cricos no. 03020e, 02444m, 02007k rto no 0275, 30837, 31397 reporting – an action research project...

CRICOS No. 03020E, 02444M, 02007KRTO No 0275, 30837, 31397

Reporting – an Action Research Project at TAFE Queensland Brisbane’s (TQB) southern campuses: to tap available funding, provide LLN support & up-skill teachers in LLN & Inclusive practices.

Walking the Tightrope: Market Drivers vs. Social Responsibility with implications for LLN and Inclusive teaching.

TAFE Queensland Brisbane - incorporating the former Southbank Institute of Technology

( SBIT) ; Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE (MSIT) ;

Brisbane North Institute of TAFE ( BNIT).

13 72 48tafebrisbane.edu.au

BACKGROUND – social/cultural milieu of 21st C

• Heightened demand for LLN Skills in workplaces – even those on the production floor having to fill out more complex forms,

make multiple calculations, and take greater responsibilities for production errors

• Exponential expansion of information technology– but young digital natives, apart from being avid facebook users &

experts in graphics, having little critical ability to assess and use avalanche of information available in digital format.

• Phenomenon of globalisation & marketization of Education– Education rather than being open source for society’s benefit becoming

a globalised, marketized, copyrighted entity.

• Increasing % of school leavers by- passing VET education and going to university

– Long term VET educators anecdotally report recent lessening of LLN & Learning skills ability of students entering VET courses, compared to 12 years ago.


BACKGROUND – Australian skills policies & funding

2011: Commonwealth government established the National Foundation Skills Strategy

– to improve adult language literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills and ensure that more Australians are work ready, productive, and can participate meaningfully in economic and social life.

2012: National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform (NPASR) +

2014-15: Queensland’s Cert III Guarantee & Higher Skills Program policies– targeted investment and initiatives across the Vocational Education and Training

(VET) sector to support student learning in targeted vocational areas, and redress the foundational skills deficits that affect employment and productivity across the workforce;

– “support services available to assist students to complete training” (HSPP, p.4)

2013: Queensland Implementation Plan – VET a contestable marketplace– To open the VET market by “ensuring access to government funds by high quality training

providers” (p.2);

– While supporting TAFE as “the foundation of a stable and high quality training sector in Qld” and “funding TAFE to provide services that cannot be delivered contestably” (p.4)


BACKGROUND – ASQA requisites

• ASQA requirement for RTO’s to maintain standards … via …

• ASQA’s Standard 1, Clause 1.7 “Support Learners”, which mandates:– identify any support individual learners need prior to their enrolment or

commencement (whichever is the earliest)

– provide access to that support throughout their training (Australian Government ASQA, 2015, para 3).

• Support can include:– Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) support

– assistive technology

– additional tutorials

– other mechanisms, such as assistance in using technology for online delivery components” (ibid., paras. 4 & 5).


BACKGROUND – what prompted the Action Research

VET RETENTION FIGURES– Qld VET completions under 40% (Mark & Karmel, 2010)– ‘less than 50% of those who start an apprenticeship were actually finishing’

(Toowoomba Chronicle 2013, ¶3)

LOW LITERACY /NUMERACY OF AUSTRALIAN ADULTS– ‘More than 7.5 million Australian adults do not have the literacy and numeracy

skills to participate fully in today’s workforce’ (Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills & Employment 2012)

– 81.9% of Queenslanders aged 15-74 have only literacy at or below the level of a Grade 9 student – ACSF Level 3 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014, Table 3).

HIGH LEVEL OF LLN NEEDS FOR ENROLLED NURSES– information technology literate, critical and reflective thinking, contributing to the

formulation of care plans, interpreting patient’s charts (temperature, pulse and respiration rates), administering and monitoring medication, and knowledge of legislation and common law pertinent to enrolled nursing practice (Australian Nursing Council, 2002)

HOW TO BEST SUPPORT DIPLOMA OF NURSING STUDENTS TO COMPLETED THEIR COURSES?


SUPPORTING DIVERSE STUDENTS - demography

Two participating campuses demography seemed fairly similar (ABS, 2014) – but were they??

1.Alexandra Hills – Brisbane bayside suburb – population of 143,711 – 94.3% as English only speakers– 26.6% being born overseas, – 53.7% with post school qualifications, – 28.6% as managers or professionals,

– average wage and salary income being $51,235.20.


SUPPORTING DIVERSE STUDENTS - demography

Two participating campuses demography seemed fairly similar (ABS, 2014) – but were they??

2.Loganlea– part of the city of Logan on the periphery of Brisbane,– population of 287,474– 87.2% speaking only English– 31.8% being born overseas, – 48.6% with post school qualifications, – 21.7% employed as managers or professionals, – the average wage and salary income being $42,985.40


ACTION RESEARCH - methodology

(Crane & O’Regan 2010, p.1)


ACTION RESEARCH - process• Phase 1. Embeddednes and Conversations

• Phase 2. Classroom observations

• Phase 3. LLN and Inclusive Practices PD for Teachers

• Phase 4. Responding to teacher requests for assistance

• Phase 5. Facilitating greater staff collaboration-[library, learning skills staff and nursing teachers – consistent Literacy testing across campuses + additional Numeracy testing]

• Phase 6. Collaborating with Medication teachers and learning support staff to develop a 2 day Numeracy Workshop.

• Phase 7. Collaborating with teachers and learning support staff to develop an initial 14 day Literacy & Learning Skills

Program.

• Phase 8. Collecting and analysing DATA from the above two programs.

• Phase 9. Continuing the cycle in the Health faculty – and recommencing the process in other faculties.


Developing a NursingNursing Medication Calculations Medication Calculations program

Use Foundation Skills (FSK) Training Package unit:– FSKNUM14 Calculate with whole numbers and familiar fractions,

decimals and percentages for work

Assessing all students’ Numeracy skills at ACSF Level 4– to determine skills gaps;– build a maths program that addresses high frequency skills gaps;

Gain feedback from Nursing and Learning Support teachers– to ensure program supports the numeracy needs of HLTEN507C

Implement 2 day program /record attendance & assessment results /compare with nursing calculations exam results

Access available foundation skills funding

13 72 48tafebrisbane.edu.auExample of a Spikey Profile – Course and Student


Determine areas of highest need


Alexandra Hills Data re Calculations Workshop participation & successful HLTEN507C Calculations Exam results

A LIMITATION has been although data was collected for Loganlea – it was collected for the entire HLTEN507C course – a combined result for theory and calculations. So information regarding the impact of the purely calculations workshop is not available for Loganlea.

No students attending

No. of passing students

% Pass Rate

7 6 86%

22 9 41%

29 15 52%

Students attending Medications Calculations Workshop

Students not attending Meds Calcs workshop

Alexandra Hills - one HLTEN507C class

TOTAL number of students attending HLTEN507C

DATA re LLN LEVELS & STUDENT COMPLETIONS


Developing a Literacy & Learning skills Literacy & Learning skills Program

Classroom observations– almost no students were taking notes;

– few students were answering questions in class;

– in theory classrooms teacher in front of the class lecture style predominated.

Conversations with Nursing/Support teachers

Review of Curriculum workbooks/powerpoints– nursing diploma has a high level of complex terminology;

– nursing has a dense compacted curriculum;

– teachers reported many students struggled with terminology & dense content;

– teachers reported many students had poor critical reading/thinking strategies resulting in plagiarism.

Use Foundation Skills (FSK) Training Package units:FSK DIG 03 Use digital technology for routine workplace tasks

FSK RDG 07 Read and respond to simple workplace information

FSK LRG 11 Use routine strategies for work-related learning

FSK WTG 09 Write routine workplace texts

FSK RDG10 Read and respond to routine workplace information

123 Program: get ready for Health

Studies – a pathway to the Diploma of

Nursing


Developing a Literacy & Learning skills Program

• Connect FSK units to Nursing Diploma units:– Anatomy units, HLTAP401B, & HLTAP501C;

– Infection control unit HLTIN301C

• Assess students Literacy skills at ACSF Level 4

• Implement 14 day program /record attendance & assessment results

• Compare with completion results of 1st studied Nursing Diploma Unit HLTAP401B

• Access available foundation skills funding


LLN LEVELS – Average LLN LEVELS – Average scores & Rangescores & Range

Students at Alexandra Hills achieved an average of 46% literacy and 43% numeracy with scores ranging for literacy from 29% to 66%, and for numeracy from 29% to 77%. Interestingly all of the four students who achieved either the lowest or highest scores successfully completed their HLTAP401B unit. Also all four students attended the 123 Program.

No. Students attending


% Pass Rate

33 31 94%

11 6 55%

44 37 84%TOTAL number of students in HLTAP401B

Alexandra Hills

Students attending 123 Program

Students NOT attending 123 Program

DATA re LLN LEVELS and STUDENT COMPLETIONS

Completion of 1st Nursing Unit HLTAP401B

& 123 Program Participation


LLN LEVELS – Average LLN LEVELS – Average scores & Rangescores & Range

Students at Loganlea achieved an average of 39% literacy and 44% numeracy with a scores ranging for literacy from 14% to 66%, and for numeracy from 14% to 87% - evidencing a wider disparity in LLN acquisition than at Alexandra Hills campus.

Two students scoring Two students scoring 14% in literacy14% in literacy. One of these did not complete the numeracy






% Pass Rate

75 52 69%

21 7 33%

96 59 61%

LOGANLEA

TOTAL number of students in HLTAP401B




assessment, yet went on the successfully complete the first nursing unit; the other student scored 23% numeracy and had not completed HLTAP401B.

One student who scored One student who scored 14% in numeracy 14% in numeracy with a 38% score in literacy also failed to complete the first unit.

These very low LLN scoring students had also participated in the 123 Program.






% Pass Rate

75 52 69%

21 7 33%

96 59 61%

LOGANLEA

TOTAL number of students in HLTAP401B




ANALYSIS

• As noted in the analysis of the literacy levels, at Loganlea there was a greater range of literacy levels.

• At Alexandra Hills the lowest literacy score was 29% whereas at Loganlea the lowest literacy score was 14%.

• Thus an assumption could be made that when students’ literacy drops significantly below 30% at ACSF Level 4, in spite of receiving intensive literacy and learning skills support, this support in the majority of cases is not sufficient to enable success in a diploma level vocational unit.


DATA LEARNING SUPPORT – students access

• Loganlea nursing students – 2nd sem 2014

[All cohorts of Nursing Students – commencing 2nd sem 2013, 1st sem 2014, 2nd sem 2014]

• Alexandra Hills 1st Sem 2014 nursing studentsNOTE: All students attending the 123 Program were actively

encouraged to attend Learning Support [rooms at both campuses were pointed out to them + one Learning Planning assessment item was to write the opening hours of learning support in a Learning Plan Calendar. Students were also introduced to the learning support teachers who conducted the BKSB LLN diagnostic assessments].

STUDENTS ATTENDING LEARNING SUPPORT

DURING SEMESTER 1, 2014

No. No. Passed 1st Nursing Unit HLTAP401B COMMENT

1st Sem 2014 Nursing students

25 1 student did not attend the 123 Program

1ST Sem 2014 Nursing students who also attended the 123 Program

24 23 96%

That is when compared among themselves students

doing the 123 Program, followed up with learning support had a pass rate of

96%


FUNDING CUTS – affecting TAFEs in Qld.

• Some examples of VET funding cuts in Qld– 2012,Mar to 2013,Dec: TAFEs across Queensland

lost “1,610 full time positions and 1,889 positions by headcount” (Terauds & McCollow, 2014, p.10)

– 2012, Sep: $78.8 million reported cut from Queensland Training, Tertiary Education and Employment budgets (Wheelahan & Sheehan, 2012).

– 2015, July: $4.1 million for increased ‘rental’ to QTAMA of buildings for TAFE Qld South West … an example of just one QLD TAFE entity’s increased facilities costs.


FUNDING CUTS – effecting research campuses

Learning support provision prior to 2015

• Alexandra Hills campus a support teacher was available four days a week and she was able to arrange her time to flexibly fit in with student timetabling.

• Loganlea campus had a support team: lead vocational teacher, LLN teacher, tutor and casual LLN teacher who provided one on one support as well as workshops. Hours to suit class timetables: 7.30am-4pm Mon-Thurs & Fri finishing at 3pm.

Negative effects on Learning Support in 2015

• Alexandra Hills, learning support is only available once a week - for the entire campus – and at a time when nursing students are attending class.

• Loganlea, [Jan 2015] one tutor available daily with curtailed hours for the entire campus of 1,959 enrolled students

• Loganlea, [Mar 2015] an additional LLN teacher for basic skills + Library skills advisor for academic skills one day a week [Southbank & online support available – not accessed to date - teachers stressed importance of local face-to-face initial support ].


FUNDING CUTS – effecting research campuses

• Negative effects on Learning Support– Because of extremely decreased budgets TAFE has had

to find ways to economize;– Provision of Learning Support has been one of these

areas, particularly for students with basic LLN skills gaps;

– This action research has revealed • although fully meeting ASQA requirements, with TAFE having

a legal requirement to admit such students to their courses• a significant number of students coming to Diploma courses only

have LLN skills at ACSF level 2 (Cert I)

• GOVERNMENTS NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEED TO FUND FOUNDATION SKILLS FOR HIGHER LEVEL SKILLS – THIS IS A PRESENT AND PRESSING NEED


LAST WORD

It seems government policies and legislation regarding VET have steadily moved away from a social justice framework, a framework which values building social capital in individual citizens and thereby enhancing society as a whole, to a marketized view of society. Therefore it is heartening to hear the new Queensland government advocating for a more social justice approach to funding vocational education provided by TAFE institutes. (Rescuing TAFE. Brisbane: Queensland ALP)

2013: Queensland Implementation Plan ““Confirming TAFE’s role Confirming TAFE’s role as the foundation of a stable and

high quality training sector in Qld” “funding TAFE to provide services that cannot be delivered contestably” (p.4)

ADEQUATE FUNDING IS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS A REALITYADEQUATE FUNDING IS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS A REALITY

Walking the Tightrope - social responsibility


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References

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References

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cricos no. 03020e, 02444m, 02007k rto no 0275, 30837, 31397 reporting – an action research project...

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