Bernadette Smith and Patricia O’Keefe from the School of Accounting and Corporate Governance, with a UTAS colleague, won the Best Poster Prize at the 35th annual HERDSA Conference (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia), 2012. HERDSA 2012 was hosted by the University of Tasmania in Hobart. Delegates came from around Australasia, as well as from elsewhere around the world.
The team’s poster was entitled “How accounting students connect with learning resources in a blended environment”. It related to a research study the team is conducting into the resources students rely on in a first year accounting unit. Jane Rienks from UTAS’s Student Centre (Support) was the third team member.
The study draws on blended learning literature and addresses gaps in the literature by incorporating a comprehensive, integrated approach with student determined blends. A survey of students revealed patterns of reliance on resources and other aspects of their learning situation that were both diverse and complex indicating that teacher determined blends may not suit the individual preferences of students.