Aligning inter-professional learning within Allied Health curricula to the discipline-specific professional competency standards and university interprofessional education accreditation requirement

Ms Shari Maver

Learning is best when it is shared: Do videoed case scenarios support interprofessional learning in an allied health neuroscience unit?

Assoc Professor Belinda Bilney

The unit, ALHT210: Neuroscience for Allied Health, is but one example of how interprofessional education (IPE) is being embedded into the second year of undergraduate allied health programs at Australian Catholic University. One challenge in delivering an interprofessional unit such as this, is to engage students with content that they may perceive has limited relevance to their discipline presently, but is paramount to their ability to provide collaborative client centred health care in the future (Bogossian et al., 2023).

The purpose of this action research project is to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of four ‘pilot’ videoed case studies in facilitating interprofessional learning in ALHT210. Each case study incorporated short, recorded interviews with people living with a neurological condition and allied health clinicians who provide interprofessional assessment and management to this clinical population. In the first action research cycle, five teaching staff participated in two online focus groups discussions, reflecting on the effectiveness of the videoed case studies for student learning, and proposing modifications for implementation in the second iteration of the unit in 2024.

This presentation will discuss how a thematic analysis of these discussions have contributed to (i) evidence informed revisions of the videoed case studies, and (ii) the scholarship of IPE design, specifically utilising videoed case studies (co-developed with clients, families, and clinicians) to connect student learning with clinical practice. Plans to evaluate the recommended revisions to the ‘pilot’ videoed case studies, in the second research cycle, from the perspectives of students, will also be outlined.

Bogossian, F., New, K., George, K., Barr, N., Dodd, N., Hamilton, A. L., Nash, G., Masters, N., Pelly, F., Reid, C., Shakhovskoy, R., & Taylor, J. (2023). The implementation of interprofessional education: a scoping review. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract, 28(1), 243-277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10128-4 

Student Panel: Student perspectives of learning at ACU

Anneliese Broom, Darcy Irvin, Isla Russell and Jessica Campbell

A panel of students studying at the Ballarat campus, representing a range of disciplines at various points of their academic journey will participate in a session facilitated by the MC. Each student will speak to the reasons for their program selection, their professional goals and aspirations, their experience at ACU, what has and has not worked well for them on their learning journey, and suggestions for what could be done to improve the learning experience.  To conclude, there will be a Q&A session in which showcase attendees are encouraged to participate.

ACU Thrive: A year in review

Ms Shari Maver and Mr Luke Bendle

In 2023, ACU piloted a first-year undergraduate teaching model founded on transition pedagogy (Kift, 2015) across four large courses: Physiotherapy, Nursing, Nursing/Paramedicine, and Education. This initiative was titled ACU Thrive. As the dust settles on the academic year, it’s timely to review ACU Thrive. This presentation will overview why ACU Thrive was initiated, the work that was involved, and the preliminary outcomes of Semester 1 and 2 for 2023.

Academics directly involved in the delivery of ACU Thrive will present about their experiences, as well as share broader outcomes related to the initiatives. These outcomes will include SELT data, LEO engagement data, Echo360 data, success rates, and retention rates. Commentary will be offered about the successes of the work, as well as the opportunities for future innovation and improvement. The presentation is an opportunity for the ACU community to hear more about ACU Thrive, as well as receive first-hand anecdotes from those who were involved.

Kift, S. (2015). A decade of transition pedagogy: A quantum leap in conceptualising the first year experience. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 2(1), 51-86.

Post Placement workshops to increase preservice teachers’ self efficacy in professional experience

Dr Kathleen McGuire

The Post Placement Workshop (PPW) project is an innovative initiative responding to pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) self-identified needs via meaningful deconstruction of their professional placement experiences. In response to current stressors on Australian education systems such as an acute teacher shortage (Caudal, 2022) and significant numbers of early career teachers leaving the profession (Hogan et al., 2021), this presentation details the value and need for post placement workshops in Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

The project builds on previous research around post-placement interventions in the Health Sciences (Billett, 2019). The PPW project is supported by an ACU Teaching Development grant. It connects ITE PSTs with new graduates and experienced educators with a focus on addressing PSTs’ self-efficacy, resilience, and teacher identity. The purpose of the PPWs is to identify current issues that impact PSTs on placements and provide them with a realistic appreciation of the standards required in their respective industries (Jackson, 2015). Through professional conversations and active learning processes, PSTs receive advice for negotiating unanticipated situations, strategies for identifying strengths and goals, and scaffolding purposeful reflection on a range of self and peer experiences.

Results indicate that PPWs evidence a range of tangible and meaningful impacts on end users. The translation of findings is applicable to all disciplines that incorporate WIL placements (Cain et al., 2019). The presenters will provide an overview of the project and key elements in successfully delivering PPWs both in person and in hybrid mode using ACU’s Hyflex technology. They will present a summary of the data collected to date through pre-and post- surveys and interviews and present a conceptual framework which explains how PPWs promote mutually beneficial collaborations with key end-users and a Mission-aligned contribution to society.

Billett, S. Augmenting post-practicum experiences: Purposes and practices. In S. Billett, J. Newton, G. Rogers, & C. Noble (2019). Augmenting health and social care students’ clinical learning experiences outcomes and processes, 3-26. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05560-8
Cain, M., Le, A. H., & Billett, S. (2019). Sharing stories and building resilience: Student preferences and processes of post practicum interventions. In Billett, S., Newton, J., Rogers, G., & Noble, C. (Eds.). Augmenting health and social care students’ clinical learning experiences: Processes and outcomes. Springer, pp. 27-53. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-05560-8
Caudal, S. (2022). Australian secondary schools and the teacher crisis: Understanding teacher shortages and attrition. Education and Society 40(2), 23–39. https://doi.org/10.7459/es/40.2.03
Hogan, J. P., & White, P. (2021). A self-study exploration of early career teacher burnout and the adaptive strategies of experienced teachers. The Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(5), 18-39. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2021v46n5.2
Jackson, D. (2015). Employability skill development in work-integrated learning: Barriers and best practice. Studies in Higher Education 40(2), 350-367. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.842221

Developing authentic assessment across the disciplines: a workshop for academic staff

Assoc Professor Christian Lorenzen

Decades ago, Wiggins (1990) defined authentic assessment as those tasks that are similar to workplace tasks, are led by students allowing (co-) creation, and produce outcomes that are a result of problem solving. Wiggins (1990) also emphasised that the learning process of completing an authentic assessment is of equal value to the assessed product, enabling assessment for as well as of learning. This approach has long been supported by constructivist theorists (Biggs & Tang, 2011; Sadler, 1989) and recently enshrined in new Assessment Policy at ACU. Yet, more traditional forms of assessment tasks, such as tests, exams and essays, continue to feature strongly in universities. Simper (et.al. 2022) argue that changing assessment practices at an institution involves a change in assessment culture achieved through a combination of policy levers and agency for change. Such an approach is required to disrupt entrenched micro-cultures of assessment in disciplines, compliance-driven approaches to assessment and also academic resistance to change (Simper et al., 2022).

Australian Catholic University has also recently implemented new Graduate Attributes and Capabilities. As academic staff work to review their curricula to map new Graduate Attributes and a new Assessment Policy to their teaching, learning and assessment structures and practices, an opportunity exists to reconsider assessment in terms of authenticity of tasks across disciplines and student cohorts. This opportunity is also timely in the context of the rapid proliferation of generative AI tools. This workshop aims to present principles and strategies for authentic assessment task design and implementation, engaging attendees with redesign options in their field. The intended outcome is to foster a collaborative environment for academics to explore and integrate authentic assessment approaches in alignment with ACU’s new Graduate Attributes and Assessment Policies, thereby enhancing the learning experiences and outcomes for ACU students across different disciplines.

Biggs, J. B., & Tang, C. S.-K. (2011). Teaching for Quality Learning at (4th ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Society For Research Into Higher Education & Open University Press.
Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18(2), 119–144.
Simper, N., Mårtensson, K., Berry, A., & Maynard, N. (2021). Assessment cultures in higher education: reducing barriers and enabling change. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(7), 1016–1029. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1983770
Wiggins, G. (1990). The Case for Authentic Assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.7275/ffb1-mm19

Supporting students to develop graduate capabilities – how the Academic Skills Unit can work with staff

Mr Guido Ernst

ACU is introducing new graduate attributes. The development of these graduate attributes is underpinned by twelve graduate capabilities that demonstrate students’ skills and their ability to achieve the graduate attributes. The Academic Skills Unit (ASU) is at the nexus of facilitating skills development and building students' graduate capabilities. ASU aims to develop students’ skills through workshops, consultations and resources. In this interactive workshop we will map these skills against the graduate capabilities. The session will then explore how staff can collaborate with the ASU on how the development of the graduate capabilities can be scaffolded so that students can demonstrate their achievement of the graduate attributes. 

Roundtable on ACUs Professional Learning & Teaching Community - 2024 and beyond

Dr Jackie Stevens

Like a Community of Practice (Wenger-Trayner, 2014), the Professional Learning and Teaching Community (PLTC) provides a forum for ACU staff to come together to explore and share their ideas and concerns on common experiences and practices. More than a forum for discussions, another important aim is to make constructive recommendations to the university to improve experiences and outcomes for staff and students. The PLTC sits outside formal University committee structures but through avenue this can provide a forum for a broad range of staff to participate and contribute to the dialogue around learning and teaching issues at ACU.

To date, the PLTC has been instrumental in influencing learning and teaching practices, policies and processes relating to issues from assessment design and moderation to academic wellbeing and managing change. Until 2022, these sessions were run within the Faculty of Health Sciences using the model started in 2019. In 2023, the PLTC moved to open these meetings up to the boarder university community. Following this move, this workshop will run in a round-table format inviting interested staff to discuss how the new university wide PLTC should be shaped in 2024 and beyond.

Wenger-Trayner, E. (2014). Learning in landscapes of practice: Boundaries, identity, and knowledgeability in practice-based learning. London: Routledge.