Improving Literacy and Numeracy the JCU Way

Litnum Group

James Cook University

AALL Conference 25 Nov 2011

Ballard and Clanchy (1988) Literacy in the University: An Anthropological Approach

“Language, whether oral or written is indivisible from the culture in which it functions. A distinctive culture, such as the culture of knowledge sustained by the university both elicits and shapes a distinctive use of language... The key to improving standard literacy lies not in inventing new methods for teaching spelling or punctuation ... but in exploring the culture of knowledge and the language by which it is maintained and expressed” (7).

Litnum initiative

• Academics and learning advisers from both campuses formed a group in 2008 to address literacy and numeracy issues among First Year students at JCU.

• In May 2010, Litnum received $50000 from the SDVC’s office through the Learning and Teaching Performance funds

Litnum project desired outcomes• Assess literacy and numeracy levels of

commencing first year students in participating schools

• Document current JCU literacy and numeracy initiatives and intervention strategies

• Improve literacy and numeracy of JCU graduates• Improve retention of at-risk students

Writing and Numeracy Skills

• At JCU 4 schools currently use PELA to assess literacy skills: Education, Medicine, Business, PHTM&Rehabilitation Sciences

• School of Business core subject BU 1005. • Short essay in 30 minutes – “Describe the impact

computers have had on modern society”• 43 out of 275 tested deemed to have unsatisfactory

writing skills.

• Results of testing in other schools indicates that 12-18% have difficulties with literacy skills• Writing courses provided by

Learning Advisers for students identified by the screening.

• School of PHTM & Rehabilitation Sciences: Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy (Townsville).

• Students write for 7 minutes on a general topic about their home town in the first week of classes. 15% found to have unsatisfactory writing skills.

Literacy Support in School of Law• Literacy addressed in LA1101 through

assessment item: Blawgs (Legal Web Logs). Students have to submit 3 Blawgs throughout semester from week 2.

• At risk students identified early and individual feedback given by lecturer.

• General feedback given to group on common mistakes

Faculty of Science and Engineering

SC1101: Nature, Knowledge and Understanding. As part of the Tutorial program for this subject, students write a 200 word paragraph (5%) in week 5. Feedback given two weeks before submission date in week 11.

Course coordinator is keen on introducing writing task earlier in the semester to give students more time on feedback

Numeracy testing• Since 2009 a number of first year classes have

introduced compulsory numeracy screening for new students.

• Students identified as having poor numeracy skills are encouraged to work on improving their skills early in the study period.

• Medication calculations in the health sciences.

Numeracy testing in 2010Subject Number in class mean median

Vet Sciences 82 24.5 26

Pharmacy 84 24.7 25

MA1000 192 25 26

MA1020 163 18.2 19

Nursing (Townsville)

143 17.1 17

Nursing (Cairns) 80 17.5 18

Benefits of the Litnum project• Grass roots ownership of literacy and numeracy

problems by those staff most affected • Collaboration across faculties and schools and

between teaching staff and support staff• Strong desire from Litnum group for university

to develop a strategy to address language, literacy and numeracy needs.

• Need for an institution-wide strategy to address language, literacy and numeracy

• First step – Good Practice Principles

Good Practice Principles for improving Literacy and Numeracy at JCU

• Faculties will be responsible for identifying students’ literacy and numeracy needs through diagnostic tests in the first year of their studies, and will have clearly identified pathways for those students who need to improve their skills.

• Schools will take responsibility for supporting their students to become sufficiently competent in their literacy and numeracy skills in order to participate effectively in their university studies

• The development of discipline specific literacy and numeracy skills is integrated with curriculum design and delivery through a variety of methods.

How it might work - Implementing the Good practice principles

• Introduce overarching language, literacy, and numeracy strategy

• Possible models for literacy – U of M, UTS, Edith Cowan

• This would involve PELA with follow-up writing sessions for those identified as having unsatisfactory skills

• Numeracy screening encouraged in all programs where numeracy skills are required.

• Programs be developed for students needing to improve their numeracy levels.

• Students encouraged to take responsibility for addressing learning needs identified by feedback.

Learning Adviser involvement in school programs.

• Collaboration between academic and support staff to embed information on the process of assignment writing in the first 3 weeks of semester.

• Ongoing collaboration between academic and support staff to provide discipline specific advice to students.

School of Arts and Social Sciences

• Collaboration between Learning Advisers, librarians and lecturer to provide just-in-time support in core first year subjects

• On-line resources developed for the assignment

• Overview of assignment in lecture• Follow-up in tutorials