evaluated based on their research, not on their teaching. As a consequence, university teachers are not well equipped to respond to the pedagogical and technical challenges of online learning.The essay then explores implications for the pedagogical training of university teachers. University teachers need extended formal training both in teaching and online teaching, with special focus on changing roles and e-teaching competencies. Networks and communities of practice need to be established; teaching needs to be part of the evaluation of new university staff; universities need to adopt online learning strategies; institutional rewards should support good teaching and good online teaching; and e-learning support units need to be established.To conclude, the benefits of online learning such as promoting student-centred, self-paced, cooperative and social learning are not exploited in a way that would be possible. The role of university teachers has thus to be reconsidered
Love Care and Solidarity in the Changing Context of Education
No full textLove, care and solidarity are at the heart of humanity. They are evident in and through the bonds of interdependency which are key in human development, learning relationships and educational encounters. This paper explores the care implications of the changing political, economic and cultural context of Irish higher education in recent decades. Lynch (2010) and Lynch et al. (2015) argue that a longstanding culture of carelessness in education, grounded in Cartesian rationalism and Western scientific knowledge, has been exacerbated by the rise of neoliberalism in an increasingly volatile context of global capitalism. This paper explores the implications for learners and educators in terms of the politics of the caring roles we occupy, our relationships with colleagues and learners, how we are positioned in the organisational structures of higher education and the broader implications for how we know and care about our world