Defining a new learning ecosystem for multilingual learners: A case study on ‘reimagining’ development economics

Abstract

Improving learner success, particularly for multilingual learners, requires an approach that looks at the learner, the teacher and the course, and acknowledgment that how a student responds to the classroom environment and course content is influenced by “a multiplicity of intersecting experiences and a constellation of linguistic and cultural factors” (Zamel and Spack, 2006, p. 127). Although intersectionality could contribute to better learning experiences, in this paper, we argue that the positive externalities associated with a diverse classroom can be achieved when the teaching team addresses the barriers to adoption to a new “learning ecosystem”. A learning ecosystem is multifaceted and complex and can be difficult for any tertiary student. In this paper we focus on a course redesign approach for a cohort of overseas students at a tertiary institution in New Zealand. Although the students enrolled in the third-year course are exposed to the learning culture of a western academic institution prior to coming to the New Zealand campus, our investigation reveals that the lack of recognition of the adoption barriers to the new learning ecosystem impact student learning experiences. In this working paper we describe the process of developing teaching strategies and assessments that have the goal of improving learning experiences for students in a third-year undergraduate Development Economics course. We adopted a case study approach to evaluate how the choice of teaching strategies driven by the acknowledgement of the adoption barriers for a new learning ecosystem can enhance student learning outcomes. Since the inception of the course in 2015, the lecturer/Author 1, a multilingual learner, has made deliberate attempts throughout the delivery of the course to address the issues concerning multilingual learners. In 2022, Author 1 adopted the following additional changes in terms of course delivery and assessment: 1. co-designed extra sessions with a learning advisor on developing evidence-based arguments; and 2. making connections of course content and real life through extracts from newspaper articles for each of the modules. Despite these changes, the lecturer noted more negative student feedback than in past years and a lack of rigour in students’ group assessments and final exam answers. As a result, the lecturer sought support from a team of academic developers to redesign the course. Redesign focused on revising the assessments by creating two new components: (1) constructing a set of feedback loops for three interconnected presentations before the submission of the written report; and (2) reflection pieces, coined as “module summaries”. Rather than accuracy of the answer as is required in the other assessments, these reflective pieces allow students to raise questions about the effectiveness of the topics covered in the specific module and help the instructor to identify the next steps for better engagement. During our presentation we will share the impact of these changes on student outcomes for the current cohort of students in Semester 2, 2023. Our analysis, thereby, is likely to provide evidence for the rationale for focusing beyond language proficiency, and to develop strategies for more inclusion of multilingual learners.