ERIC Number: EJ1085396
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0313-7155
EISSN: N/A
A Perspective on Supporting STEM Academics with Blended Learning at an Australian University
Hains-Wesson, Rachael; Tytler, Russell
Issues in Educational Research, v25 n4 p460-479 2015
Design-based educational research can aid in providing a lens into understanding the complexities around imaginative methods, while also creating an avenue to share personal insights to support the solving of teaching and learning problems to direct future efforts. In this study, the "I" narrative was extensively utilised in the form of an autoethnography perspective. This was achieved by incorporating three self-report methods within a design experiment, in order to explore the messiness associated with showcasing the creation and modification of a faculty-wide blended learning framework for STEM teachers. Data generation procedures from three sources provided the evidential basis for investigating this process: (1) self-reflection, (2) key literature findings, and (3) critical discussions from a community of inquiry. The findings identified three particular features of the process of change that were challenging, for which STEM academics required support: educators' professional context; finding models to support change in practice; and identifying the change agent. The paper argues for the program of a personal and complex methodology to inform practice, providing insights into the change process, because process is just as important as product.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Blended Learning, STEM Education, Science Teachers, Mathematics Teachers, Reflection, Literature Reviews, Communities of Practice, Inquiry, Models, Change Agents, Higher Education, Universities, Ethnography, Autobiographies, College Faculty, College Students, Cognitive Style, Professional Identity
Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Inc. 5/202 Coode Street, Como, Western Australia 6152, Australia. e-mail: editor@iier.org.au; Web site: http://www.waier.org.au
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A