Project Pandora: Student Teaching and Learning (Resources) Toolbox

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Author: Mark Loves

University of Wollongong

Feedback from post graduate domestic and international students highlights the difficulties many have in coping with academic expectations of critical analytical thinking, reading and writing skills, academic language, referencing and expectations surrounding plagiarism and assessment. Many international students state that many of these concepts are unique to Australian tertiary institutions and struggle with their application. For these reasons, in late 2007 (under the auspices of a Law Faculty FSA) the Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention commenced collaborative work with UOW CEDIR, Learning and Development, ITS and Student Support Services to develop an online Student Teaching and Learning (Resources) Toolbox, to promote student skills development in these areas and facilitate delivery of support services to students, particularly those studying over seas.

A significant aspect of the project design is to assess the student’s capability in these key skills through online (auditable) skills tests, thereby providing indication to subject co-ordinators that particular students require supplementary attention, and also to provide those coordinators with an auditable record should academic misconduct occur within the particular cohort assessed.