Sinopsis
Open Classrooms is produced by the College of Science, Engineering and Health at RMIT (Melbourne, Australia).Each podcast features interviews and stories from our staff who have opened up their classroom doors and shared their practices, innovations and ideas.Contact details and supporting resources for all episodes can be found on our Wordpress site SISTER.
Episodios
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Episode 25: Jessica Danaher
06/04/2022 Duración: 34minWelcome to Season 3 of Open Classrooms. In this episode, our new host, Dr Tim Smith, Principal Advisor, Learning & Teaching in the STEM College, chats with returning guest Dr Jessica Danaher, who was the 2021 winner of the RMIT Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2021 STEM College Early Career Teaching Excellence Award winner. In their conversation, Jess reflects on how the changes she planned to make to her courses that she spoke about in Episode 1 have played out, the impact of COVID-19 on her teaching practice, and her plans for where she's going next.
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Episode 24: Cameron Stanley
07/04/2020 Duración: 18minIn this Episode, Cameron Stanley from Engineering discusses how he produces and uses podcasts with industry experts to engage and inspire his students. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 23: Ash Moreland
29/03/2020 Duración: 33minIn Episode 23, Natasha Taylor talks to Ash Moreland from Health and Biomedical Sciences about the work she has done to transform the way Research Methods (RM) is taught to Exercise and Sports Science students. Faced with the challenge of teaching a subject which students can find intimidating, irrelevant and conceptually disconnected, Ash enthusiastically describes her work as quest for the 'Da Vinci Code' of RM teaching. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 22: Will Sullivan
27/02/2020 Duración: 24minIn this Episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Will Sullivan about the work he does in engaging students from under-represented schools into STEM pathways. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 21: Lisa Newman
20/02/2020 Duración: 21minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Lisa Newman from the School of Science about the active-learning approaches she uses to personalise the learning experience for students in her second year nutrition classes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 20: Colin Kestell
05/02/2020 Duración: 26minIn this Episode Natasha Taylor talks to Colin Kestell about the Flipped Classroom. They explore the many challenges associated with adopting a flipped approach, exposing some the myths and common misconceptions of this popular innovative approach to teaching in Higher Education. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 19: Amir Homayoon Ashrafzadeh
16/01/2020 Duración: 26minNatasha Taylor talks to Amir Homayoon (Homy) Ashrafzadeh about the approaches he uses to engage students of software engineering both in Melbourne and Vietnam. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 18: Fabio Zambetta
06/12/2019 Duración: 31minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Fabio Zambetta about the work he and his team have done to transform the assessment experience for first-year computer programming students. Hear how they have successfully moved away from a very traditional paper-based exam to a real-time, computer-based problem-solving test (under exam conditions in a lab). Fabio reflects on the challenges the team faced in bringing the project to fruition and explains how the impact on student learning has made it all worthwhile! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 17: Engineering Students Lachlan, Callum and Henry
12/11/2019 Duración: 31minIn this two-episode special, Natasha Taylor explores a new assessment project which has been delivered for the first time the semester in the School of Engineering. First-year students of Engineering Design and Communication work together in groups to research, design, 3D print and ultimately race drag cars – the aim is to teach them the skills and processes of computer-aided product design by immersing them in it. The project incorporates group learning, agile/design thinking methodologies, maker based pedagogy and peer assessment. Episode 16 focuses on the teacher perspective with Hormoz Marzbani; for Episode 17, three students reflect together on the benefits and challenges they experienced throughout the course. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 16: Hormoz Marzbani
12/11/2019 Duración: 31minIn this two-episode special, Natasha Taylor explores a new assessment project which has been delivered for the first time the semester in the School of Engineering. First-year students of Engineering Design and Communication work together in groups to research, design, 3D print and ultimately race drag cars – the aim is to teach them the skills and processes of computer-aided product design by immersing them in it. The project incorporates group learning, agile/design thinking methodologies, maker based pedagogy and peer assessment. Episode 16 focuses on the teacher perspective with Hormoz Marzbani; for Episode 17, three students reflect together on the benefits and challenges they experienced throughout the course. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 15: Paul Wyborn
31/10/2019 Duración: 21minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Paul Wyborn about the approaches used to teach trainee pilots at RMIT Flight School, Point Cook. Paul explains how the Point Cook team use their unique teaching spaces and professional behaviours/work practices to help students build a strong sense of belonging and identity. Also, how their close partnership with the RAAF museum team brings real authenticity to the learning experience. Paul reflects on some of the challenges faced by students, especially in the first stage of their course when they have to adapt to intensive learning approaches, both in the air and on the ground. Hear how the staff support them to work through issues such as aviation sickness, claustrophobia and stress management and how the use of simulators supports personalised and paced learning where needed. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 14: Marion Muliaumaseali'i
15/10/2019 Duración: 34minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Marion Muliaumaseali’i about the projects she is involved in to understand and enhance the indigenous student journey. With a research background in ethnography, Marion has brought an important cultural lens to some high profile RMIT projects, exploring the interface between western and indigenous ideologies and developing practical ways of normalising indigenous language and practices into our university culture. She uses ethnographic tools to understand what she refers to as the ‘human experience’. This includes working with students as partners to identify the "pain points," values and learning priorities of our indigenous students, working together to develop ways of improving retention and success in learning. The conversation touches on some important learning and teaching themes, including empathy, storytelling and reciprocity. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 13: Nicolas Menicucci
01/10/2019 Duración: 30minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Nicolas Menicucci from the School of Science about the work he has done to transform how quantum physics is taught to first-year students. Few topics excite physics students more than quantum mechanics, and first-year students arrive at RMIT inspired and keen to learn. But the very features that make quantum physics so fascinating also present a steep learning curve. Difficult mathematics and counter-intuitive concepts usually delay real learning about quantum physics until the later years of the degree programme. Nick has developed a curriculum that enables students to get their hands dirty with the real mathematical tools and concepts used in cutting-edge quantum physics research – all in first year. His approaches include: Literally translating the elements of the high-level mathematical notation into sentences and concepts that students can intuitively understand. Making them do problem-based learning (PBL) activities to learn how to manipulate mathematics (assi
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Episode 12: Ashlee Pearson
20/08/2019 Duración: 20minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Ashlee Pearson from the School of Engineering about the training programme she delivers for tutors. She tells us how she opens up discussions and explorations of key topics like: what are the qualities of a good tutor? how you can bring your research into the classroom/curriculum? how can you enhance student learning through effective questioning? how can you embed values, inclusivity and diversity into the curriculum and your practice? what can you learn by reflecting on a session and exploring different future approaches? Ashlee is herself a PhD student and tutor in the School and this gives her a unique and valuable perspective on the training needs and practice experiences of this important part of our teaching community. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 11: Ilya Kavalchuk
14/08/2019 Duración: 18minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Ilya Kavalchuk about the approaches he uses to teach our Vietnam-based first-year engineering students essential employability skills. Faced with the challenge of teaching a multi-lingual cohort of students who are culturally accustomed to a teacher-centric approach and rote-based assessment, Ilya has effectively used problem-based learning and ePortfolios to give his course authenticity and relevance. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 10: Nevena Todorova
23/07/2019 Duración: 17minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Nevena Todorova about the approaches she uses to teach research methods to a large, mixed cohort of engineering students. In addition to a range of approaches to make lectures engaging, they explore creative approaches to assessment that promote active and authentic learning. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 9: Kate Fox, Daniel Gomez and Jess Danaher
24/06/2019 Duración: 23minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to 3 members of staff from Science and Engineering who have been experimenting with new assessment formats this semester. Together they explore how introducing the opportunity to evidence learning in non-traditional and creative ways – including videos, infographics, self-set essay questions, social media profiles and website design – has transformed the assessment experience for students and markers! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 8: Sam Grover
13/06/2019 Duración: 27minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Sam Grover about the innovative way in which she has designed her soil science course. Working in groups, students are heavily involved in the design and delivery of classes – they curate content, present it and facilitate class activities/discussion. Central to the success of the approach is the early establishment of an empowering team dynamic – this is achieved through the use of Lego Serious Play. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 7: Nic Connelly
04/06/2019 Duración: 22minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to Nic Connelly about the creative ways in which she embeds careers information, employability skills and industry engagement into the first-year curriculum. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message
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Episode 6: James Harland
27/05/2019 Duración: 23minIn this episode, Natasha Taylor talks to James Harland about his innovative use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) to replace traditional textbooks in his Computer Science course. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stem-college/message