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Jill Lawrence

University of Southern Queensland, Arts and Communication, Faculty Member

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Jill's current research projects, reflecting her institutional leadership roles, have outcomes focused on leadership and building capacity in the HE sector and with institutions, staff and students. Her research is situated in interrelated fields of HE policy and practice, the student experience and educational technology including online learning and teaching and online engagement in institutional and higher education contexts.

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Papers by Jill Lawrence

essay plans: assisting students to engage academic literacy in a first year communication

Renewing first year curricula for social sciences and humanities in the context of discipline threshold standards

Setting SMART goals for psychological case reports

The Elements of Psychological Case Report Writing in Australia, 2017

Advocate, strategist or dogs’ body: the Associate Dean (Student) role in co-shaping and managing students’ expectations in consumer focused higher education

The Associate Dean (Students) is an addition to the now more established roles of Associate Dean ... more The Associate Dean (Students) is an addition to the now more established roles of Associate Dean (Academic or Education) and (Learning and Teaching) in university middle management. While the role is well established in the United States, a cross between student management, student life (or affairs) and academic responsibilities, a student-focused role in academic sections is a relatively recent phenomenon in Australia. Potential functions include those of a traditional ombudsman or student advocate, providing a ‘catch all’ for the multiple issues facing students. Other functions include a more operational role, incorporating day-to-day processes and procedures, or one that is more strategic and proactive, managing student expectations and crossing divides – divisions, sections, and schools – to support students and staff. In order to interrogate this lack of definition, a pilot qualitative research study was conducted in an Australian regional university. In the study semi-structur...

Leveraging creativity to engage students in an agile ecology for learning

This article explores the concept of an agile ecology for learning and its potential in leveragin... more This article explores the concept of an agile ecology for learning and its potential in leveraging creativity to engage students. Creativity is both seen as something that students bring with them from different part of their lives, across different formal and informal learning environments, but it is also seen as something that can be encouraged and developed through deliberate design of learning experiences and environments. The agile ecology for learning is fundamentally about blurring boundaries between informal and formal learning environments. A case study of a Closed Facebook group managed by students is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of using an agile ecology for learning as the underlying ‘map’ for learning design. If done well, we argue that this allows us to leverage creativity in students as both a tool of engagement and a crucial component in the development of a way of being for students whereby using their creativity in critically reflective ways bec...

Space-place shifts: is the digital space a learningplace for commencing students?

This paper explores a shift generated by one of the change factors impacting on the Australian hi... more This paper explores a shift generated by one of the change factors impacting on the Australian higher education sector: the increasing implementation of technological engagement and elearning. The paper documents a case study investigating whether the digital space can constitute a place for learning for commencing students. The case study focuses on a first year core course, Building Professional Nursing Attributes A, offered as part of the Nursing Program at the University of Southern Queensland. In 2012 the course moved from an on campus to an online mode. The paper documents the design, development, delivery and evaluation of its conversion to online delivery. The paper also positions these pedagogical decisions and their outcomes in practice against the wider change forces driving both the higher education sector and students’ university experience. The case study’s findings show that although there are sceptics, principally among the course’s diverse cohort of students, as wel...

Revitalising first year curriculum: preparing students in first year as thinkers and practitioners in your discipline

Each discipline has its own requirements and ways of thinking. This workshop will focus on how we... more Each discipline has its own requirements and ways of thinking. This workshop will focus on how we can develop students’ graduate capabilities from first year by enabling them to be effective learners, thinkers and practitioners in our disciplines. The workshop is aimed at curriculum developers, first year lecturers (any discipline), first year coordinators and academic developers. Interactive activities will be used to challenge participants to consider: • What students need to know and do in order to lay the foundation in first year for attaining graduate capabilities and meeting required standards by the time they graduate? • What bottlenecks are there to students learning those things –and what are the concepts that students find difficult as learners in the discipline? • What strategies can we use to help students develop the skills they need to be effective learners, thinkers and practitioners in our disciplines?

A conceptual framework to enhance student online learning and engagement in higher education

Higher Education Research & Development, 2020

ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes wit... more ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes within the online learning environment. However, there is limited guidance about using proactive strategies to improve engagement for low and non-engaged students: for example by specifically employing course learning analytics (CLA) and nudging strategies in courses to assist these students. To explore how CLA and nudging can be used more effectively to engage students, the authors were informed by a 12-month research project, as well as by the theoretical perspectives presented by communication and critical literacies. These perspectives were applied to develop a conceptual framework which the authors designed to prioritise expectation management and engagement principles for both students and academics. The article explains the development of the framework as well as the elements and key communication strategies it embodies. The framework contributes to practice by explaining and justifying the accessible, time-efficient, student-focused approaches that can be integrated simply into each course’s online learning pedagogy to support both academics’ and students’ engagement.

Strategies for leading academics to rethink humanities and social sciences curricula in the context of discipline standards

International Journal for Academic Development, 2017

The introduction of discipline standards in Australia has required a comprehensive rethinking of ... more The introduction of discipline standards in Australia has required a comprehensive rethinking of humanities and social science curricula from first year through to graduation. This paper proposes a model to facilitate academics' engagement with discipline standards and their implication for first-year curricula. The model supports disciplinefocussed professional development that integrates consideration of discipline threshold learning outcomes, first-year pedagogy principles, and discipline threshold concepts. The model is demonstrated using strategies that were applied, tested, and shown to be effective in workshops across five disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Enhancing learning and teaching through a cascading approach to sharing knowledge and experience for flexible application of technology in support of learning

Discussions at monthly meetings of the Learning Technology Mentors CoP enabled informal evaluatio... more Discussions at monthly meetings of the Learning Technology Mentors CoP enabled informal evaluation across the life of the project. In mid-2010 simple open ended questionnaires were circulated to mentors and selected staff members with whom mentors had been working to evaluate progress to that point. Responses indicated that the mentor positions had been well received and that mentors were able to offer timely and practical assistance with using ICT for learning and teaching. In some areas there was evidence of a sustainable culture of sharing ideas about ICT use developing and some indications of increased acceptance of new ICT for learning and teaching. Mentors generally reported that the CoP was helpful in sustaining their roles and for sharing ideas. Interviews with a selection of mentors and mentees were conducted in late 2010 to gauge the effect of the project. The interviews have been transcribed but analysis of the data is yet to be completed. Overall the project appears to h...

Digital Literacy in Higher Education

Myths in Education, Learning and Teaching

This paper describes the processes of development of an online educational tool to facilitate equ... more This paper describes the processes of development of an online educational tool to facilitate equity and access for the diversity of students entering the largely digital context that is higher education today. The Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching) across the five faculties at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) responded to the issue of student diversity by developing a diagnostic and reflective tool (DART) to assist commencing students in developing their digital literacies according to their individual learning needs. DART was designed to enable and support online (digital) learning for the heterogeneous cohort of students studying at USQ, a regional Australian university. Initially, a range of theoretical perspectives were consulted to determine the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that constitute digital literacy, including Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives. Secondly, from this review, a framework was constructed to map all relevant dimensions of digital literacy, dimensions which encompassed issues related not only to technical experiences but also to students' prior learning experiences. This stage also involved liaising with academic staff and other student support staff to further identify the threshold digital literacies required by first year students. Thirdly, two large-scale student surveys of students' digital literacies and prior experiences in engaging with digital learning environments were conducted. These evaluation cycles informed the ongoing development and refinement of DART. The current paper reports on initial findings from these surveys and discusses implications for the future implementation of DART in the University. achieve successful learning outcomes in their chosen program of study. At USQ, a medium sized regional university in Australia, the focus on digital literacies and digital learning is a priority. USQ has a strong history in correspondence and distance education. Building upon this brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk

Communities of practice: A sphere of influence enhancing teaching and learning in higher education

Power and Place: Refereed Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference 2008, 2008

Queensland (USQ). He specialises in e-learning pedagogies, communities of practice, multimodal de... more Queensland (USQ). He specialises in e-learning pedagogies, communities of practice, multimodal design, visual and multiliteracies. His research focuses on two main areas, how best to engage both students and staff in the learning process, as calibrators, and how to best use technology enhanced learning environments to augment learning opportunities for students, particularly those studying at a distance.

Investigating intercultural communication across ethnic diversity: a preliminary study at University Malaysia Terengganu

The Malaysian context is diverse in that there are three main ethnic and religious groups: Muslim... more The Malaysian context is diverse in that there are three main ethnic and religious groups: Muslim Malay, Chinese Buddhist and Indian Hindus. These ethnic and religious groups are reflected in the staff composition at the University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), a university on the East Coast of Malaysia. The site has been selected because, given the ethnic mix, there is potential for intercultural communication problems to surface among the staff which includes the three ethnic groups. The objective is to ascertain whether these communication patterns generate problems and conflict which may, in turn, affect the university's productivity.

Engaging the disengaged: Exploring the use of course-specific learning analytics and nudging to enhance online student engagement

Student Success, 2019

Universities increasingly implement online delivery to strengthen students’ access and flexibilit... more Universities increasingly implement online delivery to strengthen students’ access and flexibility. However, they often do so with limited understanding of the impact of online pedagogy on student engagement. To explore these issues, a research project was conducted investigating the use of course-specific learning analytics to ‘nudge’ students into engaging more actively in their courses. Drawing on perspectives emanating from communication and critical theories, the research involved a staged intervention strategy conducted across three courses (n=892) focussing on a range of timely, strategic communication interventions. Research findings revealed benefits for students who felt supported by explicit expectation management and the strategic use of early nudging to enhance their prioritisation of key course-specific resources. Academics benefited by making use of nudging templates/principles to increase student engagement in their courses. The course-specific context meant that aca...

Designing First-year Sociology Curricula and Practice

Asian Social Science, 2017

Many countries are now specifying standards for graduates in different disciplines, including soc... more Many countries are now specifying standards for graduates in different disciplines, including sociology. In Australia, the Australian Sociological Association (TASA) has developed Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for sociology to provide the learning outcomes that students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology should achieve. These TLOs have encouraged universities to think explicitly about their sociology curriculum in a holistic way. This paper reports on a project that investigated the skills and concepts sociology students need to learn in first year to meet the TLOs by the time they graduate. The project identified the needs of students as they transition from school or work into the study of sociology in first year through a study of literature of first-year pedagogy and a student survey. A workshop was held for sociology that involved 37 academics from 14 universities. The workshop was used to promote a rethink of teaching of sociology in the light of the new TLO...

A framework for first year curriculum design and pedagogy: Intersecting the threshold learning outcomes, disciplinary knowledge and the first year pedagogy principles

The intersections between disciplinary knowledge, Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) and first ye... more The intersections between disciplinary knowledge, Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) and first year pedagogy principles remain largely unexplored in the Australian context. This paper reviews how these perspectives developed, their implications for quality assurance and the ways they can be integrated to facilitate students’ learning. The paper introduces a project funded by the Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT): Renewing first year curriculum for social sciences and humanities. The project investigated what students need to learn in their disciplines in first year so that, upon graduation, they are able to demonstrate their discipline TLOs. The framework developed by the project positions and visualises the connections between the three perspectives and how they can be linked to assist academics to design curricula that not only enable first year students to engage with the changed ways of thinking and studying at university but also with their discipline ...

Does Course Specific Nudging Enhance Student Engagement, Experience and Success?: A Data-Driven Longitudinal Tale

Student Success, 2021

Low levels of online student engagement impact negatively on student success and adversely affect... more Low levels of online student engagement impact negatively on student success and adversely affect attrition. Course learning analytics data (CLAD), combined with nudging initiatives, have emerged as strategies for engaging online students. This paper presents a mixed method case study involving a staged intervention strategy focussing on the employment of timely, strategic communication interventions conducted across 19 courses and six disciplines. The research methodology utilised CLAD, online surveys, student interviews and student evaluations of teaching. The findings substantiate benefits for both academics and students. Academics benefitted from the provision of a relatively simple, accessible and proactive intervention for increasing students’ capacities to be more in control and engaged in their learning. Students benefitted as the intervention accentuated critical resources to assist them to better address assessment requirements, align their expectations more realistically ...

Students enabling students in a Student Partnership Project: A case study emerging from the OLT Transforming Practice Project on Student Partnerships

Student Success, 2017

This emerging initiative stemmed from an Office for Learning and Teaching Project (OLT) project, ... more This emerging initiative stemmed from an Office for Learning and Teaching Project (OLT) project, Transforming Practice Programme 2016: Student Engagement: Students as Partners in Teaching and Learning. The initiative, trialed in semester two, 2016, involved the selection and training of two experienced students to be leaders of a Closed Facebook ‘students-only’ community which provided advice and triaged queries to appropriate channels. The evaluative processes comprised a participatory action research methodology. Two student leaders who facilitated the Closed Facebook and four academic staff of the project were the participants. The findings demonstrate that the Closed Facebook students-only site provided a safe space, outside the formal learning/classroom environment, where student participants were able to ask and share knowledge. The informal student-for-student learning community complemented the formal structure by facilitating the opportunity for students to become ‘experts’...

University transition challenges for first year domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds: a case study from an Australian regional university

Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 2016

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) is used broadly and inclusively to describe communit... more Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) is used broadly and inclusively to describe communities with diverse language, ethnic background, nationality, dress, traditions, food, societal structures, art and religion characteristics. Domestic CALD people are either refugees or voluntary migrants and have obtained permanent residency or citizenship. This paper identifies the key issues, challenges and needs of first year domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds at a multi-campus regional university in Queensland, Australia. The term refugee background is used in the paper as the students are no longer refugees having successfully transitioned from refugee status to being permanent residents. Qualitative data was collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews and focus groups with domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds, and from key informants including teaching, administrative, and senior management staff members. Other than language and differences in educ...

I'm not alone: first year course leaders helped through communities of practice

Lifelong Learning: Reflecting on Successes and Framing Futures: Keynote and Refereed Papers from the 5th International Lifelong Learning Conference, Jun 19, 2008

This paper reports on a two year pilot project facilitating the professional development of teach... more This paper reports on a two year pilot project facilitating the professional development of teachers of first year courses through a community of practice. Community members reflect and co-construct initiatives to enhance the learning experiences of their students. They also develop strategies to meet individual, institutional and societal demands impacting on their teaching.

essay plans: assisting students to engage academic literacy in a first year communication

Renewing first year curricula for social sciences and humanities in the context of discipline threshold standards

Setting SMART goals for psychological case reports

The Elements of Psychological Case Report Writing in Australia, 2017

Advocate, strategist or dogs’ body: the Associate Dean (Student) role in co-shaping and managing students’ expectations in consumer focused higher education

The Associate Dean (Students) is an addition to the now more established roles of Associate Dean ... more The Associate Dean (Students) is an addition to the now more established roles of Associate Dean (Academic or Education) and (Learning and Teaching) in university middle management. While the role is well established in the United States, a cross between student management, student life (or affairs) and academic responsibilities, a student-focused role in academic sections is a relatively recent phenomenon in Australia. Potential functions include those of a traditional ombudsman or student advocate, providing a ‘catch all’ for the multiple issues facing students. Other functions include a more operational role, incorporating day-to-day processes and procedures, or one that is more strategic and proactive, managing student expectations and crossing divides – divisions, sections, and schools – to support students and staff. In order to interrogate this lack of definition, a pilot qualitative research study was conducted in an Australian regional university. In the study semi-structur...

Leveraging creativity to engage students in an agile ecology for learning

This article explores the concept of an agile ecology for learning and its potential in leveragin... more This article explores the concept of an agile ecology for learning and its potential in leveraging creativity to engage students. Creativity is both seen as something that students bring with them from different part of their lives, across different formal and informal learning environments, but it is also seen as something that can be encouraged and developed through deliberate design of learning experiences and environments. The agile ecology for learning is fundamentally about blurring boundaries between informal and formal learning environments. A case study of a Closed Facebook group managed by students is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of using an agile ecology for learning as the underlying ‘map’ for learning design. If done well, we argue that this allows us to leverage creativity in students as both a tool of engagement and a crucial component in the development of a way of being for students whereby using their creativity in critically reflective ways bec...

Space-place shifts: is the digital space a learningplace for commencing students?

This paper explores a shift generated by one of the change factors impacting on the Australian hi... more This paper explores a shift generated by one of the change factors impacting on the Australian higher education sector: the increasing implementation of technological engagement and elearning. The paper documents a case study investigating whether the digital space can constitute a place for learning for commencing students. The case study focuses on a first year core course, Building Professional Nursing Attributes A, offered as part of the Nursing Program at the University of Southern Queensland. In 2012 the course moved from an on campus to an online mode. The paper documents the design, development, delivery and evaluation of its conversion to online delivery. The paper also positions these pedagogical decisions and their outcomes in practice against the wider change forces driving both the higher education sector and students’ university experience. The case study’s findings show that although there are sceptics, principally among the course’s diverse cohort of students, as wel...

Revitalising first year curriculum: preparing students in first year as thinkers and practitioners in your discipline

Each discipline has its own requirements and ways of thinking. This workshop will focus on how we... more Each discipline has its own requirements and ways of thinking. This workshop will focus on how we can develop students’ graduate capabilities from first year by enabling them to be effective learners, thinkers and practitioners in our disciplines. The workshop is aimed at curriculum developers, first year lecturers (any discipline), first year coordinators and academic developers. Interactive activities will be used to challenge participants to consider: • What students need to know and do in order to lay the foundation in first year for attaining graduate capabilities and meeting required standards by the time they graduate? • What bottlenecks are there to students learning those things –and what are the concepts that students find difficult as learners in the discipline? • What strategies can we use to help students develop the skills they need to be effective learners, thinkers and practitioners in our disciplines?

A conceptual framework to enhance student online learning and engagement in higher education

Higher Education Research & Development, 2020

ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes wit... more ABSTRACT Student engagement is consistently identified as a key predictor of learner outcomes within the online learning environment. However, there is limited guidance about using proactive strategies to improve engagement for low and non-engaged students: for example by specifically employing course learning analytics (CLA) and nudging strategies in courses to assist these students. To explore how CLA and nudging can be used more effectively to engage students, the authors were informed by a 12-month research project, as well as by the theoretical perspectives presented by communication and critical literacies. These perspectives were applied to develop a conceptual framework which the authors designed to prioritise expectation management and engagement principles for both students and academics. The article explains the development of the framework as well as the elements and key communication strategies it embodies. The framework contributes to practice by explaining and justifying the accessible, time-efficient, student-focused approaches that can be integrated simply into each course’s online learning pedagogy to support both academics’ and students’ engagement.

Strategies for leading academics to rethink humanities and social sciences curricula in the context of discipline standards

International Journal for Academic Development, 2017

The introduction of discipline standards in Australia has required a comprehensive rethinking of ... more The introduction of discipline standards in Australia has required a comprehensive rethinking of humanities and social science curricula from first year through to graduation. This paper proposes a model to facilitate academics' engagement with discipline standards and their implication for first-year curricula. The model supports disciplinefocussed professional development that integrates consideration of discipline threshold learning outcomes, first-year pedagogy principles, and discipline threshold concepts. The model is demonstrated using strategies that were applied, tested, and shown to be effective in workshops across five disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Enhancing learning and teaching through a cascading approach to sharing knowledge and experience for flexible application of technology in support of learning

Discussions at monthly meetings of the Learning Technology Mentors CoP enabled informal evaluatio... more Discussions at monthly meetings of the Learning Technology Mentors CoP enabled informal evaluation across the life of the project. In mid-2010 simple open ended questionnaires were circulated to mentors and selected staff members with whom mentors had been working to evaluate progress to that point. Responses indicated that the mentor positions had been well received and that mentors were able to offer timely and practical assistance with using ICT for learning and teaching. In some areas there was evidence of a sustainable culture of sharing ideas about ICT use developing and some indications of increased acceptance of new ICT for learning and teaching. Mentors generally reported that the CoP was helpful in sustaining their roles and for sharing ideas. Interviews with a selection of mentors and mentees were conducted in late 2010 to gauge the effect of the project. The interviews have been transcribed but analysis of the data is yet to be completed. Overall the project appears to h...

Digital Literacy in Higher Education

Myths in Education, Learning and Teaching

This paper describes the processes of development of an online educational tool to facilitate equ... more This paper describes the processes of development of an online educational tool to facilitate equity and access for the diversity of students entering the largely digital context that is higher education today. The Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching) across the five faculties at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) responded to the issue of student diversity by developing a diagnostic and reflective tool (DART) to assist commencing students in developing their digital literacies according to their individual learning needs. DART was designed to enable and support online (digital) learning for the heterogeneous cohort of students studying at USQ, a regional Australian university. Initially, a range of theoretical perspectives were consulted to determine the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that constitute digital literacy, including Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives. Secondly, from this review, a framework was constructed to map all relevant dimensions of digital literacy, dimensions which encompassed issues related not only to technical experiences but also to students' prior learning experiences. This stage also involved liaising with academic staff and other student support staff to further identify the threshold digital literacies required by first year students. Thirdly, two large-scale student surveys of students' digital literacies and prior experiences in engaging with digital learning environments were conducted. These evaluation cycles informed the ongoing development and refinement of DART. The current paper reports on initial findings from these surveys and discusses implications for the future implementation of DART in the University. achieve successful learning outcomes in their chosen program of study. At USQ, a medium sized regional university in Australia, the focus on digital literacies and digital learning is a priority. USQ has a strong history in correspondence and distance education. Building upon this brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk

Communities of practice: A sphere of influence enhancing teaching and learning in higher education

Power and Place: Refereed Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference 2008, 2008

Queensland (USQ). He specialises in e-learning pedagogies, communities of practice, multimodal de... more Queensland (USQ). He specialises in e-learning pedagogies, communities of practice, multimodal design, visual and multiliteracies. His research focuses on two main areas, how best to engage both students and staff in the learning process, as calibrators, and how to best use technology enhanced learning environments to augment learning opportunities for students, particularly those studying at a distance.

Investigating intercultural communication across ethnic diversity: a preliminary study at University Malaysia Terengganu

The Malaysian context is diverse in that there are three main ethnic and religious groups: Muslim... more The Malaysian context is diverse in that there are three main ethnic and religious groups: Muslim Malay, Chinese Buddhist and Indian Hindus. These ethnic and religious groups are reflected in the staff composition at the University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), a university on the East Coast of Malaysia. The site has been selected because, given the ethnic mix, there is potential for intercultural communication problems to surface among the staff which includes the three ethnic groups. The objective is to ascertain whether these communication patterns generate problems and conflict which may, in turn, affect the university's productivity.

Engaging the disengaged: Exploring the use of course-specific learning analytics and nudging to enhance online student engagement

Student Success, 2019

Universities increasingly implement online delivery to strengthen students’ access and flexibilit... more Universities increasingly implement online delivery to strengthen students’ access and flexibility. However, they often do so with limited understanding of the impact of online pedagogy on student engagement. To explore these issues, a research project was conducted investigating the use of course-specific learning analytics to ‘nudge’ students into engaging more actively in their courses. Drawing on perspectives emanating from communication and critical theories, the research involved a staged intervention strategy conducted across three courses (n=892) focussing on a range of timely, strategic communication interventions. Research findings revealed benefits for students who felt supported by explicit expectation management and the strategic use of early nudging to enhance their prioritisation of key course-specific resources. Academics benefited by making use of nudging templates/principles to increase student engagement in their courses. The course-specific context meant that aca...

Designing First-year Sociology Curricula and Practice

Asian Social Science, 2017

Many countries are now specifying standards for graduates in different disciplines, including soc... more Many countries are now specifying standards for graduates in different disciplines, including sociology. In Australia, the Australian Sociological Association (TASA) has developed Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for sociology to provide the learning outcomes that students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology should achieve. These TLOs have encouraged universities to think explicitly about their sociology curriculum in a holistic way. This paper reports on a project that investigated the skills and concepts sociology students need to learn in first year to meet the TLOs by the time they graduate. The project identified the needs of students as they transition from school or work into the study of sociology in first year through a study of literature of first-year pedagogy and a student survey. A workshop was held for sociology that involved 37 academics from 14 universities. The workshop was used to promote a rethink of teaching of sociology in the light of the new TLO...

A framework for first year curriculum design and pedagogy: Intersecting the threshold learning outcomes, disciplinary knowledge and the first year pedagogy principles

The intersections between disciplinary knowledge, Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) and first ye... more The intersections between disciplinary knowledge, Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) and first year pedagogy principles remain largely unexplored in the Australian context. This paper reviews how these perspectives developed, their implications for quality assurance and the ways they can be integrated to facilitate students’ learning. The paper introduces a project funded by the Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT): Renewing first year curriculum for social sciences and humanities. The project investigated what students need to learn in their disciplines in first year so that, upon graduation, they are able to demonstrate their discipline TLOs. The framework developed by the project positions and visualises the connections between the three perspectives and how they can be linked to assist academics to design curricula that not only enable first year students to engage with the changed ways of thinking and studying at university but also with their discipline ...

Does Course Specific Nudging Enhance Student Engagement, Experience and Success?: A Data-Driven Longitudinal Tale

Student Success, 2021

Low levels of online student engagement impact negatively on student success and adversely affect... more Low levels of online student engagement impact negatively on student success and adversely affect attrition. Course learning analytics data (CLAD), combined with nudging initiatives, have emerged as strategies for engaging online students. This paper presents a mixed method case study involving a staged intervention strategy focussing on the employment of timely, strategic communication interventions conducted across 19 courses and six disciplines. The research methodology utilised CLAD, online surveys, student interviews and student evaluations of teaching. The findings substantiate benefits for both academics and students. Academics benefitted from the provision of a relatively simple, accessible and proactive intervention for increasing students’ capacities to be more in control and engaged in their learning. Students benefitted as the intervention accentuated critical resources to assist them to better address assessment requirements, align their expectations more realistically ...

Students enabling students in a Student Partnership Project: A case study emerging from the OLT Transforming Practice Project on Student Partnerships

Student Success, 2017

This emerging initiative stemmed from an Office for Learning and Teaching Project (OLT) project, ... more This emerging initiative stemmed from an Office for Learning and Teaching Project (OLT) project, Transforming Practice Programme 2016: Student Engagement: Students as Partners in Teaching and Learning. The initiative, trialed in semester two, 2016, involved the selection and training of two experienced students to be leaders of a Closed Facebook ‘students-only’ community which provided advice and triaged queries to appropriate channels. The evaluative processes comprised a participatory action research methodology. Two student leaders who facilitated the Closed Facebook and four academic staff of the project were the participants. The findings demonstrate that the Closed Facebook students-only site provided a safe space, outside the formal learning/classroom environment, where student participants were able to ask and share knowledge. The informal student-for-student learning community complemented the formal structure by facilitating the opportunity for students to become ‘experts’...

University transition challenges for first year domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds: a case study from an Australian regional university

Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 2016

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) is used broadly and inclusively to describe communit... more Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) is used broadly and inclusively to describe communities with diverse language, ethnic background, nationality, dress, traditions, food, societal structures, art and religion characteristics. Domestic CALD people are either refugees or voluntary migrants and have obtained permanent residency or citizenship. This paper identifies the key issues, challenges and needs of first year domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds at a multi-campus regional university in Queensland, Australia. The term refugee background is used in the paper as the students are no longer refugees having successfully transitioned from refugee status to being permanent residents. Qualitative data was collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews and focus groups with domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds, and from key informants including teaching, administrative, and senior management staff members. Other than language and differences in educ...

I'm not alone: first year course leaders helped through communities of practice

Lifelong Learning: Reflecting on Successes and Framing Futures: Keynote and Refereed Papers from the 5th International Lifelong Learning Conference, Jun 19, 2008

This paper reports on a two year pilot project facilitating the professional development of teach... more This paper reports on a two year pilot project facilitating the professional development of teachers of first year courses through a community of practice. Community members reflect and co-construct initiatives to enhance the learning experiences of their students. They also develop strategies to meet individual, institutional and societal demands impacting on their teaching.