Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has been identified as a keystone teaching and learning area for developing students' knowledge and skills on interdisciplinary critical thinking and problem solving (We use the term 'interdisciplinary' because discipline knowledge and methods were integrated from different…

This paper reports students' perceptions of their learning of 21st century skills through a novel approach to delivery of the school program in Year 10. For 1 day per week, all Year 10 students at this school participate in The DeLorean Project, where they create, design and implement their own real-world projects with the assistance of teachers…

For musicians, learning to improvise requires individual and collaborative skill and knowledge that in experts is acquired over years of immersion and enculturation. Learning formally, informally or a combination of both, improvisers 'learn to learn' by evolving meta-cognitive capabilities necessary to develop and refine improvisational expertise.…

The argumentative essay has endured as a popular form of university assessment, yet students still struggle to meet key intended learning outcomes, such as those associated with critical thinking. This paper presents the results of a study that examines the instruction provided by Australian essay writing guides to support students' development of…

Fostering critical thinking abilities amongst students is one component of preparing them to navigate uncertain and complex social lives and employment circumstances. One conceptualisation of critical thinking, valuable in higher education, draws from critical theory to promote social justice and redress power inequities. This study explored how…

This paper reports a critical comparative analysis of two popular and significant theories of adult learning: the transformation and the deep approach theories of learning. These theories are operative in different educational sectors, are significant, respectively, in each, and they may be seen as both touching on similar concerns with learning…

This supporting document sets out the content analysis technique and detailed findings that underly part of the research conducted for the report titled "VET for secondary school students: acquiring an array of technical and non-technical skills." That report is the first in a set of studies that aims to understand the value of…

Competency-based training (CBT) for pilots was formally introduced in 1999 by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for training leading to the issue of aeroplane private and commercial pilot licences. This initiative followed the Australian government's introduction of CBT policy for vocational and workplace training in the late 1980's.…

Deep and shallow learner approaches are useful for different purposes. Shallow learning can be good where fact memorization is appropriate, learning how to swim or play the guitar for example. Deep learning is much more appropriate when the learning material present involves going beyond simple facts and into what lies below the surface. When…

A survey of 42 nursing students and interviews with 30 students and 56 staff in New South Wales found both favor critical thinking for improving practice, stimulating inquiry, and improving professional development. Most thought it best to abstract principles of thinking from specific contexts in which it is practiced. (SK)

A self-assessment schedule has been developed for first-year geography students at Curtin University of Technology. Its purpose is to guide students towards independent learning by encouraging them to reflect more on "what" and "how" they learn. Results of the 2003 and 2004 trials showed that the self-assessment schedule had a…

A study of 54 first-year engineering students at an Australian university investigated their critical thinking skills as related to 3 kinds of study strategy: surface strategy; deep strategy; and achieving strategy. Results indicated a negative correlation between critical thinking ability and the achieving study strategy. Implications for…

This paper describe one aspect of a recent study that investigated the impact and dimensions of several teaching and learning approaches utilised in tertiary institutions. The study aimed to reduce reliance on surface learning techniques and improve deep learning processes amongst a cohort of undergraduate students studying in a Bachelor of…

Teaching within a student-centered paradigm in an information society means accepting the responsibility of teaching for the acquisition of integrated information habits and fully adaptable lifelong information skills. Education today demands classroom teachers who can: model good practice in education programs that teach students to become aware…

This document contains a total of 57 welcoming speeches, theme addresses, seminar and workshop papers, and poster sessions that were presented at a conference on technological education and national development. The papers explore the ways technology and technological advances have both necessitated and enabled changes in the way education is…