Catherine Baudains

Recent research in science communication has assumed a shift from the ‘public understanding of science’ to ‘public engagement with science’, or from ‘deficit’ to ‘democracy’ (Irwin 2006). Evidence of this shift is found, for example, in the European Union-commissioned report that had amongst its mandates (Felt et al, 2007, p.9): ‘How to further the stated EU commitment to improve the involvement of diverse elements of democratic civil society in European science and governance’. Given that many scientists work in science (more broadly, in science, mathematics, engineering and mathematics, STEM) research centres, it is appropriate to investigate how ‘engagement’ issues are understood in such centres. Neresini and Bucchi (2010) analysed 40 European research centres in terms of their ‘engagement activities’. Their analysis led them to conclude that “it is a culture of public engagement that still seems to be lacking among most research institutions in Europe” (p. 14). Is this the case beyond Europe? The research question this paper examines is: How do Australian STEM centres regard public engagement?

A longitudinal case study was conducted on the impact of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AUSSI) at a primary school in Western Australia. The research utilised data related to education for sustainability at the school from 1990-2009. The year 2005 was a critical year for the school because it marked the beginning of participation in the sustainable schools initiative pilot in Western Australia (AUSSI-WA). The research investigated elements of education for sustainability in operation at the school pre- and post-AUSSI-WA, as well as student and teacher outcomes after involvement in the initiative. Results showed the school shifted along the sustainability continuum, to more or less sustainable positions, at different times over the twenty year period. Initially, the school's approach to education for sustainability was ad hoc and uncoordinated, and after 2005 it gradually changed to a planned, coordinated, integrated, evaluated, whole systems thinking approach. However, after three years in the initiative, it became evident that the school had begun to shift to a less sustainable position on the sustainability continuum. The findings emphasise the challenges in sustaining change in schools, as well as important implications for organisational change, school administration, curriculum and teacher support. Keywords: education for sustainability; longitudinal research; primary education

With a drying climate and increasing urban populations many cities in Australia are facing drinking water shortages. In Perth, tile capital of Western Australia (WA), summer water restrictions are common and in the face of declining rainfall the State Government is developing new water strategies. 0ne strategy involves a closer alignment and integration of land use planning with water management. This will require residential land developers to look at tile total water cycle and how it fits into local aind regioinal water plans. Another strategy, currently being trialled in WA and the focus of this research, involves the development of wastewater treatment and reuse systems for non-drinking water applications, such as irrigating public open space, in urban villages. By treating and reusing wastewater locally, developers can work with local and regional water planners to help reduce drinking water demand, whilst ensuring environmental flows are maintained. In WA, two residential developments are installing decentralised wastewater, specifically greywater, treatment and recycling systems: Bridgewater Lifestyle Village (BWLV) in Erskine and Timbers Edge Residential Resort (TimbersEdge) in Dawesville, refer figure 1. Both sites are located in high population growth corridors and environmentally sensitive areas that experience high water tables due to their proximity to the Peel Harvey Estuary. Both sites are currently under construction and represent two different greywater treatment systems mid constitute the first trials of decentralised wastewater treatment and recycling within the Perth metropolitan area. BWLV is in the process of installing 380 greywater systems with a central overriding management system, with the treated greywater being used to irrigate the individual residences. Whereas TimbersEdge will have 260 homes connected to one central greywater treatment system, with the treated greywater then used to irrigate public open space within the development. This paper will discuss: the complexities of getting the systems approved, including the legislative and regulatory constraints: the maintenance and monitoring schedules required to meet the environmental and public health issues: discuss the community involvement required to ensure that the systems are accepted and that the residents feel empowered and confident with the systems: and briefly discuss how these issues have led to the development of a new management tool, known as the DeWaTARS framework. The development of the DeWaTARS framework will enable the development and application process of future applications within the Perth metropolitan region.

This paper reports on a study of the effectiveness of a basic botany unit, which has been enhanced by online support materials. A WebCT site was developed to provide digital access to materials studied in practical sessions. Whereas previously, students only saw practical material once, now they have access to high quality, colour images, to study at their leisure. The online materials were evaluated in the context of the unit of study. The nature of the unit encouraged students to adopt a surface learning approach, but the evaluation process encouraged teaching staff to explore alternative teaching strategies. Students found the online materials very useful, and some students used them for deep approaches to learning. However, the majority of use of the online materials was for ‘cramming’ prior to examinations. The use of the online materials, in this case, reinforced the surface-learning nature of the unit.

An online course has been developed to support learning of practical material in a Botany unit. Students received feedback after each laboratory session, with answers to exercises and images of specimens studied made available. The effectiveness of this approach, in the context of the unit, was the focus of an evaluation study. This paper reports only on the usefulness of the WebCT online environment. The majority of students perceived that the online materials helped them to learn. There was heavy use of WebCT by students. However, most of this use was in the final two weeks of the semester, when students used surface learning strategies prior to exams. This approach was encouraged by the nature of the unit.

Learning-centred evaluation framework evaluation computer-facilitated learning proposal This roundtable session will discuss four distinct evaluations of student learning arising from four, very different applications of information and communications technology (ICT) in four different subject areas. The common factor in each evaluation study was the use of the Learning-Centred Evaluation Framework described in Phillips, Bain, McNaught, Rice, & Tripp (2000) and Bain (1999). This framework, derived from earlier work by Alexander & Hedberg (1994), has four main characteristics: it presumes that evaluation will occur in each of the major phases of an educational development project (design, development, implementation, and institutionalisation); it focusses attention on three aspects of learning: the learning environment (where people learn, or the ICT innovation); the learning process (how people learn) the learning outcome (what people learn) it encourages evaluators to frame appropriate and answerable evaluation questions; it outlines the types of evidence and methods that may be appropriate for each question. The four projects to be discussed arose, directly or indirectly, from a 1999 CUTSD staff development grant about Evaluation of Technology-based Teaching Development Projects. Interactive Stories Animal Behaviour Plant Diversity Veterbrate Anatomy and Physiology The roundtable will briefly describe the evaluation framework and the individual projects, and the discussion will focus around the issues involved in planning and carrying out such evaluations, and what can be learnt from them. As one participant lecturer stated "we never really know how effective we are in our teaching... we really have no idea about our students understandings".