- Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, Quality assurance in Higher Education, Internationalisation of Higher Education, Education, Equity and Social Justice in Higher Education, and 12 moreHigher Education Studies, History of higher education, Economics of Higher Education and Research, Higher Education Law, Policy and Practice as/in Higher Education, Higher Education (Sociology), Comparative & International Education, History, Social Sciences, Philosophy, Business, and Sociologyedit
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In this chapter we tell a story of a discipline-specific instructional design unit located in a Faculty of Law of a large Australian university. This unit is engaged in the instructional design and development of a variety of... more
In this chapter we tell a story of a discipline-specific instructional design unit located in a Faculty of Law of a large Australian university. This unit is engaged in the instructional design and development of a variety of units/subjects, courses and projects for undergraduate, postgraduate and professional practice programs as well teaching a Graduate Certificate in Law Teaching. Other activities in this specific community of practice include assisting staff with new approaches to their teaching, developing longer-term relationships with teaching staff and fostering reflective practice. The story of practice will attempt to describe the challenges and ways in which this small “band” of instructional designers has embedded themselves in the life and directions of a Law Faculty.
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The overall structure of this book is intended to be as clear as possible, ranging from a description of general issues with regard to traffic signs to consideration of more specific topics. In Chapter 2, transport signs will be put into... more
The overall structure of this book is intended to be as clear as possible, ranging from a description of general issues with regard to traffic signs to consideration of more specific topics. In Chapter 2, transport signs will be put into context by considering their history. The next three chapters will examine signing and fundamentals: design issues, the effectiveness of transport signs at a localized/behavioral level, and the effectiveness of signing within the wider transport system. Because the book also considers transport signing in environments other than highways, the next two chapters will consider signing issues in railway operations, including the issues of signals passed at danger and aviation signing. Following this, more specific signing issues will be considered: visual factors, aging, and signing, attention and motivational factors involved in transport signing. Subsequently, the focus slightly broadens to consider signing within a wider societal context by considering such factors as cross-cultural differences with respect to sign design and comprehension, legislation, and international standardization. New technologies exert a massive impact upon all transportation systems, so the final chapters examine this topic. Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 consider Variable Message Signs in the road environment. Chapter 14 introduces Intelligent Transport Systems and considers how such technologies might replace, or at least change the role of, traditional transport signs. Chapter 15 is more speculative and considers a range of fundamental Human Factors implications with regards to these new technologies with transport systems as a whole. Finally, in Chapter 16 the authors and editors bring together chapter authors' reflections regarding their contributions.
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In a contributor book of this kind, it is clear that multiple perspectives on the topic will emerge. This paper makes no apologies for this and instead argues that it is a strength, in part due to the richness of the work in this area.... more
In a contributor book of this kind, it is clear that multiple perspectives on the topic will emerge. This paper makes no apologies for this and instead argues that it is a strength, in part due to the richness of the work in this area. This final paper is therefore intended to be "democratic" by allowing all of the authors of the book to write a paragraph or two about how they approached their topics. The authors' reflections are presented in order of their contributions to the book. Only minimal editorial changes have been made to their words.
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Using Narrative Inquiry as a Research Method How does the retelling of a critical event in life experience give insight to our understand-ing of the world around us? Narrative is now a valuable research tool across a wide range of... more
Using Narrative Inquiry as a Research Method How does the retelling of a critical event in life experience give insight to our understand-ing of the world around us? Narrative is now a valuable research tool across a wide range of disciplines (from philosophy, education, theology ...
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This paper explores the gap between the rhetoric of institutional policies on internationalisation and how academics understand and translate these policies into in their daily practices. It is based on a study conducted in one large,... more
This paper explores the gap between the rhetoric of institutional policies on internationalisation and how academics understand and translate these policies into in their daily practices. It is based on a study conducted in one large, research-intensive university in Australia. Recent studies investigating this gap from the perspective of academics have tended to do so using an individual/psychological or structural lens. This study applies both lenses to investigate academics’ perceptions and practices of internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC). Academics from a range of disciplines were invited to discuss their understandings of internationalisation and its impact on their curriculum and teaching. ‘Re-storying’ the interview data revealed a range of responses: from ‘transformalists’ who articulated strong, positive personal views and understandings of the concept, to ‘transactionists’ who had little understanding or interest in the concept. It was found that individuals’ unde...
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Michigan State University’s Lyman Briggs College (LBC) is a residential, undergraduate college devoted to studying the natural sciences with an understanding of the history, philosophy, and sociology of science. LBC is the longest-running... more
Michigan State University’s Lyman Briggs College (LBC) is a residential, undergraduate college devoted to studying the natural sciences with an understanding of the history, philosophy, and sociology of science. LBC is the longest-running program of its kind at a large U.S. research university and offers its students the close-knit living-learning community of a liberal arts college and diverse resources and opportunities of a research university. LBC has succeeded in developing a strong residential science learning community that supports its students by creating a culture of engagement in science and employing student-centered learning techniques. This has resulted in a first-year retention rate of approximately 95% (92% in STEM) and a six-year university graduation rate of approximately 85% (more than 70% in STEM with equal retention of male and female students). LBC can therefore provide a useful case study for approaches that lead to student retention and success in STEM fields.
Michigan State University’s Lyman Briggs College (LBC) is a residential, undergraduate college devoted to studying the natural sciences with an understanding of the history, philosophy, and sociology of science. LBC is the longest-running... more
Michigan State University’s Lyman Briggs College (LBC) is a residential, undergraduate college devoted to studying the natural sciences with an understanding of the history, philosophy, and sociology of science. LBC is the longest-running program of its kind at a large U.S. research university and offers its students the close-knit living-learning community of a liberal arts college and diverse resources and opportunities of a research university. LBC has succeeded in developing a strong residential science learning community that supports its students by creating a culture of engagement in science and employing student-centered learning techniques. This has resulted in a first-year retention rate of approximately 95% (92% in STEM) and a six-year university graduation rate of approximately 85% (more than 70% in STEM with equal retention of male and female students). LBC can therefore provide a useful case study for approaches that lead to student retention and success in STEM fields.
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The paper is another one of a series of works describing a research study concerning the academic voice in higher education quality in England and the Czech Republic (Mertova & Webster, 2009). To investigate the academic voice in higher... more
The paper is another one of a series of works describing a research study concerning the academic voice in higher education quality in England and the Czech Republic (Mertova & Webster, 2009). To investigate the academic voice in higher education quality, a critical event narrative inquiry method was employed, and that is the focus of this paper. A significant feature of the method was eliciting critical events related to higher education quality in professional practice of academics and higher education leaders. The research uncovered a number of similar issues and concerns in higher education quality voiced by academics and higher education leaders in both countries. Some culture-specific issues related predominantly to Czech higher education quality were also uncovered.
The paper is another one of a series of works describing a research study concerning the academic voice in higher education quality in England and the Czech Republic (Mertova & Webster, 2009). To investigate the academic voice in higher... more
The paper is another one of a series of works describing a research study concerning the academic voice in higher education quality in England and the Czech Republic (Mertova & Webster, 2009). To investigate the academic voice in higher education quality, a critical event narrative inquiry method was employed, and that is the focus of this paper. A significant feature of the method was eliciting critical events related to higher education quality in professional practice of academics and higher education leaders. The research uncovered a number of similar issues and concerns in higher education quality voiced by academics and higher education leaders in both countries. Some culture-specific issues related predominantly to Czech higher education quality were also uncovered.
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Research Interests: Marketing and Psychology
PurposeThis paper aims to report on how an Administrative Division at a research‐intensive Australian university utilised feedback data from the Learning and Growth Survey, to initiate changes.Design/methodology/approachThis paper refers... more
PurposeThis paper aims to report on how an Administrative Division at a research‐intensive Australian university utilised feedback data from the Learning and Growth Survey, to initiate changes.Design/methodology/approachThis paper refers to the actions taken by the Administrative Division to the results obtained from the Learning and Growth Survey. The questionnaire items are based on the “Balanced Scorecard” system outlined by Kaplan and Norton in 1996. It consists of a number of items identified as integral to effective growth and learning strategies for staff‐development. The questionnaire seeks staff perceptions of the individual items and how their needs are met in the current University management practices.FindingsThe results of this survey indicate that employees were willing to provide practical feedback on a range of dimensions, which they felt would assist improvement of their development and growth opportunities. Further, this paper demonstrates that in any exercise whic...
Research Interests: Psychology, Education, Higher Education, Human Resource Management, Job Satisfaction, and 10 moreBalanced Scorecard, Quality Improvement, Human Resources, Quality assurance in Higher Education, Organizational Development, Staff Development, Surveys, Organizational Performance, Design Methodology, and Questionnaires
... The questionnaire was distributed university-wide in class in a paper-based format to all ... Improving higher education: Total quality care, Buckingham, , UK: SRHE/Open University Press. ... Views of engineering students[online]... more
... The questionnaire was distributed university-wide in class in a paper-based format to all ... Improving higher education: Total quality care, Buckingham, , UK: SRHE/Open University Press. ... Views of engineering students[online] Report of a survey of final year university engineering ...
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AUQA Occasional Publication Proceedings of the Australian Universities Quality Forum 2006 53 PAPER SESSIONS A Faculty Approach to Closing the Loop in Unit Evaluations-A Case Study in the Faculty of Law Joanna Becker, Chenicheri Sid Nair,... more
AUQA Occasional Publication Proceedings of the Australian Universities Quality Forum 2006 53 PAPER SESSIONS A Faculty Approach to Closing the Loop in Unit Evaluations-A Case Study in the Faculty of Law Joanna Becker, Chenicheri Sid Nair, Len Webster and Patricie ...
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During the past decade, the conceptualisation of ‘internationalisation’ in higher education as an essentially economic enterprise has been challenged by those who believe universities have the responsibility to prepare all students to... more
During the past decade, the conceptualisation of ‘internationalisation’ in higher education as an essentially economic enterprise has been challenged by those who believe universities have the responsibility to prepare all students to live in an increasingly interconnected world. ‘Internationalisation of the curriculum’ (IoC) is now seen as the means to this end. While universities worldwide have responded to this shift by developing IoC policies, a gap between rhetoric and practice still exists (Childres, 2009). This paper will examine this gap from the perspective of academics responsible for curriculum leadership within their disciplinary units (schools) at one Australian university. This ‘neglected group’ has considerable potential to ‘influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute’ at the coalface of teaching and learning. Understanding perceptions and practices within this group is particularly important in relation to IoC because the process calls for a collaborative an...
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... Related to that is the encouragement of creativeness, innovativeness and openness to review. ... has also highlighted the significance of narrative as a valuable method to reflect on ... in Higher Education: a discipline-based... more
... Related to that is the encouragement of creativeness, innovativeness and openness to review. ... has also highlighted the significance of narrative as a valuable method to reflect on ... in Higher Education: a discipline-based approach, Higher Education Research and Development ...
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This article focuses on a multicampus, research intensive Australian tertiary institution and examines one aspect of how the institution approaches quality management. In particular, it explores the recently introduced integrated... more
This article focuses on a multicampus, research intensive Australian tertiary institution and examines one aspect of how the institution approaches quality management. In particular, it explores the recently introduced integrated evaluation data management system that consolidates and stores data from multiple internal and external sources to enable improvement and benchmarking. It also highlights some of the systems in place to communicate improvement to students and external agencies.
Internationalising the curriculum (IoC) for globally responsible citizenship calls for a profound re-orientation of teaching and learning in universities. While universities worldwide have embraced this challenge at the level of policy, a... more
Internationalising the curriculum (IoC) for globally responsible citizenship calls for a profound re-orientation of teaching and learning in universities. While universities worldwide have embraced this challenge at the level of policy, a gap between rhetoric and practice is commonly observed. This paper investigates the gap from the perspective of academics responsible for implementing change 'at the coalface'. Findings from a study conducted at a large Australian research-intensive university, which included interviews with academics in leadership positions within faculties, highlight two interrelated issues which were inhibiting academics otherwise motivated to internationalise curricula. Firstly there was a pervasive sense of uncertainty about the 'correct' or legitimate definition of IoC. Secondly, legitimate leadership and responsibility within the faculties was a concern. Even many of those who were actively engaged with IoC perceived themselves to be 'inf...
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Large organisations, such as universities or financial institutions, generally have access to substantial volumes of data from various ‘transactional’ sources, such as customer service records, email, or student management systems. There... more
Large organisations, such as universities or financial institutions, generally have access to substantial volumes of data from various ‘transactional’ sources, such as customer service records, email, or student management systems. There is an ever-increasing demand on these large organisations to make rapid, relevant and efficient decisions. Given this growing demand, there are at least three key principles that aid decision-making in such large organisations: (a) the need for decisions to be supported by facts rather than perceptions, (b) the general expectation for organisations to be accountable and transparent in their decision-making and (c) the access to data and conduct of time-series analyses to enable an organisation to be competitive. The aim of this article is to give an insight into how a large research-intensive Australian tertiary institution has approached the collection of data to allow effective and efficient institutional decisionmaking about improvements to teach...
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001.42 Using narrative inquiry as a research method : an introduction to critical event narrative analysis in research, training and professional practice / Patricie Mertova and Leonard Webster. [online resource] —Second edition.... more
001.42 Using narrative inquiry as a research method : an introduction to critical event narrative analysis in research, training and professional practice / Patricie Mertova and Leonard Webster. [online resource] —Second edition. —Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2020. —1 online resource. ISBN 0429424531 electronic book ; 9780429755279 electronic book Mobipocket ; 0429755279 electronic book Mobipocket ; 9780429424533 electronic book ; 9780429755286 electronic book EPUB ; 0429755287 electronic book EPUB ; 9780429755293 electronic book electronic book ; 0429755295 electronic book electronic book BNB Number GBC000300 EDUCATION / General Narrative inquiry (Research method)
Part 1 Overview: The nexus of feedback and improvement. Part International perspectives: Student feedback in the US and global contexts Student feedback in higher education: a Malaysian perspective Improving university teaching through... more
Part 1 Overview: The nexus of feedback and improvement. Part International perspectives: Student feedback in the US and global contexts Student feedback in higher education: a Malaysian perspective Improving university teaching through student feedback: a critical investigation Student feedback in the Australian national and university context. Part 3 Tools and administration: Tools for effective student feedback Web-based or paper-based surveys: a quandary? Inclusive practice in student feedback systems Action and the feedback cycle.
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This paper highlights the growing need for the provision of discipline-based flexible online courses for teachers in Higher Education as well as acknowledging the significance of interdisciplinary cooperation in this endeavour. It... more
This paper highlights the growing need for the provision of discipline-based flexible online courses for teachers in Higher Education as well as acknowledging the significance of interdisciplinary cooperation in this endeavour. It describes the approaches taken in designing and delivering these courses and discusses some of the challenges inherent in developing, implementing and evaluating such discipline-based Higher Education courses, through examining the Graduate Certificate in Law Teaching (GCLT) Course in the Faculty of Law at Monash University, Australia. This journal article is available in Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice: http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol2/iss2/4 Jour na l o f Un ive rs i t y Teach ing and Lear n ing Pr ac t i ce Glu ck Providing a Discipline-Based Higher Education Qualification