Impact Evaluation for Equity workshop

This morning I attended the Impact Evaluation for Equity workshop for Canberra universities, hosted at the Australian National University. This was organized by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES). Dr Patricia Vermillion Peirce (ACSES Trials Lead) provided enthusiastic and knowledgeable will facilitation. The idea is to help with evaluation of equity practices at universities. Governments and universities spend a lot of time and money providing programs to disadvantaged groups of students, but do these programs actually work and could they be done better? This is the aim of evaluation. 

As a student of education, I was required to study evaluation techniques, but Patricia covered many more approaches I was not familiar with. One aspect which troubles me with equity issues is where universities are not implementing good teaching practices and need to make up for this with programs for students who are discriminated against as a result. If universites used the type of online, competency based, flexible, nested, RPLed and other techniques which are routine in vocational institutions, then much of the equity programs would not be required. 

In some cases universities simply need to implement what is required by law. As an example it if very simple for universities to provided closed captions on video material. As a result the law requires universities to do this. However, so cliam (falsely) that students have to request this.

At-risk Student Management Trial Got Students to Withdraw Before they Failed But Not Engage

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) has reported on a randomised trial of techniques to help at-risk student management (AARSM). In the trail students who did not interact much with a course learning management system were identified: some were offered help, others not. The trial found that the students with intervention were more likely to withdraw early from the course and thus not be recorded as a fail, but were no more likely to pass the course than those who were not offered help. This result doesn't surprise me, as it is in line with my experience teaching. What does concern me is that the intervention mentioned I had assumed would be part of standard course design and teaching, not anything special. 

The way I have designed courses is to have a small assessed task each week. In the first few weeks the instructors notes say to check which students failed the task and in particular which did not attempt it. Each such student can then be sent a message asking if they need help and pointing out where they can get it. After a few weeks students can be identified as at risk and referred to the relevant person for action.  Using this approach, I find students rarely fail, as students who are having difficulty early on either have their problem addressed, or withdraw.

It doesn't surprise me that few students are helped by intervention, as their problems are, in the main, beyond of the scope of the educational institution to help with. However, even just nudging students to withdraw before they fail can at least avoid making their problems worse. 

Study or starve? Financial challenges of students studying in Australian and New Zealand Universities.

Greetings from "Study or starve? Financial challenges of students studying in Australian and New Zealand Universities" online from the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES). Professor Karen Charlton from the University of Wollongong, discussed a salutogenic approach, looking at what helped students, rather than just what the problems were. Research shows that disabled, international and indigenous students were at higher risk of financial insecuirty, which interfered with their study. This is of interest, as I was one of those students from a low SES background, who struggled at university.

A difficult issue is unpaid placements. Some professions, such as nursing, have a tradition of long placements being required. These placements are typically unpaid. In effect, universities are complicit in forcing students to work for free. Should universities ban free placements, in the expectation that employers would then be forced to pay the students.

I am on the Australian Computer Society board which sets accreditation requirements for computing degrees. The students can do project work, as an alternative to placements. This helps with international students in Canberra, who have difficulty getting a placement, paid or unpaid, due to security constraints. Perhaps other professions should be doing this.

One option which could help students would be to encourage them to commence their studies at TAFE. They could undertake a short qualification to get an entry level job, before considering university. Also making part time online the default option for university study. Students should not be made to feel bad if it happens they can't get to campus.