Monash BDI academics receive grants for educational research
Educators from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) are involved in six of the twelve Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) 2018 Learning and Teaching Research Grants. These grants aim to assist in the development of high-quality educational research within MNHS.
Professor Janet Macaulay, Director of Education at the Monash BDI, will lead the project titled What is the role of laboratory classes in biomedical science education?
“Our project aims to produce a nationally-informed, evidence based understanding of the role of laboratory classes in the contemporary biomedical sciences curriculum,” Professor Macaulay said.
“The findings will inform the redevelopment of the biomedical disciplinary laboratory programs to ensure that they prepare our students for a range of career outcomes and align with national priorities,” she said.
The new Monash Biomedical Learning and Teaching Building provides a timely and unique opportunity to capitalise on the findings of the project and to introduce change across the disciplines.
Dr Nirma Samarawickrema is Chief Investigator on the project Building assessment literacy: Exploring opportunities across large courses. According to Dr Samarawickrema, Monash University recognises that engaging students in assessment processes is central to the student learning experience. For students to develop assessment literacy they need to understand the purpose of, process associated with, and have opportunities to evaluate their assessment tasks, to an extent that this translates into life-long learning.
“The proposed study will explore the development of assessment literacy in selected courses of the university,” Dr Samarawickrema said.
Effective feedback is critical for facilitating student learning and improvement, yet it is a difficult process to engage students in fully. That’s why Dr Klaudia Budzyn, Chief Investigator on the project How does student self-assessment affect perceptions of feedback? seeks to explore ways in which students can be encouraged to steer the feedback provided to them.
“We plan to evaluate whether guided self-assessment prior to submission can improve student engagement with this process, and also generate feedback that is ultimately more useful to them,” Dr Budzyn said.
Chief Investigator Dr Daniel Czech says he and his team are interested in evaluating how Biomedical and Nutrition Science students who undertake a work placement in industry think about their professional identity. Their project is titled Investigating the impact of ‘Work Integrated Learning’ units on student perceptions of professional identity.
“We anticipate that students will develop much greater clarity around their professional identity having experienced professional work in real-world contexts,” Dr Czech said.
“We hope that these soon-to-be graduates will be more confident in their career trajectory, with greater employability and wellbeing,” he said.
Dr Julia Choate, who is involved in a number of these research projects, described the aim of the project titled Exploring attitudes and beliefs of academic staff towards students' career development: Does this influence approaches to teaching and assessment?
“This research will explore academics’ views on supporting their students’ career development in three large, non-vocational courses (Biomedical Science, Psychology and Nutrition Science). Evidence indicates that students value support with their career development from their academics and that they benefit from relationships with them in supporting them,” Dr Choate said.
“As individual career services across the university have decreased and student intake numbers are increasing, what roles do academics play and what are their attitudes in supporting and teaching their students?” she said.
With the opening of the Learning and Teaching Building, academics will utilise active learning methods to engage students and facilitate deeper learning. Although active learning can improve learning outcomes, many students and academics may experience anxiety with the move away from traditional didactic teaching towards student-centred active learning.
Dr Caroline Speed will lead an investigation into Academic and student anxiety towards active learning: Perceptions of evolving teaching practices on performance and wellbeing.
“Feelings of anxiety can negatively impact a student’s performance and productivity and can elicit feelings of negativity in academics,” Dr Speed said.
“My study aims to investigate anxiety in students and academics as teaching practices evolve and propose strategies to help improve their wellbeing to provide an optimal learning environment for all,” she said.
“Anxiety towards active learning can be an issue for both students and academics and needs to be addressed.”
Congratulations to all involved in these research projects.
List of Monash BDI educators’ MNHS learning and teaching research grants:
Monash BDI educators | Project title |
Professor Janet Macaulay, Dr Jessica Gibbons, Associate Professor Priscilla Johanesen, Dr Julia Choate, Associate Professor Mark Prescott, Associate Professor Helen Abud | What is the role of laboratory classes in biomedical science education? |
Dr Nirma Samarawickrema, Dr Klaudia Budzyn, Associate Professor Elizabeth Davis | Building assessment literacy: Exploring opportunities across large courses |
Dr Klaudia Budzyn, Dr Nirma Samarawickrema, Associate Professor Elizabeth Davis | How does student self-assessment affect perceptions of feedback? |
Dr Daniel Czech, Dr Julia Choate | Investigating the impact of ‘Work Integrated Learning’ units on student perceptions of professional identity |
Dr Julia Choate | Exploring attitudes and beliefs of academic staff towards students' career development: Does this influence approaches to teaching and assessment? |
Dr Caroline Speed, Professor Janet Macaulay | Academic and student anxiety towards active learning: Perceptions of evolving teaching practices on performance and wellbeing |
View the full list of MNHS learning and teaching research grants here (MNHS Intranet).
About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.