Sessions 8 & 9

Session 8 (8C): (sorry Fiona, this was supposed to be 8B, but just realised I went to the wrong session…).

This session was about improving student engagement by improving teacher training – focusing on short training sessions for sessional staff using the AVID Tertiary model.  Sessional staff are being targeted for the training, as they are primarily the ones teaching first year students.  The focus was on “engaged teaching for engaging students”. The challenges facing the university are diverse student cohorts, low ATAR ratings (university entrance ratings), many students first in family to go to university, high attrition rates and little evidence of deep learning. Other challenges include tenured staff not wanting to teach the large first year classes, and the “traditional” teaching methods of “stand and deliver” not working.

The AVID training model consists of 2 days of customised training. Teaching methods are modelled and time is set aside for modifying the learning plans to incorporate the skills.  Staff are taught the skills, they practice the skills and then they integrate them into their learning plans. The reason for the success of the programme is that it has a practical focus: skills are explicitly taught, the skills are modelled and teachers can use the skills straight away. The AVID model also alerts teachers to the academic skills they need to pass on to their students as well as useful practical engaging ways of doing so (including how to take notes etc).

Session 9 (9G): The Teaching and Learning Development Centre at James Cook University are trialling the SILA program (Systematic Integrated Learning Advisor Model). They offer the “traditional” services of one-to-one consultations and generic workshops. They have funding to run SILA which involves Learning Advisors working directly with different faculties.  The model involves: broad inquiry, specific inquiry, intervention plan, academic development and programme evaluation. It is a voluntary scheme and collaboration is essential – Heads of Department essentially opt in, and then the Centre determines whether they have the expertise, and whether the faculty is one that requires extra resources (high attrition rates etc). While they are embedded into the faculties, it’s more that they would run a session after a lecture rather than during one.

One of the keys concerns is that it might not be sustainable when the funding runs out – although to counter that they are attempting to develop resources so that departments can continue to receive some benefit after the learning advisor is no longer working directly with them. Other issues are that is isn’t always possible to provide the extra support across campuses, communication across teams can be an issue, there is often the need for specialist expertise and the age-old problem of the students needing the most support not taking up any of the options.   Also, the team currently have no data on whether the embedded model makes a difference to retention and grades.