The extent to which expectations and assessments challenge students to learn

Implied in this aim of achieving deeper learning is the importance of task (and unit design). For the task to be sufficiently challenging academically, the task must require the right level of thinking, as indicated by the learning actions within Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. It is safe to assume that postgraduate learning and teaching would require a greater use of higher order thinking skills, achieved by designing learning that fits with the higher levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

When we consider learning design even more broadly, at the course level, it is important to  design curriculum at the appropriate AQF level, which in the case of postgraduate coursework, is generally levels 8 & 9 (Hamilton, Thomas, Carson & Ellison, 2014).

Pedagogies that encourage deep learning

There are a number of pedagogical strategies which can encourage deeper learning approaches and thereby enhancing postgraduate students’ feelings and perceptions of being academically challenged and engaged in their studies.

Four of these high impact pedagogical strategies that are well supported in the literature as being positively correlated with engagement are listed (Evans, Muijs & Tomlinson, 2015):

Given that deeper learning requires more active approaches to learning (Biggs and Tang, 2011), there is considerable overlap between Measure 1 - Academic challenge and Measure 2 - Active learning. So for additional resources and strategies, please refer to the active learning section.

Students’ efforts to actively construct knowledge

Research identifies a link between the use of active learning strategies in teaching and learning and improved student learning outcomes (Freeman et al, 2014). The reason active learning works is because it promotes a deep learning approach and discourages a surface approach. If students are actively working towards building their knowledge and skills, then they are more likely to be engaged with their course or unit. As Biggs and Tang (1999, p. 68) wrote, “it’s what the student does that is important”.

Resources

Explore the following resources for inspiration on how to integrate active learning strategies in your postgraduate units.

• Online teaching activity index (University of Illinois, 2015).
• Teaching online pedagogical repository - interaction (University of Central Florida, 2017)

Note: While some of the strategies presented in these repositories target online learning, many of them can be adapted for face-to-face teaching situations.

Professional development

The Teaching online program is an online, self-paced course for academics which places a strong emphasis on the importance of active learning strategies and interactivity, and provides educators with a foundation in online pedagogy, online course design, online teaching, and technologies used to teach online. While the whole program of four modules is of benefit, the following two modules focus on facilitating active and engaging learning experiences:

• Module 2: Mastering online pedagogy
• Module 4: Being a successful online teacher.

Options that can be mediated online:

Some ideas for formal or informal interactions, mediated by technology, when your students are off campus are listed below:

Students’ participation in broadening educational activities

As part of their course, students can participate in a number of activities designed to enrich their educational experience.

Teachers can also make a difference well beyond the classroom – and the research shows that this is where many of their most formative contributions can be made. (ACER, n.d.). Indeed, some universities in both the UK and the US assert that “if you can engage students outside of the curriculum then they will also be more engaged inside the curriculum” (Gibbs, 2014).

There are a number of different ways outside the classroom that educators can create, or raise awareness about, educational activities that both support the curriculum and enhance postgraduate student engagement.

Some strategies for outside the classroom include:

• Encouraging students to attend external seminars, symposia or public lectures on discipline related topics
• Offering field trips – in person or virtual
• Establishing a voluntary seminar program for students; they get useful feedback that isn’t necessarily linked to assessments (Source: ACER)
• Sharing industry-related opportunities

Students as contributors

Viewing students as valuable and competent contributors outside of their coursework can have a significant impact upon their student experience (ACER,n.d.).

Some strategies include having students:

• Take guided responsibility for literature searches and literature reviews
• Assist in editorial activities related to academic journals
• Assist with translation of documents related to academic research
• Participate in other activities related to research and publishing including abstract writing, research project proposals and ethics applications
• Participate in a presentation evening, where students can speak about research they have been involved in a relaxed and informal atmosphere
• Introduce speaker at public lectures and offer the vote of thanks
• Participate in peer assisted study sessions, such as ACU’s PASS
• Consider other community engagement activities that ACU offers and promotes.

(Sources: ACER, Broadening staff involvement in student learning, n.d.; McLean et al, 2013; Edwards, 2011.)

Students’ feelings of support within the university community

Educators can help enhance postgraduate students’ feelings of support and belonging at ACU both through their teaching and also by linking students with wider ACU resources.

Strategies for creating a sense of support

Strategies include:

• Start of semester. Design an activity with the aim of getting to know more about your students and for them to learn more about each other.
• Intensive on-campus workshops at the start of the course or unit. On a practical level such intensive days can help orientate students to their course/unit and include assistance with any technologies that will be used. Additionally, intensive days can help initiate student-student and staff-student connections which can help support them during their studies (Edwards, 2011).
• Team work. Encourage postgraduate students to form study groups or pairs, sharing the reading load and working through materials together (Edwards, 2011).
• Work, family and other commitments. Be sympathetic to the impact of postgraduate students’ work and family commitments upon their postgraduate studies and respond with flexible options.
• Interaction. Consider the various ways you can increase the interaction between you and your students in both formal and informal settings, inside and outside the classroom. Interaction between educators and students leads to students feeling a greater sense of belonging to the institution and of being supported (Richards, 2011). Refer to the Staff Student Interaction tab.
• Model collaboration. Model supportive and collaborative behaviours during group discussions either online or face to face
• Foster ‘social presence’ in online units. Social presence is the degree to which participants in online environments feel actively connected to one another. Social Presence is one of three key elements outlined in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, which is a conceptual model describing the processes that support learning in an online environment. You can learn more about the CoI framework in the Teaching online program, available to all ACU staff.

Integration of employment-focused work experiences into study

For information about strategies for work-integrated learning refer to the following pages:

• Real-world and authentic learning
• Employability