Assessment and feedback in higher education (Phillip Dawson)

Assessment and feedback in higher education (Phillip Dawson)

We talk to Phill Dawson (Deakin University) about how to make sense of some of the latest trends around authentic assessment, self-assessment and ‘ungrading’. We also talk about what makes good feedback, and how students and teachers can benefit from developing ‘feedback literacy’.

International student mobilities (Rachel Brooks)

Students choosing to study overseas has long been an important part of higher education, but is becoming increasingly politically contentious. Professor Rachel Brooks (University of Oxford) talks about her research around student mobilities in UK higher education – highlighting the complex institutional politics and personal experiences of studying abroad.

School uniforms and ‘appropriate appearance’ policies (Kayla Mildren)

Many Australian schools have extensive rules around what students are expected to wear and what they should look like. Kayla Mildren (Griffith University) talks about her work on the sociology of school uniform policies – especially schools' attempts to regulate students’ hair and hairstyles.

A journal editor’s view on getting published (Sam Sellar)

Getting published in academic journals can be a major source of stress for education researchers. We talk to Sam Sellar (lead editor of Discourse) about how best to navigate the article writing and submission process, dealing with peer reviews, and seeing journals as a space for ongoing conversations and community-building.

Teacher recruitment and the problem of ‘hard-to-staff’ schools (Jo Lampert)

We hear regular reports of a ‘crisis’ in teacher recruitment and what has been characterised as an exodus of educators leaving the profession. Professor Jo Lampert (Monash University) talks about her research around teacher workforce issues, and a new study examining the realities of working in ‘hard-to-staff’ schools.