Student experience – Dr Lynette Pretorius

Tags: Academic identity, Academic writing, Cooperative learning, Doctoral education, Feedback, Sense of belonging, Student experience, Teaching practice

Fostering AI literacy as students, teachers, and researchers

Posted: 26 October, 202329 May, 2024

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Credit: This blog post is an adapted form of a recent paper I wrote. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been present in society for several years – think, for example, of computer grammar-checking software, autocorrect on your phone, or GPS apps. Recently, however, there has been a significant advancement in AI research with the development of generative …

Tags: Academic integrity, AI literacy, Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Digital literacy, Educational technology, Ethical research practice, Ethics, Evaluation skills, Research skills, Student experience, Teaching practice

Benefits of doctoral writing groups

Posted: 19 October, 202329 May, 2024

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For many years now, I have been working to improve the experiences of PhD students. One practice I’ve found particularly useful is incorporating collaborative and peer-based learning through doctoral writing groups. My work with writing groups started way back in 2013 and, over more than a decade, I have further refined my approach. I currently …

Tags: Academic identity, Academic writing, Cooperative learning, Doctoral education, Feedback, Sense of belonging, Student experience, Teaching practice

Trauma, anxiety, depression, solitude: The impact of COVID-19 on academic identity

Posted: 28 April, 202311 January, 2024

Continue reading “Trauma, anxiety, depression, solitude: The impact of COVID-19 on academic identity”

Credit: Text and images have been republished from an article in the Monash Lens, https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2023/04/28/1385557/trauma-anxiety-depression-solitude-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-academic-indentity COVID-19 brought about unprecedented changes to society, causing widespread disruption to many aspects of our lives. The pandemic has impacted people from all walks of life, but particularly hard-hit have been academics, early-career researchers (ECRs), and PhD students. They’ve had to …

Tags: Academic identity, COVID-19, Doctoral education, Mental health, Pandemic, Reflection, Student experience, Wellbeing

How the pandemic shaped academic identity: Stories of resilience and struggle

Posted: 28 April, 202310 March, 2024

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Credit: Text has been republished from an article in Monash News https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/how-the-pandemic-shaped-academic-identity-stories-of-resilience-and-struggle A new book shares the stories of PhD students, early-career researchers, and established academics during the COVID-19 pandemic to shed light on the struggles faced by those in the industry. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every aspect of our lives, and academia was no exception. …

Tags: Academic identity, COVID-19, Doctoral education, Mental health, Pandemic, Reflection, Stories, Student experience, Wellbeing

I found my PhD journey extremely stressful and mentally exhausting

Posted: 5 April, 202129 May, 2024

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Credit: Main text republished from EduResearch Matters, https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=8916 The secret lives of doctoral students and how academics can help Every year, thousands of students enrol into doctoral programs across Australia and around the world. New PhD students enter an environment characterised by the persistent pursuit for knowledge – there is always something more to learn. …

Tags: Academic identity, Doctoral education, Mental health, Sociology of education, Student experience, Wellbeing

Building a sense of belonging for students who do not live on campus

Posted: 28 July, 201710 March, 2024

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Students who do not live on campus and commute to university (often termed commuter students) can experience a sense of detachment from the university community, which can adversely affect their student experience. Juggling travel, studies, and other commitments means that these students can feel like they are visitors to their own campus. In a recent …

Tags: Diversity, Inclusion, Sense of belonging, Student experience, Wellbeing

Embracing flexibility in assessment to enhance higher-order thinking

Posted: 5 June, 201716 January, 2024

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Innovations in assessment task design are essential if we as educators are to encourage our students to see assessment as a learning process, rather than just a means towards a grade. In a recent study I did with some of my colleagues from accounting, we developed a flexible assessment regime designed to bolster students’ higher-order …

Tags: Assessing learning, Assessment, Critical thinking, Student experience, Teaching practice

Developing students’ critical thinking and clinical reasoning through problem-based assessment

Posted: 14 May, 201411 January, 2024

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In clinical education, the challenge is to not just impart content knowledge, but also help students develop critical real-world clinical skills. This is particularly true when it comes to critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. In a paper I recently wrote with colleagues from a midwifery unit, we demonstrate how constructive alignment of a course’s …