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CLeaR Fellows 2017 – Anuj Bhargava

1-2-3 Lit Review

Anuj BhargavaAs a teaching fellow in second year physiology, my students, in their transition from first to second year experience changes in the nature of content and its delivery. Conceptual understanding in Year 2 requires higher-level cognitive skills than at Year 1 and assessments target higher-level cognitive and psychomotor skills (Bloom & Krathwohl, 1956). Accordingly, students who have not mastered the higher-level skills in the taxonomy of learning tend to struggle with the transition, and show deficits in areas such as report-writing skills, analytical skills and presentation skills. One of the challenges in science education is to move students from thinking about science as a collection of facts to be memorized toward a deeper understanding of concepts and scientific ways of thinking. Another significant teaching challenge is to convey the concept of scientific work as a cooperative venture. Current work depends on the previous work of others in the scientific community, and it is vital that the work which goes into research and writing is honestly and properly acknowledged. A particularly important area that has been identified by UoA teaching staff as a struggle for students to upgrade their skills in is report writing and literature review skills. I propose to address some of these gaps by developing self-help online tools that will enable students to catch up with the Stage II and III requirements in order for better outcomes in students who would otherwise be at risk. Employers expect graduates to be able to communicate effectively with both professional and non-professional audiences on science-related matters.

A benefit of my proposed online self help tool in report writing will be integration of academic literacy within the learning environment and will help in preparation for a career in scientific research and/or further study at advanced levels.

I intend my new tool to:

  • Be a user friendly and accessible resource.
  • Enable more effective and efficient use of tutor time.
  • Deliver content that is engaging for students through a blended learning pedagogical approach (combination of face to face and/or online tutorials).
  • Integrate academic literacy by providing scaffolded learning opportunities from year 1 to year 2 and beyond.
  • Enhance working relationships between Library, Student Learning Services, and Med Science staff.

The outcome from my participation in the Fellowship year would include gaining skills and support in developing teaching and learning resources. This would include new resources like a literature review skills online tool, and also would include building on resources already in progress.

I hope to develop skills to better enable me to produce an online tool for report writing and literature review. This will in turn, enhance students’ academic literacy skills.

I hope to be a more effective teacher by learning advanced skills in report writing and in communication. It will also give me an opportunity to share ideas with teaching peers.

References
Bloom, B. S. and Krathwohl, D. R. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. New York: Longmans.