Research methodology

The context of the study is a large, multi-campus regional university in Australia, where subjects are convened at a particular campus and convenors are responsible for the design of summative assessment, with some input from campus-based subject coordinators. The tutors, however, have no input in this process. The second author is a tutor in the subject, Accounting 1: Information for Business (ACC100). This is a compulsory subject for students studying for a business degree (or double degree such as Business/ Information Technology, Business/Human Movement). There were on average 150 students in lecture sessions and 20 students in each of the six to nine tutorial sessions in any given semester. The first author, as educational designer, has a role to play in academic development and became the tutor's mentor and 'critical friend' (Carr & Kemmis, 1986). The critical friend offered suggestions for the design of learning activities and formative assessment which enabled a close working relationship, offering alternative perspectives and support on pedagogical issues. This is an approach which McNiff (1988) recognized as valuable in action research projects.

Action research provided an appropriate framework for this exploratory study because in the educational context it is an approach that enables improvement of education through changes, i.e. 'by encouraging teachers to be aware of their own practice, to be critical of that practice and to be prepared to change it' (McNiff, 1988, p.4). Consistent with action research approaches, the processes undertaken in this project were cyclical and focused largely on reflecting and improving teaching practice to support quality learning.

Each phase of this project progressed through a systematic action research spiral of planning, acting, observing and reflecting (Carr & Kemmis, 1986). Planning was the stage when active learning strategies and formative assessment were progressively developed for deployment and testing in tutorial groups that the tutor managed, and later refined and used in the subject that she coordinated. Acting was the cyclical implementation stage, where students' reactions to classroom activities and assessment were carefully monitored. It was therefore important that the tutor was aware of the purpose of each learning activity, particularly formative assessment, and to evaluate learning outcomes accordingly. Strategies for data collection included observations recorded in the teaching journal, formative assessment which included student artifacts produced for the assessment, peer reviews by the critical friend and by selected academics from other disciplines, and informal and formal teaching evaluations by students. Developing reflective practice was a critical part of this research, in the sense that the cyclical data analysis and reflection paved the way for the ongoing development of new approaches for learning accounting concepts.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

قسم الشؤون الفكرية ينظم مجلسًا عزائيًّا في دولة بوروندي الإفريقية

العتبة العباسية المقدسة تواصل إقامة مجالسها العزائية لإحياء شهر المحرَّم

سماحة السيد الصافي يدعو إلى التدبر في القرآن والاستفادة منه في مواجهة تحديات الحياة

ضمن برنامج التطوير الحسيني التاسع.. جمعية كشافة الكفيل تقيم مهرجان الكشاف الحسيني

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

دراسة تكشف علاقة خطيرة بين عمر الأم وصحة مولودها

دراسة تحذر.. اضطراب نوم بسيط قد يسبب الموت المبكر ؟

الاستحمام بالماء الساخن.. راحة مؤقتة وأضرار دائمة للبشرة

ماذا يحدث للجسم عند تخطي وجبة الإفطار؟

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

كيف تساعد الصيانة الوقائية في الحفاظ على كفاءة التكييف في سيارتك ؟

في ظاهرة غريبة حيرت العلماء.. كوكبنا قد يسجل أقصر يوم في التاريخ هذا الصيف!

السد الصيني العملاق يعيق دوران الأرض ويغيّر شكلها ؟

السعودية تطلق 10 تجارب علمية إلى محطة الفضاء الدولية

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Preparation of documents needed (by the teacher)

Briefing of changes in the assessment mode of the subject "Project"

Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Group Projects through Poster Assessment

Peer Assessment among Students in a Problem-Based Learning Format Conclusions

Student Feedback

Peer Assessment among Students in a Problem-Based Learning Format Procedure Results

Peer Assessment among Students in a Problem-Based Learning Format Procedure

Possible Problems

Group Work and Peer Assessment

Implementation of Peer Assessment Peer Assessment

Peer Assessment among Students in a Problem-Based Learning Format

Sustainable Assessment and Lifelong Learning: Standards for Excellence and the Development of Teacher Identity Conclusions