Criterion 1

Exemplars

Criterion 1 | Design and planning of learning activities

 

Exemplar 1 – Associate Professor Leon Wolff, Faculty of Law, Bond University

Associate Professor Leon Wolff was awarded a Citation by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council for his innovative use of narrative methodology to create an authentic, inquiry based learning experience for first year law students. In his application for the award he reflects on how he developed curriculum and resources that reflect innovative design, a command of the discipline of law and pedagogical principles such as a student centred approach.

“My approach to narrative method takes seriously the central pedagogical principle that students should be at the centre of their learning experience (Biggs & Tang, 2007). My curriculum and assessment design, for example, does not position the teacher as the master story-teller; instead, students are at the forefront of the narrative. They are the lawyers; they are the ones assisting the clients with their legal disputes; and, as students acquire more knowledge of the design of the legal system and the skills of research, analysis, writing, problem-solving and critique, they are the ones who prepare the legal opinions… The development of such a curriculum requires imagination and legal expertise.”

View Leon’s full application

Wood, K. Knight, D, & Kinash, S (Eds.) (2012). Scholarship of teaching and learning @ Bond: Fostering early career research (Vol. 2). Queensland, Australia: Office of Teaching and Learning, Bond University, pp. 183-189

 

Exemplar 2 –   Radical course revision: a case study

In this article Julie Stout reflects on how dissatisfaction with student performance and evaluations drove her to drastically revise a course. Although the original course design was based on active learning principles, she realised that there was a lack of alignment between the activities, theory and learning objectives because she had not clearly articulated the skills that she expected students to learn. Julie explains the course changes that she implemented and how they improved student learning and satisfaction as well as her own enjoyment in teaching the course.

“I decided to adopt a new strategy. Instead of working through trial-and-error, tinkering with the edges of my teaching, I determined to overhaul it. The time had come for rigorous, critical reflection on my teaching, the same kind of systematic critical reflection that I apply to my research.”

View the entire article

Stout, J. (2001) Radical course revision: a case study. The National Teaching and Learning Forum, 10(4), 1-5.

 

Exemplar 3 – Physiotherapy Clinical Education Team (Jo Cannaughton, Susan Edgar & Jacqui Francis-Coad), Notre Dame University

The team were awarded a Citation by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council for the developing and scaffolding reflective practice skills in an online environment to promote independent work-ready graduates. In this excerpt from their award application, the team describe how they increased student motivation and engagement through the innovative development of an assessed framework.

Excerpt from teaching award application

Assignment outline

Reflective journal workbook

Criterion 1: Good practice guides and other resources