Papers by Matthew Hitccock Lec
Two-way impact: institutional e-learning policy/educator practices in creative arts through ePortfolio creation
Many higher education institutions have embraced e-Learning and urge, or make compulsory, engagem... more Many higher education institutions have embraced e-Learning and urge, or make compulsory, engagement by academics. Despite this, it is often the educators themselves who take the initiative to engage with innovative e-learning approaches. These approaches, in turn, can influence both peer- and institution-wide thinking about e-Learning. This paper focuses on the introduction or extension of ePortfolios within the creative arts at four Australian universities. Each educator adopted the ePortfolio for a different purpose, and in doing so has influenced, or is at least being monitored by, their university. All four studies have resulted in the growth, development and enrichment of teaching and learning because of the ePortfolio’s facility to engage students in such activities as reflection, ongoing student-teacher dialogue, collaborative essay writing, peer evaluation, identity formation, and the documentation of skills, competencies and graduate attributes for career awareness and employability. In sharing this knowledge the studies have also influenced curriculum design and e-learning policy. The academic literature notes institutional interest in ePortfolios in relation to career preparation, demonstrating and assessing student learning, academic advising, and addressing public accountability concerns by facilitating internal and external departmental review and accreditation. Within this paper we discuss the bi-directional impact and sharing of knowledge about ePortfolio use as it occurs between institution and educator. The study findings inform future development of curriculum, policy and practice for creative arts students and academics in a variety of higher education settings. Further, the findings suggest that ePortfolios provide an efficient and transparent means to archive and access student work, and that they facilitate internal and external departmental review and broader institutional assessment.
Creative artists are enrolling in research programmes in ever-greater numbers where the boundarie... more Creative artists are enrolling in research programmes in ever-greater numbers where the boundaries between professional practice, research and its outcomes increasingly take on new forms and meaning. This paper examines artistic research processes in music through the experiences of students, graduates and their academic supervisors at an Australian conservatorium of music. The authors utilise a multiple case study methodology to probe key milestones in the higher degree lifecycle in order to ascertain the efficacy of the pedagogies, processes and outcomes. Overall, the paper offers conclusions as to how these research programmes may continue to evolve in the future.
This paper arises from collaboration between colleagues at ISME's 1 Commission for the Education ... more This paper arises from collaboration between colleagues at ISME's 1 Commission for the Education of the Professional Musician 2006, in which we seek to understand the learning of music students in different contexts and how tertiary education can best prepare students for a career in music. The research is based on Learning to Perform 2 , a four-year project investigating musical learning at a UK conservatoire that educates western classical musicians. Learning to Perform aims to understand how musicians learn, how this can be improved, and to build theory of musical expertise. Since 2004, Learning to Perform has run biannual structured and semi-structured questionnaires on students' career aims, identity, attitudes to instrumental teaching and transition into the conservatoire. This paper extends Learning to Perform research to three Australian contexts encompassing one traditional conservatoire setting, popular music and music technology. Learning to Perform questionnaire items were administered in these institutions from March 2007. Results from this round of data collection will determine the second stage of the collaboration. Here, we consider preliminary differences and similarities between cohorts, working towards an enhanced understanding of tertiary curricula across contexts.
Shaping the tertiary music curriculum: What can we learn from different contexts?
This paper arises from collaboration between colleagues at ISME's1 Commission for the Educati... more This paper arises from collaboration between colleagues at ISME's1 Commission for the Education of the Professional Musician 2006, in which we seek to understand the learning of music students in different contexts and how tertiary education can best prepare students for a career in music. The research is based on Learning to Perform 2 , a four-year project investigating musical
This paper examines the process of creating a cross-disciplinary collaborative moving image cultu... more This paper examines the process of creating a cross-disciplinary collaborative moving image culture within a number of faculties at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. Students and staff from the areas of Film Production and Animation at Griffith Film School (GFS), and Music Technology and Composition at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU), have been integrating creative practice and artistic outputs in order to foster new multi-platform exegetical artworks. This process encourages students to gain insights from practitioner-lead action based research. Consequently, this paper also responds to the inherent opportunities within such collaborations that enable students to develop a deeper understanding of relevant art practice, allowing an integration of professional traits into the practical aspects of the learning landscape. This paper therefore includes a brief description of process, project development, successes, shortcomings and insights, leading to plans for the future development and continued expansion of the project.
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Papers by Matthew Hitccock Lec