School of Humanities
First Year Tutor Training
2011
Ass Prof Jock Macleod (Head of School)
Prof Keithia Wilson (National Fellow
for the FYE)
HUM FY Tutor Training 2011
Session 1 (10-10.30)
Welcome & Introductions
• Place/Country
• Leaders/Facilitators
• Participants
• Task
• Process & Roles
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Acknowledgment of Country
• In the Spirit of Reconciliation
• Following on from Sorry Day
• We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land that
we are meeting on today, and pay respect to their Elders past
& present
Our Nathan campus is situated on the lands of
• the Yuggera, the Yugarabul, the Jagera & the Turrbal Peoples
Our Gold Coast campus is situated on the lands of
• the Kombumerri & the Yugambeh Peoples
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Facilitators/Leaders & Participants
• Ass Prof Jock Macleod (Head of School)
• Prof Keithia Wilson (School of Psychology, 2010 National
Fellow for the FYE, 2007 Australian University Teacher of the
Year)
• Margaret Macleod, Assessment Consultant, First Year
Enhancement Project
• School Tutor Development Coordinator
• Campus First Year Advisor
• School Course Convenors (academic staff)
• School Head Tutors (academic sessional staff)
• School Tutors (academic sessional staff)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Workshop Overview
1.
2.
3.
4.
Coffee on arrival; welcome and introductions (10.00-10.30)
Brief overview of relevant admin issues and roles (10.30-10.50)
Teaching for diversity and transition in the first year (10.50-11.30)
Assessment issues (11.30-12.00)
Lunch arrives at 12.00; continue working over lunch
5.
6.
Facilitating and managing small group teaching (including problemsharing, workshopping difficult scenarios) (12.00-12.40)
Evaluating sessional teaching for professional development (ITRs; midsemester review; SETs for tutors) & Workshop evaluation (12.40-1.00)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Session 2 (10.30-10.50)
Overview of
Admin issues & Roles
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Griffith University context
• Large metropolitan university in Brisbane (1 of 7 in S-E
Qld, & 1 of 4 in Brisbane, 1 of 2 at the Gold Coast)
• Multi-campus - 5 campuses x 60 k corridor
• Student enrolment of 40,000
• 70% of students are first-in-family at uni
• 6th largest low SES student intake in Australia (16%)
• 3rd largest Indigenous student intake in Australia
• 30% International student enrolment (e.g., China,
Indonesia, India, Arab Emirates) mostly in Business Group
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Key Resource for Tutors at Griffith
You will all have a copy of the Good Practice Framework for the
Management and Development of Sessional
Academic Teaching at Griffith (2010)
 read at your leisure in your own time
HUM FY Tutor Training 2011
The Tutor Role
General role:
• Providing a quality learning experience to facilitate student
engagement & success
• Providing opportunities for students to clarify & discuss
course material & address their needs & concerns
• Enhancing students’ understanding of the lecture material
(application of theory to practical skills and exercises) and
course requirements
• Enhancing students’ understanding of the standards &
requirements of all course assessment tasks
• Preparing students to undertake assessment tasks
Tutor Working Time
 Meetings with the convenor/other tutors
 Preparation for tutes
 In class teaching
 Student consultation
 Marking & feedback to students
The Head Tutor (HT) Role
• Supporting tutors to provide a quality learning experience to facilitate
student engagement & success
• Providing administrative duties to support course convenor
• May facilitate tutor meetings on a campus in place of the course
coordinator on another campus
• Assisting with tutorial designs
• Collecting and collating any resource materials for the tutorials
• Assisting tutors to provide consistent information to students on all
assessment tasks
• Assisting tutors to design processes to prepare students to undertake their
assessment tasks
• Providing mentoring & problem-solving for the teaching team
The Course Convenor Role & responsibilities
with their Teaching Team
• Guiding & supporting tutors to provide a quality learning
experience to facilitate student engagement & success
• Organising tutor staff arrangements and ensuring their
attendance at appropriate entry-level training and induction
• Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of tutors within the
course
• Establishing strategies for maintaining contact with tutors and
integrating them into the teaching team
• Leading, and coordinating the teaching activities of all
members of their teaching team
GBS Tutor Training 2011
The Course Convenor Role & responsibilities
with their Teaching Team
• Arranging initial meetings of the teaching team to discuss the purpose of
the course in the context of the program
• Conducting regular meetings of the teaching team to review curriculum
issues, teaching practices and learning activities within the course
(optimally every fortnight, minimum of 4 in a semester)
• Overseeing the process of teaching evaluations for all tutors in their
teaching team
• Providing detailed criteria for each assessment item for student advising &
marking
• Providing guidance to tutors re the type & quantity of feedback to be
provided on assessment tasks
• Conducting a process for moderating all assessment marks
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Meetings
Your convenor will organise at least 4 meetings with
tutorial teams during semester (see Good Practice
Framework p.8) –
1. An initial orientation & team building meeting
before teaching commences
2. A briefing meeting on assessment criteria & marking
practices for each assessment item in advance of
marking
3. A moderation meeting following marking of each
assessment to ensure consistency & reliability of
grades
4. A course evaluation & de-briefing meeting
HUM FY Tutor Training 2011
The Tutor Development Coordinator (TDC)
Role
Prof Kay Ferres (Nathan & GC)
• Involved in training new tutors
• Mentoring new and experienced tutors – quality
assurance
• Assists with formative evaluation of tutes (weeks 2 &
6) to ensure tutor quality & support
• Guidance with Professional Development along a
teaching and learning pathway
The First Year Advisor (FYA) Role
•
•
•
•
Student support
Student Advocacy
One stop shop for referral information
Design, management and evaluation of the first year
co-curricular activities (e.g. Orientation)
• Friendly face to connect students to services
• Helps with the transition of students into university
• Tutors can refer “at-risk”/struggling students to their
FYA for assistance
Session 3 (10.50-11.30)
Teaching for
Diversity & Transition
in the First Year
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Understanding the Current Context for the
FYE
FY Transition Practice
Student Diversity
Student Transition
* Course Design
* Course Delivery
* Course Assessment
Understanding the Current Context for the
FYE
FY Transition Practice
Student Diversity
Student Transition
* Course Design
* Course Delivery
* Course Assessment
Federal Gov’t reform agenda in Higher
Education
Aims to • Widen student participation in Higher Education – A FAIR GO!
• Increase the access of students from low SES & disadvantaged
backgrounds to university (higher numbers - Target increase
from 12% to 20% by 2012)
• Increase the success of students from low SES &
disadvantaged backgrounds at university (higher retention)
• Moving from an elite model of HE (0-15% participation) to a
mass model of HE (16-50%) (Trow, 2004)
• 25% participation of non-Indigenous Australians (50% USA)
• 1.3% of Indigenous Australians attend university
GBS Tutor Training 2011
What is Student Diversity?
Traditional
Students (TS)
•
•
•
•
•
medium-high SES
higher entry levels
second generation
full-time
on-campus
Elite Model
Non-Traditional Students
(NTS)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
low SES background
lower entry levels
first-in-family to attend uni
full-time & working
limited time on-campus
Indigenous
NESB/ESL – International, refugee
disability
mature age with home care
responsibilities
rural/remote
Mass Model
GBS Tutor Training 2011
What do we know about the profile of our
Griffith Students?
•
•
•
•
•
Compared to most other universities in Australia:
Are more likely to be the ‘first in their family’ (FIF) to attend University
* Brisbane = 70% approx
* Logan
= 80% approx
* Gold Coast = 60% approx
FIF correlates with low SES & lower entry scores/OPs
More of our students work in paid employment & they work longer
hours in paid employment than the national average(reality of low
SES/FIF students paying their own way through uni)
GU has the 6th highest intake of low SES students nationally (16%)
50% of Qld Indigenous student enrolments (600 students in total
across the university) – small numbers in Humanities
30% International student enrolment overall (making up to 60% of
classes in Griffith Business School)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Assumed entry level Knowledge
First Year Attributes
Discipline-specific
First Year
Attributes
First Year
Attributes
students will
acquire in their
first year
Generic First Year
Attributes
ASSUMED FY KNOWLEDGE=
a firm foundation
GBS Tutor Training 2011
First Year
Attributes
Students
bring to uni
The reality of Assumed Knowledge
First Year Attributes
Discipline-specific FY Attributes
Generic First Year Attributes
ASSUMED
KNOWLEDGE
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Assumed Knowledge
Two types –
1. Academic Skills – foundational to academic
curriculum
2. Academic/Social/Cultural Capital – the
“Hidden Curriculum”
GBS Tutor Training 2011
What is assumed Knowledge?
Academic Skills – The formal curriculum
 Information Literacy
 Computer Literacy
 Reading Skills
 Written Communication
 Numeracy Skills
 Critical thinking & analysis
 Independent Learning (self-regulation & self
management)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Assisting students to develop selfregulation skills
Study-work-social/family life balance & effective
time management
• Providing reminders of upcoming assessment
items
• Providing reminders for exam revision
• Providing reminders for milestones for tasks with
no direct assessment component (readings,
problem-solving exercises, reflective journals,
computer tasks)
• Providing weekly/regular homework tasks assist
the development of a study routine
GBS Tutor Training 2011
What is assumed knowledge?
Cultural/Social & Academic Capital – “The
Hidden Curriculum”
1.Understanding student role expectations &
appropriate & effective behaviour
2.Reading the academic context to accurately
determine performance requirements re
studying & assessment
3.Capacity for help-seeking without fear of
negative labelling (dumb/stupid)
4.Sense of belonging & personal fit with
university (overcome the “outsider within”
phenomenon – “A stranger in a foreign land”)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Can Non-Traditional students be successful at
university - the research evidence shows….
• Despite low access rates, the success rate (or
tendency to pass their year’s subjects) of low
SES (non-traditional) students is 97% of the
pass rates of their medium & high SES peers &
has been stable over the last 7 years.
(Bradley et al, 2008:30)
• However, this success rate is premised on the
provision of a range of support systems
GBS Tutor Training 2011
It’s not about ability - Non-Traditional students
need support to succeed!
 Once students from disadvantaged backgrounds have
entered university, the likelihood of them completing
their course of study is broadly similar to that of the
general higher education population. Often,
however, they require higher levels of support to
succeed, including financial assistance & greater
academic support, mentoring & counselling services.
(Transforming Australia’s Higher Education System,
Commonwealth of Australia, 2009:14)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Therefore....implications of student
diversity for our teaching practice
• Being aware of what we are assuming is entry level
knowledge in our course content & assessment, checking this
for accuracy, & being explicit with students about entry level
knowledge assumptions
• Providing clear explanations of course material & assessment
• Being prepared to have multiple discussions about key
concepts & especially about assessment tasks & standards
• Not assuming commencing students are independent, selfregulating learners but assisting them to develop these skills
• Creating a class culture that values diversity in all of its forms
(age, gender, race, sexual orientation etc.)
Understanding the Current Context for the
FYE
FY Transition Practice
Student Diversity
Student Transition
* Course Design
* Course Delivery
* Course Assessment
The ‘Five-Senses’ of Student Success
Lizzio (2006)
Sense of
Connectedness
Sense of
Capability
Sense of
Student
Identity
Sense of
Resourcefulness
Sense of
Purpose
GBS Tutor Training 2011
STUDENT PROCESS : What do we know from
research about success in first year?
Students are more likely to succeed if they:
 Invest time on task  time spent studying each week is the strongest predictor
 Regularly attend lectures & tutorials  increased learning opportunities also a
strong predictor
 Develop a social network at uni  knowing one person’s name is a protective
factor against dropping out
 Have a clear goal or purpose for attending uni (sense of vocational direction &
purpose especially)  a strong predictor of success
 Engage with the online environment  moderates success at university
 Balance commitments (working not more than 15 hours a week in paid
employment if FT)  making appropriate time for study predicts success
 Have some sense of academic self-confidence  predicts success (self-efficacy &
an expectation of success is foundational to success in life)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
STUDENT PROCESS : What do we know from
research about risk factors in first year?
Students are more likely to drop-out or fail if they:
•
Don’t spend time studying for courses/subjects each week
•
Don’t develop a social network at university
•
Don’t have a sense of purpose (esp vocational purpose) in their degree
•
Don’t regularly attend lectures & tutorials
(with the exception of a small group of young, very intellectually bright
males)
•
Don’t have access to or engage with the online environment
•
Do work more than 25 hours per week while studying full time
GBS Tutor Training 2011
STUDENT PROCESS : What do we know from
research about risk factors in first year?
Students are also more likely to drop-out if they:
 Are a member of a minority or disadvantaged group (e.g.,
Indigenous, rural, disability, refugee, international, primary
caregiver in family, single parent)
 Are the ‘first in their family’ to attend university
If not handled sensitively, this information has the potential to
disempower commencing students because they can’t change
this. To be empowering, this information needs to be
explained in terms of low social/ academic capital which
simply means that they need to engage with the support
systems offered at the School/Program & University level from
the outset, until they “find their feet”. Their role also needs to
be described as “Pathfinders” & “Trailblazers” for their
families & social groups, as part of a bigger social justice issue
of equality & equity in terms of access to & success at
university.
GBS Tutor Training 2011
What predicts commencing students’ satisfaction
with their Griffith degree program?
Strongly Enhances
Sense of Purpose
Sense of Capability
Enhances
Sense of Connection
Enhances
Good Teaching
Enhances
Perceived Effectiveness Enhances
of Orientation
Time on Task/Study
Enhances
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Commencing
Student
Satisfaction
What predicts commencing students academic
outcomes?
Academic Capital
Low SES
First in Family
ESL
Reduces
Competing Demands
Time in employment
Time as carer
Reduces
Task Engagement @ Uni
Attendance at Orientation
Time on task/study
Strongly Enhances
Prior Academic Achievement Enhances
Entry OP
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Semester 1
GPA
What predicts commencing students’ retention
into year 2?
Academic Capital
-
Competing Demands
Semester 1
GPA
Task Engagement @ Uni +
Prior Academic Achievement +
Sense of Purpose + + +
Student Satisfaction +
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Student
Retention
Generalisability of findings
There were no differences as a function of –
• Gender
• Age (high school leaver vs mature age)
• Domestic vs International
• Discipline
Thus, these findings can be considered robust
for commencing students
GBS Tutor Training 2011
So what are the take-away messages?



Entry OP score is influential but this is significantly
outweighed by ‘time on task’ (our tutors & students need
to know this)
Lower academic capital at entry does not make a difference
to ‘student satisfaction’ but does negatively predict ‘early
GPA’. (The window of risk and opportunity is early on in
semester 1/year 1 & semester 2/year1 with mid-year
intake – early intervention & assistance by convenors &
tutors optimises student success)
Lower academic capital/’at risk’ social demographics does
not predict GPA in later years. (Once students get off to a
good start their present is more important than their past
& FIF students graduate at the same rate as second
generation students)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
So what are the other take-away
messages?

Sense of purpose and academic achievement (GPA) are the
key factors in predicting Year 1 student retention. Sense of
purpose functions as a protective factor for student
retention  Strategies for Tutors to encourage a sense of
purpose in FY students

Effectiveness of and attendance at orientation is a
‘sleeper/underlying factor’ in both soft (satisfaction) & hard
student outcomes (GPA)  Encouraging attendance at
School/Program Orientation events
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Defining Sense of Purpose
3 domains –
1. Program & course level coherence
viz. vertical & horizontal integration
2. Disciplinary engagement
3. Vocational outcomes
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Strategies for building Sense of Purpose
Identifying personal relevance
Enquiring of students at the outset –
• Why are you doing this course?
• How does this course fit with your degree
program?
• How does this course fit with your vocational
interests?
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Strategies for building Sense of Purpose
Making Program & course level coherence explicit at
the outset
• Identifying how this course/subject fits within a
program of study viz. Part of a major/stream linked
to other courses of potential study
• Identifying how this course is similar or different
(complementary) to other courses the student may
be undertaking
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Strategies for building Sense of Purpose
Disciplinary engagement
• Identifying the unique contribution of your
course in terms of developing knowledge &
skills for the student for the future
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Strategies for building Sense of Purpose
Vocational Outcomes
• Relevance - Identifying from the outset how the
knowledge & skills may be useful to the student in a
range of possible future careers
• Application - Providing field examples of concepts
studied viz. Making links from the academic/study
context to the field/work context
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Session 4 (11.30-12.00)
Assessment Issues
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Functions of Assessment
1.
•
•
Summative
Degree of knowledge, understanding or skill against set criteria
Assign as grade or mark which allows students to be norm referenced in
their cohort
2.
•
•
•
•
Formative/developmental
Assessing students’ personal strengths
Identifying areas for improvement for future learning & achievement
Tutor & Student PARTNERSHIP with Tutor as learning facilitator
This type of assessment is key to first year
3.
•
•
Assessment as Learning
More than a grade
Ultimately assessment = learning from the experience (skills,
knowledge, understanding, confidence)
Setting Assessment
 Convenor’s responsibility
 Research evidence of strong relationship between
learning & type of assessment
 exams, especially multiple choice = Surface Learning
 essays, reports, practical assessment = Deep Learning
This is why the quality of the comments on essays can make a
real difference to a student’s learning &
development = TUTOR AS CHANGE AGENT
Effective feedback – a Reflective Task!
Discuss briefly in pairs:
• Did you read the feedback on your written
assessment?
• What type of feedback did you most
appreciate & find most useful for your
learning?
• What type of feedback did you find “less than
useful”?
Strategies for providing useful
Written Feedback on Essays etc.
AIMS
1. Enhance student learning & understanding
2. Provide justification for mark (my comments must match the
mark I have given)
3. By giving progressive feedback throughout the body of the
essay (ticks, words, phrases etc.)
* must not be in a red pen
* must not be negatively critical or judgmental
(e.g., ! or “honestly!”)
* must be clearly understandable by the student
(e.g., don’t just circle or ? something)
Providing Written Feedback on
Essays, Reports etc.
4.
By giving a concluding paragraph that –
•
Summarises the achievements & strengths of the piece of work
* “What you did well is...”
•
Identifies specific learning gaps & areas for improvement
* “You could improve this essay/report by...”
It is important to frame these in terms of what the student needs to do
to improve their work for the future, rather than what they didn’t do.
The former leads to learning & the latter to feeling judged & a sense of
inadequacy.
This quality of feedback is expected from our tutors in the School
Challenges with Assessment – a
Reflective Task
What are some of the challenges you have
either experienced already as a tutor, or
expect to experience as a tutor with
assessment processes that you would like to
explore & problem-share, with the aim of
seeking other options?
Have a chat in small groups to identify a key
challenge & prepare to share from your group
for further discussion & problem-solving.
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Session 5 (12.00-12.40)
Facilitating & Managing
Small Group Teaching
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Student Perceptions of Teaching
The big idea:
Students’ perceptions of the quality of their
learning environment are a powerful influence
on
• how they will approach study in a course
• what academic outcomes they will achieve
• Whether or not they will drop out in their first
year of study
Prof Keithia Wilson - Feb 8 th 2010
A Consistent Finding:
When students perceive that they are receiving
“good teaching” :
• they increase their understanding approaches
• do better academically
• feel more satisfied about learning
• Are more likely to persist with their studies at
university & to graduate
Prof Keithia Wilson - Feb 8 th 2010
Good Teaching – a Reflective Task!
• If you reflect on your experience as a learner,
what are the indicators that you would
identify as evidence of “good teaching” in
tutorial contexts?
• Chat to the person beside you, or in small
groups for 2 minutes
• Be prepared to share 2-3 key indicators with
the whole group
Prof Keithia Wilson - Feb 8 th 2010
Good Teaching – so what does the
research literature say?
How well do you know the material?
• Content mastery – demonstrating a sound understanding of the course content
/ material
How well do you explain it to us?
• Providing clear explanations matched to the learners - balancing simplicity vs
complexity.
• Tutor role is to break down complex concepts from the lectures  simplify
concepts & translate lecture material
How interesting do you make it for us?
• Personal energy, enthusiasm & demonstrated interest in both the material &
your role as tutor
• Stimulating student’s interest through variety in process – e.g., discussion,
visual aids, setting tasks to apply concepts to practice etc. Systematic use of
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle of experience, reflection, input &
application inspiring learning
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Good Teaching continued…..
How well do you manage the learning experience?
• Setting clear goals & processes for each tute – being organised
• Keeping group discussions focused & on track
• Sharing the air time & participation between individual students
• Getting through the identified goals for each tute
• Encouraging students to show respect for each others’ ideas
How rewarding and encouraging are you?
• Giving positive feedback & praise to students in class for their contributions
How responsive to our needs are you?
• Establishing a working alliance means working with and responding to students and
their needs vs “doing a pre-planned set piece”
• Making opportunity for students to ask questions or make comments
• Actively seeking & using student feedback to improve your teaching process (simply
asking for feedback at the end of a tute, or using the Initial Tutorial Review or the
Weekly Tutorial Review to evaluate content & process)
• Showing concern for students & their learning
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Good teaching is relational…
Motivating
expectations
Empathy and
fairness
Stimulating
learning
designs
A CULTURE OF
RESPECTFUL
PARTNERSHIP
Accessible
explanations
Helpful
feedback
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Students tell us over and over again..…respectful dialogue with us
is at the heart of their learning
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Facilitating & managing small group teaching –
a small group discussion Task!
What are some of the challenges you have
either experienced already as a tutor, or
expect to experience as a tutor that you would
like to explore & problem-share, with the aim
of seeking other options?
Have a chat in small groups to identify a key
challenge & prepare to share from your group
for further discussion & problem-solving.
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Session 6 (12.40-1.00)
Evaluating sessional
teaching for professional
development
GBS Tutor Training 2011
School Policy on Evaluation
• The School is committed to 2 types of evaluation & 3 evaluation points in a
semester
• The purpose of this evaluation strategy is three-fold –
1. For Students, to provide a quality learning experience which facilitates
engagement & success,
2. For Tutors, to provide feedback to enhance personal & professional
effectiveness in the role, & thus professional development
3. For the School System, to provide mechanisms for quality assurance of
tutorial teaching as well as for improving the quality of small class
teaching in the School
•
For these reasons, participation by tutors in these 3 evaluation points is
mandatory
GBS Tutor Training 2011
2 Types of evaluation
1. Formative/developmental evaluation aimed at
helping you as tutors to get feedback on your early
practice in order to improve both the quality of the
learning environment & student learning, as well as
further developing your effectiveness in the role 
hot data
2. Summative/end of semester evaluation aimed at
ensuring you get feedback on your overall
effectiveness in the tutor role  warm-cold data
GBS Tutor Training 2011
3 Evaluation points in each semester
1.
2.
3.
Week 2 of each semester – use the Initial Tutorial Review (ITR) survey to
gather early data on your effectiveness with student engagement
(Quality Assurance & Improvement)
Week 6 of each semester – use the Mid-course/Semester Tutorial
Review survey to gather data on the effectiveness of your class learning
environment with the aim of listening to students & potentially making
changes to enhance that environment (Quality Assurance &
Improvement) Payment of 1 hour for tutors per semester to summarise
data to feedback to students.
End of semester – students fill out an on-line Student Evaluation of
Teaching (SET) containing quantitative as well as qualitative data
evaluating your effectiveness in the tutor role (Quality Assurance)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
Formative Evaluation Surveys
For information on these tools, please refer to
• Tutors as teachers and Learners: Resources to
facilitate learning, evaluation & professional
development 2011 (GU, Lizzio & Wilson)
GBS Tutor Training 2011
GBS Tutor Training 2011