Dr Johanna Nieuwoudt

In early 2024, four Australian universities—Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, University of Southern Queensland, and Southern Cross University—initiated a benchmarking project focused on in-school Enabling courses, as part of a broader ACSES-funded study examining the effectiveness of in-school Enabling programs. Guided by NAEEA’s benchmarking framework, this was the first national study of its kind. The project was developed in response to the Universities Accord Final Report (2024), which emphasised equitable access to higher education for under-represented groups. Its aim was to move towards standardising the educational experience of embedded high school Enabling courses, including alignment in holistic outcomes, assessment approaches, and grading practices.

Background: Major curriculum reforms can be disorienting and uncertain for academics, particularly when they involve new and unfamiliar ways of designing and delivering education (Nisbet et al., in press). This presentation shares insights on navigating major curriculum reform from six academics who experienced the transition from 13-week semesters to a six-week immersive block model at an Australian university.
Description: Academics’ experiences of curriculum reform are explored through the lens of Mezirow’s (2003) transformative learning theory (TLT). We examined two key questions:
1) Did we experience transformative learning during curriculum reform?
2) If so, what contributed to our transformations?
Method(s) : The participatory action research methodology of co-operative inquiry was used. This methodology is a structured, cyclical process of dialogue and reflection, engaging those directly involved in issues as co-participant-researchers and coauthors (Heron & Reason, 2001; Russ et al., 2024). We met for 15 months to discuss our evolving experiences of curriculum reform. Thematic analysis of our transcribed reflections and discussions drew upon Mezirow’s (2008) TLT and Bronfenbrenner’s (1995) Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to generate insights about our professional learning processes during curriculum change.
Evidence: Our findings illustrate how we progressed from confronting disorienting dilemmas to integrating new, context-bound perspectives on student learning and our teaching practices. We identify changes in academics’ worldviews, cognition, and behaviour as outcomes of transformative learning during curriculum change.
Contribution: This study indicates that TLT and EST are useful frameworks for academics to better understand and negotiate change, enabling them to take an active role in their own development. We demonstrate that confronting and collectively addressing the disorienting dilemmas that arise during curriculum reform can be transformative, facilitating agency, capability and wellbeing.
Engagement: Discussion prompts and interactive polls will encourage reflection on participants’ own ‘disorienting dilemmas’
and their experiences of transformation through collaborative reflection.

This study is the first to offer evidence across two institutions about the efficacy of the block model of delivery for enhancing the success of under-represented students in enabling education, which provides access to higher education (HE) for non-traditional students. Our project is a cross-institutional student grade analysis, supported by 10 educator autoethnographic reflections and investigates the differences in student and educator outcomes between the block (6-week) and traditional (13-week) delivery models at two Australian universities, Southern Cross University (SCU) and the University of Sunshine Coast (UniSC).

Recent studies indicate that shorter, immersive block delivery models have enhanced learning outcomes and success for enabling students (Goode, 2024). This cross institutional study is the first to compare 6-week and 13-week delivery models within Australian enabling education. It reports on staff reflections, at Southern Cross University (SCU) and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), on the effectiveness of enabling practice and pedagogy in shorter immersive models compared with the longer traditional semester. Quantitative data compared student pass rates for courses in both models for 5 years at SCU and 3 years at UniSC. Qualitative data analysed reections from 10 educators gathered using collaborative autoethnography (Hobbs & Whitsett, 2023). While inferential tests indicated a statistically significant increase in student success rates in the shorter model at both institutions, the reections from educators revealed rich, nuanced but often contradictory insights into the complexities, challenges, and benefits of both models. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2022) of the deidentified reflections revealed that the shorter model creates a sense of urgency, encouraging students to stay motivated and avoid procrastination. It improves time management, reduces distractions, and promotes peer support and collaboration. However, educators were concerned that the intensive model increases tutor stress, associated with marking and administrative tasks while reducing opportunities for building strong student-tutor relationships. The staff reflections provide recommendations for teaching and learning in the shorter delivery model and contributions to best practice pedagogy in course design, communication, and constructive alignment for enabling programs.

Grit Matters: High Perseverance and Higher GPAs in University Diploma Students, December 2, Diplomas offer an alternative pathway into university. Diploma students disproportionately include first-in-family or students with additional learning needs and may have lower levels of success and higher attrition than traditional university students. Understanding the factors contributing to their success is crucial. Grit is a strong predictor of success in bachelor students, suggesting it may be an important predictor in diploma students as well. However, grit has not been measured against academic success in this population. This study surveyed 50 diploma students at a regional Australian university and found comparable levels of grit to bachelor students, with perseverance (a dimension of grit) most predictive of academic success. The study also noted that grit tends to increase with age, suggesting a maturation of motivation over time. Additionally, students who are working may have reduced focus which impacts their level of grit. The findings highlight perseverance as a critical trait linked to academic success in diploma students, offering an ideal target for intervention in firstyear pathway students. By focusing on improving perseverance, educational interventions can potentially enhance retention and academic achievement among this diverse and frequently marginalised student population.

Background/Context: From 2021-2023, our university revolutionised its teaching and learning model. The traditional approach of lectures, semesters and exams was transformed into an immersive block model combining active learning pedagogy with 6-week terms (Roche et al., 2024).

Description: This study offers insights into the impact of major curriculum change on teaching-focused academics' development. We specially explored what mattered to us during the reform, and what the impact was on our pedagogic knowledge, identities and teaching practices.

Method: Using the participatory action research methodology of co-operative inquiry (Heron & Reason, 2001), a group of six academics from business, tourism, social work, engineering, health and pathways met weekly over 15 months to engage in rich and nuanced conversations about curriculum change, identity and student engagement.

Evidence: Thematic analysis revealed the themes of student engagement and academic identity (McCune, 2021) as foremost concerns among the participant-researchers. These themes were integrally linked to our understandings and practices concerning curriculum change, pedagogy and context.

Contribution: The study suggests teaching-focused academics place high value on student engagement as both a driver and consequence of their teaching. Perceptions of student engagement were challenged by curriculum reform, and yet remained central to teacher identity and shaped our responses to the introduction of the immersive block model. Our findings also suggest that providing opportunities for collaborative reflection and

sense-making is an important avenue for academic development during times of curriculum reform. We reflect on co-operative inquiry as a participatory action research approach that allowed us to improve our well-being and teaching practices.

Background: The tertiary sector has been exploring alternative delivery models driven by the needs of enabling and undergraduate students who are grappling with contemporary challenges (Goode et al., 2024). This aligns with the Australian Universities Accord, which emphasises the importance of increasing the participation of underrepresented students in higher education (O’Kane et al., 2024). In this context, studies suggest

that shorter, more immersive block models can enhance outcomes for non–traditional students (Goode et al., 2024; Roche et al., 2023).

Description: This project is the first cross-institutional study of immersive block delivery within Australian enabling education. The research investigates the differences in student outcomes between 6-week and 13-week delivery models at Southern Cross University (SCU) and the University of Sunshine Coast (UniSC). Insights about effective pedagogies to enhance student success in shorter models are also offered.

Method(s): Inferential statistical tests were conducted to test for significant differences between student success in 6-week and 13-week models across 5 years at SCU and 3 years at UniSC. Academics also engaged in collaborative autoethnography (Hobbs & Whitsett, 2023) to examine the complexities of offering shorter and longer models, and the benefits and challenges of differing pedagogies in these formats.

Evidence: Both universities report increased student success in the shorter models, exceeding traditional semester offerings. Academics’ autoethnographic reflections reveal rich and nuanced insights into the complexities, benefits and challenges of shorter and longer models.

Contribution: This study is the first to offer evidence across two institutions about the efficacy of shorter models for enhancing the success of under-represented students in enabling education. Practitioner reflections identify best practice pedagogy for teaching and learning in shorter models.