Conversations challenging assumptions in teaching and learning spaces

Title

Conversations challenging assumptions in teaching and learning spaces

Author(s)

Craig Campbell, School of Medicine – Paramedicine
Mehrdad Heydari, First-Year Student, Bachelor of Nursing, Sydney
Hazel Maxwell, School of Health Sciences
Nicoleta Oprescu, First-Year Student, Bachelor of Health and Community Care, Sydney
Richard Say, School of Health Sciences
Brian Tran, First-Year Student, Bachelor of Paramedic Practice, Sydney
Rochelle Einboden, School of Health Sciences
Sally Farrington, School of Health Sciences
Greg Rickard, Director – Rozelle Campus
Chin-Liang Beh, School of Health Sciences
Grace Stankiewicz, School of Health Sciences
Marguerite Bramble, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst

Subtheme

Making a Difference for Students

Presentation Type

Showcase Presentation

Room

Social Sciences 210

Time

14.20-14.40

Abstract

Background

As identified in the UTAS Student Experience Strategy (2016-2020) the initial transition experience through the first year of study is critical to student engagement and retention. This project focuses on ‘Pillar 5: Strengthen the partnership between students and the University through conversations, co-creation and celebration’ drawn from the First-Year Curriculum Principles (FYCPs) derived from the UTAS Student Experience Strategy (2016-2020) and transition pedagogy (Kift, Nelson, & Clarke, 2010). This project aims to improve first-year student engagement and retention specific to the UTAS Rozelle campus, Sydney by exploring how first-years engage with the university experience. It uses a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach (Heron & Reason, 1997) where research impact is focused on change action rather than purely knowledge generation (Reason & Torbert, 2001).

The project seeks to move beyond student engagement as performance in terms of purely academic participation and success, to include issues of psychosocial wellbeing (Kahu & Nelson, 2017) and care (Barnacle & Dall’Alba, 2017). Partnerships were established between staff and students to identify and address issues arising for first-years, and facilitate collaboration to work on improvements to enhance their experience. The project is both individually transformative (staff and students) and builds the social capital of the institution and broader community (Smith, 2007).

Research Design and Methods

This one-year Action Research project involves nine academics and ten first-year student volunteers from Nursing, Health and Community Care and Paramedicine. The data collection included a focus group with the students and two workshops attended by all participants.

We recorded each session and had recordings transcribed. The transcripts were analysed for core themes and subthemes. Data analysis of the focus group and workshop transcripts suggested emergence of three core themes important to the first year student experience: quality of interaction in teaching and learning; lack of social and cultural activities; and lack of transparency and complexity in the admissions and enrolment process. Groups formed to explore and implement change action for each theme.

Eight academics and students participated in two small group dialogues. The goal of the dialogues were to gain a deeper understanding of the experience of the students’ and academics’ experience of T&L and identify actions for change.

This Presentation

This presentation will explore in depth the design of the study, including data collection and analysis. The presentation will also present and discuss some of the key findings, some of which have challenged our assumptions and raised questions on quality of interaction in learning and teaching.

References

Heron, J., & Reason, P. (1997). A participatory inquiry paradigm. Qualitative inquiry, 3(3), 274-294.

Kift, S. M., Nelson, K. J., & Clarke, J. A. (2010). Transition pedagogy: a third generation approach to FYE: a case study of policy and practice for the higher education sector. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 1(1), 1-20.

Reason, P., & Torbert, W. (2001). The action turn: Toward a transformational social science. Concepts and transformation, 6(1), 1-37.

Smith, B. (2007). Accessing social capital through the academic mentoring process. Equity & Excellence in Education, 40(1), 36-46.