Category: Higher Education

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Making connections: A dialogue about learning and teaching in a tertiary enabling program

Authors: Jennifer Debenham and Jo May, University of Newcastle, NSW

Edition: Volume 45, Number 1, April 2005

Summary: This paper concerns the experiences and effects of a tertiary entrance program from two perspectives: that of a former student now engaged in her Honours program and of her enabling lecturer. The main aim of the paper is to present a literature review of published studies about mature women’s engagement with tertiary study at the entry level. The authors utilise their enabling education biographies to connect the review of literature to lived experiences. The study asks: how far does the literature cover their experiences and what gaps, if any, are there? The first section briefly outlines the approach taken in the paper. In the second section the enabling experience is discussed in three parts: motivations to enter, the first assignment and course encounters. The third section examines the wider effects of participation in enabling on the self, family and friends. The paper bears out the findings of recent literature that highlighted the powerful transformative effects of such programs in all spheres of the students’ lives and the importance of making connections in enabling programs. It suggests that more research needs to be carried out in a number of areas, especially gender, race and class.

Keywords: tertiary entrance, literature review, mature, entry level, enabling experience

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Abridged too far? Credit transfer: Examining the transition process from TAFE to University

Author: Theresa Millman, University of Wollongong

Edition: Volume 53, Number 2, July 2013

Summary: In responding to a global audience, universities are increasingly bound up in priorities of maintaining viability within landscapes of globalised market imperatives, and with changing paradigms of purpose; universities need to be accessible to all. In Australia, pathways to university provided by Credit Transfer have increased student mobility; the dichotomy however, is that alongside discourses of inclusivity is the need for students to adjust to the often rigorous academic demands of higher education. This paper examines the Bachelor of Communication and Media at the University of Wollongong (UOW), and the Diploma of Communication & Media Studies at the Illawarra Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). Some of the common challenges transitioning students face in their first year at UOW are discussed, including; adapting to different workloads and the demands of self-directed, independent learning. A potential solution is a pre- university entry induction program for TAFE students.

Keywords: transition, credit transfer, advanced standing, Mezirow, transformation

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 53_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Predictors of attrition and achievement in a tertiary bridging program

Author: Robert Whannell, University of New England

Edition: Volume 53, Number 2, July 2013

Summary: This study examines the attrition and achievement of a sample of 295 students in an on-campus tertiary bridging program at a regional university. A logistic regression analysis using enrolment status, age and the number of absences from scheduled classes at week three of the semester as predictor variables correctly predicted 92.8 percent of participant attrition. It was concluded that attrition is largely a phenomenon associated with younger students between 18 and 24. While the quality of academic staff support was found to be strongly positively associated with the emotional commitment and academic identity of the participant, it was also negatively associated with scheduled class absence for those participants who dropped out. Intervention to address attrition of these young students is recommended to involve the selection of appropriate academic staff and a comprehensive orientation process which allows the development of supportive peer and staff relationships. The purpose of the orientation would be to facilitate the development of a robust sense of emotional commitment to a positive academic identity prior to the completion of the initial assessment tasks.

Keywords: bridging education, attrition, emotional commitment, identity.

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 53_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Humanities education as a pathway for women in regional and rural Australia: Clemente Ballarat

Authors: Ann Gervasoni, Australian Catholic University; Jeremy Smith, University of Ballarat; Peter Howard, Australian Catholic University

Edition: Volume 53, Number 2, July 2013

Summary: This paper provides insight into the experience of Clemente humanities education for six regional and rural Australian women living around Ballarat. Each took part in an audio-taped semistructured interview which explored the impact that university study had on their lives. Their responses suggest that Clemente Ballarat was life-giving. The student insights identified the critical importance of: providing a supportive learning environment for people lacking life opportunities and routine; students feeling better and happier with themselves resultant from personal learning achievements; doing something that was about ‘me’; support from others including Learning Partners and the program’s counsellor; students appreciating their academic and inner strengths; rekindling dreams and hope; seeking ways out of poverty for their family; finding friendships and connection; appreciating the academic disciplines; improvements in well-being and mental health; and pride in achievements. Students also were apprehensive about what the future may hold after completion and graduation. These insights highlight the treasures that students found when engaged in humanities education based upon community embedded socially supported structures that enable learning. Further, these insights provide contextual outcomes for the Clemente program, which could be implemented across regional and rural Australia for people experiencing multiple disadvantages or social exclusion.

Keywords: social inclusion, equity, disadvantage, transformation, humanities education, community engagement.

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 53_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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The twenty-first century university and the concept of lifelong learning

Author: Sasa Milic: University of Montenegro

Edition: Volume 53, Number 1, April 2013

Summary:

In recent years, major universities and governmental and nongovernmental organizations around the world have been engaged in discussions about implementing the principles of lifelong learning as fundamental principles of individual education. Until about a decade ago, adult education in Montenegro (whose development resembled that of adult education in the other republics of the former Yugoslavia) was characterized by the founding of workers’ or people’s universities; establishment of training centers at major companies and factories; and continued professional training, which included part-time enrollment in traditional universities. In other words, adult education was treated as an integral part of the formal education system but was not included in the state budget for education. Over the course of the last ten years, Montenegro has lost its old system of adult education, but it is still quite far from establishing a new one. Tellingly, no strategic document pertaining to adult education in the country recognizes the University of Montenegro as having a major role  in lifelong learning. This essay problematizes the place and role of the university within the system of adult education and offers a comparative analysis of the development of the concept of lifelong learning at the university level in Europe.

Keywords: lifelong learning, adult education, expanding accessibility, different learning styles, social partnership, social justice.

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 53_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Time, money, leisure and guilt – the gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students

Author: Cathy Stone: Open Universities Australia and The University of Newcastle, Australia

Edition: Volume 53, Number 1, April 2013

Summary: Two qualitative research projects examined the impact of university study on two cohorts of mature-age students at a regional university in Australia. All the students interviewed had entered university via non-traditional pathways and had faced significant hurdles in gaining university entrance and continuing with their studies. The influence of gender on their experiences of managing home, family and work responsibilities in combination with their responsibilities as students is examined. Issues such as lack of time and money, self-sacrifice and guilt emerged strongly from the stories of these students as they struggled to manage their multiple responsibilities. The gendered nature of these struggles is explored.

Keywords: university, mature-age, regional, non-traditional, pathway, student, hurdle

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 53_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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After the doctorate? Personal and professional outcomes of the doctoral learning journey

Author/s: Barry Elsey

Edition: Volume 47, Number 3, November 2007

Summary: This paper explores the post-graduation experiences of 94 doctoral graduates from the Division of Business at the University of South Australia. Data were gathered by means of an online questionnaire. The first part examines the extent to which the original goals and ambitions of the graduates were realised in successfully completing the doctoral learning journey. The second part investigates ways in which doctoral learning outcomes were applied after graduation. These two foci are of interest to university policy-makers, marketing and administrative staff and academics ultimately responsible for the delivery of programs and the management of the doctoral learning journey.

Keywords: doctoral graduates, online questionnaire, learning journey, learning outcomes

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Adult learners online: students’ experiences of learning online

Author/s: Wendy M. Knightley

Edition: Volume 47, Number 2, July 2007

Summary: Throughout the world, policy-makers are demonstrating their commitment to widening participation in education by promoting alternative pathways to gaining academic qualifications. This  paper reports a study which aimed to investigate the potential of online learning to overcome barriers to participating in education by socially disadvantaged adults, and to identify the factors that influenced such students’ participation and successful completion of online learning courses. Seventy-nine adults taking online learning courses with the Open University in the United Kingdom participated in a telephone survey and 15 of these students were also interviewed. Participants perceived themselves as having more easily accessed education because of the option of online learning and reported having benefited from the experience. However, online learning per se should be offered as only one potential means of attracting and retaining adult students, and further exploration into its potential for widening participation is necessary.

Keywords: participation, education, qualifications, social disadvantage, online learning

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Faces in tertiary places and spaces: experiences of learning in both higher education and VET

Author/s: Roger Harris

Edition: Volume 48, Number 3, November 2008

Summary: The development in today’s society of knowledge workers for tomorrow is of critical importance. Worldwide, there is considerable interest in the respective roles of higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET) in building human capability. This paper is designed to provoke such questions as: what kinds of learning places and spaces are Australia’s HE and VET institutions? and how do individuals make sense of the learning and teaching in these sectors? The paper focuses on the experiences of those learners who have studied in both sectors – faces who are therefore in a unique position to analyse them as learning places and spaces. A survey was undertaken of 556 learners who commenced study in technical and further education (TAFE) and universities in South Australia. Subsequent interviews with 69 of these students explored their educational histories in greater depth. The data reflected important differences in the learners’ experiences within the sectors. The findings can provide policy-makers and institutional leaders with insights into how best to position these two sectors to the advantage of learners with changing needs, expectations and desired pathways. They suggest that greater recognition could be afforded to the different but increasingly complementary roles that HE and VET play.

Keywords: learning places, survey, role, higher education, vocational education

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Promoting social inclusion: emerging evidence from the Catalyst-Clemente program

Author/s: Peter Howard, Tim Marchant, Anne Hampshire, Jude Butcher, Luke Egan and Katrina Bredhauer

Edition: Volume 48, Number 3, November 2008

Summary: Catalyst-Clemente is an innovative educational program based upon a collaboration involving Australian Catholic University, Mission Australia and the St Vincent de Paul Society. The program enhances the transformational learning opportunities and re-engagement of disadvantaged people within the community. This paper reports on the origins and rationale of the program and initial research undertaken with the students. Six key themes of self, social interaction, relationships with others, learning, community participation and the future have been identified that represent the ways in which the program impacts upon the participants. The initial study suggests that Catalyst-Clemente is a practical educational solution that has resulted in enhancing the life opportunities and choices for disadvantaged Australians.

Keywords: Catalyst-Clemente, disadvantaged, impacts, outcomes

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