Abstracts - Earli

scale project which was funded from 2001-2005 by the UK Economic and Social ResearchCouncil. The data set used in this paper comprises transcripts from 19 semi-structured groupinterviews with 59 students from 3 contrasting types of university in the UK. A rigorous thematicanalysis of the data, using HyperRESEARCH (version 2.6.1 from Researchware, Inc.), resulted ina multi-faceted conceptual model of the influences on the students’ willingness to engage. Thismodel describes the interplay between aspects of students’ identities and facets of their learningcontexts in university and on work placement. The analysis suggests that no single influence canexplain the extent of the students’ engagement but, for some students, identification with the roleof ‘scientist’ seemed particularly important. The notion of ‘authentic learning experiences’ is usedto draw together the students’ perspectives on how key learning experiences influenced theiridentity development and willingness to engage with their studies.Enhancing deep learning via higher-order cognitive skils (HOCS)-promoting teaching strategiesand assessmentUri Zoller, University of Haifa-Oranim, IsraelGiven the current striving for sustainability and the corresponding paradigms shift in science,technology, R&D, environment perception, economy and politics; e.g., from unlimited growth-tosustainabledevelopment, correction-to-prevention and passive consumption of "goods", cultureand education-to-active participation, all in the science-technology-environment-society-economypolicy(S-T-E-S-E-P) context, the corresponding paradigms shift in higher education isunavoidable. This means a shift from the currently dominating lower-order cognitive skills(LOCS) algorithmic teaching, to HOCS-promoting deep learning, typified by students’ evaluativethinking and transfer capabilities. Our active research in STESEP-oriented science teaching inhigher education, was targeted at the development of students’ HOCS such as critical thinking,question asking, and problem solving, within ‘traditional’ science courses. Within a pre-postresearch design, our intervention focused on the implementation, in science courses, of nontraditionalteaching strategies and HOCS’ level examinations (containing HOCS- andHOCS/LOCS-requiring questions), selected representative examples of which will be presentedand critically discussed. The main findings of our research, in the context of higher educationchemistry/science instruction, are: (a) the HOCS capabilities of question asking and criticalthinking-problem solving, are enhanced (pre-post gains) via the tandem implementation ofappropriate ‘HOCS promoting’ teaching strategies and HOCS-level assessment; (b) HOCSenhancement requires time; it is not achievable via a single-shot short exercise; and (c) assessmentneeds not only be consistent with the instructional objectives, but also capable of their promotionin order to achieve them. The educational significance and implications are: (1) Deep learningthrough HOCS-level assessment is attainable, suggesting (2) HOCS development is contextuallynotdiscipline content-bound. Thus, HOCS enhancement not only can be done; it should be done,across the board, in higher education.– 257 –