Jan Gube Seyum Getenet Adnan Satariyan Yaar Muhammad Does alignment of research interests matter? Exploring doctoral students’ perception of supervisors’

Jan Gube Seyum Getenet Adnan Satariyan Yaar Muhammad Does alignment of research interests matter? Exploring doctoral students perception of supervisors expertise FACULTY OF EDUCATION Presentation delivered at Students Matter Forum, Hobart TAS, Australia, 1 September 2014

The changing demographics of UTAS HDR students Influx of doctoral students + existing disciplinary base of the Faculty = Increasingly challenging to find a right match between supervisors and students? (University of Tasmania, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) 10%

Research focus 1.From students point of view, how significant is a supervisory teams discipline expertise on students doctoral research? 2.What support do students draw on from their supervisors who have expertise on their area for their doctoral research? 3.What support do students draw on from their supervisors who have little expertise on their area for their doctoral research? We are not measuring or evaluating the expertise of supervisors

The study Research questionsMethods 1.From students point of view, how significant is a supervisory teams discipline expertise on students doctoral research? Survey (descriptive statistics) A 26-item online survey was sent to 87 Faculty of Education doctoral (PhD & EdD) students Response rate: 28% (as of 23 Aug 2014) 2.What support do students draw on from their supervisors who have expertise on their area for their doctoral research? Individual interviews 9 participants completed so far About 30 minutes in average 3.What support do students draw on from their supervisors who have little expertise on their area for their doctoral research?

Survey key findings A significant number of participants (N = 12 (48%)), however, do not believe their supervisory team has a similar level of expertise in the area they are researching A large number (N = 17 (71%)) of participants have co- supervisors who have similar expertise what they researching than their primary supervisors Having supervisors with similar expertise on the topic they are researching is generally (N = 19 (79%)) important for their overall supervision experience

Contd A large number (N = 19 (79.1%)) of participants feel more comfortable in approaching their supervisors when they have expertise in students area of research Most of them (N = 18 (75%)) agreed or strongly agreed that academic expertise/knowledge is an important consideration when nominating supervisory team Most participants (N = 16 (66.3%)) either disagreed or undecided to comment on the negative impact of having misalignment of supervisors expertise what they are researching on the quality of feedback on their written work

Interview findings in a gist Support from expert supervisors Research direction Content-specific feedback Support from non- expert supervisors Methodology Proof-reading / editing Emotional support Other forms of support that contribute to their candidature Personal relationship Previous collaboration with supervisors Supervisory team combination Approach to supervision

Support from supervisors With discipline expertiseWith no discipline expertise Methodology I have more engagement with my first supervisor its the aspect of the study in terms of methodology, in terms of putting it together to be able to flow and connect (Steve) Proof-reading / editing Emotional support Research direction My primary supervisor is an expert in my area. And how I have asked for specific guidance really has been to help me navigate my way into the literature in my field of studies (Susan) Content-specific feedback Hell come back with hundreds of comments theyre comments about things like I may have forgotten something (Linda)

Is it all about discipline expertise? Personal relationship Previous collaboration with supervisors Supervision approach

Does alignment of research interests matter? YES - Most students value the importance of having discipline-expert supervisors and recognise the advantages they can bring to students work NO It is difficult to determine at this point whether having non-discipline expert supervisors can negatively affect students doctoral experience NO There are other personal factors to be considered when choosing a supervisor

Recommendations For potential RHD students Before submitting an application, research your potential supervisors (e.g. do they publish a lot in your research topic?) Consider other factors in addition to discipline expertise For the Faculty / Supervisors If students are persistently struggling to find field- specific guidance, then it is worth directing them to an appropriate research advisor (externally where possible)

Acknowledgements A special thanks to Dr Sara Booth, Dr Shannon Klekociuk and Ms Sunny Jang for their tireless support, and our PhD peers who have gracefully participated in our project. Contact Jan Gube [email protected]@utas.edu.au Seyum Tekeher [email protected]@utas.edu.au Adnan Satariyan [email protected]@utas.edu.au Yaar Muhammad [email protected]@utas.edu.au Thank you!

Using Peer Storytelling to improve understanding of future research methods studies for first year psychology students Presented by Cyndia Hilliger Part of the Student As change Agents program

* Many students have a fear of studying statistics (Williams, 2013; Onwuegbuzie, 1997) * Worry can cause adverse effects on student academic performance including academic procrastination and lack of motivation (Williams, 2013) * Pre-course attitude has been shown to be related to anxiety (Chiesni & Primi,2013)

* Strategies to improve student attitudes towards studying statistics focussed on tutor/lecturers/ amendments to course content (Perepiczka, Chandler & Becerra, 2011; Dykeman, 2011) * Students have a stronger identification with peer experience than the experience of tutors or teachers (Topping & Ehly, 2009) * Being able to observe other students experiences and attempts at mastery allows students a chance to reflect on their own capacities and strategies for success (Topping & Ehly, 2009)

* To improve students experiences of studying 2 nd year research methods, by providing first year students with peer insights of what to expect in future research methods studies * This is a two stage process: * Examine the experiences of students who have undertaken research methods study at UTAS * Collate these experiences to form an online repository of stories/hints & tips for students to access

* Student survey sent to students who have completed 2 nd year research methods (KHA201). We asked students for: * Key demographics * Their Top tips for success * Their stories describing their experiences * We had 15% response rate, 99 responses from 678 surveys issued * We have done some basic data and thematic analysis on responses

* 3 key top tips messages * Collaboration with others (15%) .sit next to the smart people, you will know who they are after the first class they can give you immediate clarificationso you dont go completely off trackand buy the smart people chocolate that way everybody wins..(Annette) * Study strategies(29%) The harder you work early, the easier everything becomes later, once you get the core concepts everything will pretty much fall into place. (Anonymous) * Emotional Strategies (30%) Do not buy into the stressful hype that classmates and tutors express.(Anonymous)

* Of the 26 stories shared by the survey respondents, the overwhelming themes were about overcoming the anticipated and experienced difficulties of studying research methods and triumphing at the end. * Stories offered : * Advice on the journey * Encouragement * Accounts of personal triumphs

* I havent studied maths since year 10.you can imagine I was not looking forward to Research Methods and Designbit by bit I was able to grasp the content. I didnt do great in research methods 2 (overall credit)..but I committed to getting on top of the tricky concepts...although I often felt completely out of my depth, I did slowly develop more confidence.Im rather shocked, but it turns out I received a high distinction for that unit (KHA350). For someone who is a complete mathsphobe, I am really blown away. (Lucy)

* Id heard the rumours.people in talked in whispers about research methods because everyone was too scared of the subjectIm not going to lie, research methods wasnt my favourite subjectI can remember thinking,I cant do this...it all felt too overwhelming. But for some reason, I kept going.the whole subject just clicks by week 11,12 or 13My major tip is that its going to be okay. Stick at it. Yeah its hard, be ready to work for it. Hey, you might even enjoy it! (Jill)

* What RM teaches you is tenacity. I came through with a great grade and I know I earned it, and I know that I can do anything I want as a result!(R) * When I started RM I felt overwhelmed and out of my depththe content [was]challengingit also felt very rewarding when things clickedamazingly after all my doubts I achieved a final score of 89 - the highest score I have ever gotten.(Kate) * Maths was not my strong point.I was literally petrified to start RM,.. because I thought I would surely failI soon realised I didnt have to be good at maths; I just had to apply myself. (Annie)

* Finish curation of stories and upload to MyLo * Students encouraged to check in with this resource to read the content * Potential to keep building and adding to the stories to help inform students more clearly as to what studying research methods is really about * As a result, see students reframe their expectations of studying research methods from being difficult to be being challenging

Exploring the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in medical education at University of Tasmania Georgina Taylor A Students as Change Agents project

Textbook pricing and student costs Internationally, textbook prices are rising and students have difficulty affording this. (SPARC, 2014; PIRGs, 2014) Two thirds of Australian students are worried about their finances. (Bexley et al 2013)

Open Educational Resources (OER) "Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution. (UNESCO 2002).

FOAM/FOAMed FOAM stands for Free Open Access Meducation Medical education for anyone, anywhere, anytime. (Life in the Fast Lane) This movement began in emergency medicine, and is dedicated to free and dynamic medical education.

The research project Survey was designed to assess student and staff understanding, use and opinions of OER. The target population: 559 students in the MBBS course at UTAS Up to 143 staff teaching into this course

Demographics Responses from 31 students and 12 staff so far. Staff were widely distributed, teaching into a variety of years in the course. 88% of students were in years 3-5 of the course, with increased clinical teaching.

Use of OER Websites were far more used in both learning and teaching than any other OER resource. Students listed specific resources: 11 students mentioned Life in the Fast Lane 5 referred to Wikipedia Others included websites, youtube and quizzes 15% of students and 27% of staff had contributed to developing OER.

Opinions of OER Students have been encouraged to use OER in the past primarily because they are: Students had been prevented from using OER in the past primarily due to: Usefulness and quality were the highest scoring factors that would promote future OER use for both students and staff. Free Easy to acccess Up to date Difficulty finding resources Unsure of reliability

Next steps The survey is continuing to gather responses throughout second semester to increase the response rate. A report will be prepared for the SERRU unit. Dissemination of the findings to relevant staff at UTAS will seek to positively influence teaching and learning.

Dr Derek Choi-Lundberg Dr Shannon Klekociuk Sun Jang

Students experience of Bachelor of Nursing (Fast Track): Is it a 2-year sprint or a 4-year marathon? Fatima Anjum

Preview of Todays Talk Project Background Project Aims Research Methodology Sampling Data Collection Data Analysis Results Conclusion (recommendations)

Background Fast track courses mean students can save money on fees, accommodation and other costs (Husson & Kennedy, 2003:51-61), while also getting a head start on entering employment (Mandelson, 2010). BUT, a number of students enrolled in fast-track courses experience delays in the completion of their programs, and the factors contributing to these delays are NOT clear.

Aims To identify factors causing delays of course completion for 2-Year Fast-Track Nursing students To provide suggestions that enable nursing students to progress through the fast-track program on time

Methodology Sampling 111 responses (over 18 % of 611 participants) Data collection Online survey sent to students enrolled in the 2- year fast track nursing program at UTAS Data analysis Frequency and thematic analysis on responses

Results 31 % participants are currently experiencing delays in completing their courses Family commitments 53% Academic load 53% Course structure/schedule 26% Others (work commitments, physical and mental health) 24%

Results (contd) 50% participant have attempted to avoid delays in course completion Accessed university support 34% Employment adjustments 18% Course re-structure/new pathway 18% Sought support from family 2%

Results (contd) Family support Academic skills Personal attributes Good time management UTAS support Living/working situation that accommodates study 69% participants have avoided delays in course completion.

Recommendations For UTAS provide information about the demands and commitments of the course (e.g., sharing experiences of graduates, more guidance for prospective students, and offering a 3-year program in the Sydney campus) For Students Ensure that you (students) have adequate family/social support and flexible lifestyle to accommodate the demands of the course A final report of this study will be provided to the Student Experience Committee.

THANK YOU! Presented by Fatima Anjum

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Jan Gube Seyum Getenet Adnan Satariyan Yaar Muhammad Does alignment of research interests matter? Exploring doctoral students’ perception of supervisors’