ITaLI student research projects

Summer and Winter Research Experience

Research Experiences provide an opportunity for motivated UQ students to engage in an educational research activity. They are coordinated by Student Enrichment and Employability Development (SEED) in conjunction with University of Queensland (UQ) research units.

During the program, students will team up with some of the University's leading academics and researchers to participate in research-related activities for a selected project. In doing so, they have the opportunity to progress and apply their degree-specific knowledge, while developing valuable research and professional capabilities.

Apply for a Research Experience

Applications for Research Experiences are submitted through SEED, not project supervisors. Students can learn more about the program, including how to apply, on the SEED website.

Available ITaLI projects: Winter 2024

How are students using AI?

Supervisors

Professor Kelly Matthews and Associate Professor Christine Slade

Positions available

Project duration

5 weeks from 24 June to 19 July, 36 hours/week

Description

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been around for years, but recent advancements have impacted education. AI platforms can now easily complete simple assessment tasks, answer student queries, provide feedback on written assignments, and more. Fears of cheating have dominated the headlines. This research project examines university students' perceptions and use of AI in their learning.

What relationship do students want with AI?
How are students leveraging AI for their learning?
How is AI taught and included in their classes?

Aim

Exploratory study to understand and theorise higher education student views on, beliefs about, and use of AI in their university studies to advance and rethink effective and contemporary educational practices.

Approach

Mixed methods study of undergraduate students across 2-4 Australian higher education institutions (HEI) with focus groups (n=20 per HEI) that inform a survey (n=1000 per HEI).

Expected outcomes and deliverables

Anticipated outcomes from student scholars include:

analysis of focus group interviews (delivered as a written report)
development and review of student survey based on focus group analysis (delivered as written survey questions)
acknowledgement in research publication with possibility of co-author.

Suitable for

This project is open to applications from students with a background in social sciences (education, anthropology, etc) and/or research methods (qualitative analysis, survey design). Opportunity for applicants with less background in social sciences who are fast learners to also be selected.

The successful students will have:

excellent written and oral communication skills (English language)
growth mindset who seeks and uses feedback effectively
open mind about AI and curiosity to understand the different ways diverse student cohorts might use AI
be willing to take risks, share views, and have a go at analysis and writing (avoid pitfalls of perfectionism)
attention to detail when writing
exceptional time management skills able to commitment to the 4 weeks of the project as a full-time scholar.

Are we getting it right? Evaluating impact in digital education

Supervisors

Dr Kathleen Mahon

Positions available

Project duration

4 weeks from 24 June, 30 hours/week

Description

The rapid evolution of digital technologies and diversifying student populations has demanded significant changes to teaching and learning within universities in recent years.

Several initiatives have been introduced in universities to support such changes, including initiatives related to assessment design, inclusive practices, and the use of digital resources to enhance student access and learning. But how well are these initiatives working? And how can we best find out?

The aim of this project is to develop an annotated bibliography which lists and briefly summarises key, recent contributions to current thinking about teaching and learning impact in digital education and how it can be effectively evaluated in higher education. This annotated bibliography will:

provide an important foundation for reviews of literature to be conducted as part of larger projects evaluating the impact of digital education initiatives at UQ (e.g. Digital Learning Uplift, use of Inspera) and from which research publications are likely to emerge
provide a solid research-informed base for ongoing evaluation activities being carried out by the Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, and UQ more broadly
become a useful resource for UQ staff wishing to engage with higher education evaluation and digital education literature to inform their practice/SoTL work/educational research.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

The student scholar will, under the guidance of an experienced supervisor, gain skills in conducting literature searches, and retrieving, organising, analysing, synthesising, and presenting information gleaned from literature. They will have the opportunity to utilise these skills to develop an annotated bibliography and present their findings to a small group of UQ scholars.

Future research publications that draw on the annotated bibliography will appropriately acknowledge the student’s contribution to the published work.

Suitable for

This project is open to applications from UQ enrolled students who are in year 2, 3 or 4 of study. A background in a social science or humanities discipline/s would be an advantage.

Further information

Please contact Dr Kathleen Mahon by email at k.mahon@uq.edu.au if you would like to discuss the project further.