Technological tools used in teaching and learning have been reported to influence their satisfaction, engagement and their continued effort in learning (Roach, 2014). The present study, therefore, investigated students’ perceptions of technological use in a flipped classroom at university level through evaluation of three different web-based tools, using the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989; Venkatesh & Davis, 2000). These tools include a collaborative canvas tool (Padlet), a live polling platform (Kahoot!) and an annotation tool (Cirrus). Results from focus group interviews show that most of the students had positive perceptions of the three technological tools targeted in this study. Nevertheless, using the TAM model that draws on two indexes, namely usefulness and perceived ease of use, the findings revealed students’ mixed perceptions towards the three tools. Particularly, Padlet was perceived to be useful for both independent and colloborative learning, but less easy to use when there was too much content. Kahoot! was considered the most useful and easy to use for revision of learnt concepts. Finally, Cirrus was easy to use, but less useful for creative tasks. The results are discussed in terms of the role of technological tools in flipped learning, and implications for technologically enhanced flipped instruction are suggested.

For many years, the methods of teaching and learning have remained relatively unchanged, with teachers bestowing knowledge to their students in a one-way hierarchical approach to learning. However, Student as Partners (SaP) as a concept and an ideology aims to disrupt traditional power structures of learning to offer a shared space where students become co-creators of change. This research reflects on one particular SaP project, a small-scale, project-based, institutionally resourced partnership whereby 14 students collaborated alongside 3 staff members to enhance the quality of the student experience at an Australian university. The current study aims to explore what factors mediate newly formed student-staff partnerships. Using a qualitative thematic approach, the paper draws from various online surveys to share particular contextualised experiences of student-staff partnerships. These include: learning together and navigating power dynamics, opportunities to build relationships, and balancing work and study. They became the specific strategies that mediated effective partnership. The implications of these themes highlighted that the context-dependent nature of SaP should be realised in an effort to develop institutionally appropriate practices.  

The purpose of this study was to use mixed methods to examine the factors that contribute to the adoption of translation and interpreting (T&I) technologies by university instructors. The qualitative outcomes aimed to ascertain which technologies are currently being used in Australian universities, in the categories of web-search, CAT, mobile and tablet, and language lab software and hardware. An infographic was used to help display the technologies in these four domains. The findings of the quantitative analysis indicate that the frequent use of T&I technologies in instructors’ current practice significantly affected their intention to use technologies in the future. However, their experiences in both teaching and using such technologies were not factors that influenced their future use. The instructors who viewed T&I technologies favourably tended to recommend these tools to their friends and family; they believed that these tools helped them improve the accuracy of their job performance and secure their current job, and generally gave them an advantage in the employment market. At the same time, the instructors in our study faced some issues in using T&I technologies, such as the accuracy of their output and the lifespan of the software. Regardless of the challenges they faced, if an instructor perceived T&I technologies to be useful, they tended to express an intention to continue to use such technologies in the future.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused considerable and drastic changes to teaching and learning, forcing many teachers to adopt an online pedagogical approach. This disruption has caused traditional universities to change how their curriculum is delivered and also revisit how learning occurs. While we are indeed living in challenging times, we argue that this defining moment will become the impetus for pedagogical reform wherein new methods of teaching and learning will emerge. In this paper, we bring together three broad subjects of teaching and learning scholarship: (a) learning design, (b) critical pedagogy, and (c) student partnership. We contend that together, these three fields provide room for students to become actors and agents of their own learning through student-led learning design. Using critical participatory action research (CPAR) spanning 4 years and 22 projects, this case study offers a starting point for learning designers and student partners to work together in nine different instructional design models.