This paper examines where students prefer to find information, and then matches survey results with students' assignments. Surveys showed that half the surveyed students used library databases (e.g. ProQuest) as their first preference to locate scientific information; however, of these students, one third did not have any journal articles cited in their assignment. Furthermore, of those students with no journal articles cited in their reference list, 65% claimed to feel comfortable using library databases, against a figure of 100% who felt comfortable using Google Scholar. This indicates a mismatch between students' expressed preferences and their actual ability to locate, evaluate, and include refereed journal articles in their assignments.

An OLT Extension project: 'Acquiring and applying a shared meaning of quantitative skills (QS) across core first year science units with a focus on distance education', commenced this year. One of its aims was to establish an ongoing cross-disciplinary collaboration among scientists, mathematicians and statisticians at a regional university to enhance student learning of QS in interdisciplinary contexts, with a focus on distance education. The success of this project depends on academics from the various disciplines appreciating the need for a collaborative approach, and agreeing to join the facilitator(s) on the journey. This paper will present initial results from the collaborative processes taking place as part of the project but will also examine the complex web of interactions, and formal and informal collaborations that led to the development of this inter-disciplinary, cross-school project.

This article describes a new 14-step process for using student evaluations of teaching to improve teaching. The new process includes examination of student evaluations in the context of instructor goals, student evaluations of the same course completed in prior terms, and evaluations of similar courses taught by other instructors. The process has steps to help maximize instructor motivation as well as to help identify good targets for improvement. The article describes as an initial case study the experiences of academics in three disparate fields in using the new process. This initial use of the process led to deeper reflection than usual for the instructors and to ideas for ways to improve their teaching. The results indicate that the new process holds potential as a systematic way of using student numerical ratings and comments to produce plans for improvements in teaching.

Background: This national project builds on recent studies that have aimed to develop strategies to enhance enrolment, progression, and graduation rates in engineering programs. Implementing these strategies will help to address the critical skills shortages in the engineering profession in Australia. To ensure the outcomes have wide applicability, the project team has deliberately drawn students from five universities that cover the spectrum of Australian universities and engineering programs: the University of Southern Queensland, the University of Queensland, the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Newcastle, and the University of New England. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on initial descriptive data of this longitudinal project which will examine the knowledge, motivation, personality, and learning approaches of first year engineering students and how well they each predict subsequent retention and academic performance. These outcomes are yet to be achieved and are beyond the scope of this paper. Design/Method: An online battery of self-assessment tests was developed for this project based on diagnostic pre-testing used by a number of the participating universities, and other standard measures. The battery measures cognitive abilities (e.g., spatial, maths, physics, and chemistry) and non-cognitive abilities and traits (e.g., personality traits, career interests, and approaches to learning) of first year engineering students. Retention and academic results at the end of first year will be used as outcome variables, and regression analyses will be used to ascertain which of these variables are reliable predictors of academic success. Focus group data will enable some qualitative amplification of these results. Results: Outcome variables for the project will not be available until the end of 2012, however, this paper reports on preliminary descriptive and cognitive data from 505 first-year students commencing engineering studies at the five partner universities in Semester 1, 2012. Overall, students reported that they found the self-assessments and personalised feedback helpful in preparing them for their studies. Half of those who completed the cognitive skills quiz scored better than 70% across the range of questions. Results in physics, chemistry and spatial abilities were consistent across programs and study modes. However, students in two-year and three-year programs did not perform as well in maths as those in four-year degree (or equivalent) programs, and external students did not score as well in maths as did students enrolled on-campus. The implications of these findings are discussed. Conclusions: First-year engineering students indicated that they enjoyed the opportunity to self-assess their readiness and to be linked with early support where needed. Data from the battery will inform the development of the Engineering Career Appraisal Tool (EngCAT), an online educational resource that will enable school students and mature-age people who might be considering engineering as a career option to self-assess their cognitive and non-cognitive capabilities and skills.

It is well known that students in the sciences face many challenges when they first embark on their tertiary education; but issues also confront academics when developing teaching and learning activities for these students. Academics teaching pure and applied sciences at one Australian regional university face more challenges than most because of the large cohort of off-campus and mature age students, along with a higher than average proportion of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. These factors, combined with an ever increasing reliance on online learning technologies, have led to a review of current approaches to the first year experience. This paper reports on a project that aims to identify the similarities and mismatches between expectations of first year students and teaching staff in the sciences, as well as the experiences and challenges of teaching these first year science students. The results from the analysis of responses to a series of questionnaires and interviews will be presented, with the view to identifying areas of the first year experience that could be improved for first year science students and the staff who teach them.

A First Year Teaching and Learning Network was established in a regional university with a strong focus on distance education for a very diverse student cohort. The purpose of the Network, which consisted of a Coordinator in each of nine schools, was to support staff teaching students transitioning into tertiary education. The paper explores the theoretical bases of the structure, its current method of operation, its impact so far, and future plans. The development of the Network illustrates how a university can consciously embed opportunities for staff to take ownership of transition pedagogy and thus encourage widespread capacity building amongst their peers. The experiences of the Network in its first two years provide a case study of how institutional support for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, in particular scholarship around capacity building, can be used as a mechanism to promote both staff and student engagement with transition pedagogy resulting in a shift from a second generation approach towards a third generation approach to transition.

A collaborative approach was used to re-design an early first-year essay type assessment. The aim was to develop a task that encouraged success and confidence through making expectations explicit and by allowing for the development of core skills in information literacy and academic writing.

In 2011, the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded a national project entitled "Get set for success: Using online self-assessments to motivate first year engineering students to engage in and manage their learning". This research project aims to identify factors that lead to success in first year engineering studies. The project will deliver a prototype model of the Engineering Career Appraisal Tool (EngCAT), an online educational resource that enables individuals to self-assess their cognitive (e.g., spatial, mathematical, and technical skills) and non-cognitive (e.g., personality traits, career interests and approaches to learning) abilities. Initial data have been collected and some initial results are available for the EngCAT project. Commencing engineering students across five Australian universities completed cognitive and non-cognitive tests to help them self-assess their readiness for the programs and to empower them with self-awareness and learning skills.

It is well documented in the literature that students are entering higher education courses without the appropriate skills and assumed knowledge. At one regional university students are encouraged to support their understanding of the concepts and development of their skills by completing chemistry drills. These are analogous to drills in sport where repetition increases confidence, skill and ability. However, participation rates are low as many of the students have little or no experience in studying science and hence no understanding of the advantages of practice to gain confidence and mastery. Ineffectual study habits result in a loss of confidence and consequently reduce the motivation of students to engage with their course of study.

Background: Results presented in this paper are part of a national project aimed to develop strategies to enhance enrolment, progression, and graduation rates in engineering programs. The implementation of these strategies is hoped to help the critical shortages of engineers in Australia. It is well documented that transition to university study can be difficult for students and with increasingly diverse cohorts it is vital that learning and teaching be aimed at a wide audience. In smaller institutions it is commonplace for engineering students to study the same subjects as students enrolled in other courses. It is important to document the similarities and/or differences in learning approaches and motivations of these different cohorts to determine whether accommodations via adaptive teaching strategies are needed. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the interests and motivations to study engineering of first year Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Civil and Environmental) students with those of applied science students. Design: The project team developed an online battery of self-assessment tests to measure non-cognitive abilities and motivations and interests in studying engineering. A total of 76 first year students at a regional university completed the self-tests. Comparisons between engineering and applied science student profiles allowed the similarities and differences in their respective approaches to learning and career interests to be documented. Results: Analysis of the data showed that engineering students were significantly less likely to be surface learners than their applied science peers (p < .05). Engineering students also showed significantly higher scores than applied science students on the total measure of interest and motivation for studying engineering (p < .01). Conclusions: The self-assessments enabled the first year engineering and applied science students to identify their motivations for studying engineering. They also received feedback on their learning approaches. A follow-up class discussion enabled the students to reflect on the benefits and potential limitations of each learning approach. The importance of conversing with students about how to self-manage their learning and being linked to support to address any identified gaps was discussed in the context of experiencing success in first year studies.