This fellowship focussed on the important role of the curriculum in first year transition, success and retention. A research-based 'transition pedagogy' was articulated framed around the identification of six First Year Curriculum Principles that stand out as supportive of first year learning engagement, success. These principles are Transition, Diversity, Design, Engagement, Assessment and Evaluation and monitoring. Several discipline case studies, an extensive engaged dissemination strategy and other resources are available from the fellowship website.
Good Practice Resources
Read more about how these resources have been identified.
Articulating a transition pedagogy to scaffold and to enhance the first year student learning experience in Australian higher education
Queensland University of Technology
2009
This online resource provides practical ideas and strategies for academic and professional practitioners responsible for designing curricula to support first year university students. It advocates for intentional first year curriculum design using six first year curriculum principles: Transition, Diversity, Design, Engagement, Assessment, Evaluation and Monitoring. The website features resources including a briefing paper on first year assessment and checklists with useful tips for first year teachers, program coordinators and institutional leaders of learning and teaching. It would be particularly useful for academic staff responsible for designing first year curricula across disciplines. Professional staff who support first year curriculum design and delivery in such areas as blended learning will also find this a very useful site. This resource raises awareness of the multidimensional nature of the first year curriculum, drawing attention to the importance of supporting student diversity through the purposeful design of fit-for-purpose learning activities and assessment tasks. As such it would be useful for academic development staff who provide institution-level support to enhance the quality of first year curricula. The focus on evaluation and monitoring is particularly important for its emphasis on the value of continuous review and improvement of first year curricula. Discipline-based case studies are another feature of the resource. Exemplars are drawn from such fields as Law and the Creative Arts, IT and Biology. Kift has sought the input of Australian and international expert commentators who review the case studies and provide input on key issues. This dimension is particularly useful as it provides an indication of the international relevance and appeal of the resource, as well as the rigour of its approach. In terms of accessibility, the website does not readily emerge from a quick Google search of the internet, so users may want to bookmark the site. Nevertheless, once you arrive, you will find the site relatively easy to navigate and resources readily downloadable using PDF-reading software. One of the challenges you may encounter is that this resource site is embedded within a larger site. If you navigate away from the ‘Transition Pedagogy’ area and follow some of the hyperlinks, it can be a little difficult to find your way back. It is important to be aware of this if you decide to pursue some of the interesting and informative links on the site.
Assessing group work in media and communications
University of Canberra
2008
In Media and Communications, authentic tasks are the basis of learning through assessment. Media production in the real world is almost always a collaborative process. Hence, authentic assessment tasks require student to collaborate in groups. Collaborative group work effectively fosters both discipline-specific and generic professional attributes if carefully devised and managed. The project team identified common target areas for improvement, constructed and tested a range of practical tools and techniques for improving assessment in these areas, disseminated results and the products to the Media and Communication teaching community and are providing an online forum for on-going evolution, discussion, testing and feedback by the teaching community.
Macquarie, UNSW
The main focus of the resource is group assessment relevant to a range of disciplines, for example media, communication, creative arts and medical disciplines. It includes 13 case studies (of majors from four universities), explores key issues in relation to group assessment, and includes links to the research literature and keynotes by leading authorities in assessment. The resource is useful for academic staff designing units, courses and programs and who may be intending to incorporate group work. The case studies are useful for both design and assessment samples and for benchmarking purposes. Video is used to develop the key issues: a rationale for group assessment; creating and managing groups; group marks; peer assessment; technology; transparency; and feedback. The presence of both staff and student views and experiences in the video material imparts a particular level of credibility to the discussion of issues and principles. Keynote addresses, on policy, design, implementation, evaluation and learning, from leading authorities in assessment principles, and the practice of group and collaborative assessment, are also included. The case studies are of particular interest to course, unit and program designers as well as academic developers and planning and quality staff, while the issues are of interest to all staff grappling with collaborative or group assessment. The videos, for example those in relation to the rationale for team work, may also be of benefit to students. Users should be made aware of the login link to the forum, an issue which may detract from the website's currency. The resource recognises the competing demands on the user's time and the cognitive load requirements though an accessible design template (using three main and four supplementary links), the use of short videos, and the links to the research literature. The user does not require prior experience, domain-specific knowledge or specific IT requirements to use the resource. The resource deals with the problematic issue of group assessment and solves key issues in a concise and user-friendly way. It is easy to read and navigate and does not need to be read in conjunction with the project report. It is a practical, easy-to-access and use website on group assessment and team work.
Assessment 2020: Seven propositions for assessment reform in higher education
University of Technology, Sydney
2010
The web site is a rich source of information and inspiration for those setting, designing or redesigning, assessment tasks. It indicates the purpose for the materials, making it clear that the content is relevant for experienced teachers and educational developers and that the site is not designed for those seeking an introduction to assessment. The site contains only minimal information on items such as rubrics and marking schemes. This is not a deficiency; rather it is a reinforcement of the purpose of the site which is to facilitate change in the emphasis on assessment of current learning to assessment that values self-directed, self-managed and self-evaluated learners.
The web site is organised around the key principles of engaging students, setting authentic activities, scaffolding students in designing some assessments, setting integrative tasks, fostering learning and judgement, modelling and practice, working with peers, as well as giving and receiving feedback. Each section succinctly describes a principle, provides a brief articulation of how it could be implemented and then has a link to discipline examples.
The section titled "Towards informed judgement" is a particularly useful one and worth reading. The range of discipline examples for assessment for future learning is limited because only a few teachers are engaging with this issue. There are highly relevant literature references on assessment practices for future learning attributes.
The reader should also download the well-written synthesis of where assessment practices should be heading over the coming years, "Assessment 2020: Seven propositions for assessment reform in higher education".
Assessment Futures
University of Technology, Sydney
2010
The web site is a rich source of information and inspiration for those setting, designing or redesigning, assessment tasks. It indicates the purpose for the materials, making it clear that the content is relevant for experienced teachers and educational developers and that the site is not designed for those seeking an introduction to assessment. The site contains only minimal information on items such as rubrics and marking schemes. This is not a deficiency; rather it is a reinforcement of the purpose of the site which is to facilitate change in the emphasis on assessment of current learning to assessment that values self-directed, self-managed and self-evaluated learners.
The web site is organised around the key principles of engaging students, setting authentic activities, scaffolding students in designing some assessments, setting integrative tasks, fostering learning and judgement, modelling and practice, working with peers, as well as giving and receiving feedback. Each section succinctly describes a principle, provides a brief articulation of how it could be implemented and then has a link to discipline examples.
The section titled "Towards informed judgement" is a particularly useful one and worth reading. The range of discipline examples for assessment for future learning is limited because only a few teachers are engaging with this issue. There are highly relevant literature references on assessment practices for future learning attributes.
The reader should also download the well-written synthesis of where assessment practices should be heading over the coming years, "Assessment 2020: Seven propositions for assessment reform in higher education".
Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP)
Griffith University
2009
A preliminary search of the physiotherapy literature revealed a lack of systematic studies to determine the validity and reliability of instruments for assessing clinical competence of students in physiotherapy programs worldwide (Beckman et al. 2005; Stickley 2005). The project group therefore proposes a method for the development of a standardised assessment procedure that meets the needs of students and educators and provides valid and reliable measurements of student clinical competence.
Specific project aims were to:
- develop a competency based assessment instrument to evaluate the performance of physiotherapy students in the workplace;
- investigate and refine the psychometric properties of the instrument; and
- investigate the viability of using the instrument as a measure of physiotherapy competency in the practice environment
La Trobe, Monash
The Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice instrument (APP) is a standardised clinical assessment tool with rigorous field testing behind its development. The APP has been endorsed by the Council of Physiotherapy Deans of Australia and New Zealand (CPDANZ) which has strongly recommended its use in university entry level programs in Australasia. The APP is listed as a validated tool for the assessment of student clinical competence by the Australian Physiotherapy Council in its Accreditation of Entry Level Physiotherapy Programs -- A Manual for Universities. The APP is now used in the majority of accredited entry level physiotherapy programs throughout Australasia.
The resource comprises the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice Clinical Education Resource Manual and a DVD. The Resource Manual contains a comprehensive description of the APP instrument including desirable professional behaviours and practical performance targets which make up the performance indicators for each of the 20 items as well as detailed guidance for scoring of each item.
The DVD cannot be used as a stand-alone resource. It is provided to support clinical educators in applying the APP and/or for training in assessment using the APP. Prior to viewing the DVD therefore, users will need to familiarise themselves with the APP instrument and its associated performance indicators, as well as how best to use the case studies provided on the DVD.
The resource will be of great value to academics involved in preclinical and clinical education of physiotherapy students, to clinical educators and preceptors in the field and indeed to students themselves as a self-directed learning tool. Because of its standardisation and wide adoption in Australasia, there is a great potential for the APP to be used for benchmarking purposes and for comparison of assessment outcomes in physiotherapy programs which may be quite varied in their design and delivery.
By degrees: Benchmarking archaeology degrees in Australian universities
The purpose of the project is to formulate a list of achievement standards for Australian Honours graduates in Archaeology. By project end, a nationally agreed public document, developed collaboratively by all Australian university providers of Archaeology, will be produced and disseminated. The project methodology should be transferable to other disciplines.
The purpose of the resource is to articulate standards of Honours degrees in archaeology at Australian universities. These benchmarks were developed by a working group of teaching academics involved in archaeology.
Driven by apparent shortcomings in archaeological training identified by employers and students, this resource would be of most use to Honours coordinators and undergraduate coordinators generally. Although it is not explicitly intended, the resource is geared primarily for those who wish to pursue a career as a consultant archaeologist (or a cultural resource manager) after four years of undergraduate training.
The most useful section of the resource is the 'Benchmarking Statements', a series of 34 dot points divided into three categories: subject knowledge and understanding; archaeology-specific skills; generic skills. These are the skills that Honours graduates would be expected to have prior to beginning a vocation in archaeology.
The rest of the resource contains fairly generic statements about archaeology, its importance, teaching and learning environments in Australian universities, and career paths.
Curriculum Development and Assessment of Methods to Enhance Communication and Life Skills in Veterinary Students
Murdoch University
2009
Sydney, UQ
This website provides information, links, and resources about how to teach communication and professional skills to veterinary students. The web pages offer a description of the ALTC project, the opportunity to download outputs such as a workbook, and contact information for key individuals who were involved in the project.
If you are teaching veterinary students, either as a core lecturer or someone contributing to a module on professional skills, the resources provided will be helpful. The core team, who are from three universities, make a compelling case for the value of this material to veterinary students.
It is evident that the authors have engaged someone in developing these materials who has a strong understanding of human communication and how to cultivate empathy with a client. The case studies, scenarios, role plays, and suggested discussion topics – offered in the downloadable workbook – have the ring of truth to them. Background discussion from the project report (and, to some extent, the workbook) cites relevant literature on practitioner-client communication. Also, evidence is provided documenting the impact of these learning activities on students.
If you are not teaching veterinary students and you are a lateral thinker, you could adapt the materials presented here for another discipline. I was considering how useful some of the insights provided would be for students in engineering, for example.
In initially using these materials, it would be handy to have a communication specialist looking over your shoulder. No matter how comprehensive the explanation of learning activities is, you may not ‘hit the mark’ unless you are already familiar with the style of teaching that is required and be comfortable with the issues that may arise in the guided discussions.
Note that not everything on the website will prove to be useful. The collection of materials, from workbook to conference posters, seems extensive, but it is also eclectic - a bit of a grab bag. Head straight for the Handbook for useful information. Turn to the Project Report for more in depth information on how the materials faired in tests with students.
Dancing between Diversity and Consistency
Edith Cowan University
2009
Deakin, QUT
The overall project (website, booklet and report) aims to provide clear guidelines for the assessment and examination of postgraduate research degrees in dance. By extension, the project establishes a flexible yet rigorous framework for supervisors and HDR students, particularly in its discussion of terms such as: practice-based research, practice-led research, practice as research, performance as research, creative practice as research, creative arts research and research through practice. Consequently, whilst the discipline focus is dance, this resource contributes to broader discussions around research, research training, and assessment and examination in the Creative and Performing Arts. In outlining key terms, classifications and shared characteristics, the website promotes the research findings (assessment guidelines) and establishes the fundamental need for research candidates to establish a ‘research design framework’ that rigorously articulates individual research methodology/s and outlines benchmark indicators for examiners. Importantly, the increasingly overlapping spheres of professional and academic practice are recognised, and whilst understood as particularly characteristic of dance, it is arguable that the nexus between academic and professional practice is one of the distinguishing characteristic of the creative and performing arts disciplines within the university sector. An important discussion encompasses entry pathways for creative and performing artists and particularly the need for professional equivalence for those mature practitioners who have a substantial body of advanced professional practice, or who can demonstrate high artistic attainment. This is in contradistinction to the more conventional academic pathway of less mature practitioners, who in moving directly from first class Honours into a research masters or doctorate, often do so without the benefit of industry or life experience. A consequence of this discussion is the useful distinction between creative doctorates with an exegetical component, the multi-modal thesis, and more traditional, humanities style theses. A paradigm shift is identified whereby ‘practice’ is understood as supplanting the more traditional, scholarly descriptions about its practice, thereby problematising conventional examination and assessment protocols. The website includes several short video excerpts of works created by dance artists and choreographers as part of their postgraduate research, and even more usefully, a database of Australian dance theses, which it proposes to maintain and update. A bibliography is also included in the ‘About’ section. The website details guidelines and protocols around the preparation and submission of HDR theses, making it a one-stop shop for scholars, candidates and examiners undertaking research inquiries through creative practice.
Dancing Between Diversity and Consistency: Evaluating Assessment in Postgraduate Studies in Dance
Edith Cowan University
2009
The project aims to refine a code of assessment for postgraduate research studies in dance in Australia, encompassing the two primary modes of investigation, written and practice-based theses, their distinctiveness and their potential interplay. The code will facilitate best practice in assessment for higher degree studies in dance and related creative arts’ disciplines.
Deakin, QUT
The Report on the research project, 'Dancing with Diversity and Consistency: Refining Assessment in Post Graduate Degrees in Dance', provides useful information regarding the research methodology employed in the development of the project’s guidelines, which are articulated through its primary research outcomes: the website and booklet. In reflecting on the very recent history of dance in tertiary contexts, its ‘fledgling status in postgraduate contexts’, and the research methodologies employed, the report succinctly outlines some of the key formulations around research degrees: the transition from dependence to independence; the question of how to assess embodiment in the context of higher degree research; as well as the variations to approach and methodology encountered throughout the course of the project. The report also looks at the factors that contributed to the project’s success as well as those that impeded progress. The report is generous in its acknowledgement of contributing stakeholders, and candid in reflecting on the variations and/or limitations that manifested throughout the research process, and which are likely to influence future developments in creative arts research. By also acknowledging the temporal and/or dynamic nature of the research undertaken, the researchers leave the way open for discussion, dialogue and the whole question of knowledge throughout the expanded field of dance and choreographic practices in particular, and the creative and performing arts in general.
Dancing Between Diversity and Consistency: Evaluating Assessment in Postgraduate Studies in Dance: Booklet
Edith Cowan University
2009
Deakin, QUT
The overall project (website, booklet and report) aims to provide clear guidelines for the assessment and examination of postgraduate research degrees in dance. By extension, the project establishes a flexible yet rigorous framework for supervisors and HDR students, particularly in its discussion of terms such as: practice-based research, practice-led research, practice as research, performance as research, creative practice as research, creative arts research and research through practice. Consequently, whilst the discipline focus is dance, this resource contributes to broader discussions around research, research training, and assessment and examination in the Creative and Performing Arts. In outlining key terms, classifications and shared characteristics, the website promotes the research findings (assessment guidelines) and establishes the fundamental need for research candidates to establish a ‘research design framework’ that rigorously articulates individual research methodology and outlines benchmark indicators for examiners. Importantly, the increasingly overlapping spheres of professional and academic practice are recognised, and whilst understood as particularly characteristic of dance, it is arguable that the nexus between academic and professional practice is one of the distinguishing characteristic of the creative and performing arts disciplines within the university sector. An important discussion encompasses entry pathways for creative and performing artists and particularly the need for professional equivalence for those mature practitioners who have a substantial body of advanced professional practice, or who can demonstrate high artistic attainment. This is in contradistinction to the more conventional academic pathway of less mature practitioners, who in moving directly from first class Honours into a research masters or doctorate, often do so without the benefit of industry or life experience. A consequence of this discussion is the useful distinction between creative doctorates with an exegetical component, the multi-modal thesis, and more traditional, humanities style theses. A paradigm shift is identified whereby ‘practice’ is understood as supplanting the more traditional, scholarly descriptions about its practice, thereby problematising conventional examination and assessment protocols. The booklet covers much of the same terrain as the website – excluding the video excerpts, and database of dance theses - but is understood as a more user-friendly option in some contexts. It adds value to the overall project, and might also be useful as an advocacy tool in some institutional contexts.
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