Criterion 4

Exemplars

Criterion 4 | Developing effective environments, student support and guidance

 

Exemplar 1 –  Teaching international students; strategies to enhance learning

This report provides research-informed strategies for addressing the needs of international students learning in a western higher education context. The report is informed by and features comments from staff and student interviews across a variety of disciplines and teaching contexts.The key areas discussed are; internationalising the curriculum, making lectures accessible, encouraging participation in small group work, adopting an educative approach to plagiarism, supporting students in developing critical thinking skills, and explaining assessment expectations.“What I do with my undergraduate Management subject is I specifically looked for videotapes, examples and cases that were not just North American, European or Australian. I cover a number of Asian countries, because most of our international students are from Asia. In my postgraduate subjects I get examples of companies that are multinational. My guest speakers are all from organisations that are global. Also every year I look for books that have an International or Asia-Pacific focus. That’s how I internationalise my curriculum.” “At the start of the semester I show the Australian Bureau of statistics snapshot of the population. I do this just in case any of the local students think that it is not relevant for them to hear about the experiences of the international students. Even if they don’t work overseas, they have to communicate with people from different backgrounds here in Australia.”

View full source

Arkoudis, S. Teaching international students; strategies to enhance learning: Centre for the Study of Higher Education, Melbourne University.

 

Exemplar 2 –  Marilyn Mitchell, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bond University

In her application for a teaching citation, Marilyn reflects on the challenge of “designing and delivering programmes that motivate independent learning in students who are from many nations and cultural backgrounds and who have different learning styles, experiences, expectations and academic orientations” and the strategies that she has employed.

“To support non-English speaking background students, I found that it is important to provide case studies such as this one prior to class so that the students have time to read them and can contribute more easily”.

View full source

Wood, K., Knight, D., & Kinash, S. (Eds.) (2011). Scholarship of teaching and learning @Bond: Fostering early career research. Queensland, Australia: Office of Quality Teaching and Learning, Bond University, pp. 51-57.

 

Exemplar 3 – Case Study, Debra Bath, Griffith University.

Debra’s philosophy is ‘make it personal and make it active’. Debra was awarded a Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in 2008 and in this case study she describes how she; 1) creates a safe and motivating environment in which students can engage with each other, the course and the learning process, and 2) gives compassion and support for students as individuals.“I have found that it is often the ’little things’ that have a big impact – for example, the use of student names. From the first lecture, I aim to get to know students personally, even in a group of 300. I don’t remain behind the lecturn but move around the lecture theatre talking directly with students. Whenever a student asks a question, makes a statement or responds to me in class, I approach the student personally and if I don’t know their name I ask for it and then use it during my interaction with them. So, while I may never learn all names, students feel that I want to know them personally and value their individual contributions. This impacts on the environment in two ways: it helps to demonstrate my respect and care for students and creates a sense that each person is important and valued as an individual; and it generates a sense of community or of being a ‘collective of fellow learners.’ Both aspects are vital in addressing the potential for isolation and anonymity often experienced in large classes’.

View full case study

Bath, D. (2008). Principles to Promote Excellence in Learning and Teaching at Griffith University – Case Studies. Griffith University.

 

Criterion 4: Guides to good practice and other resources