educational note #2

Mentoring programs

Mentoring schemes have provided a focus for much research. It seems the schemes are common, and yet people are still interested to see what makes them work and what sorts of students are attracted to participate as mentees.

In research by Larose et al. (2009) a voluntary scheme was studied and, in particular, the personalities of the students who chose to participate as mentees were compared to the personalities of those who chose not to. (What might happen if the scheme was not voluntary was not discussed at all, but would be interesting to contemplate.) Key points from the study were that:

• Mentoring programs “are based on the premise that a stable relationship of trust, support and expertise leads to greater stress reliance and the promotion of personal skills. Program objectives are generally to enhance the social, academic and vocational integration of young people in their academic and/or professional settings”.  (No surprises there.)

• It is important to note that “the proportion of students who voluntarily agree to participate remains relatively modest, especially among higher-risk groups”.  (Interesting.)

• Previous work cited by Larose et al. suggests that “individuals who decide to participate in mentoring may present distinctive personal and social support profiles compared to those who do not wish to engage in the mentoring experience”.

• The mentoring program under review involved 16 hours of formal meetings – one every 2 weeks.

• Of the total intake of 480 students, 150 volunteered to be mentored. Of those who declined, 168 offered to undergo the same personality/circumstances test that the volunteers were doing.

• Results from the test indicated that students who volunteered to be mentored “displayed more openness and agreeableness than those who declined … They also had more positive attitudes toward help-seeking from peers and teachers, displayed more intrinsic motivation and perceived more support from their peers. Moreover, these same students had a greater fear of failure and test anxiety and had poorer, less educated mothers.”

• It was found that “academic mentoring is more attractive for some students than others depending on their personality, help-seeking attitudes, academic dispositions, perceived support from friends and support available during the transition to college”.

• A key finding, and one that is not entirely unexpected, was that “mentee motivation is an essential condition for effective mentoring”.

Larose, S.; Cyrenne, D.; Garceau, O.; Harvey, M.; Guay, F. and Deschenes, C. (2009) Personal and Social Support Factors Involved in Students’ Decision to Participate in Formal Academic Mentoring. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74, 108-116.

newsflash from the australian learning and teaching council

New CEO for the ALTC

The ALTC has distributed their most recent news about about activities occurring under their aegis. A new CEO has been appointed to replace Professor Richard Johnstone; there is a Learning & Teaching Academic Standards forum in Melbourne this week; and evaluation of the impact of the ALTC grants scheme is underway.

You can read about these and other points of interest in the ALTC newsbulletin.

educational note #1: retention

Something on student retention that may be of interest. We spend a lot of time trying to get students here. Assuming they will stay is wrong. Seems there are no easy answers but it is certainly something worth thinking about.

refer to: Porter, K.B. (2008) Current Trends in Student Retention: A Literature Review. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 3, 3-5.

Although this paper is focussed on nursing in the US, the message is relevant for other professions and probably university students in general. Key points:

1. The paper starts with a statement outlining why retaining nurses is important and the author then asks: “what is being done to retain these students?”. It is interesting to see that the implication is that there is a need to actually do something rather than sit back and assume the students, once admitted, will just stay of their own accord.
2. It is noted that the student population has changed in time (more ESL students for example) and the question then is: have the programs changed to accommodate these students?
3. Various ideas are floated to improve retention. For example, involving students in the life of the university, engaging them in social activities, providing a caring environment (and making sure the students are aware of it), and academics approaching students who are experiencing difficulty (rather than assuming they will approach the academic).
4. Various factors were tested to see if they could act as identifiers of potential leavers. ESL students had a high attrition so this was a factor. Students who had taken relevant courses in school had better retention rates. There was also some investigation into other entrance exams and the like to see if they could explain retention. School grade point average (GPA) was positively correlated, as well as some other tests, but it was noted that these were only relevant for those students coming directly from school.
5. Students like to be seen and treated as individuals.

snippet #1: eyewitnesses

If a tree were to fall on an uninhabited island, would there be any sound? – (Scientific American article, 1884)

The title of Channel 10’s “Eyewitness News” makes it sound so authoritative but research has shown that eyewitnesses are as fallible as anyone and can “remember” things that never happened if prompted in the right way. It’s a field that has been studied for some time because in law courts, for example, the word of an eyewitness can carry much weight.

Witnesses are important in other fields too. The quick answer to the question posed above is “no”, but in many ways the really interesting aspect of the problem is that scientists and philosophers get so excited about the question and continue to argue its merits and implications.

For all concerned the observer is central to the questions that arise.

For the scientists it’s all about the relationship between vibrations in the air and their relationship to sound. For the philosophers it’s all about existence and how humans develop knowledge.

By 1935 things had moved on to quantum mechanics and Erwin Schrödinger had devised a thought experiment that played on a crucial property of the theory. Once again it was the role of the observer that was central to the problem. According to the Copenhagen interpretation, all possible outcomes of a quantum event actually occur simultaneously and only collapse to a single outcome when an observation is made. Hence the idea that a cat in a box with a device designed to release poison following a quantum event (the timing of which is uncertain) would be both dead and alive until the box is opened and the actual state observed.

The idea of a cat that is both dead and alive seems odd, as does the necessity of someone having to look. This was the part that spooked Schrödinger and Einstein and a lot of others too. One aspect that was never mentioned in the experiment, however, was the fact that it was always assumed that the observer was a reliable eyewitness; perhaps careful prompting could lead to a better outcome for the cat!

higher degree by research supervision award

Assoc Prof Kimi Coaldrake

Associate Professor Kimi Coaldrake of the Elder Conservatorium of Music has won the University of Adelaide Award for Higher Degree by Research Supervision for 2009. Kimi specialises in ethnomusicology, with a focus on Japan. She is a master instrumentalist on the Japanese koto (13 string zither), and has had bestowed upon her by a Japanese Living National Treasure in this musical tradition the title of  Reiku Hirowakyo (meaning Enduring Grace, Centre of Peace and Esteem)  in recognition of her training and achievements in traditional Japanese performance art. Kimi was a Fulbright Scholar, and studied at many international institutions, including Harvard and Michigan University. She was a visiting researcher at Oxford.

For nearly 20 years, Kimi has proved herself to be a remarkable supervisor, with a completion rate unmatched in her Faculty.  More than those statistical results, however, Kimi is much loved and respected by her students, who appreciate Kimi’s dictum:

Simultaneously hold in mind the hypothesis that external clarity co-exists with an internal tolerance for ambiguity.

Meaning that attempts to achieve clarity, either in terms of music knowledge or research administrative policy, must not lead to didatic, authoritarian teaching, but that learning takes place when supervisors know the ‘rules’, but are willing to be creative and sensitive when working to facilitate student learning and overcome the many problems encountered during the course of a higher degree by research. Students write that the best things about having Kimi for a supervisor are, in fact:

Her understanding and humanity. Her interest in knowledge outcomes are not lost in administrative necessity; your commitment, dedication, intellect, support and your exceptional teaching; you certainly brought clarity and focus into my life.  Many thanks for your guidance; you have been truly inspirational and so kind to me. I could never have done this without you! I have been honoured to watch a mind such as yours at work.

Kimi performing in Japan on the koto. Sitting in the centre, she is leading the music.

stephen cole the elder awards 2009

The Stephen Cole the Elder Awards have been presented to outstanding educators at the University of Adelaide for 18 years. Either as individuals or as teams, the people winning these awards represent some of the most talented and dedicated individuals working at the University.

In 2009, Professor Geoff Heithersay AO, Dr Georges Baume and Dr Paul Sendziuk have been named the Stephen Cole the Elder award winners. Each will receive a certificate in the April graduation ceremony for their School, and an $8000 prize.

Prof Geoff Heithersay AO

Professor Geoff Heithersay AO was not only awarded a Stephen Cole the Elder Award, but also the President and Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of his contribution to the field of endodontics, and to learning and teaching in Dentistry.  He has taught in the Dental School for 47 years, the past 20 years in an honorary capacity. The undergraduate endodontics curriculum he developed in 1979, although updated over time, is still the curriculum endorsed by the Australian Society of Endodontology.

Caring, enthusiastic, imaginative and inspiring, Professor Heithersay is noted for the exceptional rapport he shares with students, for his ability to inspire and guide, and to assist students in becoming confident and capable self-directed learners who graduate not just with knowledge, but with a commitment to patient well-being. In 1998, Geoff was awarded an AO for services to dentistry. In 2008, he was elected to honorary life membership of The Adelaide University Dental Students Society for … distinguished achievement as a clinician and researcher, and his consistent and continual service as an educator and supporter of the dental student body. Students describe him as:

… wonderful – highly intelligent, passionate and very encouraging. I feel very lucky to have been taught by him.

Dr Georges Baume

Dr Georges Baume was awarded the Stephen Cole the Elder Award for his inspiring teaching for 20 years in the MBA program. He is a committed, enthusiastic, insightful educator who is able instil confidence and arouse a passion for learning in students from regions as diverse as Finland, Hong Kong, Singapore and Adelaide. For 15 years he has not only taught in Adelaide, but travelled overseas eight to twelve times a year for teaching intensives, managing in the space of two days, or maybe a week, to inspire postgraduate students to new ways of learning and thinking that will help them for the rest of their lives. One of his students, already a successful businesswoman in Asia, sums up what his students feel about Georges, saying:

With Dr. Baume’s influence, we have changed the way we approach our lives and careers, which has created great positive, significant impacts that we could not have imagined before we took this MBA programme and knew this professor.

Dr Paul Sendziuk

Dr Paul Sendziuk was awarded a Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Early Career Teaching in recognition of his contributions to learning and teaching in History at the University of Adelaide since his appointment in 2005. He is extremely well-regarded by students and colleagues, and his enthusiasm for history has been very important in promoting an appreciation for, and understanding of, the importance of the discipline in the wider community. Students thrive in his classroom, enjoying the collegial and cordial atmosphere, and the opportunity to think about, discuss and learn history. As one of his students wrote in support of this application:

Dr Sendziuk is very knowledgeable, funny and able to bring out the best in me. He motivates me and has made the subject highly enjoyable. He also seeks to give every student an opportunity to talk. He makes me feel like my opinion is worthwhile.

New from the ALTC Exchange in November

Join the Exchange – 2200 members and growing – to access news and views from other university educators. This month so far:

How can team members collaborate on the same document (wiki)?

Using Groups to disseminate your project outcomes

ePortfolio Software

ALTC Exchange News 9 November 2009

Can I create a table of contents for my documents?

Community Engagement by Universities

Indiana State University began publishing this month The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education. It is an online, refereed journal that ‘reflects Indiana State’s commitment to incorporating community engagement into academics and to serving as a national leader in promoting the exchange of ideas and successful practices in this vital area,’  according to the journal’s editor, Nancy Rogers, the Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs. (Point of clarification: ‘Academics’ is the term given by Americans to that aspect of their colleges that is most concerned with teaching. You will find many websites listing ‘Academics’ and ‘Research’ as the two streams of university activities.)

The Journal’s  focus is on case studies which emphasis the ways in which the university engages with the community, the learing practices, methodologies and teaching methods.

Articles in the first edition include a review of a DePaul University community service and service learning project to reduce sexually transmitted infections in a largely immigrant Hispanic and African-American community in Chicago; and a look at Sam Houston State University’s blueprint for creating an off-campus counseling clinic for students in eight suburban school districts. One interesting article is an an evaluation of the impact of seed money grants in stimulating community-based research and service learning at the University of South Florida. read the article

Beginning to Rethink the Ethics of Higher Education

The use of Web 2.0 technologies such as Facebook and Twitter has led to new ways of  peer to peer interaction (P2P) on the web. Universities are only beginning to come to grips with the social and intellectual implications of P2P networks in higher education, oand this article from the P2P Foundation raises the interesting issue of what to do when students use Web 2.0 tools to educate one another. Is this cheating?

Read the article:

Recently the Chronicle of Higher Education ran an article suggesting that universities are fairly conservative when it comes to the capacity to change in the face of financial crisis. Not much of a surprise. In other breaking news, Wales still wet, and head lice found in kindergartens. Indeed the Chronicle is a self parody when it runs these sorts of stories. One wonders who (else) reads them.

P2P savvy critics like Stephen Downes and George Siemens have long itched the mainstream of higher education for not being more progressive in embracing new modes of learning and new forms of access. They’re mostly ignored. And then there is the long-standing joke (I’ve heard it attributed to Henry Kissinger more than anyone) that the politics at universities are so fierce because the stakes are so low. One doesn’t have to dig very far to find a reliable caricature of fuss and feathers with sound and fury signifying nothing surrounding all things higher ed…along with a forward motion that is slightly less viscous than plate glass. Change is possible in so much as it comes with a new grant for a building, new center or institute with someone’s name on it.

There has been comfort in the ancient tree-filled quads and stodgy smells for alumni and students as much as faculty and administration. In the end, Mr. Chips evolved—if only a touch. The internal tension between dreamers and idealists and organizations of stone and mortar board could give enough opening light so that people were willing to carry on feeling as if they were part of something grand and timeless but also relevant–enough.

Yet when the technology crises start to impact student ethics, one wonders whether genuinely transformative spasms are not too far away. 

Teaching Awards, Grants and Fellowships

With the 2009 teaching award, grant and fellowship round drawing to an end, it is time to begin thinking about next year. Accordingly, the Teaching Awards and Grants Office is now requesting expressions of interest from individuals who would like to participate in any of the following activities with deadlines during the first half of academic year 2010.

All are offered by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), and all particpants will receive assistance from the Teaching Awards and Grants Office once they have lodged an expression of interest with the Office by emailing Barbara Brougham barbara.brougham@adelaide.edu.au or leaving a comment here to indicate whether awards, grants or a fellowship interest them most. Please contact Barbara by November 30.

Detailed information about each of the schemes can be found on the ALTC website or you can contact Barbara on 37032 or (mobile) 0437649976 for more information.

Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning

Awards for Teaching Excellence

Competitive Grants

Leadership Program

Priority Projects

Fellowships