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A climate of inclusion: Utilising personalised learning in climate science education
Get PDFClimate literacy is becoming essential in graduate careers, as Earth’s changing climate intersects with an ever-growing range of fields of work. This reality is recognised by many students, who want increased access to climate education in their curriculum (Harbour, 2021). It is arguably imperative for universities to offer a rigorous but accessible grounding in climate science to all students. However, existing units framed around core components of the climate system are often designed for a science cohort, and so can be restricted in either entry or success by the need for pre-requisite undergraduate or high school qualifications.
This presentation uses the new ERTH2001 Science of Climate Change unit at Curtin University as a case study of how the needs of science and non-science students can be reconciled within a single curriculum. This unit serves two superficially conflicting purposes: the culmination of the Climate Change Science Minor within the Bachelor of Science; and provision of an elective grounding in climate science to any interested student, regardless of background.
These demands are addressed via an inclusive and innovative design approach. Backwards design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) is used to ensure clear identification of goals, and combined with core concepts of personalised learning (Keppell, 2014), to create bespoke pathways through the unit. The presentation will discuss the design process, particularly with respect to the flexible and accessible assessments created to integrate scientific rigour with assessment for learning relevant to individual student needs. The design process and outcomes will be used to contextualise qualitative and quantitative student reactions to the unit.
REFERENCES
Harbour, R. (2021, 28th September). Students want compulsory climate education. The Ecologist, 28th Sept 2021. Retrieved 20th May 2023 from https://theecologist.org/2021/sep/28/students-want-compulsory-climate-education
Keppell, M. (2014), Personalised Learning Strategies for Higher Education, in The Future of Learning and Teaching in Next Generation Learning Spaces (International Perspectives on Higher Education Research, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-362820140000012001
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd Ed). Pearson
'Getting the VIBE’ in biochemistry education
Get PDFAdapting to the recent changing educational landscape has inevitably widened the knowledge gap within an undergraduate biochemistry cohort, presenting challenges to educators to engage with and enhance understanding in biochemistry. Students with a tenuous grasp of basic chemistry (and mathematics) concepts struggle to progress. Visual literacy requires interpreting external representations of molecules into a spatial, 3D conceptual understanding yet competency can be hard to achieve (Linenberger et al, 2015; Hall, 2017; Lohning, 2019).
This study aimed to enhance engagement and understanding by incorporating a series of voluntary workshops harnessing 3D technologies focused on identifying key protein-ligand interactions underpinning drug action. Our ‘VIBE’ (or ‘Virtual reality In Biochemistry Education’) sessions included use of Oculus headsets (VR) allowing students to ‘step inside a protein’, molecular modelling (cheminformatics) and 3D printed proteins. During the session, students completed a workbook prior to being invited to participate in a qualitative feedback survey on their experience, perceived learning and engagement. Qualitative data were analysed thematically while quantitative data comparing students’ preferences and perceptions were represented graphically as percentage of participant pool.
80-100% of participants, between 2020-2023, agreed both VR and 3D modelling improved understanding because of the ability to physically explore structure at the molecular level detail while VR lead improved engagement. Thematic analysis supported enhanced engagement with VR and virtual, 3D modelling platforms. 3D printed proteins were less useful due to print quality limitations. Cost and technical considerations for these sessions were not trivial and are limited to small groups. This valuable feedback will help guide deployment of 3D technologies for future cohorts.
REFERENCES
Linenberger, K. J., & Bretz, S. L. (2015). Biochemistry students' ideas about how an enzyme interacts with a substrate. Biochemistry and molecular biology education: a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 43(4), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.20868
Hall, S., Grant, G., Arora, D., Karaksha, A., McFarland, A., Lohning, A., & Anoopkumar-Dukie, S. (2017). A pilot study assessing the value of 3D printed molecular modelling tools for pharmacy student education. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning, 9(4), 723–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2017.03.029
Lohning, A. E., Hall, S., & Dukie, S. (2019). Enhancing Understanding in Biochemistry Using 3D Printing and Cheminformatics Technologies: A Student Perspective. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(11), 2497-2502. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b0096
Making labs accessible for all: A Community of Practice promoting inclusive practice in laboratory teaching
Get PDFTeaching in STEM disciplines during the pandemic has seen the development of communities of practice for sharing ideas for accessible and inclusive online teaching, and the support of students who need to develop laboratory skills as part of their course requirements. Now students are being encouraged to come back to the campus for face-to-face interactions, and we continue to implement online components that have the potential to enhance the inclusive learning and teaching experience.
For students studying in the STEM disciplines, the return to campus also means a return to laboratory practicals and hands-on workshops. Laboratory classes can pose many challenges to students with disabilities, however long before the pandemic, we recognised that designing an inclusive and accessible learning environment is essential if we want to encourage more students into the STEM disciplines (Hackl & Ermolina, 2019), and consequently a more diverse STEM workforce. Besides changes to the hands-on-components of laboratories to make them more accessible, changing student identities and demographics are necessitating the development and adoption of teaching pedagogies that promote inclusive group work (White et al., 2021), as well as professional development for teaching staff that raises awareness and empathy (Johnson, 2019).
We initiated a Community of Practice, the Laboratory Accessibility Working Group (LAWG), to promote interdisciplinary knowledge sharing amongst staff from laboratory teaching and professional backgrounds. We aim to promote inclusivity in hands-on laboratories and workshops that complement the inclusive practices developed for online spaces. We discuss our progress so far in forming the CoP, with a view to increasing participation both in the CoP and of more students in STEM laboratory education.
REFERENCES
Hackl, E., & Ermolina, I. (2019). Inclusion by design: Embedding inclusive teaching practice into design and preparation of laboratory classes. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 11(12), 1323-1334.
Johnson, K. M. (2019). Implementing inclusive practices in an active learning STEM classroom. Advances in Physiology Education, 43(2), 207-210.
White, K. N., Vincent-Layton, K., & Villarreal, B. (2020). Equitable and inclusive practices designed to reduce equity gaps in undergraduate chemistry courses. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(2), 330-339
Formative authentic assessment to develop communication competencies among first-year science students
Get PDFBACKGROUND
SCIE1100 Advanced Theory and Practice in Science is a first-year course taken by approximately 100 high-achieving students in the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) program at the University of Queensland. The learning objectives of the course include objectives related to critical thinking, understanding science within a societal context, and communication competencies. Course feedback in 2019 suggested that SCIE1100 did not provide sufficient challenge for some students, and it did not provide enough explicit instruction in communication competencies.
AIMS
This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a course redesign undertaken in 2020.
DESCRIPTION OF INTERVENTION
For Semester 1, 2020, the author redesigned SCIE1100 in order to better develop communication competencies. The redesign combined several well-known pedagogical principles: constructive alignment, formative assessment, authentic assessment and criteria-referenced assessment. A key component of the redesign was a sequence of ten formative authentic assessment tasks.
DESIGN AND METHODS
The course redesign was evaluated using mixed methods. Aggregated student grades in the ten tasks were analyzed for trends indicative of effective formative assessment; the performance of the 2020 cohort (N = 93) on a summative communication assessment was compared to the performance of the 2019 cohort (N =127) on the same task, graded by the same graders using the same marking criteria; mid-way through the semester, a student-led team conducted surveys (N = 37) and focus groups to evaluate students’ attitudes and experiences in the course; in the second last week of the semester, students completed the UQ Employability Framework Activity, and qualitative responses provided in this activity were examined for evidence of student self-efficacy and engagement.
RESULTS
Quantitatively, we observe a small positive effect in skill development; qualitatively, some students reported an improvement in self-efficacy and engagement, and some students reported spending more time on the tasks than the design intended.
CONCLUSIONS
The redesign succeeded in better delivering the learning outcomes related to communication competencies, possibly at the expense of over-working some students
Investigating the trajectories of academic staff who identify as DBER scholars
Get PDFOne of the growing areas of research in Australia is the discipline-based education research (DBER) field. In 2012 a National Research Council report stated “[DBER is a] vital area of scholarship [with] potential to improve undergraduate science and engineering education” (National Research Council, 2012, p. 1), meeting recommendations given by the Chief Scientist of Australia (2014) to improve the education of STEM graduates.
The primary intent of this study was to collect the motivations, journeys and trajectories of DBER researchers and find factors that can lead to supporting the growth and retention of these scholars. Given the regional differences in academic landscapes between continents, we have chosen to focus (for now) on the Australian DBER community. Additionally, we know representation within our teaching faculty has direct and measurable impact on the students themselves. As such, we have also explored the diversity of backgrounds of those who participated alongside their perceptions of the diversity seen within the Australian DBER community.
To achieve the above aims, a series of interviews were undertaken with Australian academics who identify as being a part of the DBER community. The population represented was across a range of experience levels, from early career to senior, as well as multiple gender identities and varied academic pathways. In this presentation, the outcomes of analysing this data will be used to describe the types of academics that are becoming DBER researchers in Australia, as well as the initial motivations and pathways that have led them to this point in their careers.
REFERENCES
National Research Council. (2012). Discipline-based education research: Understanding and improving learning in undergraduate science and education. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Office of the Chief Scientist. (2014). Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Australia’s Future. Australian Government, Canberra
COVID-19 and higher education: A pandemic response model from rapid adaption to consolidation and restoration.
Get PDFCOVID-19 has severely impacted the higher education sector. Early institutional responses have been diverse, ranging from minimal changes to full digitalization of curriculum. This paper develops a preliminary pandemic response model based on responses to the current coronavirus pandemic and those that came before: The Black Plague, Spanish Flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), Influenza A, and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Some of these have well-documented cases, and others are lacking. This manuscript adopts a critical perspective drawing on an extensive reading of current and forthcoming literature and institutional responses. A four stages of pandemic response model is proposed, based on a critical review of published knowledge: rapid adaption, improvement, consolidation, and restoration. The time it takes institutions to navigate through each stage will vary, and some more advanced universities and colleges will progress through multiple stages in parallel. This paper provides a first glance at where higher education may be heading, and early evidence-based propositions to begin empirical testing
Construction and Validation of Self-Assessment Instrument for Students’ Mathematics Classroom Learning Behaviour
Get PDFA self-assessment instrument helps mathematics teachers to identify students' learning behaviour and intervene with appropriate instructional design for engaged and meaningful learning in a mathematics class. This study, thus, aims to design, develop, and validate a self-assessment instrument in mathematics classroom learning behaviour for secondary-level students. This study comprises four systematic levels of instrument development and validation processes. Firstly, it begins with a review of different theories and related literature for formulating the relevant assessment domains of the instrument. Secondly, it continues with tool design and item development processes based on the pre-determined domains. The third level involves the draft reviewing process by experts and pre-testing of the draft with a sample of 540 secondary level students. The last stage includes testing and verification of the draft using different statistical tools. Thus, this study establishes a verified students' mathematics classroom learning behaviour self-assessment instrument by completing a systematic process of tool construction
Patersonia rosea (Iridaceae, Patersonioideae) a new species from the New South Wales central and lower north coast regions
Get PDFPatersonia rosea Branwhite sp. nov. is described and illustrated, and notes provided on distribution, conservation status and habitat. Morphological differences that distinguish it from similar species of Patersonia are discussed and molecular data indicating relationships presente
