University of Technology Sydney

010044 Scholarly Teaching and Learning Project

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Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Education
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Pass fail, no marks

There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

This subject draws together and builds on what participants have learned in other course subjects and their previous teaching experience. It involves participants in undertaking a scholarly project focused on understanding and improving selected aspects of their teaching and learning. Participants choose an area of teaching or subject design that they would like to change and undertake one plan-act-observe-reflect cycle in which they plan a change to their teaching or subject, implement the change, collect information about its effects, and reflect on that information. The project is informed by scholarly literature related to higher education in general and/or to teaching and learning in the participant's discipline. Participants present their project report for peer review and may choose to use this feedback to achieve publishable outcomes.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a. identify problems and issues for investigation in their own higher education teaching and learning
b. change aspects of their teaching and learning practice
c. analyse stakeholder responses to change using at least two forms of evidence
d. synthesise findings for presentation to peers
e. justify the practical significance of the change for their own practice

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

  • Apply relevant knowledge to make theory-informed judgements about curriculum, learning, assessment and evaluation in the higher education context (1.1)
  • Reflexively assess complex issues related to curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, and generate effective scholarly and creative solutions (2.1)
  • Articulate one’s contribution to the culture and climate of the University, and to the sector/discipline more broadly on matters of concern for higher education teaching and learning. (5.1)
  • Express ideas on teaching and learning to different audiences in a variety of modes (6.1)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject addresses the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Professional Readiness
1.1 Graduates possess a well-developed understanding of different ways of thinking about university teaching
1.2 Graduates have skills in making informed decisions about teaching, subject design and assessment

2. Critical and Creative Inquiry
2.1 Graduates possess critical inquiry skills to reflect on and evaluate teaching and subjects
2.2 Graduates are creative in the design of learning experiences for their students
2.3 Graduates have a commitment to scholarship of teaching

5. Active Citizenship
5.1 Graduates possess an understanding of their contribution to the culture and climate of the university
5.2 Graduates possess the skills to engage and advocate ethically on matters of higher education teaching and learning

Teaching and learning strategies

Participants in the subject are engaged in project-based learning with individual project advice and online group support. Learning in the subject involves subject participants engaging in and reflecting on their practice in ways which are informed by perspectives from the literature on teaching and learning, course lecturers, peers, students and learning from personal experiences. Specific learning experiences in this subject involve identifying problems and issues in higher education teaching and learning through independent reading and online discussion, topics on project management, seminars on topics of interest to the group and wider UTS scholarly learning community. Participants present their project to a group of their peers, either in a presentation workshop within the course, in the UTS Teaching Forum or to the wider university community.

Content (topics)

Planning scholarly teaching and learning projects

What is a research topic?

Choosing a research methodology

Data collection

Getting Scholarship of Teaching published

Presenting your findings

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Project proposal

Objective(s):

a, b and e

Weight: 10%
Length:

500 words

Criteria:
  • Relevance of problems and issues to current teaching and learning practice
  • Practicality of proposal
  • Clarity of justification
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Relevance of problems and issues to current teaching and learning practice 30 a 1.1
Practicality of proposal 40 b 2.1
Clarity of justification 30 e 1.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Project presentation

Objective(s):

b, c, d and e

Weight: 40%
Length:

750 words

Criteria:

  • Relevance of change to future teaching and learning practice
  • Depth of analysis
  • Clarity of synthesis
  • Significance of implications for own practice

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Relevance of change to future teaching and learning practice 25 b .2
Depth of analysis 25 c 2.1
Clarity of synthesis 25 d 5.1
Significance of implications for own practice 25 e .2
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Project report

Objective(s):

c, d and e

Weight: 50%
Length:

2000 words

Criteria:

  • Depth of analysis
  • Clarity of justification
  • Relevance of literature
  • Degree of insight into implications for own practice

Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Depth of analysis 25 c 2.1
Clarity of justification 25 c 6.1
Relevance of literature 25 d .2
Degree of insight into implications for own practice 25 e .2
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Participants in this subject are required to participate in 24 hours of concurrent teaching in higher education. Participants will provide evidence of participation in teaching and learning action learning project. Participants who do not provide evidence of participation in work experience will not have their assignments assessed.

Required texts

Ramsden, P. (2003), Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London: Routledge. 2nd edition. Especially the Introduction and Chapter 11.

References

Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press. 2nd edition

Gibbs, G. (1992) Improving the quality of student learning. Bristol: Technical and Educational Services Ltd.

Kandlbinder, P., & Peseta, T. (Eds.). (2011). Higher Education Research and Development Anthology (Chapter 6). Milperra, NSW: HERDSA.
Kember, D. and Kelly, M. (1993) Improving teaching through action research. HERDSA Green Guide No 14.

Prosser, M. and Trigwell, K. (1999) Understanding Learning and Teaching: The Experience in Higher Education Buckingham: Open University Press.