1. Using the student voice in curriculum transformation

2. What is the student voice?
Outside the curriculum
Student surveys and evaluations
Student associations
Inside the curriculum
Assessment activities that allow students to reflect on, or give their opinions on what they are learning
Valued and recognised

3. Student voice reveals….
Mismatch between staff and student expectations
Student misconceptions
Gaps in students’ knowledge
Staff assumptions
Staff failure to reveal tacit knowledge

4. This information can inform curriculum design
Two examples
TREASURE
Use of reflective journals to understand student thinking in research projects
Highlights misconceptions and unrealistic expectations about research
PeerWise
Students design, answer and comment on multiple choice questions
Highlights misunderstanding of course content and significance of course content
This information can inform curriculum design

5. TREASURE
Teaching Research: Evaluation and Assessment Strategies for Undergraduate Research Experiences
OLT-funded project to examine the effect of incorporating reflective practice into URE assessment
Aim: to make UREs more meaningful by making explicit the broader benefits of UREs
Help students reflect on the nature and processes of research during their URE
Help students reflect on their learning during their URE
Providing an opportunity for supervisors to better understand what their student are thinking/learning

6. TREASURE: Helping students learn from UREs
Making learning visible by asking students to reflect on their research experience
Developed a bank of prompt questions that ask about what students are doing, why they are doing it, problems faced, what they are learning, links to other learning
Written responses throughout the URE
Expanding the definition of learning beyond the focus on results/products
Learning about the process of research
Developing generic skills

7. How has TREASURE contributed to curriculum transformation?
Expanded use of questions for an intensive course, health and medicine courses, internships, online masters courses in science and arts
Evidence-based curriculum change

8. Students not prepared for research by normal coursework
TREASURE findings
Student misconceptions about research
Research is a linear process
Research doesn’t require creativity
Scientists work alone
Staff take their own understanding of research for granted so do not explicitly teach it
Students not prepared for research by normal coursework

9. Curriculum change: new course
Students read “The Double Helix”
SHOCK!!!
Scientists talk to each other
Scientists go out for coffee or drinks
Science is competitive
Scientists steal others’ results
Scientists are human!!!

10. Changing perceptions of research
It has challenged my perception of the scientific process though, as we tend to believe that the scientific process is logical and straightforward which it doesn't appear to be in this book.
It often seems that scientists are overly methodical and plan out every step of their lives, so it was reassuring to read that Watson, like myself, was often unsure about what he was going to do next.
It was actually quite uplifting because I perceived the laboratory research field of science as quite restrictive and dull, however this book shows the freedom of thought and experiment that these scientists had to research what they found important.

11. Not all students change their views
The process of sharing results, pursuing research and analysing information also seemed biased, informal, and unregulated. However, this can be attributed to the fact that the research community was much smaller in the 1950’s ….. the individuals in the book may not reflect the scientific community as a whole. Since the number of people in the field of research has increased today, it’s likely that the scientific process has become more standardised and refined.
The messiness of research is a hard lesson to learn!

12. The student voice in curriculum transformation
Mismatch between staff and student expectations
Student misconceptions
Gaps in students’ knowledge
Staff assumptions
Staff failure to reveal tacit knowledge
Curriculum change
Course level
(PeerWise)
Program level
(TREASURE)

13. PeerWise

14. Potential benefits of PeerWise
Feedback to teaching staff
Incorrect question highly rated
Trivial question highly rated
Expectations about exam questions
Development of students’ assessment literacy and engagement
Question-framing
Evaluation of questions
Problem-solving, creativity and humour

15. Identifying misconceptions
What a great question! This made me check up the differences between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes so helps remind me of the differences. Thankyou for the clever question! 
V.good question, with a lot of stuff to think about. nicely done! 
Creative question that made me think!
I like the idea behind your question and it brings together a lot of important concepts but isn't RNA polymerase II only found in eukaryotes?   

16. Developing assessment literacy
Awesome question! I love the fact that it's a hypothetical question, which means you have to really think about the answer rather than be able to look it up.
I really liked how this question involved a bit of puzzling together.
This question is more about memorising the facts presented in the lectures, rather than getting us to think about the content and apply problem solving skills.

17. The student voice in curriculum transformation
Need to build opportunities into the curriculum and reward students
Student question, comment or reflection
Identification of misunderstanding
Remediation within course or at program level
Evaluation (assessment or reflection)
TREASURE
PeerWise

18. Conclusion
Using the student voice can help bridge the expert/novice divide and uncover our assumptions about students and learning
More effective curriculum design
The student voice must be valued
Activities integrated into assessment for marks or other credit

19. Acknowledgments
ANU: Susan Howitt, Anna Wilson (now Stirling, UK) and Denise Higgins
UTas: Adele Holloway and Anne-Marie Williams
Supported by grants from the OLT