Designing and evaluating an empowering online pedagogy for commencing students: a case study

Abstract

Realising the potential for commencing students to succeed at university depends on designing a pedagogy that not only engages students in learning but also encourages their reflection on that learning. This guiding philosophy provided the impetus for a course that also needed to accommodate challenges emanating from a very diverse student cohort, a program decision to switch from an on campus to an online teaching mode, an inter-disciplinary and collaborative program emphasis and the complexities stemming from change forces currently impacting on the Australian higher education sector. These forces included changes in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, academic identity, technology, research-informed learning and student and stakeholder expectations. This paper documents the design, development, delivery and evaluation of a first semester, first year undergraduate nursing course conducted in the Nursing Program at the University of Southern Queensland. The course integrates an engaging learning philosophy while simultaneously embracing new directions in higher education to empower commencing students.