University student perspectives on institutional non-disclosure of disability and learning challenges: reasons for staying invisible

ABSTRACT

Students with disabilities (SWD) in Australian higher education need to disclose to their institution to access a range of ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support their learning. Nationally, 5.8% of the university population disclose their disability to their institution. It is suspected that there is a much larger population of students who choose non-disclosure, and therefore decide not to access support. Very little is known about the reasons for non-disclosure as this group represents a hidden population in higher education. The research reported here is based on a survey of undergraduate students in one regional Australian university where disability was reframed as ‘learning challenge’. This identified the institutionally non-disclosed group. This research identified that there were sound reasons for non-disclosure, students continually weigh up potential disclosure during their study, and students have difficulty with the disclosure process. We conclude that institutions need to understand that they have an invisible group of non-disclosing SWD in their student populations and that, to meet their learning challenges, universities need to support changes to policies, procedures and curriculum design.     

Tensions for educational developers in the digital university: developing the person,developing the product

ABSTRACT

Digital education, now common in higher education, is particularly evident in the expansion of blended and fully online offerings at universities. Central to this expansion are educational developers, staff who support teaching and learning improvement in courses they do not themselves teach. Working closely with staff, students, and the curriculum, educational developers see first-hand how the digital learning agenda is both implemented and experienced. This article reports on findings from a national study of three educational development groups: academic developers, academic language and learning developers, and online educational designers, from 14 Australian universities. Although their institutional settings, roles, and work practices varied considerably, a central theme was the tension arising from a perceived shift in institutional priorities from ‘people development’ to ‘product development’: that is, from building human (educator) capacity towards curriculum resource development, particularly for the online environment. Participants reported a decline in autonomy, with institutional strategy and targeted projects increasingly directing both the work that gets done, and the skill sets required to do it. Their observations have implications for how universities conceptualise the development and support of the educational process.     

(Dis)ordering Teacher Education: From problem students to problem-based learning

This paper takes issue with the 'disabling' of students enrolled in teacher education courses, perpetrated by definitions of students' learning disorders and by the structures and pedagogies engaged by teacher educators. Focusing on one case, but with relevance for similarly affected systems, the paper begins by outlining the changed student entry credentials of Australian universities and their faculties of education. These are seen as induced by a shift from elite to mass provision of higher education and the particular effect on teacher education providers (especially those located in regional institutions) of the politics of government funding and the continuing demand for teachers by education systems. While these changed conditions are often used to argue an increased university population of students with learning disorders, the paper suggests that such arguments often have more to do with how student problems are defined by institutions and how these definitions serve to secure additional government funding. More pertinently, the paper argues that such definition tends to locate the problem in individual students, deferring considerations of teacher educators' pedagogy and the learning arrangements of their institutions. The paper concludes that the place to begin addressing these issues of difficulty would seem to be with a different conception of knowledge production.     

University students with learning disabilities: Results of a national survey

Abstract

Despite increasing attention to disadvantaged students in Australian universities, data on students with disabilities is sparse. This paper reports the results of a 1996 national survey on students with learning disabilities (LD) in Australian universities. The data collected from disability support staff indicate that in 1996 they supported approximately 1000 students with LD: this group of students comprised 12% of all supported students with disabilities. The gender ratio of supported students with LD did not differ significantly from that of all university students, but the supported students with LD were more likely to be studying part‐time, less likely to be studying for a higher degree, and less likely to be aged under 20 years.     

Course Format and Student Learning Styles: A Comparison of Political Science Courses

ABSTRACT

This study investigates whether differences in learning styles exist between students in online and face-to-face (FTF) sections of political science courses taught by three instructors. Some studies suggest that student preferences regarding online or FTF formats are influenced by their preferred modes of learning. Independent learners, for example, may prefer online courses since they provide individualistic opportunities to study outside of the traditional classroom. This study uses original survey data to assign students one of six learning styles in order to assess whether independent learners are more common in online courses. Our analysis finds no significant differences in independent learners when comparing the two formats. This finding runs counter to studies that argue that independent learners tend to prefer online courses. In fact, the only learning style where we observe a meaningful difference among online and FTF formats is among dependent learners. Contrary to expectation, students enrolled in online versions demonstrated a greater tendency toward dependent modes of learning. Further survey responses suggest that student lifestyle drove course format selection rather than learning style. These findings have important implications for universities that increasingly turn to online courses to address decreasing enrollments and attempt to remedy the high attrition rates associated with those courses.     

Teaching communication in general science degrees: highly valued but missing the mark

Abstract

Effective communication of science is a ubiquitous learning outcome for most science degrees, and a national threshold learning outcome for science in Australia. Evidence suggests that employers and academics are dissatisfied with the communication skills of many science graduates. Our study examines communication tasks used in summative assessment in bachelor of science (BSc) degrees. We compiled public information for all units of study from the BSc programmes at five research-intensive Australian universities. Our analysis suggests that science academics place high value on developing the ability of students to communicate, with 66% of all science units (n?=?1225) using one or more communication tasks as assessment (mean weighting 44%). However, opportunities for students to communicate in a variety of contexts are lacking. We found that communication tasks from eight majors (n?=?683) across the five universities addressed a very narrow range of contexts; an audience of scientists (including students) in the same discipline (97%), in the mode of traditional writing (79%) and for the purpose of interpreting and presenting results (66%). As such, assessment practice does not match the variety of contexts required by the Australian threshold learning outcomes or guiding statements in other countries. We identify opportunities and offer practical recommendations to help correct this mismatch.     

Non‐traditional students in Australian higher education: Persistent inequities and the new ideology of ‘student choice’

Abstract

Despite the expansion of access to Australian higher education in the past decade, the participation shares of rural and isolated people and people from lower socio‐economic backgrounds have altered little and remain unacceptably low. This paper reports findings from two national studies at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education that have examined student choices about higher education, especially the inhibiting factors still present for non‐traditional students. The discussion focuses on the dilemmas and challenges for Australian universities in balancing the adoption of entrepreneurial approaches to student recruitment with an unfinished equity agenda. The paper raises questions about the new ideology of individual choice influencing university policy and whether or not this can be reconciled with social equity objectives.     

Understanding the causal mechanisms of visual processing problems: A possible biochemical basis for Irlen syndrome?

Abstract

When LOTE (Languages Other Than English) was first introduced into the primary school curriculum during the 1980s and 1990s, there was debate within some school communities concerning the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the language program. Some educators were unsure about whether or not children with special educational needs included in regular classrooms would derive any benefit from the study of a second language. However, since the introduction of LOTE, many children with mild disabilities’ have participated in LOTE activities in the primary school and indications are that most of these children have gained from the experience. However, any decision regarding a student's participation in the language program should be made only after consultation with all parties involved and should ideally be accompanied by the provision of adequate support for both the child and the language teacher.     

Marketing of Further and Higher Education: an equal opportunities perspective

abstract

College and universities are wanting to recruit more students from a wider base giving them access to further and higher education. This requires institutions to market their courses effectively to prospective consumers. In educational terms the consumer is the student. This article explores the links between marketing models and the ways that colleges and universities have addressed the issue of equality of opportunity and wider access.     

Creating first-year assessment support: lecturer perspectives and student access*

While online courses provide opportunities for a range of assessment tools and resources, little is known about how lecturers might best provide assessment cues to support diverse cohorts. This study explored how lecturers communicate messages about assessment expectations to first-year students in two courses at an Australian regional university (Nursing, n = 323; Engineering, n = 153), and how students accessed the assessment resources. A comparative case study methodology was used. Data included interviews with course coordinators to identify the assessment cues provided, course online content related to assessment and data recording student access of assessment resources. Diverse messaging systems were observed and verbal and written cues were abundant and embedded throughout both courses; however, not all students accessed all cues. What remains unclear is how students might bring together these cues in a productive way. Further research must explore the extent to which students can be better supported to improve their learning.     

The impetus for organisational change: An exploration

Abstract

This paper examines the factors that cause universities to undertake academic change, specifically, changes to achieve more effective teaching and learning. Based on an analysis of 30 reform‐oriented US colleges and universities, it suggests that universities respond to diverse environmental pressures, not solely to external mandates. There is evidence, too, that internal forces within universities can be an impetus for change.     

The prison is another country: incarcerated students and (im)mobility in Australian prisons

ABSTRACT

Space, time and movement have particular meanings and significance for Australian prisoners attempting higher education while incarcerated. In a sense, the prison is another ‘world’ or ‘country’ with its own spatial and temporal arrangements and constraints for incarcerated university students. The contemporary digital university typically presupposes a level of mobility and access to mobile communication technologies which most Australian prisoners cannot access. This article examines the immobility of incarcerated students and their attempts to complete tertiary and pre-tertiary distance education courses without direct internet access. Drawing on critical mobilities theory, this article also explores attempts to address this digital disconnection of incarcerated students and where such interventions have been frustrated by movement issues within the prison. Prison focus group data suggest the use of modified digital learning technologies in prisons needs to be informed by a critical approach to the institutional processes and practices of this unique and challenging learning environment. This article also highlights the limitations and contradictions of painful immobilisation as a core strategy of Australia’s modern, expanding penal state, which encourages rehabilitation through education, while effectively cutting prisoners off from the wider digital world.     

Student support in e-learning courses in higher education – insights from a metasynthesis “A pedagogy of panic attacks”

Abstract

E-learning includes the use of the internet for accessing learning materials, interacting with learning content and with instructors and students to obtain support during the learning process in order to gain knowledge and personal meaning and to grow. It occurs when students have electronic access to resources and where they are in regular online contact with their peers and tutors. The primary objective of the metasynthesis was to analyse primary qualitative research studies on learner support in online courses to establish a guideline for e-learning support.

The metamethod entailed thoughtful examination of the manner in which the methodological approach was used to gather and interpret the data. The metadata analysis involved reinterpretations of the actual findings from the primary qualitative studies. Lastly, the metatheory consisted of an examination of theories leading the primary researchers’ topics, frameworks and research questions.

Conducting a metastudy from a constructivist perspective as in this research meant that I functioned as the interpreter of primary research studies, translating what has been written by other researchers for the purpose of revealing similarities and differences, and developing practice guidelines or theoretical concepts on a specific phenomenon. I identified three main themes regarding student support in e-learning in higher education, technical problems (infrastructure and access), a panic attack (pedagogy) and a human contact (human factors).     

Student-initiated Facebook sites: nurturing personal learning environments or a place for the disenfranchised?

ABSTRACT

Facebook is social media that is ubiquitously used in higher education contexts by both staff and students. It provides a platform for student networking and expression. The authors illuminate how pre-service teachers in an Australian university, undertaking undergraduate units, use Facebook as a student-initiated social media community. Although an increasing number of research studies have investigated student use of social media in higher education, this is an under-theorised area. In particular, little has been written about the student-initiated use of Facebook as a commentary on the activities running simultaneously to formal online learning programmes in universities. Data drawn from 15 semi-structured interviews support an investigation into student Facebook use. Findings highlight that student-driven Facebook sites have a range of purposes and offer ever-present access to a relational community online, although this can sometimes be problematic. When emotional support is not forthcoming from academics or there is disenfranchisement in formal learning spaces, membership in student-initiated learning communities can afford immediacy, informality, influence and shared emotional connections.     

Changing lives: improving care leaver access to higher education

ABSTRACT

Australian and international research documents the limited access of young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) to further and higher education. This paper examines the processes, outcomes, and key findings of the Raising Expectations project, a collaborative university and industry approach to promote higher education among care leavers at two Australian universities. That approach was informed by the co-authors' previous research, including interviews with enrolled care-leaver students. The paper highlights the relevance of that research in the design and implementation of Raising Expectations. Our findings reiterate the importance of policy and practice reforms informed by rigorous research, particularly involving the voices and agency of care leavers. We outline strategies adopted by the participating universities resulting in a fourfold increase in enrolments, growth in school outreach activities, and significantly improved retention rates. The paper also highlights barriers to higher education access and success, through care-leaver student interviews and policy analysis. These interviews revealed the need for better university outreach and information to prospective care-leaver students, improved support for enrolled care-leaver students, and better capturing of data by universities and governments. The paper also highlights policy barriers to the greater expansion of care-leavers at university, especially in the absence of extended state care.     

Weaving the 'Seamless Web': Why higher education and further education need to 'merge' if lifelong learning is to become a reality

This paper offers evidence that universities need to create ever greater links with further education if lifelong learning is ever to become a reality. Adult learners and potential adult learners are intimidated by the mystique of the 'university' (in its cultural metaphorical sense) but would be more inclined to return to learning if the said learning could take place in the more 'friendly' confines of a further education college. Thus the trend of FE colleges offering 'higher' education courses with validation by universities is one which should be encouraged and pursued to an even greater extent than it already is.     

Contract cheating in Australian higher education: a comparison of non-university higher education providers and universities

Abstract

This article reports on one aspect of a nationally funded research project on contract cheating in Australian higher education. The project explored students' and educators’ experiences of contract cheating, and the contextual factors that may influence it. This article reports the key findings from non-university higher education providers (NUHEPs). It compares survey responses from 961 students and 91 educators at four NUHEPs with previously reported findings from eight universities (14,086 students and 1,147 staff). NUHEP and university students report engaging in contract cheating in similar ways. However, while NUHEP educators spend more time teaching academic literacies and discussing contract cheating, NUHEP students are 12 times more likely than university students to report use of a professional academic writing service. Both NUHEP and university educators require systematic professional development regarding the relationship between the teaching and learning environment and students’ contract cheating behaviour. NUHEPs need to be cognisant of students’ vulnerability to commercial contract cheating services, and ensure they have access to timely academic and social support.     

Variation in learning orchestration in university biology courses

The manner in which students manage their learning activities in response to perceived task or course demands describes their 'learning orchestration'. This paper addresses relations between a student's learning orchestration and their learning outcome as a function of prior understanding in first year university biology courses. A cluster analysis of 272 Australian students revealed three different forms of learning orchestration - understanding, reproducing and disintegrated. In one cluster, students felt their environment was more supportive of deep approaches to learning and they adopted deeper approaches. They were the students who had the better prior understanding and they did best on measures of meaningful learning. However, less than one third of the students showed this coherent (and desirable) learning pattern. A second cluster of students showed a coherent but less desirable learning orchestration focused on more surface perceptions and approaches and they had significantly worse learning gains and achievement scores. The third cluster of students saw the learning environment as being more supportive of deep approaches, but, unlike the other groups, they did not adopt an approach consistent with their perception. We describe these students as having a disintegrated learning orchestration. A key finding is that the students with this orchestration also have very poor levels of prior knowledge and also have very poor achievement outcomes.     

Assessment worlds colliding? Negotiating between discourses of assessment on an online open course

Abstract

Using the badged open course, Taking your first steps into Higher Education, this case study examines how assessment on online open courses draws on concepts of assessment used within formal and informal learning. Our experience was that assessment used within open courses, such as massive open online courses, is primarily determined by the requirements of quality assurance processes to award a digital badge or statement of participation as well as what is technologically possible. However, this disregards much recent work in universities that use assessment in support of learning. We suggest that designers of online open courses should pay greater attention to the relationship of assessment and learning to improve participant course completion.