Birgit Loch
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View article: Reliability and Validity of a Novel Instrument to Quantify Psychology Students’ Perception of Statistics Learning
Reliability and Validity of a Novel Instrument to Quantify Psychology Students’ Perception of Statistics Learning Open
This study reports on the validity and reliability of a modified survey tool based on the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The tool was designed to help identify the factors that affect psychological sciences students’ perceptio…
View article: “All things are ready, if our mind be so”
“All things are ready, if our mind be so” Open
In the two years since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the higher education sector in Australia has experienced both the great potential of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) to transform learning and teaching, but also the…
View article: Making the Student Experience Everybody’s Business: Cultivating Collaboration in the Exosphere
Making the Student Experience Everybody’s Business: Cultivating Collaboration in the Exosphere Open
It has long been recognised that a key element in improving student transition, retention and success in higher education is cross-institutional consistency and unity of action among disparate academic, policy and support units. However, t…
View article: Building the status of teaching-focused positions as prestigious roles to improve teaching quality
Building the status of teaching-focused positions as prestigious roles to improve teaching quality Open
Teaching-focused roles provide an ideal opportunity to improve the quality of teaching in higher education. However, such roles are commonly presented as pragmatic solutions for academics not fulfilling research expectations rather than qu…
View article: A professional development framework for teaching in higher education
A professional development framework for teaching in higher education Open
This paper outlines a professional development framework for teachers in higher education, based on the United Kingdom Professional Standards Framework. The framework outlined in this paper has been designed to align with a range of other …
View article: Employing interdisciplinary collaborations to redefine academic practices in a university nursing program
Employing interdisciplinary collaborations to redefine academic practices in a university nursing program Open
This paper documents how interdisciplinary collaborations between academic staff helped redefine academic practices in the first year undergraduate Nursing program conducted at the University of Southern Queensland. The interdisciplinary c…
View article: Scaffolding conceptual learning in mathematics with technology enhanced pedagogy: a preliminary evaluation of student engagement with screencasts
Scaffolding conceptual learning in mathematics with technology enhanced pedagogy: a preliminary evaluation of student engagement with screencasts Open
We report on a preliminary evaluation of the delivery of engaging, flexible and learner-centred experiences using screencasting technology. This technological/pedagogical innovation is directed at enabling students to develop deeper unders…
View article: Prototype of an intervention strategy with a focus on mathematics support for first year Civil Engineering students 'at risk'
Prototype of an intervention strategy with a focus on mathematics support for first year Civil Engineering students 'at risk' Open
Retention strategies are vital for universities to compete successfully in a deregulated market, as new cohorts of first year Engineering students not only struggle with the new environments, but also may be less prepared in prerequisite a…
View article: Demonstrating the relevance of mathematics to first year students in engineering courses: what are the critical elements for a successful project?
Demonstrating the relevance of mathematics to first year students in engineering courses: what are the critical elements for a successful project? Open
First year engineering students often feel disappointed with the first year mathematics content as they expect to learn entirely about engineering design from the beginning of their studies. Moreover, mathematics is usually taught out of c…
View article: Conducting a trial of web conferencing software: Why, how, and perceptions from the coalface
Conducting a trial of web conferencing software: Why, how, and perceptions from the coalface Open
This paper reports on the trial of web conferencing software conducted at a regional Australian university with a significant distance population. The paper shares preliminary findings, the views of participants and recommendations for fut…
View article: Engaging students in cognitive and metacognitive processes using screencasts
Engaging students in cognitive and metacognitive processes using screencasts Open
Interest has grown in recent years in what is sometimes referred to as the learner experience, because it situates learners at the centre of the experience, empowers and motivates them to assume responsibility for their own learning, and a…
View article: A preliminary investigation of student collaboration to create resources that motivate the relevance of mathematics to first year engineers
A preliminary investigation of student collaboration to create resources that motivate the relevance of mathematics to first year engineers Open
Many engineering students don't see the relevance in their mathematical studies in the first year of their degree. This lack of understanding of the importance of mathematics often leads to a loss of interest and disengagement with mathema…
View article: Synchronous chat and electronic ink for distance support in mathematics
Synchronous chat and electronic ink for distance support in mathematics Open
For online mathematics instructors, synchronous communication can be a challenge due to the need for specialized symbols, graphics, or notations to explain key concepts. While software tools exist to support such communication, they can of…
View article: Tablet technology in first year calculus and linear algebra teaching
Tablet technology in first year calculus and linear algebra teaching Open
Although tablet technology has been around for more than a decade, it seems to be used mainly in niche markets such as arts and design, and it appears to have bypassed most of academia. The purpose of this paper is to show the usefulness a…
View article: The practice of web conferencing: Where are we now?
The practice of web conferencing: Where are we now? Open
The use of web conferencing tools to support learning and teaching and facilitate interaction and collaboration is common in many higher education environments as is the replacement of face-to-face meetings with virtual collaboration tools…
View article: Annotations with a Tablet PC or typed feedback: does it make a difference?
Annotations with a Tablet PC or typed feedback: does it make a difference? Open
The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has adopted a flexibility agenda and thus, assignments in many disciplines are now submitted, marked and returned electronically. However, since some markers are more comfortable marking hardcopy…
View article: Tablet technology to facilitate improved interaction and communication with students studying mathematics at a distance
Tablet technology to facilitate improved interaction and communication with students studying mathematics at a distance Open
Teaching and learning of mathematics is challenging when lecturer and students are separated geographically. While student engagement and interaction with the course, with other students and with the lecturer is vital to mathematics learni…
View article: Change detection through clustering and spectral analysis
Change detection through clustering and spectral analysis Open
This paper defines a metric on a sequence of graphs which can be used to measure the distance between consecutive graphs. The method is based on vertex clustering through spectral analysis of the Laplace matrix.
View article: Facilitating change: Tablet PC trials across two distance education focused universities
Facilitating change: Tablet PC trials across two distance education focused universities Open
This paper reports on initial findings in comparing two distance universities’ approaches to trialling tablet technology to enhance communication between instructors and students. There were different reasons for initiating the trials and …
View article: Interaction in synchronous chat tutorials to facilitate learning in introductory statistics
Interaction in synchronous chat tutorials to facilitate learning in introductory statistics Open
This paper investigates interaction in synchronous chat tutorials trialed in an introductory statistics course offered in distance education mode. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework of Garrison, Anderson and Archer, while primarily d…
View article: An integrative approach to building professional attributes in a first year nursing course: description and preliminary analysis of academic numeracy
An integrative approach to building professional attributes in a first year nursing course: description and preliminary analysis of academic numeracy Open
This paper will describe the characteristics of an academic numeracy component of two new courses designed to build the academic attributes student nurses need to succeed at university and in the nursing profession. It will also report on …
View article: What do on campus students do with mathematics lecture screencasts at a dual-mode Australian university?
What do on campus students do with mathematics lecture screencasts at a dual-mode Australian university? Open
The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) is one of Australia’s leading distance education providers, with about three quarters of its students enrolled in distance mode. While it can certainly be argued that screencasted lectures extend…
View article: An instructional design model for screencasting: Engaging students in self-regulated learning
An instructional design model for screencasting: Engaging students in self-regulated learning Open
Students entering first year university mathematics courses in Australia often show gaps in their mathematical understanding and may not have the cognitive and metacognitive skills to cope with abstract thinking. Screencasts produced as le…
View article: Progressive teaching of mathematics with tablet technology
Progressive teaching of mathematics with tablet technology Open
We investigate a multimodal approach to lecture presentation built on tablet technology. This innovative approach presents a framework which provides organizational structure to the lecture and facilitates incorporation of additional detai…
View article: Enablers and barriers to academic’s acceptance of technology: Can “individual differences” make a difference?
Enablers and barriers to academic’s acceptance of technology: Can “individual differences” make a difference? Open
With the advances in technology the higher education sector is rapidly evolving. While some researchers are predicting the University of the Future to be more virtual, many academics at the coal face are still struggling to embrace emergin…
View article: Teaching threshold concepts in engineering mathematics using MathsCasts
Teaching threshold concepts in engineering mathematics using MathsCasts Open
Engineering students undertaking mathematical subjects often encounter difficulties with specific concepts taught in their units. This presents a pedagogical challenge as teachers need to provide students with a sound foundation in mathema…
View article: Preparedness for flexible access to learning materials: How ready are university students and staff?
Preparedness for flexible access to learning materials: How ready are university students and staff? Open
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide new opportunities for learning and teaching. However, for students to benefit from these opportunities, they must have ready access to ICT and positive attitudes toward its usefulne…
View article: USQ deploys new lecture recording software
USQ deploys new lecture recording software Open
Students studying at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) were the first in Australia to experience the latest lecture recording technology, giving distance students and on campus students who cannot attend classes a near on campus …