Supporting assessment
Learning Connection provides a range of services to support student learning on each metropolitan campus and through its website. This is an outline of how academic staff can work collaboratively with Learning Advisers to assist their students to learn more effectively and to demonstrate their learning through the assessment for their courses.
Learning Connection focuses on student learning and its staff are involved in both student support and academic development. Significant emphasis is placed on providing support to all students through collaboration with academic staff and through mainstream teaching and learning activities. This student-centred approach anticipates the range of student needs and addresses these as a normal part of learning.
What kind of services are available?
There are four ways in which you can directly involve Learning Advisers in your course:
Course-based face-to-face workshops
Learning Advisers can provide sessions to support learning and assessment in courses either within class time or at another time. The sessions usually focus on a specific assignment or on supporting unfamiliar learning opportunities such as learning in groups. Learning Connection can also run sessions outside of class time and students can register for these online. See: http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/registerit/workshops.asp
Generic online workshops
These workshops focus on particular kinds of assessment such as writing an essay or on learning activities such as making notes while reading. They recognise that students need to be explicitly taught these ways of operating at university.
The workshops clarify for students how to go about the activity or assessment task, and focus on the learning processes that underpin particular learning outcomes. They replicate to some extent the learning experience of face-to-face workshops and have the added advantages that they are not tied to a particular time and place, and students may do them as often as they like. This meets the needs of external students and those who are unable to attend face-to-face workshops because of other commitments.
Course-specific online workshops
The generic online workshops mentioned above address the more common forms of learning and assessment. However, many learning and assessment activities have requirements which are quite specific to the field or discipline that may include, for example, particular forms of report writing or writing case studies.
Generally, the more closely a learning activity is linked to an item of assessment, the more likely a student will engage with the activity. For this reason, a number of workshops have been developed that link common forms of learning and assessment to the particular assessment details of the course.
The specific nature of these workshops determine that they be developed study period by study period in collaboration with the staff teaching the courses.
Course-specific online workshops and resources can be found here.
Learning resources for students
Online learning resources are available about aspects of study such as:
- doing different kinds of assignments (for example, essays, reports and oral presentations)
- learning in unfamiliar ways (for example, group work or participating in tutorials)
- learning in a university context (for example, avoiding plagiarism and taking notes)
Many of the topics are the same as those in the online workshops. They provide similar information in a way that can be read quickly, printed easily, and kept for further reference.
Why would I ask Learning Advisers to be involved in my course?
There are a number of reasons why you might invite Learning Connection staff to work with you to enhance your students’ learning and assessment experiences. These could include:
- introducing unfamiliar forms of teaching and learning, for example, group work
- introducing students to the requirements of different forms of assessment
- supporting an assignment that significant numbers of students find difficult
- developing strategies to address higher than usual requests by students for clarification or support in relation to particular assignments
- providing support in assessment for groups of students, for example, those from a non-English speaking background (NESB).
How can I arrange for these services in relation to my course?
There are two main ways of getting access to these services in your course.
First, each year your Division enters into a Service Agreement with the Learning and Teaching Unit to provide particular services which can include this kind of student support. When an item is accepted onto the Service Agreement, services and resources are dedicated to the completion of the project. You would need to anticipate the kinds of services you want and work through your Dean: Teaching and Learning to have them included in this formal arrangement.
Second, if the service has not been included in the Service Agreement you are still welcome to speak with Learning Advisers about the matter and how it could be addressed. Staff will do their best to meet your request, depending on the resources being available.
Ring Reception at Learning Connection on your campus on extension 66666 or email general enquires addressed to the appropriate Learning Connection listed in the global Exchange address list. If you wish, you can make direct contact with a Learning Adviser or anyone else at Learning Connection.
What would I need to do?
If you wish to involve Learning Advisers in these ways, you would need to negotiate with a Learning Adviser on your campus. You may want a lot of involvement or very little. In either case you would at least need to:
- brief the Learning Adviser about the issues and task
- provide information about the course such as assessment details
- encourage students to participate in the activity or use the resource through lectures, tutorials or other means.
Our experience indicates that students are more likely to participate in activities if their lecturers are involved.