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Student Perceptions and Experiences in Mathematics Classrooms: A Thematic Analysis
Get PDFClassroom experiences contribute to learners' perceptions and interest in a particular subject. The present study aims to understand students' perception of mathematics learning by exploring their classroom experiences. The study sample consisted of 17 eighth-grade students in English-speaking urban schools in South India. The data was collected through a semi-structured interview schedule. The thematic analysis presents five themes – student personal factors, teacher-related, content-related, classroom environment and utility value. Teachers’ characteristics and mathematics content were the essential factors contributing to students' perceptions and experiences. The study highlights the utility value of the content to help students see the application of the subject in real-world situations. Understanding students' perception of mathematics learning would help to choose appropriate content and teaching methods in the curriculum. The study highlights the need for educational and psychological interventions, focusing on student-teacher engagement and curriculum development to enhance mathematics learning
Establishing online examination guidelines: Preliminary results from an ACDS Teaching and Learning Project 2022
Get PDFIn recent years, many universities in Australia and worldwide have seen major changes to their teaching and learning delivery. This includes assessment strategies, an example of which are summative final examinations. Historically, closed-book, in-person, paper-based final examinations were commonly used across the sector (Williams & Wong, 2009). However, during the COVID-19 pandemic many universities moved from traditional paper-based examinations to online delivery (Dicks et al., 2020). Online examinations have been delivered in a variety of formats, and with different implementations. Thus, we are at an opportune time to re-evaluate assessment for and of learning to ensure that we make pedagogically informed changes and establish robust procedures moving forward.
In this research, funded by an Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS) Teaching and Learning Project grant 2022, we present the preliminary results of a multi-institution exploration of first-year undergraduate examinations in STEM subjects comparing end-of-semester examinations from 2019–2021. To determine the pedagogical changes that occurred, we undertook a multi-step analysis of:
i) Question type and format;
ii) Order of thinking pattern required to respond to questions (Agarwal, 2019);
iii) Classification of question according to Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 2001);
iv) Level of abstraction.
Outcomes from our data analysis will inform practitioners and decision-makers on best practices whilst balancing university and student expectations, with delivering authentic assessment experiences. Our research is enabling us to make meaningful recommendations for best practice in Australian STEM subjects for summative examinations, including design that considers both technological as well as pedagogical aspects required to deliver effective assessments.
REFERENCES
Agarwal, P. (2019). Retrieval Practice & Bloom’s Taxonomy: Do Students Need Fact Knowledge Before Higher Order Learning? Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(2), 189–209. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000282.
Bloom, B. S., Airasian, P., Krathwohl, D. R., Cruikshank, K., Mayer, R., Pintrich, P., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Anderson, L. W., Bloom, B. S., Krathwohl, D. R., (Eds.), Longman: New York.
Dicks, A. P., Morra, B., & Quinlan, K. B. (2020). Lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis: Adjusting assessment approaches within introductory organic courses. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9) 3406–3412. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00529.
Williams, J. B., & Wong, A. (2009). The efficacy of final examinations: A comparative study of closed-book, invigilated exams and open-book, open-web exams. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(2) 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00929.x
Staff and student perceptions of assessment value and workload
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND AIM
As teachers, we aim to design valuable and authentic assessment which engages students purposefully enabling them to demonstrate learning outcomes appropriately. However, the style of assessment and extent of engagement required by the student may differ between subjects and is dependent upon factors such as year level and discipline. Engagement with and design of assessment is further impacted by workload of students and staff respectively. This project explored staff and student perceptions of assessment in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at the University of Adelaide, allowing the co-creation of guidelines for assessment design/practice.
DESIGN AND METHODS
Students completed surveys in-class (n=98) or online (n=51) with students also participating in 4 focus groups (n=25). Academics completed an online survey (n=34) with n=25 being interviewed.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Regardless of discipline, students prefer to have multiple, and different types, of assessments with low weightings over a semester to enable formative feedback and to demonstrate their learning more easily. They acknowledged the impact on academic workload with most academics indicating that 4-5 assessments per subject were ideal over the semester. Students usually equated the weighting of tasks with the expected workload whereas many academics tended to weight assessment based on the importance of the learning outcomes. Most academics (56%) did not provide guidance to students about their expectations for required workload for individual assignments (at different grade levels).
Final exams were seen by students as the least valuable type of assessment to demonstrate their attainment of learning outcomes. Interestingly, students acknowledged the academics’ viewpoint that final invigilated exams are essential (‘to stop cheating or plagiarism’) and suggested that there should be a hurdle on the final exam but that it be weighted less than 50%. Group assignments were also ranked as less valuable by students and academics. Students did not always see the relevance of working in a group (‘other than to reduce the workload of the academic’) and were often stressed about equal distribution of workload and/or the impact of relying on others for their grade. Academics acknowledged the need to improve how we teach groupwork skills and manage peer assessment.
Students thought the most valuable assessments were low-weighting, online, open-book, weekly quizzes/tests with multiple choice questions (MCQs) because they were ‘for learning’, did not require as much time and were often designed by academics to require higher order learning (such as application and synthesis). Academics indicated that quizzes and mid-semester exams were valuable for reducing pressure of the final exam on students. However, the design and development of appropriate MCQs increased workloads because ‘you have to be clever’ and it ‘just takes too much time’. Practical reports and practical-based activities were also ranked as extremely valuable in the surveys by students and academics. However, focus group discussions with students suggested this was contingent on the relevance of the report or activity to a future role/career.
In conclusion, students are often most concerned about fairness and consistency in assessment but also had a limited understanding of the rationale for assessment design and required input. Therefore, the co-created guidelines include a suggestion that academics provide detailed expectations (especially relating to workload) and information about the purpose of the assessment and its design
Research-based Instructional Strategies in second-year Physics: A case study
Get PDFResearch-Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) have proven advantageous in improving students’ learning in physics (Hake, 1998) and in STEM more generally (Freeman et al., 2014) in higher education, with most work having focused on the first-year university level. Despite the advantages of RBIS over traditional teaching methods, the uptake in higher education has been slow (Henderson et al., 2012). Factors found to impact the uptake of RBIS include time (Dancy & Henderson, 2010) and faculty workload and incentives (Walczyk et al., 2007). Therefore, further study is called for to figure out how these factors interact with educational culture and structure affecting the effort to increase the uptake of RBIS in higher-year physics courses.
CONTEXT AND AIMS
In 2021, RBIS was implemented in half of the second-year Quantum Physics course at University of New South Wales (UNSW), while the other half retained the use of traditional teaching methods. This occurred due to a co-teaching format used in higher-year physics courses where each lecturer independently chooses their preferred teaching method. Several extensive changes since 2019 impacted lecturers’ decisions on course design and teaching methods: a shift from semesters to terms (UNSW 3+), online emergency mode during COVID-19, and hybrid mode in returning to normalcy. I will present a case study on how different factors such as external events, time, workload, and incentives, along with a unique education system, affect the choice and employment of RBIS and the perception of both lecturers and students in the Quantum Physics course. The study explores (i) how and why the course structure changed in the period 2019–2023, with particular emphasis on the shift to using RBIS, (ii) how students perceive the teaching methods used in the course, and (iii) how lecturers navigate their workload, time and incentives to teaching the course and what impact this has on the sustainability of using RBIS.
METHODS & RESULTS
Data were collected through the Quantum Physics course evaluation surveys from 2019–2023, a questionnaire exploring students’ perception of teaching methods employed in the Quantum Physics course in 2023, and interviews with course lecturers in 2023. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data respectively. Preliminary results reveal that several RBIS were incorporated by the lecturers, including flipped classrooms, Just-In-Time Teaching, and peer discussion. Student perception scores of the course structure from the course evaluation surveys show a steady increase each year from 4.4 in 2019 to 4.9 in 2023. Lecturers discussed a variety of benefits and challenges of using RBIS, which implicated a range of other factors such as established working patterns and available support. RBIS exhibited a promising quality improvement of instruction in higher-year courses but is unlikely to be sustained unless the complex nature of higher education is taken into consideration.
REFERENCES
Dancy, M., & Henderson, C. (2010). Pedagogical practices and instructional change of physics faculty. American Journal of Physics, 78(10), 1056–1063.
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement methods in introductory mechanics courses*. Physics Education Research, 74, 64–74.
Henderson, C., Dancy, M., & Niewiadomska-Bugaj, M. (2012). Use of research-based instructional strategies in introductory physics: Where do faculty leave the innovation-decision process? Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 8(2).
Walczyk, J. J., Ramsey, L. L., & Zha, P. (2007). Obstacles to instructional innovation according to college science and mathematics faculty. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(1), 85–106
Assessing by design—constructing a marking guide
Get PDFNEED
Improving assessment is a key aim of the Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS). In 2023, it funded workshops to help improve assessment across the sciences, where science educators across Australia worked with assessment experts from the Australian Council of Educational Research and discipline leaders to learn how to write, review and undertake psychometric analysis of assessment items.
Effective marking guides (rubrics) are an essential part of aligning assessment to learning outcomes, showing the performance expectations of an assessment, and demonstrating the objectivity of the assessment’s marking.
Designing and developing marking guides (rubrics) is both an art and a skill. There is literature, but there is no replacement for experience and for adopting a design approach to constructing excellent marking guides.
It is worth spending time on the design and writing of a marking guide as it will likely improve marking both through improved feedback to students, discrimination of performance, reliability and through increasing marking efficiency.
WHAT WE WILL DO
In this session we will work through three stages to develop skills at constructing marking guides:
We will work together to identify the key determinants of a good marking guide. This discussion will be supported by consideration of the literature and of our collective experience.
We will apply those determinants to working collaboratively to develop and refine a marking guide as a group.
We will work in small groups to refine marking guides brought to the workshop by participants.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
All are welcome to join us for this workshop. It follows on from the assessment workshops sponsored by the ACDS in 2023 and attended by over thirty academics around Australia.
WHAT TO BRING
We encourage participants to bring a marking guide that they would like to improve
Embracing innovation in microbiology education: Integrating online interactive simulation and F-2-F practical inquiry when teaching MADLI-TOF
Get PDFDiagnostic laboratories routinely use Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation-Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF) to identify bacteria present in patient samples (Patel, 2013). MALDI-TOF quickly and accurately identifies organisms, yet, it is uncommon for undergraduate students to use this equipment; being limited to theoretical application only. To address this, we combined F-2-F laboratory classes with a MALDI-TOF simulation to teach students how to process clinical samples from start to finish. On completing the F-2-F and online simulation, students should understand the microbiological steps required to process diverse clinical samples; understand which follow-up tests will confirm the identity of the organism; understand how to prepare a sample for MALDI-TOF; and correctly analyse and interpret MALDI-TOF data.
Third-year Infectious diseases students (n=37, mean age 22.2±4.9, mean GPA 5.46±0.84) at the University of South Australia participated in this study. In weeks 1 to 6 of semester, students learnt how to process clinical samples in a microbiology laboratory. In the mid-semester break, students used the simulation to process a patient sample (e.g. blood, sputum, or CSF). Students had to choose the correct culture medium, incubation conditions and interpret Gram stain results. Once isolated, single colonies were picked, processed and analysed using MALDI-TOF. The output was used to confirm the identity of the bacterial species. Written and video instructions were provided to teach students on use of the simulation. The MALDI-TOF data generated were interpreted while referring to laboratory data. On completion, students submitted a written laboratory report for assessment. Student feedback was obtained through a 5-point Likert-style questionnaire. Thematic analysis was performed on the free text written feedback.
Students “agreed” that the simulation reinforced the logic required to analyse a patient sample (taught in the F-2-F sessions). They “agreed” that using the simulation in conjunction with F-2-F practicals was beneficial to their learning and that the simulation enhanced their ability to combine laboratory data (e.g. biochemical testing) with MALDI-TOF data. Prior to the simulation student understanding of MALDI-TOF was 2.6±0.54 (out of 5), increasing significantly to 3.1±0.55 after completing the simulation (Students t test; p < 0.0004). The mean score for the written report was 16.2±3.1 SD (max of 20), with only 2 students failing to achieve a minimum passing score.
The combination of F-2-F laboratory and online MALDI-TOF effectively integrated all steps required to identify bacterial species in a clinical sample. While some aspects of navigating the simulation were identified as challenging for students, there were noted improvements in student understanding. We will continue to improve the flow of the simulation as well as the representation of culture plates for the different bacterial species.
REFERENCE
Patel R. (2013). Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry in clinical microbiology. Clinical infectious diseases: an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 57(4), 564–572. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cit24
Adapting to the educational climate: Unleashing the potential of active learning in science education
Get PDFIn this keynote presentation, we delve into the transformative power of active learning and its seamless integration within the evolving educational climate. We explore the concept, practical implementation, and the myriad benefits and challenges of active learning in diverse Science educational settings. As participants, you'll have the unique opportunity to actively engage in learning activities, experiencing firsthand the dynamic nature of this pedagogical approach. We'll delve into how active learning can be effectively applied in practice, showcasing its remarkable adaptability across various educational environments, including traditional classrooms and the rapidly growing landscape of online learning.
Drawing inspiration from real-world experiences, we'll highlight successful active learning initiatives at RMIT University, illuminating the institution's commitment to fostering an interactive and transformative learning environment. Central to our discussion will be RMIT's pioneering Active, Applied, and Authentic (AAA) Signature Pedagogy, a powerful framework that incorporates active learning methodologies into the very fabric of its curriculum.
Together, we'll unlock the full potential of active learning, recognizing its ability to propel education forward in an ever-changing world. Be prepared to be inspired and equipped with practical insights on how to embrace and harness the power of active learning in Science Education
Understanding and supporting international students learning: Perspective of teachers
Get PDFInternational students are an important source to create a multicultural learning environment in the host countries. However, the Australian school section is an under-research section with more than 25,000 international students. This paper focuses on how international students in Australian independent schools have contributed to their school culture and what kind of assistance they get. By interviewing 13 Australian teachers who teach international students in a number of subjects, this paper reports on the importance of international students to school culture and ways of helping international students. They include improving cultural awareness and competence; Culturally responsive teaching strategies; Multiple learning styles; Diversified teaching materials and methods. Supporting services include Language support; Academic support; Cultural and social support and designated international students’ EAL teachers. This paper argues that in the course of practising international education, Australian teachers need to recognise and acknowledge international students’ contributions to the internationalisation and support them by respecting their unique educational subjectivities. As such, the practice of school education could be promoted on an international level. 
Building meaningful assessment around Mudang-Dali – an Indigenous-connected curriculum
Get PDFIn 2017, Universities Australia launched its Indigenous Strategy 2017–2020, with its aim being to “support the advancement of Indigenous peoples in and through Australia’s universities”. A core part of this aim was to ensure “all students will encounter and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural content as integral parts of their course of study”. In 2022, Universities Australia launched its 2022-2025 Indigenous Strategy, which expanded upon its 2017-2020 strategy to promote action rather than being aspirational. The strategy continues to have a focus on embedding Indigenous knowledge into curriculum so that all graduates will have “a strong foundational understanding of Indigenous values and knowledges” and to ensure that the Indigenous content is “meaningful, appropriately developed and appropriately resourced”.
Mudang-Dali means ‘to live’ in the Dharug language. At Macquarie University, situated on Dharug land, the Mudang-Dali Indigenous Connected Curriculum Framework has been providing academics with the confidence and support to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, values, and philosophies into the curriculum. We have been seeing positive learning examples across all disciplines, showcasing the richness of Indigenous knowledge systems in different learning settings including in lectures, workshops, field trips and practicals.
There has, however, been limited discussion on assessment accompanying these learnings. To emphasise and reinforce the significance of these learnings to our students, it is important that there are meaningful assessment tasks related to the Indigenous content in the curriculum. In doing so, students obtain a deeper understanding of Indigenous knowledge, ways of learning, and perspectives, and we show them that we value Mudang-Dali. We also enrich our own knowledge as educators.
In this presentation, we will provide examples of assessments that have accompanied Mudang-Dali content and have given meaningful learning and transformative experiences for our students and the educators. This includes examples that have fostered exchange of knowledge, skills and capability strengthening for Macquarie University staff and students and our First Nations collaborators.
REFERENCE
Universities Australia (2022) Indigenous Strategy 2022-25; https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/UA-Indigenous-Strategy-2022-25.pd
Pedagogical Multicultural Communities in Teacher Preparation
Get PDFThe study Pedagogical Multicultural Communities in Teacher Preparation analyses the beliefs held by teachers regarding the teaching of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The results will show that linguistic diversity can be managed by means of inclusive practices and that this is related with the beliefs held by teachers about cultural diversity and language teaching. Classrooms in New York City and South Africa are characterized by a wide variety of cultural and linguistic differences, providing teachers with educational challenges. This study evaluated teachers’ perspectives on this framework using surveys, interviews and videos with purposefully selected teachers from a mixture of schools in Pretoria and New York City. The results of the study will reflect the important roles that language and culture play in a global society of understanding diversity much needed to support learning in linguistically diverse schools. Participants highlight the challenges that teachers in schools face in diverse linguistic classrooms and how multiculturalism can be used to enhance such classroom