Papers by Sarah-Jane Gregory
NCSEHE Research Report, 2022
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Disasters disproportionately impact marginalised groups. The COVID-19 pandemic ... more EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Disasters disproportionately impact marginalised groups. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in higher education students’ experiences. We sought to understand how twelve universities across three countries endeavoured to support students to retain access to learning through COVID-19, particularly those from minoritised and intersectional backgrounds.
We were guided by the following overarching questions: What strategies did universities employ to support students during COVID-19 and what was the uptake of these strategies by students?; How did students perceive the usefulness of institutional COVID-19 support initiatives?; and How did students experience the impacts of COVID-19in 2020? To deepen our learning, points of comparison were made between countries, institution types, and student cohorts from minoritised, intersectional, and non-minoritised backgrounds.
There is abundant evidence in US higher education of the phenomenon known as “sophomore slump”, a... more There is abundant evidence in US higher education of the phenomenon known as “sophomore slump”, a process which affects students’ engagement, achievement and often involves core concerns about social and academic identity. There are many programs and supports in the US context, notably Laurie Shreiner’s Thriving Quotient.[1] A small core of educators and scholars in Australia have begun work with their own student cohorts, identifying and addressing issues associated with the second year experience and the evidence of “slump” on the part of students. The Australian work has been presented in the United States at the National Conference on Students in Transition, at least since 2012. Now it is time to bring this issue home to our own networks and communities which have commitments to optimising students’ experience throughout their time at university. It is in this context that it is proposed that the ICFYHE is the appropriate venue in which to begin the conversation.
Second year students often struggle with personal identity, self-confidence, autonomy and academi... more Second year students often struggle with personal identity, self-confidence, autonomy and academic commitment . We have observed declines in student grade performance, attitude and program satisfaction in our second year science students and these findings appear to share commonality with the sophomore slump phenomenon reported at American colleges. To investigate this, 84 third year science (exercise and biomedical) students completed the 2012 online Sophomore Experiences Survey developed to measure academic, social and psychosocial aspects of students' second college year (Schreiner, 2010).
ABSTRACT Second year students often struggle with personal identity, self-confidence, autonomy an... more ABSTRACT Second year students often struggle with personal identity, self-confidence, autonomy and academic commitment (Graunke & Woosley, 2005). We have observed declines in student grade performance, attitude and program satisfaction in our second year science students and these findings appear to share commonality with the sophomore slump phenomenon reported at American colleges. To investigate this, 84 third year science (exercise and biomedical) students completed the 2012 online Sophomore Experiences Survey developed to measure academic, social and psychosocial aspects of students’ second college year (Schreiner, 2010). Griffith students reflective responses were compared against 915 sophomore students from seven North American Universities and were found not to differ significantly on the following 6 (high)-point scale student outcome measures (mean GUvsUSA): Engaged Learning Index (4.16vs4.19), Academic Determination (4.29vs4.64), Diverse Citizenship (4.03vs4.35), Positive Perspective (4.32vs4.62), Social Connectedness (4.08vs4.16). However Griffith students report a lower level of being consistently or mostly thriving (30vs45%) compared to their USA peers. More analysis follows but these pilot findings confirm the presence of homogeneous transpacific second year student experiences, thereby justifying further investigation into the successful US sophomore initiatives aimed to improve community, social and academic engagement, student-staff interactions, career exploration and leadership in this forgotten student cohort (Tobolowsky, 2008).
Combio 2000, 2000
Copyright in individual works within the repository belongs to their authors or publishers. You m... more Copyright in individual works within the repository belongs to their authors or publishers. You may make a print or digital copy of a work for your personal non-commercial use. All other rights are reserved, except for fair dealings or other user rights granted by the ...
UniServe, 2009
Page 210. 2009 UniServe Science Proceedings 204 Motivating Science Undergraduates: Ideas and Inte... more Page 210. 2009 UniServe Science Proceedings 204 Motivating Science Undergraduates: Ideas and Interventions Motivated and Engaged Students via Co-operative Problem-Based Learning Sarah-Jane Gregory, Frank Clarke ...
UniServe, 2009
Students who are well prepared for laboratory classes are more likely to successfully acquire lab... more Students who are well prepared for laboratory classes are more likely to successfully acquire laboratory skills and gain the maximum possible benefit from the laboratory learning environment. To facilitate effective student preparation and improve their learning outcomes, we have designed and developed an online resource centre. These resources are used by students in conjunction with traditional resources including the laboratory manual prior to attendance in laboratories. Resources comprise a series of web based activities including visual and audio presentations, pre-laboratory questions and quizzes related to the laboratory activities that the students will complete. To determine how effective these resources were in facilitating laboratory preparation, students were surveyed both before and after the introduction of the resources. Surveys were designed to establish student perceptions regarding their preparatory practices. In addition, the effect on some measurable learning outcomes was established. This paper reports on how the implementation of this blended learning approach has improved the nature of student preparation practices. Presenting information in a flexible learning format, prior to participation, enhanced student familiarisation with theoretical and experimental procedures. Thus facilitated preparation reduced the potential risk of cognitive dissonance by improving student organisational abilities which in turn lead to better experimental learning outcomes and value-added student perception of the laboratory experience as a whole.
The effect of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) strategies in higher education has arguably been... more The effect of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) strategies in higher education has arguably been transformative despite the not insignificant barriers existing in this context. Throughout the discourse very little attention has been paid to those primarily responsible for this implementation – academic teaching staff. This paper aims to highlight the impact of academic workload allocations, an often silent barrier to the uptake of TEL strategies in higher education. We will discuss the effects of academic identity and culture, preferential time allocation to associative activities, academic technological capacity, university policies and workload and funding models on the uptake, and implementation on technology-enhanced learning in higher education. Our aim is to highlight the risks to staff, students and institutions should these concerns not be addressed and to propose a model for utilisation by all staff responsible for implementing flexible workload models supportive of further implementation of TEL strategies across the sector.
Keywords: Academic workload, workload allocation model (WAM), technology-enhanced learning (TEL), blended learning, online learning, academic identity
The Second Year (sophomore) Slump is a well-defined phenomenon affecting American undergraduate s... more The Second Year (sophomore) Slump is a well-defined phenomenon affecting American undergraduate students in the middle years of their degree. In the Australian context, minimal attention has been given to identifying or addressing potential concerns with the transition and satisfaction of students beyond their first year of study in science degrees. A case study of second year students (n = 165) studying a bioscience course is presented. Potential student demographic factors, including low social economic status, non-English speaking background, first in family to attend University (>60%), and Grade Point Average (GPA) progression, were examined. An academic slump based on GPA trend of a decrease of GPA greater than 0.35 was observed for 33% of the student cohort, irrespective of their program of study or background. We surveyed the second year students to identify their concerns in this year of study and their preferences for various support activities. The survey indicated that academic workload/expectations and work experience were of most concern to students. The survey results were considered in the context of an institutional focus on strategies to enhance student engagement and retention throughout the student lifecycle. We propose that a strategic design approach, with alignment between curricular and co-curricular activities, is more likely to have success in enabling science academic staff to engage and support second year students.
Students who are well prepared for laboratory classes are more likely to successfully acquire lab... more Students who are well prepared for laboratory classes are more likely to successfully acquire laboratory skills and gain the maximum possible benefit from the laboratory learning environment. To facilitate effective student preparation and improve their learning outcomes, we have designed and developed an online resource centre. These resources are used by students in conjunction with traditional resources including the laboratory manual prior to attendance in laboratories. Resources comprise a series of web based activities including visual and audio presentations, pre-laboratory questions and quizzes related to the laboratory activities that the students will complete. To determine how effective these resources were in facilitating laboratory preparation, students were surveyed both before and after the introduction of the resources. Surveys were designed to establish student perceptions regarding their preparatory practices. In addition, the effect on some measurable learning outcomes was established. This paper reports on how the implementation of this blended learning approach has improved the nature of student preparation practices. Presenting information in a flexible learning format, prior to participation, enhanced student familiarisation with theoretical and experimental procedures. Thus facilitated preparation reduced the potential risk of cognitive dissonance by improving student organisational abilities which in turn lead to better experimental learning outcomes and value-added student perception of the laboratory experience as a whole.
Molecular Human Reproduction, 2002
Thioredoxin is a powerful redox protein expressed in invasive cytotrophoblasts and essential for ... more Thioredoxin is a powerful redox protein expressed in invasive cytotrophoblasts and essential for blastocyst implantation in mice. Isolated marmoset thioredoxin cDNA showed that the deduced amino acid sequence differed from the human sequence by four amino acids. The close homology of thioredoxin in the two species enabled us to use monoclonal antibodies against human thioredoxin to detect marmoset thioredoxin in implantation sites, blastocsts and culture medium. Immunocytochemistry on marmoset implantation sites, on pregnancy days 12 and 15, showed that thioredoxin is highly expressed in uterine luminal epithelium, glands and in some endometrial stromal cells. In attached blastocysts, thioredoxins taining was detected in mural and polar trophoblast cells and both visceral and parietal endoderm, whereas no staining was present in the inner cell mass. A similar pattern of thioredoxin expression was detected in hatched blastocysts attached to Matrigel in tissue culture. Trophoblastic vesicles derived from blastocysts expressed thioredoxin in inner endoderm-like cells and outer trophoblast-like cells and secreted thioredoxin into the culture medium. These experiments have demonstrated thioredoxin expression during early stages of embryo-maternal interaction. We propose that thioredoxin protects the early placenta from oxidative damage and that the marmoset is a valuable model for studying thioredoxin regulation and function during implantation and blastocyst differentiation.
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Papers by Sarah-Jane Gregory
Disasters disproportionately impact marginalised groups. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in higher education students’ experiences. We sought to understand how twelve universities across three countries endeavoured to support students to retain access to learning through COVID-19, particularly those from minoritised and intersectional backgrounds.
We were guided by the following overarching questions: What strategies did universities employ to support students during COVID-19 and what was the uptake of these strategies by students?; How did students perceive the usefulness of institutional COVID-19 support initiatives?; and How did students experience the impacts of COVID-19in 2020? To deepen our learning, points of comparison were made between countries, institution types, and student cohorts from minoritised, intersectional, and non-minoritised backgrounds.
Keywords: Academic workload, workload allocation model (WAM), technology-enhanced learning (TEL), blended learning, online learning, academic identity
Disasters disproportionately impact marginalised groups. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in higher education students’ experiences. We sought to understand how twelve universities across three countries endeavoured to support students to retain access to learning through COVID-19, particularly those from minoritised and intersectional backgrounds.
We were guided by the following overarching questions: What strategies did universities employ to support students during COVID-19 and what was the uptake of these strategies by students?; How did students perceive the usefulness of institutional COVID-19 support initiatives?; and How did students experience the impacts of COVID-19in 2020? To deepen our learning, points of comparison were made between countries, institution types, and student cohorts from minoritised, intersectional, and non-minoritised backgrounds.
Keywords: Academic workload, workload allocation model (WAM), technology-enhanced learning (TEL), blended learning, online learning, academic identity
Aims. This study aimed to develop a new teaching modality for the metabolism course and to monitor its effectiveness at increasing student outcomes and satisfaction, without compromising content or assessment standards.
Methods. Remodelling of the course in information sequence presentation and in presentation style occurred over several years. Content sequence changes ensured an understanding of key metabolic pathways followed by regulatory influences and disease states. The new format has a three week cycle that begins with traditional lectures but follows with workshops designed to cement core concepts and develop global cognitive comprehension. The cycle was designed to enable students to approach the study of this subject in a scaffolded manner that promotes engagement with materials and facilitates their overall capacity to learn in a deep manner.
Results. This strategy resulted in consistent reduction in the fail rate of approximately 10% (2008-2011) without compromising the standard of assessment. Students were guided to develop better self-efficacy and independent learning skills. Evidence of subject mastery is demonstrated by higher pass rates and also a shift to higher numbers of distinction and high distinction.
Discussion. Our scaffolded approach to teaching metabolism succeeded in significantly increasing student comprehension and satisfaction without compromising content or assessment standards.
Remodelling of the course in information sequence presentation (2007) and in presentation style (2009) occurred. Content sequence ensured an understanding of key metabolic pathways followed by regulatory influences and disease states. The new format has a three week cycle that begins with traditional lectures but follows with workshops designed to cement core concepts and develop global cognitive comprehension. The cycle was designed to enable students to approach the study of this subject in a scaffolded manner that promotes engagement with materials and facilitates their overall capacity to learn in a deep manner.
This strategy resulted in consistent reduction in the fail rate of approximately 10% (2008-2011) without compromising standard of assessment. Students were guided to develop better self-efficacy and independent learning skills. Evidence of subject mastery is demonstrated by higher pass rates and also a shift to higher numbers of distinction and high distinction.
Our SaMnet team has been guided by the knowledge and resources of both the SaMnet team leaders and our own dynamic group capabilities. We have been strategically identifying and developing information to support the implementation of a Second Year Student Experience CoP within a research-focussed science school. These include the “What’s In It For Me?” matrix to help facilitate this process.
Previous success strategies have looked at initial transition into second year (McBurnie et al, 2012, Harrison, 2011) or an embedded support strategy (Quinlavan, 2010). The current project employs an holistic approach to second year transition using multiple intervention approaches. It looks at the importance of identifying and reflecting upon individual student cohorts and their challenges as a cornerstone to address transition struggles effectively. Overseen by a second year student co-ordinator, it builds on curricular strengths and includes focused social activities (such as career development and promotion of staff-student interactions) and the development of academic staff awareness of second year issues (Gregory et al, 2012) to engage and motivate student transition into and out of second year.
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suggest that a low level of non-specific binding of tTrx to these cell lines rather than a classical ligand-binding mechanism occurs thus suggesting the absence of a cell surface receptor for tTrx. The role that Trx may play in the cellular responses to oxidative stress was also investigated. The chemical oxidants hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and diamide were used to establish an in vitro model of oxidative stress for the choriocarcinoma cytotrophoblast cell line JEG-3. Cellular function was assessed in terms of membrane integrity, metabolic activity and the ability to synthesis new DNA following exposure to these oxidants. Results indicated that both agents were capable of causing cells to undergo oxidative stress without inducing immediate apoptosis or necrosis. Initially, JEG-3 cells exposed to 38µM or 75µM H2O2 or 100µM diamide were shown to display altered cell metabolism and DNA synthesis without loss to cell viability or membrane integrity. Cells were also shown to be capable of some short-term recovery but later lapsed into a more stressed state. Expression levels of Trx were studied to determine whether this type of chemical stress caused a change in intercellular protein levels. Both cELISA and western blotting results indicated that only cells exposed to 100µM diamide displayed any significant increase in Trx protein levels after 6 or 8hrs exposure to the oxidant. Further studies over a longer time-frame were also performed. These found that when JEG-3 cells were exposed to 18µM H2O2 or 200µM diamide over 12-48hrs, a positive correlation between increasing endogenous Trx protein levels and a decline in cell proliferation was observed. Cytotrophoblast cells, which are responsible for implantation and placentation, are susceptible to oxidative stress in vivo and their antioxidant capacity is fundamental to the establishment of pregnancy. The findings obtained during these studies suggest that Trx plays a role in this process.