To help prepare students for the challenges of modern social work practice, a regional Australian... more To help prepare students for the challenges of modern social work practice, a regional Australian University's social work teaching team developed a client-centered web-based digital storytelling case study as a form of practice simulation (hereafter referred to as a digital case study) for use in a Master of Social Work qualifying program. A mixed methods evaluative study was completed. Descriptive statistics and a contextualist thematic analysis was undertaken on anonymous survey data collected from two cohorts (n = 29). Analysis demonstrated the learning benefits went beyond subjective confidence, toward mastering new skills consistent with course threshold concepts. Skill development in these areas meant students developed ways to self-manage and reflect on their emotional reactions to confronting and overwhelming situations without harming real clients. Nevertheless, during the digital case study trial, students found the discussion of controversial or sensitive issues in the online learning environment difficult. Other challenges identified included avoiding a sense of being overwhelmed by clients' multiple challenges, and not being able to interact with the simulated 'client' to ask further questions.
Understanding orbital anatomy is important for optometry students, but the learning resources ava... more Understanding orbital anatomy is important for optometry students, but the learning resources available are often fragile, expensive, and accessible only during scheduled classes. Drawing on a constructivist, personalized approach to learning, this study investigated students' perceptions of an alternative learning resource: a three-dimensional (3D) printed model used in an active learning task. A human skull was three-dimensionally scanned and used to produce a 3D printed model for each student. Students actively participated in model creation by tracing suture lines and coloring individual orbital bones during a practical class, then keeping the model for future study. Students' perceptions of the 3D orbital model were examined through a questionnaire: the impact the model had on their learning; perceptions of the 3D orbit compared to traditional resources; and utility of having their own personalized model. The 3D orbit was well received by the student cohort. Participants (n = 69) preferred the 3D orbit as a resource for learning orbital bone anatomy compared to traditional learning resources, believing the model helped them to understand and visualize the spatial relationships of the bones, and that it increased their confidence to apply this knowledge. Overall, the participants liked that they co-created the model, could touch and feel it, and that they had access to it whenever they liked. Three-dimensional printing technology has the potential to enable the creation of effective learning resources that are robust, low-cost and readily accessible to students, and should be considered by anyone wishing to incorporate personalized resources to their multimodal teaching repertoire. Anat Sci Educ 0: 1-11.
Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences, May 25, 2020
Introduction: Teaching and supervision of medical imaging students are part of the role of many r... more Introduction: Teaching and supervision of medical imaging students are part of the role of many radiographers, yet they are frequently unsupported in the development of their role as a teacher. This study explores radiographers' experiences and level of confidence in teaching and establishes the areas of support they require to be more effective in their clinical teaching role. Methods: Sixty radiographers from across Australia completed an anonymous questionnaire, and nine radiographers participated in focus groups. Thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data, whilst quantitative data were analysed using one-way ANOVA and reported as descriptive statistics. Results: The findings demonstrate that radiographers were mostly confident in the domains of familiarising students to the practice environment, supervising students and assisting students to integrate into the practice environment, but were less confident in facilitating students' learning. Radiographers have identified the teaching skills and attributes they currently possess and the areas in which they need further development. Conclusions: This study calls for support for radiographers in their teaching role and provides guidance for education providers wanting to design education to support radiographers' learning needs for teaching.
Australian and International Journal of Rural Education
A persistent issue in Australia, and globally, is how to improve participation rates in higher ed... more A persistent issue in Australia, and globally, is how to improve participation rates in higher education for students from regional and rural areas. In this paper, we tackle this challenge by exploring the idea of a Community Embedded University (CEU). We draw on empirical data from three participatory co-design workshops with university students (n = 15) and staff (n = 6), to provoke discussion on what a CEU model might look like, the activities it might engage in, and how it would collaborate with local communities to create stronger partnerships and support student engagement. Through our study, we identify key value propositions to a CEU, including fostering students’ sense of belongingness and opportunities to engage in relationship-rich pedagogy through community-university collaborative teaching. However, we also identify several challenges to enacting a CEU, such as complexities relating to distributed power-sharing and decision-making, and how to situate learning experience...
Introduction: Near-peer learning, where peers from more senior year levels teach more junior peer... more Introduction: Near-peer learning, where peers from more senior year levels teach more junior peers is a popular teaching strategy in healthcare education. There is an emerging trend to utilise this teaching strategy in preparing students for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in the form of nearpeer led formative OSCEs (NP-OSCE). However, there is little exploration of this teaching strategy in medical imaging education, nor how students perceive NP-OSCEs as beneficial to their learning. This study addresses this gap. Methods: Using a students as partners inquiry approach, 47 near-peer learners' (NPLs) and 6 near-peer teachers' (NPTs) perceptions of participating in a NP-OSCE were examined using an anonymous selfreport questionnaire. Results: NPLs reported that participating in the immersive NP-OSCE helped their performance in the summative OSCE by helping with their preparedness; including understanding expectations, experiencing emotions and being able to identify gaps in their knowledge and skills, which they then used to direct their revision in a manner that demonstrated the development of skills in evaluative judgement. There were mixed findings regarding the impact the NP-OSCE had on NPLs' levels of anxiety. NPTs also found the NP-OSCE beneficial for identifying gaps in their own knowledge and skills, yet found taking on the role of an examiner challenging. Conclusion: Students perceive NP-OSCEs as a valuable learning activity that helps them prepare for their OSCEs by providing a student perspective of an authentic immersive learning experience. NP-OSCEs enable students to focus their revision and develop skills in evaluative judgement. Implications for practice: Educators should consider including NP-OSCEs in their medical imaging curriculum as students perceive it as a valuable learning experience that assists them to prepare for their OSCE.
Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education, 2017
This essay is a reflection on the planting of the first seed of a staff-student research partners... more This essay is a reflection on the planting of the first seed of a staff-student research partnership. Our partnership aimed to grow the profile of partnerships at our Australian University while simultaneously evaluating the efficacy of peer-to-peer (P2P) revision sessions in a newly implemented Medical Imaging (MI) course. We also sought to achievethese two aims through the development of a research project to evaluate the P2P revision sessions that were initiated by Sophie, the student member of this partnership; and through the sharing of our experiences of the partnership process through critical reflective journals over the course of the partnership. We hope that both of these processes will inform thestructure of future P2P revision sessions and also provide others with insights into the partnership process that may assist them to plant their own partnership seeds. Our partnership began only a few months ago when we were introduced by a colleague.
To help prepare students for the challenges of modern social work practice, a regional Australian... more To help prepare students for the challenges of modern social work practice, a regional Australian University's social work teaching team developed a client-centered web-based digital storytelling case study as a form of practice simulation (hereafter referred to as a digital case study) for use in a Master of Social Work qualifying program. A mixed methods evaluative study was completed. Descriptive statistics and a contextualist thematic analysis was undertaken on anonymous survey data collected from two cohorts (n = 29). Analysis demonstrated the learning benefits went beyond subjective confidence, toward mastering new skills consistent with course threshold concepts. Skill development in these areas meant students developed ways to self-manage and reflect on their emotional reactions to confronting and overwhelming situations without harming real clients. Nevertheless, during the digital case study trial, students found the discussion of controversial or sensitive issues in the online learning environment difficult. Other challenges identified included avoiding a sense of being overwhelmed by clients' multiple challenges, and not being able to interact with the simulated 'client' to ask further questions.
Understanding orbital anatomy is important for optometry students, but the learning resources ava... more Understanding orbital anatomy is important for optometry students, but the learning resources available are often fragile, expensive, and accessible only during scheduled classes. Drawing on a constructivist, personalized approach to learning, this study investigated students' perceptions of an alternative learning resource: a three-dimensional (3D) printed model used in an active learning task. A human skull was three-dimensionally scanned and used to produce a 3D printed model for each student. Students actively participated in model creation by tracing suture lines and coloring individual orbital bones during a practical class, then keeping the model for future study. Students' perceptions of the 3D orbital model were examined through a questionnaire: the impact the model had on their learning; perceptions of the 3D orbit compared to traditional resources; and utility of having their own personalized model. The 3D orbit was well received by the student cohort. Participants (n = 69) preferred the 3D orbit as a resource for learning orbital bone anatomy compared to traditional learning resources, believing the model helped them to understand and visualize the spatial relationships of the bones, and that it increased their confidence to apply this knowledge. Overall, the participants liked that they co-created the model, could touch and feel it, and that they had access to it whenever they liked. Three-dimensional printing technology has the potential to enable the creation of effective learning resources that are robust, low-cost and readily accessible to students, and should be considered by anyone wishing to incorporate personalized resources to their multimodal teaching repertoire. Anat Sci Educ 0: 1-11.
Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences, May 25, 2020
Introduction: Teaching and supervision of medical imaging students are part of the role of many r... more Introduction: Teaching and supervision of medical imaging students are part of the role of many radiographers, yet they are frequently unsupported in the development of their role as a teacher. This study explores radiographers' experiences and level of confidence in teaching and establishes the areas of support they require to be more effective in their clinical teaching role. Methods: Sixty radiographers from across Australia completed an anonymous questionnaire, and nine radiographers participated in focus groups. Thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data, whilst quantitative data were analysed using one-way ANOVA and reported as descriptive statistics. Results: The findings demonstrate that radiographers were mostly confident in the domains of familiarising students to the practice environment, supervising students and assisting students to integrate into the practice environment, but were less confident in facilitating students' learning. Radiographers have identified the teaching skills and attributes they currently possess and the areas in which they need further development. Conclusions: This study calls for support for radiographers in their teaching role and provides guidance for education providers wanting to design education to support radiographers' learning needs for teaching.
Australian and International Journal of Rural Education
A persistent issue in Australia, and globally, is how to improve participation rates in higher ed... more A persistent issue in Australia, and globally, is how to improve participation rates in higher education for students from regional and rural areas. In this paper, we tackle this challenge by exploring the idea of a Community Embedded University (CEU). We draw on empirical data from three participatory co-design workshops with university students (n = 15) and staff (n = 6), to provoke discussion on what a CEU model might look like, the activities it might engage in, and how it would collaborate with local communities to create stronger partnerships and support student engagement. Through our study, we identify key value propositions to a CEU, including fostering students’ sense of belongingness and opportunities to engage in relationship-rich pedagogy through community-university collaborative teaching. However, we also identify several challenges to enacting a CEU, such as complexities relating to distributed power-sharing and decision-making, and how to situate learning experience...
Introduction: Near-peer learning, where peers from more senior year levels teach more junior peer... more Introduction: Near-peer learning, where peers from more senior year levels teach more junior peers is a popular teaching strategy in healthcare education. There is an emerging trend to utilise this teaching strategy in preparing students for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in the form of nearpeer led formative OSCEs (NP-OSCE). However, there is little exploration of this teaching strategy in medical imaging education, nor how students perceive NP-OSCEs as beneficial to their learning. This study addresses this gap. Methods: Using a students as partners inquiry approach, 47 near-peer learners' (NPLs) and 6 near-peer teachers' (NPTs) perceptions of participating in a NP-OSCE were examined using an anonymous selfreport questionnaire. Results: NPLs reported that participating in the immersive NP-OSCE helped their performance in the summative OSCE by helping with their preparedness; including understanding expectations, experiencing emotions and being able to identify gaps in their knowledge and skills, which they then used to direct their revision in a manner that demonstrated the development of skills in evaluative judgement. There were mixed findings regarding the impact the NP-OSCE had on NPLs' levels of anxiety. NPTs also found the NP-OSCE beneficial for identifying gaps in their own knowledge and skills, yet found taking on the role of an examiner challenging. Conclusion: Students perceive NP-OSCEs as a valuable learning activity that helps them prepare for their OSCEs by providing a student perspective of an authentic immersive learning experience. NP-OSCEs enable students to focus their revision and develop skills in evaluative judgement. Implications for practice: Educators should consider including NP-OSCEs in their medical imaging curriculum as students perceive it as a valuable learning experience that assists them to prepare for their OSCE.
Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education, 2017
This essay is a reflection on the planting of the first seed of a staff-student research partners... more This essay is a reflection on the planting of the first seed of a staff-student research partnership. Our partnership aimed to grow the profile of partnerships at our Australian University while simultaneously evaluating the efficacy of peer-to-peer (P2P) revision sessions in a newly implemented Medical Imaging (MI) course. We also sought to achievethese two aims through the development of a research project to evaluate the P2P revision sessions that were initiated by Sophie, the student member of this partnership; and through the sharing of our experiences of the partnership process through critical reflective journals over the course of the partnership. We hope that both of these processes will inform thestructure of future P2P revision sessions and also provide others with insights into the partnership process that may assist them to plant their own partnership seeds. Our partnership began only a few months ago when we were introduced by a colleague.
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Papers by Darci Taylor