student feedback and leadership - Office for Learning and Teaching

Student Feedback & Leadership
for regular self study should also be reinforced. The textbook change was also
made in Semester 2. The new text book aims to improve the level of student
engagement by providing students with supplementary online resources
including solutions, videos and case studies.
ECON1010 – Macroeconomics 1
First Semester 2008:
Macroeconomics 1 undergoes regular changes and updates with a more
substantial re-work of materials undertaken approximately every three or four
years. In mid-2006 a decision was made to change textbooks and publishers.
As such, the course was to be re-written with the goal of ‘going live’ in 2008.
There were a number of reasons for the change. The new textbook allowed
a more ‘modern’ approach to teaching macroeconomics. The authors had
worked Keynesian theory into the AS/AD model with the approach that
Classical theory is more the long-run perspective of the economy and
Keynesian the short run. This approach freed up room in the course to now
introduce some new areas such as the exchange rate market. Furthermore,
the use of the Commanding Heights DVD series in the course was introduced.
The goal of using these DVDs is to help the students connect the theory with
reality and ensure they understood the significance of the course regardless
of the degree they are undertaking.
2007 was therefore dedicated to re-working the course to integrate both the
new textbook and the Commanding Heights series into the course. In previous
years, the text was simply additional to the course – extra reading. The new
text was to be embedded in the course.
In 2008, the redeveloped course was launched together with the Commanding
Heights DVD in all locations (Hong Kong had been used as a preliminary trial
in September 2007). The course was modified in both content and delivery for
the various locations to accommodate the different economic systems in place
(specifically the type of monetary policy undertaken and the methodology used
in teaching the exchange rate model – direct or indirect) and the difference
in delivery mode.
In Melbourne, there is a two, to two and a half, hour lecture which incorporates
the viewing of the DVD series (about 20 minutes in eight of the 12 lectures).
There is also a two hour feedback session. In the feedback, students are
provided with a ‘test’ which consists of approximately 10 multiple choice
questions and a number of short-answer problems (past exam questions).
They have 30 minutes to complete the test under formal test conditions.
The academic than spends between an hour and an hour and a half going
through each of the questions while students ‘mark’ their own paper. The level
of student interaction varies from class to class but the general response from
students, both informally and through the CES, is that they enjoy the sessions
and find them extremely useful.
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