Business & Economics Collected Works - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableExamining the influence of professional development on tutors' teaching philosophies(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-08-18)This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining the influence of professional development (PD) on tutors’ teaching philosophies. It found that tutors construe their role in three ways: as transmitter, facilitator, or reflexive practitioner. The findings suggest most tutors, prior to a PD program, hold a teacher-focused conception of teaching and learning (that is, as transmitter) but shift toward a student-oriented conception following the completion of the PD program (facilitators or reflexive practitioners). Epistemic shifts among tutors were attributed to three specific features of the PD program: workshops, peer mentoring, and peer networking. This study provides insights into PD features that cultivate student-oriented teaching philosophies reflecting contemporary pedagogical strategies that promote experiential and constructivist teaching approaches.
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ItemAssessing critical thinking in business education: Key issues and practical solutions(Elsevier BV, 2021-11)Developing critical thinking is an important goal in higher education and, more importantly, in business education. Yet, it is uncertain to what extent assessment influences students' critical thinking development and enhancement. This paper presents data from a study that applied a framework we developed to identify evidence of students’ ability to think critically and whether students face challenges at applying critical thinking. A sample of 100, 2000-word group reports from a masters business analysis subject were evaluated using a critical thinking assessment rubric. We followed this with a content analysis of 49 reports using our developed framework to identify the demonstration of critical thinking dispositions and abilities. The findings from both analyses indicate a difference between student reports on how critical thinking is demonstrated. Most importantly, our developed framework provides a novel way to analyse student reports that inform whether they demonstrate the specific components of critical thinking dispositions and abilities. The evaluation using our established framework enables us to offer practical suggestions that university instructors can use to address the issues and challenges raised that hinder critical thinking acquisition via assessment practice in business education.
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ItemDo economics academics recognise employability skills and incorporate them into their courses?(The University of Queensland, School of Economics, 2020-11-01)Although previous studies have investigated economics curriculum reform to ensure economics graduates ‘think like economists’, it is unclear to what extent and how university economics teachers (academics) respond to the expectation that employability skills development is included in teaching and assessment practice. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory pilot study that investigated economics academics’ views and experience of employability skills integration. Drawing on interview data, content analysis of curriculum documents and observations of teaching and assessment practice, the findings indicate that while a common understanding and opinion of employability skills is held, tensions in practice exist: the teaching and assessment of employability skills is an individual decision, influenced by academic position and experience, and tempered by traditional expectations of a focus on discipline content.