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<\/a>\nCritical thinking is difficult. Individuals who perform well when analysing a domain of knowledge that they have a specialist understanding of will do less well when attempting to think critically about topics they know less about. \u00a0The author gives the example of being personally able to think critically about the way cognitive psychology is explored in films such as <\/span>The Matrix<\/span><\/i> due to her training, but being unable to think critically about the cinematography of the film due to a lack of knowledge of the topic.<\/span><\/p>\n
There is such a thing as a generalised ability to think critically and apply it to a range of situations and the author suggests that this is what most teachers are thinking about when they refer to improving students\u2019 critical thinking abilities. \u00a0There are strategies to aid the development of generalised critical thinking skills, but the necessary practice will need to occur within specific domains of knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n Development of critical thinking is difficult because it is a complex, higher-order skill. \u00a0Can we teach it? Yes, to an extent, but its acquisition relies on practice and personal application<\/strong>. Providing regular opportunities in the curriculum for practice is crucial<\/strong>. The author uses a lot of scaffolding in her teaching to support students to develop competence and to learn to transfer it to differing domains of knowledge. <\/span><\/p>\n The key elements that guide the acquisition of generalised critical thinking skills<\/strong> are:<\/span><\/p>\n The Student Experience Survey is a national survey of current higher education students in Australia, funded by the Australian Government. It provides a snapshot of over 280,000 students’ responses to their perceptions of student experience, which includes learner engagement, teaching quality, student support, learning resources, and skills development. Apart from the obvious inter-institutional comparisons, the report<\/a> has some other useful elements, such as:<\/p>\n How to Be a Better Online Teacher<\/a> from\u00a0The Chronicle\u00a0<\/em> How are videos changing teaching in higher-ed? According to Bryan Alexander, edtech consultant and futurist, video could become the leading digital technology used in education. In this article for EdSurge, Alexander even explores the possibility that video assignments could become the new \u201cwritten report\u201d in years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n In a higher-education context, the use of videos has traditionally been consumptive in nature, with the focus on teachers using video for additional content delivery or flipped learning. However, there is currently an interesting shift \u201c<\/strong><\/span>from consumption to production<\/i><\/strong>\u201d taking place in higher-ed<\/strong>, where students are now being asked to generate their own digital multimedia as a form of (mostly) summative assessment. We can see this shift happening at Sydney, most recently <\/span>reflected in Yammer conversations<\/span><\/a> over the last few weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n Video can be a<\/span> great way to embrace student-generated content<\/span><\/a> in your teaching. Producing video content can be an effective way for students to learn and can lead to a number of benefits<\/strong>, including the<\/span> developing graduate qualities<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> improved final exam performance<\/span><\/a>, and building an ongoing resource for student learning.<\/span><\/p>\n However, Alexander highlights that using video assignments in your units does come with some risk and there are a \u201c<\/span>range of limitations to video\u2019s utility<\/span><\/i>\u201d. It is also important not to assume that students are \u2018<\/span>digital natives<\/span><\/a>\u2019 and they may need some help with this new form of assessment. Providing rubrics to guide and assess learners on both audio visual quality and managing inherent risks that can come with students going out into the world filming actual video footage (such as IP, privacy, publishing, and personal risk), can also be an effective risk mitigation strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite this, video assignments are a great way to give students choice in how they express and construct their own knowledge. Using video assignments can also be seen as part of the <\/span>higher-ed shift towards learner-centred assessment<\/span><\/a>, one where individual learners are recognised and where we as teachers move further away from didactic, teacher-focused education practices.<\/span><\/p>\n EDUCAUSE Higher Education Horizon Report (2019)<\/a> from\u00a0the <\/span>EDUCAUSE\u00a0<\/span><\/em> James Lang continues his meditation on the distractions of technology in the classroom with a third article. His first piece, (summarized in\u00a0<\/span>March \u201819\u2019s On the Wire<\/span><\/a>), argued that in a world of technology promising to make our lives simpler, the most effective ways to learn are not the easiest and it is a challenge to convince students of that. \u00a0The second (in\u00a0<\/span>April\u2019s edition<\/span><\/a>) took a historical perspective to see whether the problem of distraction and inability to focus is getting worse as the use of technology increases.<\/span><\/p>\n The third instalment considers whether complete \u201cfasts\u201d (periods of no use) are a solution to breaking bad habits around the use of technology, considering that its distractions lead to instant rewards which stimulate pleasure centres in the brain.<\/span><\/p>\n Continuing to cite research from the book by Gazzaley and Rosen,\u00a0<\/span>Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World<\/span><\/a> Lang claims that technology fasts are ineffective because the reward mechanism offered by technologies tests our willpower<\/strong> and cognitive control in much the way that food rewards do, without making the lasting changes to our neural networks that would lead to improved powers to resist.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
2. Student Experience Survey National Report<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Student Experience Survey Report<\/a> from\u00a0Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching<\/em> (QILT)<\/em><\/p>\n\n
3.\u00a0How to Be a Better Online Teacher<\/h3>\n
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\nPart of the Chronicle <\/span>Advice Guides<\/span><\/i> series, this article focuses on an increasingly important issue for contemporary teaching – \u201cHow to be a better online teacher\u201d – especially given the <\/span>rise of blended and online learning<\/span><\/a>. Whilst being an online teacher can be \u201cjust as rewarding as teaching in a bricks-and-mortar classroom\u201d<\/em>, unsurprisingly it throws up specific challenges of its own. Among these challenges features the experience and interest of the actual teachers involved. To help start to combat these issues, Flower Darby takes us through some positive steps we can take to become better online teachers<\/strong>. Read on, and break down some common misconceptions around online teaching.\u00a0Perhaps you will even discover that creating great online learning environments for your students and enjoyable teaching experiences yourself might not be as difficult as you think.<\/span><\/p>\n4.\u00a0Video Assignments Are the New Term Paper. How Does That Change Teaching and Learning?<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Video Assignments Are the New Term Paper. How Does That Change Teaching and Learning?<\/a> from EdSurge<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n5. EDUCAUSE Higher Education Horizon Report (2019)<\/h3>\n
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\nThe EDUCAUSE Higher Education Horizon Report is a yearly expert-led summary of k<\/span>ey challenges and trends around technology in higher education, including everything from microcredentials to XR, academic culture to AI, learning spaces to blockchain. Beyond the buzzword-laden but nonetheless exciting future-telling around technologies that are set to revolutionise education, the report also highlights important sector themes supporting, and significant barriers to, technology adoption<\/strong>. For example, the expert panel highlighted the need to involve academics and staff (and especially sessional teachers) in the entire process of technology selection and implementation, especially as the pace of change picks up and scalability becomes an issue. The role of higher education institutions and the practice of teaching are also called into question, with the panellists pointing to increased interdisciplinarity and student-centred teaching approaches becoming a necessity as the sector shifts in response to cohort, economic, and political pressures.\u00a0This year, we are also excited to see Sydney’s very own\u00a0Student Relationship Engagement System<\/a> being featured as an exemplar for impactful analytics technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n6.\u00a0The Distracted Classroom: Do Tech Fasts Work?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>The Distracted Classroom: Do Tech Fasts Work?<\/a> from\u00a0The Chronicle\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n