Reconceptualising moderation in asynchronous online discussions using grounded theory

This article reports a grounded theory study of the moderation of asynchronous online discussions, to explore the processes by which tutors in higher education decide when and how to moderate. It aims to construct a theory of e‐moderation based on some key factors which appear to influence e‐moderation. It discusses previous research on the definition and practice of e‐moderation, and then describes the study, which involved four e‐moderators working in two different university contexts. Key themes on e‐moderation, which emerged using a grounded theory approach, are discussed. It proposes a framework for e‐moderation and suggests that as a facilitative activity, it should be sufficiently contained within a ring‐fenced learning arena. Factors outside and inside the ring‐fence that appear to influence e‐moderation and their implications for future theory development and validation are discussed.     

Improving Learning in Year 9: Making use of personal learning plans

This paper takes an evaluative look at an action-planning initiative which aimed to improve pupils' learning in Year 9. The cornerstone of the process was a one-to-one discussion between pupils and tutors, which focused on their short- and long-term goals and identified targets for improvement. After the dialogue, a personal learning plan was written by the pupil. This was used to monitor development and to inform activities related to Records of Achievement in Year 10. Findings suggested that, overall, this age group benefited from action-planning processes. Pupils gained through greater understanding of their own abilities and improved communication and planning skills. However, links between strategies for lifelong learning and the activities in Year 9 had not been made. There were different effects of the initiative for males and females.     

Education with(out) distinction: beyond graduate attributes for Chinese international students

The recent explosion of Chinese students in Australian universities presents serious challenges for staff in higher education as we try to meet the conflicting demands of our positions. On one hand, we must offer diverse international students opportunity to compete equitably with their Australian counterparts and to receive an appropriate ‘Western’ education; on the other, we must work within the university's education policies which, ironically, have become increasingly homogenising. We here suggest that Confucian philosophy can offer us two-fold insight: first, into the ‘educability’ of international students and, second, into our roles as education providers. In this paper we present the philosophy, curriculum and outcomes of a 3rd-year Asian Studies course targeted exclusively to speakers of Chinese, in order to evaluate the importance of providing these students with fair and rigorous opportunities that are directly relevant to their educational aspirations. This course was specifically designed to meet the university's mandated ‘graduate attributes’ by developing students' command of written critique following ‘Western’ conventions of logical argument and without plagiarism. It is based on a theoretically transcultural ‘pedagogy of connection’ and, significantly, it is conducted bilingually in English and Chinese. Through a qualitative, constructivist analysis of this course, we argue the importance of dismantling the dominant, invisible, monolingual framing of Australian higher education in the strategic practice of course design, delivery and assessment so that prescribed Anglo-Celtic institutional goals can be realised equitably for international students.     

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF THE DES BURSARY SCHEME ON BOTH THE ‘QUALITY’ OF INTAKES TO PRE‐SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION COURSES AND THE EXTENT OF STUDENT DROP‐OUT FROM THOSE COURSES

The DES bursary aims to attract people onto pre‐service education courses in order to train as physics, mathematics and CDT teachers. Perceptions of the effectiveness of this initiative, and its influence on the comparative quality of entrants to these courses are investigated with the tutors leading bursary courses. Responses in the three subject areas are presented. The drop‐out rate of students from the courses is shown to be in the order of 7%.