Abstract:

A 2013 Australian report states that international students comprise 29 per cent of the total higher education student load in Australia, having increased to 320 000 from just over 18 000 in 1988, with these students coming from more than 180 countries. Whilst this diversity considerably enriches university communities, it also necessitates that increased support structures are put in place by academic and administrative staff for those students who have diverse English language abilities, cultural backgrounds and academic ability. We as university lecturers therefore need to be proactive in developing new strategies that will meet changing and diverse demands without conflicting with established academic values.

This paper examines three unique approaches to learning and teaching that each use technology to assist students to a deeper understanding of the learning material they are required to grapple with. The first uses adaptive E-Learning (AEL) as developed by the software team Smart Sparrow to teach aspects of income tax law to accounting students. The second shows how interactive tools such as padlet can assist with the reflection and interaction associated with teaching business ethics (particularly data ethics). The third concentrates on how technological approaches can be used to enrich face-to-face learning experiences and encourage active engagement and the development of critical thinking, independent learning, and oral and aural language skills.

The AEL approach uses two traditional means of teaching and assessment, multi-choice questions and case studies to reinforce and deepen student learning. It makes the revision exercises fun by using colourful graphics and attempts to engage the students’ interest by making it different and novel compared to the traditional lecture/tutorial. Although students are given immediate feedback, the modules are not linked to summative assessment.

The interactive tools assist with the development of an asynchronous online learning community, where students reflect on open-ended questions related to ethics, provide feedback to their peers, and work in teams to resolve ethical dilemmas.

The final approach uses a mixture of technological tools to invigorate and enrich the face-to-face experience, and also to encourage substantial engagement outside of the classroom. These tools include technologies used in the classroom, such as mind maps to reflect students’ answers to problem questions, online surveys and back channels to illuminate students’ backgrounds and aspirations to enable the lecturer to adapt the material to the cohort, and quiz-show style learning games to promote engagement in class. These are supported by technologies used outside the classroom, such as a feedback engagement tool where students ask questions about the readings which are then answered collectively in class, online quizzes and a full online module with accompanying assessment to prepare students for independent learning.

Keywords:

Technology, blended, adaptive e-learning.