Introduction Digital health – the convergence of digital technologies within health and health care to enhance the efficiency of health-care delivery – is fast becoming an integral part of routine medical practice. The integration of digital health into traditional practice brings significant changes. Logic dictates that for medical practitioners to operate in this new digitally enabled environment, they require specific knowledge, skills and competencies relating to digital health. However, very few medical programmes in Australia and globally include digital health within their regular curriculum. This pilot study aimed to explore medical students’ perceptions and expectations of digital health education and training (ET). Methods An online survey and focus groups were used to collect information about medical students’ perceptions and expectations relating to digital health and ET relating to this field within the medical programme at the University of Queensland. Sixty-three students took part in the survey, and 17 students were involved in four focus groups. Results Most participants had no formal ET in digital health. Most participants ( n = 43; 68%) expressed a willingness to learn about digital health as part of their medical programme. Discussion Primarily, knowledge- and practice-related factors have motivated students to learn about digital health. The analysis of focus group data identified two superordinate themes: (a) drivers of digital health ET and (b) expectations relating to digital health ET. Students agreed that digital health is a relevant field for their future practice that should be taught as part of their regular curriculum.
Two ways in which 21 st century higher education is substantially different are in the prevalence of online learning and increased student diversity, including students with disabling conditions. This chapter poses the question -Have online technologies levelled the playing field for students with disabling conditions or has the growing complexity of technology meant that more students have been shutout of education? This chapter argues that there are both metaphorical snakes and ladders at the intersection of technology and disability in the context of higher education. In other words, there are current forces that propel students with disabling conditions forward and there are slippery slopes that see students falling downwards and sometimes right out of the education system. The main contribution of this chapter to the literature is a Framework of Enabling and Disabling Effects of Technology for Diverse Learners Studying Online. educational experience. A list of student actions and activities provided by Lebenicnik, Pitt and Starcic (2015) serve as an operational definition of online learning.This may include watching educational videos and video lectures, reading e-books, online articles, slides, online text and documents, and blogs, and listening to podcasts … [and] playing educational games, using virtual environments for learning, … using ICT for self-assessment, [and] using ICT for planning the learning process. (p. 99-100)Fabian and MacLean (2014) add five additional tasks to the list, including "use of multimedia tools, use of apps, creation and use of a bespoke app, multimedia manipulation and sharing, and creation of an online e-portfolio" (p. 1). The introduction of online learning has transformed how students learn from three perspectives: shifting their modality from oncampus to online; changing the very nature of their learning activities; and advancing their achievement and retention (Carle, Jaffee, & Miller, 2009;Kinash, Brand, & Mathew, 2012).Another major change in the context of universities is the increased diversity of the student population (Devlin & McKay, 2016;Wood, Scutter, & Viljoen, 2017). Returning to the grandparents of today's university students, most of the students who enrolled in university were the high-achievers in secondary school and they tended to leave school, mostly at eighteen years of age, and go right onto university. Males mostly studied engineering and science and females mostly enrolled in nursing and education. In countries such as the United States of America (USA) and Australia, almost all of the students were Anglo-Saxon Caucasians. There was a noticeable lack of cultural diversity. In the Australian context, this meant that there were almost no First Peoples, or in other words, Australians from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. Notably, while participation of Australian First Peoples in university has improved, the situation remains dire (Behrendt, Larkin, Griew & Kelly, 2012;Oliver, Rochecourte, & Grote, 2013). Furthermore, an ethnographer of t...
Universities are both a source of employable graduates and careers. This paper examines universities as developers and employers of their own graduates from the perspective of employees and recruited positions. Research questions were: what do learning and teaching careers look like at universities, and; what are the occupational patterns, satisfactions and concerns of the staff in those careers? An autoethnographic account of employees’ career journeys (all of whom were employed in learning and teaching or closely related areas) from five different universities were shared, compared and contrasted. Two of these universities are profiled as having a large proportion of students from target equity groups and therefore have intentionally recruited learning and teaching staff to widen student participation. A desktop review of six months of university employment vacancies from these two universities was conducted. A consistent theme across the autoethnographic stories was a feeling of being an outsider. The authors’ hypothesis is that this is related to haphazard preparation for learning and teaching positions. Of the 322 university vacancies, 84% were for professional staff, 23% of which were in learning and teaching, with the most prevalent role being Coordinator. Fourteen per cent were for academic staff, 64% of which involved learning and teaching, and the most prevalent title was Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. Key takeaways include recommendations for universities to intentionally enhance the employability of graduates who pursue learning and teaching positions within universities, and for prospective university learning and teaching staff to enhance their employability.
Postgraduate students are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape for their future careers. In this context, higher education providers are responsible for supporting and monitoring postgraduate (masters and doctoral) students’ development for both education and employability contexts. This empirical research provides a rich analysis of feedback breakfasts, focus groups and interviews with 319 postgraduate student participants from 26 universities. Emergent themes highlight widespread lack of confidence in university-mediated student experiences, particularly in the context of employability, and pessimism regarding career outcomes. Students expressed a view that higher education providers need to direct further attention and relevant supports toward postgraduate education. Future career despondency was particularly prevalent among students with academic aspirations. The findings are discussed using the theoretical framework of eudemonia and flourishing as an approach to revitalising and improving both the process and outcomes of postgraduate education. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for universities to improve the postgraduate student experience in the context of employability.
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