Preprint
"I have a lot of 'I'm doing it' moments" : Improving the success of non-traditional students through the Southern Cross Model
Social Science Research Network (SSRN), Vol.Series Paper No.1
Southern Cross University Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Research Paper Series, Elsevier
30/11/2021
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Abstract
Contemporary higher education pedagogies suggest there is a pressing need to innovate beyond didactic content delivery in standard 12-15 week teaching periods. This need has been intensified by the growing numbers of students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds in higher education, many of whom lead complex lives with competing responsibilities. Shorter delivery models are a promising alternative for heightening the success of diverse student cohorts; however, concerns about whether such models enable an equivalent quality of learning persist. The current study investigates the impact of the Southern Cross Model (SCM), a distinctive application of Technology-Enhanced Active Learning in a Shorter delivery model (TEALS), on students in an Australian university pathway program. Focus groups and institutional data provide rich insight into how the SCM can positively impact non-traditional students' learning and enable enhanced success and academic achievement. The study identified three key elements underpinning these outcomes: constructive alignment in a six-week term; the learning-centred design of interactive, responsive online modules; and respectful, dialogic teaching approaches. For the novice, non-traditional students in this study these elements led to increased focus and confidence and facilitated their transformations into critical, independent learners. This further resulted in increased pass rates and grade point averages (GPAs). The research indicates that the SCM, as a specific example of TEALS, can strengthen learning outcomes and empower non-traditional students for successful university study.
Details
- Title
- "I have a lot of 'I'm doing it' moments" : Improving the success of non-traditional students through the Southern Cross Model
- Creators
- Elizabeth Goode (Author) - Southern Cross UniversitySuzi Syme (Author) - Southern Cross UniversityJohanna Nieuwoudt (Author) - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Social Science Research Network (SSRN), Vol.Series Paper No.1
- Series
- Southern Cross University Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Research Paper Series
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 25
- Identifiers
- 991012977470802368
- Academic Unit
- SCU College
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Local Fields
- Original Research - SoLT