This is a resource book to assist supervisors of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to deve... more This is a resource book to assist supervisors of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to develop the quality of their supervisory practice. It is also a useful resource for anyone, who is associated with supporting HDR students and seeking to better understand the supervision role. Supervisor training in Australian universities has tended to focus on compliance and ensuring that all supervisors understand the policies, forms, resources and support services that underpin best practice research supervision. This resource book aims to go beyond compliance by providing a range of components and tools developed collaboratively in five Australian universities through interviews and workshops with HDR supervisors. The materials in this resource book thus distill the experiences and reflections of many experienced supervisors to provide tools and learning materials for all HDR supervisors. This resource book was developed to provide the knowledge that has been gained from diverse experi...
During the 1990’s Australia has heard the call for graduates equipped with generic skills as a ke... more During the 1990’s Australia has heard the call for graduates equipped with generic skills as a key theme in the development appropriate curriculum and pedagogy. In tertiary contexts, skills and knowledge are often decontextualised and transferable, and work-related skills are not accorded sufficient emphasis in teaching and assessment. The present study is an example of industry involvement on tertiary learning and assessment enhances the student experience and contextualises the curriculum. The context of the study is a project management unit at tertiary level that utilising online learning and self-directed learning pedagogies. The design of the environment is presented within a framework for professional knowledge development and the tasks and forms of engagement that occurred in this empirical study are described. Critical success factors for engagement with industry are discussed.
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, fun... more Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the "hidden curriculum". This paper proposes an instructional strategy to help develop students’ generic skills through a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery. By investigating the nature of generic skills and contemporary methods of teaching and learning, an instructional framework is proposed to help prepare students for the workplace by promoting generic skill development as well as subject-specific knowledge.
How can universities continually produce graduates that have current and relevant skills? Is the ... more How can universities continually produce graduates that have current and relevant skills? Is the answer to keep writing new units and courses that keep up with rapidly changing industry requirements? Or, is it possible to collaborate with other universities and industry to provide targeted skills (both research and development) that satisfy industry growth areas? New approaches are needed to help
The literature abounds with information about peer tutoring and the benefits that it can bring to... more The literature abounds with information about peer tutoring and the benefits that it can bring to student learning. This case study sought to explore ways of using peer tutoring to enhance the learning experience of a group of higher education students in a multimedia course, who had access to learning resources in an on-line environment. It illustrates how easily and effectively the basic principles of peer tutoring can be adapted and implemented following explicit guidelines from the literature.
This paper presents a description and analysis of salient issues related to the development of an... more This paper presents a description and analysis of salient issues related to the development of an e-portfolio application implemented at Edith Cowan University to help students track and accumulate evidence of skills developed over their period of study. The online application has been designed to help students provide evidence required by employers in a progressive and reflective manner by considering ongoing situations experienced by students during their course of study, the action taken and the outcomes. Technical issues, legal issues and security issues are discussed, as well as considerations for future developments based on the experiences of this study.
One the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional kn... more One the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional knowledge and whether individuals can cope with the increased complexity of society and the changing demands of the workplace. Tertiary institutions have now strengthened their links with industry and have produced lists of attributes and communication skills they aim to cultivate in graduates. In order to develop these skills students need to be able to reflect on their learning experiences, integrate them with prior knowledge, self-evaluate and develop their own decision-making and planning processes. Online technologies can be used to support the process skills underpinning reflection-onaction (reflexivity). The development of reflexivity is presented in the context of an online tertiary unit where students proceed through the cycle of action, reflection, planning and abstract conceptualisation by engaging in a range of communication skills including peer assessment and problem solving. The study shows how online tasks can support reflexivity.
First and foremost, I wish to thank my family who have suffered the consequences of having a husb... more First and foremost, I wish to thank my family who have suffered the consequences of having a husband and father who was always "busy doing his PhD"! I cannot thank my wife Julie, and kids Kylie, Michelle and Mark enough for their support, encouragement and tolerance during the last few years. I now plan to take a leading role in the gardening, kids sporting activities and general running of the home, which will also include a spot of fishing and off-road camping! My Principal Supervisor, Professor Ron Oliver requires special mention for his continual help, support and encouragement during this long journey. He always made himself available for advice, and provided valuable and prompt feedback that helped maintain my enthusiasm and direction in the construction of this thesis. I would like to thank my Associate Supervisor Dr. Jan Herrington for her positive and supportive encouragement, and the many useful comments made on the many drafts of the thesis. In particular, I would like to thank Jan for the meticulous editing job she did on final draft. Also, I would like to thank Professor Robyn Quin, my Head of School for her continual support and encouragement in helping me with advice, support and resources to help me make it to the finish line. In the development of the online learning environment, I would like to acknowledge the services of both Dr. Arshad Omari for his original ideas and help in the development of the online course management system, and also Andrew Dunbar for his continual commitment to progr~ming and refining the online product to high level of sophistication. Many other colleagues and friends helped along the way, providing a range of services, assistance, advice and rno~al support. These include: ' "' '/ Don's average pre-tesUpost-test scores .
Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure from government, industry and busines... more Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure from government, industry and business organizations to equip students with required discipline based skills as well as generic skills. At the same time universities are experiencing cuts in resources and increased competition for student numbers. Within this environment, there is much uncertainty as to how to effectively prepare students for the university/industry nexus. This paper investigates the effectiveness of a teaching and learning model designed with the key aim of helping promote students' employability prospects. The model focuses on providing activities that identify, and help improve students' job-specific and generic skills. In this study, a group of final year multimedia students were used, and their opinions were monitored.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2000
This paper presents the results of developmental research into the design of an orilirie unit on ... more This paper presents the results of developmental research into the design of an orilirie unit on InteractiveMultimedia project management. The decision to offer the unit online was based on a requirement for the unit to be available in external mode, and an awareness that the traditional print-based delivery of material was not the most appropriate format considering the characteristics of a project-based unit. The unit was designed around online collaborative activities, sUfPorted by content, in close alignment with LauriUard's (1993) model 0 the ideal teachlng-leaming process. An extension of this model was developed to explicitly allow for discussion between students. Following a requirements analysis, Weber was chosen as the course management toolby which the unit was made available to the students. The online activities Used in the design of the course included: publishing personal web pages, online questionnaires, online seminars, the submission of relevant resources found by students, and general forum participation. Finally, a framework for evaluating the merit of the online environment has been developed and will be briefly discussed.
One of the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional... more One of the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional knowledge and whether individuals can cope with the increased complexity of society and the changing demands of the workplace. In order to develop these skills students need to be able to reflect on their learning experiences, integrate them with prior knowledge, self-evaluate and develop decision-making and planning processes. The development of reflexivity is presented in the context of an online tertiary unit where students proceed through the cycle of action, reflection, planning and abstract conceptualisation by engaging in a range of collaborative tasks including peer assessment and problem solving.
Dimensions --The Dimensions are key themes identified by DDOGS, reference group and key stakehold... more Dimensions --The Dimensions are key themes identified by DDOGS, reference group and key stakeholders as being critical high--level aspects of HDR programs in Australian universities Components Sub--themes in each dimension that exemplify good policies and practices that promote research--training excellence.
Educationalists in higher education institutions cannot afford to ignore new technological advanc... more Educationalists in higher education institutions cannot afford to ignore new technological advancements that provide clear benefits and promise to make online teaching and learning more efficient. This comes at time when there is increased pressure on institutions to provide more flexible delivery and increased quality with diminishing resources. The introduction of digital repositories has potential to help address these issues. This paper is in two parts. It firstly gives an overview of digital repository concepts related to higher education institutions by considering underlying principles related to online teaching and learning strategies, digital repository definitions, asset management, metadata and knowledge communities. The second part then gives a synthesis of relevant literature to provide guidelines for the successful implementation of digital repositories in an educational setting.
Abstract: Online forums provide an opportunity to enhance community building and promote collabor... more Abstract: Online forums provide an opportunity to enhance community building and promote collaborative dialogue that can help increase the flexibility of learning while motivating students to actively participate in their learning. By enabling peer-to-peer interaction, online forums ...
Delivery of quality educational services and opportunities is becoming increasingly more complex ... more Delivery of quality educational services and opportunities is becoming increasingly more complex as Web-based learning tools and support structures continue to evolve. Although much effort is devoted to examining the use of technology to teach course content, an emerging area of some importance in online teaching is how to enhance the student experience of learning and communicating online. Associated with this is the creation of social and supportive environments for learning when there is little face-to-face contact between distance learners and their teachers. This paper provides a framework and a set of strategies that can be used to create a supportive learning climate, and illustrates a range of tasks that create positive social, learning experiences.
Tutors often find it difficult to mark consistently across all students in their classes. Student... more Tutors often find it difficult to mark consistently across all students in their classes. Students will occasionally complain about marking inconsistencies noticed when they compare assignments. The task of maintaining consistency in marking becomes much more difficult when all students can openly see everybody's solutions, marks and tutors' comments. This task becomes even more difficult when the marking of tutors from other classes is also available to be seen openly. This case study describes a learning environment that had four tutors in four separate classes with a total of 85 students. Students were required to post solutions to an online area and provide self and peer assessment to other teams' solutions, which may have been in other tutorial groups. The tutors then marked these, and comments and marks were openly presented for all students to examine and reflect on. This put a great demand on the tutors to mark in a consistent manner, and provide consistent feedback. Strategies used to help provide consistency and reliability are discussed, as well as problems encountered.
This is a resource book to assist supervisors of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to deve... more This is a resource book to assist supervisors of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to develop the quality of their supervisory practice. It is also a useful resource for anyone, who is associated with supporting HDR students and seeking to better understand the supervision role. Supervisor training in Australian universities has tended to focus on compliance and ensuring that all supervisors understand the policies, forms, resources and support services that underpin best practice research supervision. This resource book aims to go beyond compliance by providing a range of components and tools developed collaboratively in five Australian universities through interviews and workshops with HDR supervisors. The materials in this resource book thus distill the experiences and reflections of many experienced supervisors to provide tools and learning materials for all HDR supervisors. This resource book was developed to provide the knowledge that has been gained from diverse experi...
During the 1990’s Australia has heard the call for graduates equipped with generic skills as a ke... more During the 1990’s Australia has heard the call for graduates equipped with generic skills as a key theme in the development appropriate curriculum and pedagogy. In tertiary contexts, skills and knowledge are often decontextualised and transferable, and work-related skills are not accorded sufficient emphasis in teaching and assessment. The present study is an example of industry involvement on tertiary learning and assessment enhances the student experience and contextualises the curriculum. The context of the study is a project management unit at tertiary level that utilising online learning and self-directed learning pedagogies. The design of the environment is presented within a framework for professional knowledge development and the tasks and forms of engagement that occurred in this empirical study are described. Critical success factors for engagement with industry are discussed.
Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, fun... more Higher education institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from government, industry, funding bodies and students, to place greater emphasis on developing generic skills that are currently delivered through the "hidden curriculum". This paper proposes an instructional strategy to help develop students’ generic skills through a combination of face-to-face and on-line delivery. By investigating the nature of generic skills and contemporary methods of teaching and learning, an instructional framework is proposed to help prepare students for the workplace by promoting generic skill development as well as subject-specific knowledge.
How can universities continually produce graduates that have current and relevant skills? Is the ... more How can universities continually produce graduates that have current and relevant skills? Is the answer to keep writing new units and courses that keep up with rapidly changing industry requirements? Or, is it possible to collaborate with other universities and industry to provide targeted skills (both research and development) that satisfy industry growth areas? New approaches are needed to help
The literature abounds with information about peer tutoring and the benefits that it can bring to... more The literature abounds with information about peer tutoring and the benefits that it can bring to student learning. This case study sought to explore ways of using peer tutoring to enhance the learning experience of a group of higher education students in a multimedia course, who had access to learning resources in an on-line environment. It illustrates how easily and effectively the basic principles of peer tutoring can be adapted and implemented following explicit guidelines from the literature.
This paper presents a description and analysis of salient issues related to the development of an... more This paper presents a description and analysis of salient issues related to the development of an e-portfolio application implemented at Edith Cowan University to help students track and accumulate evidence of skills developed over their period of study. The online application has been designed to help students provide evidence required by employers in a progressive and reflective manner by considering ongoing situations experienced by students during their course of study, the action taken and the outcomes. Technical issues, legal issues and security issues are discussed, as well as considerations for future developments based on the experiences of this study.
One the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional kn... more One the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional knowledge and whether individuals can cope with the increased complexity of society and the changing demands of the workplace. Tertiary institutions have now strengthened their links with industry and have produced lists of attributes and communication skills they aim to cultivate in graduates. In order to develop these skills students need to be able to reflect on their learning experiences, integrate them with prior knowledge, self-evaluate and develop their own decision-making and planning processes. Online technologies can be used to support the process skills underpinning reflection-onaction (reflexivity). The development of reflexivity is presented in the context of an online tertiary unit where students proceed through the cycle of action, reflection, planning and abstract conceptualisation by engaging in a range of communication skills including peer assessment and problem solving. The study shows how online tasks can support reflexivity.
First and foremost, I wish to thank my family who have suffered the consequences of having a husb... more First and foremost, I wish to thank my family who have suffered the consequences of having a husband and father who was always "busy doing his PhD"! I cannot thank my wife Julie, and kids Kylie, Michelle and Mark enough for their support, encouragement and tolerance during the last few years. I now plan to take a leading role in the gardening, kids sporting activities and general running of the home, which will also include a spot of fishing and off-road camping! My Principal Supervisor, Professor Ron Oliver requires special mention for his continual help, support and encouragement during this long journey. He always made himself available for advice, and provided valuable and prompt feedback that helped maintain my enthusiasm and direction in the construction of this thesis. I would like to thank my Associate Supervisor Dr. Jan Herrington for her positive and supportive encouragement, and the many useful comments made on the many drafts of the thesis. In particular, I would like to thank Jan for the meticulous editing job she did on final draft. Also, I would like to thank Professor Robyn Quin, my Head of School for her continual support and encouragement in helping me with advice, support and resources to help me make it to the finish line. In the development of the online learning environment, I would like to acknowledge the services of both Dr. Arshad Omari for his original ideas and help in the development of the online course management system, and also Andrew Dunbar for his continual commitment to progr~ming and refining the online product to high level of sophistication. Many other colleagues and friends helped along the way, providing a range of services, assistance, advice and rno~al support. These include: ' "' '/ Don's average pre-tesUpost-test scores .
Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure from government, industry and busines... more Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure from government, industry and business organizations to equip students with required discipline based skills as well as generic skills. At the same time universities are experiencing cuts in resources and increased competition for student numbers. Within this environment, there is much uncertainty as to how to effectively prepare students for the university/industry nexus. This paper investigates the effectiveness of a teaching and learning model designed with the key aim of helping promote students' employability prospects. The model focuses on providing activities that identify, and help improve students' job-specific and generic skills. In this study, a group of final year multimedia students were used, and their opinions were monitored.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2000
This paper presents the results of developmental research into the design of an orilirie unit on ... more This paper presents the results of developmental research into the design of an orilirie unit on InteractiveMultimedia project management. The decision to offer the unit online was based on a requirement for the unit to be available in external mode, and an awareness that the traditional print-based delivery of material was not the most appropriate format considering the characteristics of a project-based unit. The unit was designed around online collaborative activities, sUfPorted by content, in close alignment with LauriUard's (1993) model 0 the ideal teachlng-leaming process. An extension of this model was developed to explicitly allow for discussion between students. Following a requirements analysis, Weber was chosen as the course management toolby which the unit was made available to the students. The online activities Used in the design of the course included: publishing personal web pages, online questionnaires, online seminars, the submission of relevant resources found by students, and general forum participation. Finally, a framework for evaluating the merit of the online environment has been developed and will be briefly discussed.
One of the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional... more One of the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional knowledge and whether individuals can cope with the increased complexity of society and the changing demands of the workplace. In order to develop these skills students need to be able to reflect on their learning experiences, integrate them with prior knowledge, self-evaluate and develop decision-making and planning processes. The development of reflexivity is presented in the context of an online tertiary unit where students proceed through the cycle of action, reflection, planning and abstract conceptualisation by engaging in a range of collaborative tasks including peer assessment and problem solving.
Dimensions --The Dimensions are key themes identified by DDOGS, reference group and key stakehold... more Dimensions --The Dimensions are key themes identified by DDOGS, reference group and key stakeholders as being critical high--level aspects of HDR programs in Australian universities Components Sub--themes in each dimension that exemplify good policies and practices that promote research--training excellence.
Educationalists in higher education institutions cannot afford to ignore new technological advanc... more Educationalists in higher education institutions cannot afford to ignore new technological advancements that provide clear benefits and promise to make online teaching and learning more efficient. This comes at time when there is increased pressure on institutions to provide more flexible delivery and increased quality with diminishing resources. The introduction of digital repositories has potential to help address these issues. This paper is in two parts. It firstly gives an overview of digital repository concepts related to higher education institutions by considering underlying principles related to online teaching and learning strategies, digital repository definitions, asset management, metadata and knowledge communities. The second part then gives a synthesis of relevant literature to provide guidelines for the successful implementation of digital repositories in an educational setting.
Abstract: Online forums provide an opportunity to enhance community building and promote collabor... more Abstract: Online forums provide an opportunity to enhance community building and promote collaborative dialogue that can help increase the flexibility of learning while motivating students to actively participate in their learning. By enabling peer-to-peer interaction, online forums ...
Delivery of quality educational services and opportunities is becoming increasingly more complex ... more Delivery of quality educational services and opportunities is becoming increasingly more complex as Web-based learning tools and support structures continue to evolve. Although much effort is devoted to examining the use of technology to teach course content, an emerging area of some importance in online teaching is how to enhance the student experience of learning and communicating online. Associated with this is the creation of social and supportive environments for learning when there is little face-to-face contact between distance learners and their teachers. This paper provides a framework and a set of strategies that can be used to create a supportive learning climate, and illustrates a range of tasks that create positive social, learning experiences.
Tutors often find it difficult to mark consistently across all students in their classes. Student... more Tutors often find it difficult to mark consistently across all students in their classes. Students will occasionally complain about marking inconsistencies noticed when they compare assignments. The task of maintaining consistency in marking becomes much more difficult when all students can openly see everybody's solutions, marks and tutors' comments. This task becomes even more difficult when the marking of tutors from other classes is also available to be seen openly. This case study describes a learning environment that had four tutors in four separate classes with a total of 85 students. Students were required to post solutions to an online area and provide self and peer assessment to other teams' solutions, which may have been in other tutorial groups. The tutors then marked these, and comments and marks were openly presented for all students to examine and reflect on. This put a great demand on the tutors to mark in a consistent manner, and provide consistent feedback. Strategies used to help provide consistency and reliability are discussed, as well as problems encountered.
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Papers by Joseph Luca