Institute of Teaching and Learning
Deakin University
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Stuart PALMERPresent position Contact details |
Bachelor of Engineering (Ballarat) (1987)
Master of Business Administration (Deakin) (1994)
Doctor of Technology (Deakin) Title: An Evaluation of Australian Undergraduate Engineering Management Education for Flexible Delivery (2002)
Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (Deakin) (2005)
Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education
Australasian Association for Engineering Education
Editorial Board: Australasian Journal of Engineering Education
Engineers Australia: Chartered Professional Engineer
Engineers Australia College of Information Technology and Electronics Engineers
My approach to teaching is based on the position that teaching is one of the fundamental components of scholarship, and that the range of scholarly activities include:
Teaching is one of the means by which students attain knowledge. It is the creation and delivery of an organised series of experiences in which students participate to develop knowledge. These activities may include personal instruction, reading, audio-visual material, practical experimentation, oral presentation, self-study, reflection and the submission of assessable work. I'm of the constructivist school and take the approach that students aren't passive vessels into which information is poured; they are active participants in forming their own understandings of the world.
My goals as a teacher are to create a learning environment that:
Having myself completed postgraduate studies in off-campus mode, I am a passionate believer in the value of flexible delivery. The 'on-campus experience' isn't what it used to be, especially when compared to the time that most of the current institutional (education and professional) administrators might have completed their undergraduate studies. The majority of 'full-time on-campus' undergraduate students undertake some paid employment during term-time, and this work is a necessity to support their university studies. The modern study-plus-work arrangement of the typical on-campus student is moving closer to the work-plus-study pattern of the typical off-campus student. While some negative impacts on academic achievement due to term-time employment are noted, there are potential benefits as well (enhanced skills and employability), but, whether these benefits are realised depends, at least in part, on institutional responses to student employment.
My position is that research informs teaching, and so active participation in discipline research is fundamental to good teaching. In a teaching and learning context, I'm a fan of an evidence based, action research methodology that uses theory to inform teaching and learning developments, and couples this with evaluation to close the teaching improvement loop and inform subsequent developments. While research in education often involves qualitative methodologies, where feasible, I ground my research on quantitative methodologies, incorporating parametric statistical techniques to test and validate any inferences made.
I am an enthusiastic but cautious user of online technologies to support teaching and learning. As part of an array of teaching 'technologies' (including chalk and overhead projectors), online delivery, used appropriately and cost-effectively, can add significant value to the students' learning experience. I have been actively involved in online developments in the School since 1995, being an early adopter of new University online systems and exploring ways to use these technologies to effectively support teaching and learning.
My current area of research interest is the definition, assessment and documentation of individual student attainment of graduate attributes. While 'graduate attributes' has been a topic of interest for some time, the move by many professional bodies to require certification of individual student attainment of graduate attributes will present many challenges to education systems designed only around certification of programs providing opportunities for students to experience learning activities designed to develop desired graduate attributes. I believe that online student portfolios offer a means to address this requirement, but, their effectiveness needs to be established.
I'm also investigating methods for assessing the 'student experience' of online learning, and the related area of how different elements of the available portfolio of online teaching and learning technologies can be wisely assembled to maximise the learning outcomes for students.
As a hangover for a former life/career as an electronics engineer practicing primarily in consulting, I retain a strong interest in frequency domain analysis. FDA encompasses a range of mathematical research techniques for revealing the spectral components of data, which often permits new insights into the fundamental mechanisms behind the data. FDA also inherently captures properties related to 'scale', which will be a central element of the coming nanotechnology revolution, where there will be a need to relate the properties of the very small to those of the human and other scales.
In 2008, I'm contributing to the following projects:
Books
Holt, D. and Palmer, S. (in print), Quality in flexible, online and distance education at Deakin University: from dual mode to integrated mode practices, in Padhi, N. (ed), Total Quality Management Of Distance Education, Routledge: New York.
Palmer, S. and Wang, X. (2007), Objective Assessment of Pilling of Knitted and Nonwoven Fabrics Using the Two Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform, in Zeng, X., Li, Y., Ruan, D. and Koehl, L.(eds), Computational Textile, Berlin:Springer
Palmer, S. (2001), Management Studies in Engineering Courses, in Lloyd, B., Ferguson, C., Palmer, S. and Rice, M. (2001), Engineering the Future: Preparing Professional Engineers for the 21st Century, Melbourne: Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia and Histec Publications.
Journals
Palmer, S. and Holt, D. (in print), Examining student satisfaction with wholly online learning, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.
Fermelis, J., Tucker, R. and Palmer, S. (in print), Fair assessment of team assignments in business communication and architecture, Business Communication Quarterly.
Palmer, S. and Holt, D.(in print), Students’ Perceptions of the Value of the Elements of an Online Learning Environment: Looking Back in Moving Forward, Interactive Learning Environments.
Palmer, S. and Hall, W. (in print), Is Off-campus Engineering Study off the Agenda? Professional accreditation and distance education, European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning.
Palmer, S., Zhang, J. and Wang, X. (in print), Development of Methods for Objective Evaluation of Fabric Pilling by Frequency Domain Image Processing, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel.
Palmer, S., Holt, D. and Bray, S. (in print), Does the discussion help? The impact of a formally assessed online discussion on final student results, British Journal of Educational Technology.
Palmer, S., Bray, S. and Hall W. (2008), What is the on-campus experience? Engineering student study and work, International Journal of Engineering Education, v24, n4.
Palmer, S. and Hall, W. (2008), The application of podcasting in online engineering education, International Journal of Engineering Education, v24, n1, pp. 101-106.
Hall, W., Palmer, S., Ferguson, C. and Jones, T. (2007), Delivery and assessment strategies to improve on- and off-campus student performance in structural mechanics, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, v35, n4, pp. 272-284.
Zhang, J., Wang, X. and Palmer, S. (2007), Objective Pilling Evaluation of Wool Fabrics, Textile Research Journal, v77, n12, pp. 929-936.
Zhang, J., Wang, X. and Palmer, S. (2007), Objective Grading of Fabric Pilling with Wavelet Texture Analysis, Textile Research Journal, v77, n11, pp. 871-879.
Palmer, S. (2007), An evaluation of streaming digital video resources in on- and off-campus engineering management education, Computers & Education, v49, n2, pp. 297-308.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2006), Reasons stated by Commencing Students for Studying Engineering and Technology, Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 2006-01, on-line, pp. 1-18.
Hall, W., Jones, J.T. and Palmer S. (2006), Providing a practical education for off-campus engineering students, British Journal of Engineering Education, v5, n1, pp. 49-57.
Palmer, S. (2005/06), An evaluation of the use of on-line submission and return of assignments, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, v34, n1, 57-67.
Palmer, S., Joud, I. and Wang, X. (2005), Characterisation and Application of Objective Pilling Classification of Patterned Fabrics, Journal of the Textile Institute, v96, n6, pp. 423-430.
Palmer, S. (2004), Evaluation of an on-line reflective journal in engineering education, Computer Applications in Engineering Education, v12, n4, pp. 209-214.
Palmer, S. (2004), Authenticity in assessment: reflecting undergraduate study and professional practice, European Journal of Engineering Education, v29, n2, pp. 193-202.
Palmer, S. and Tucker, B. (2004), Planning, Delivery and Evaluation of Information Literacy Training for Engineering and Technology Students, Australian Academic & Research Libraries, v35, n1, pp. 16-34.
Palmer, S. and Wang, X. (2004), Evaluating the Robustness of Objective Pilling Classification Using the Two-Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform, Textile Research Journal, v74, n2, pp. 140-145.
Palmer, S. (2003), Postgraduate management study options for engineers, International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning, v13, n5/6, pp. 546-555.
Palmer, S. and Wang, X. (2003), Objective Classification of Fabric Pilling Based on the Two-Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform, Textile Research Journal, v73, n8, pp. 713-720.
Palmer, S. (2003), Evaluation of on-line technology to support students studying engineering management in summer semester, Summer Academe, v4, pp. 59-70.
Palmer, S. (2003), A framework for undergraduate engineering management studies, Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, v129, n2, pp. 92-99.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2003), Comparative academic performance of engineering and technology students at Deakin University, Australia, International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning, v13, n 1/2, pp. 132-147.
Palmer, S. (2002), A Review of Strategic Issues in Using the Internet for Teaching and Learning, Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 2002, on-line, pp. 1-11.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2002), An Exercise to Improve Career Understanding of Commencing Engineering and Technology Students, Australian Journal of Career Development, v11, n2, pp. 38-44.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2002), On- and Off-campus Student Persistence and Academic Performance, Engineering Science and Education Journal, v11, n2, pp 66-72.
Palmer, S. (2002), An Evaluation of Undergraduate Engineering Management Studies, International Journal of Engineering Education, v18, n3, pp 321-330.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2001), Longitudinal study of computer usage in flexible engineering education, Australian Journal of Educational Technology, v17, n3, pp 313-329.
Palmer, S. (2001), Whither management studies in Australian engineering undergraduate courses?, Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, v9, n2, pp 113-126.
Palmer, S. and Tulloch, W. (2001), The Evolution of On-line Teaching and Learning in Engineering at Deakin University, Journal of Computing in Higher Education, v13, n1, pp 91-109.
Palmer, S. (2001), Engineering flexible teaching and learning in engineering education, European Journal of Engineering Education, v26, n1, pp 1-13.
Palmer, S. (2001), On- and off-campus engineering student usage of a computer conferencing system, Journal of Research on Computing in Education, v33, n3, pp. 280-298.
Palmer, S. (2000), Management education in Australian engineering undergraduate courses, The Engineering Management Journal, v12, n3, pp 3-9.
Palmer, S. (2000), Student responses to activities designed to develop generic professional skills, Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, v126, n4, pp 180-185.
Spratt, C., Palmer, S. and Coldwell, J. (2000), Using technologies in teaching: an initiative in academic staff development, Educational Technology and Society, v3, n3, pp 455-461.
Palmer, S. (2000), Considerations in the design of undergraduate technology management programs for flexible delivery - The case of engineering management, The Business, Education and Technology Journal, v2, n1, pp 40-45.
Palmer, S. (2000), On- and off-campus computer usage in engineering education, Computers & Education, v34, n2, pp 141-154.
Palmer, S. (1999), Engineering management studies as part of continuing engineering education, International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning, v9 n2, pp128-137.
Palmer, S. (1998), Current Issues and Limitations in using the Internet for Teaching and Learning, Australian Educational Computing, v13 n1, pp 12-17.
Conferences
Ferguson, C., Goodhew, P., Endean, M., Brodie, L., Palmer, S. and Murphy, M. (2008), An Investigation into the Adoption of CDIO in Distance Education, Engineering Education 2008 Conference, Loughborough.
Palmer, S., Holt, D., Hall, W. and Ferguson, C. (2008), An Online Student Portfolio for the Development and Assessment of Engineering Graduate Attributes, 12th International Computer Assisted Assessment Conference, Loughborough.
Holt, D. and Palmer, S. (2007), Staff exercising 'choice'; students exercising 'choice': wholly online learning at an Australian University, 24th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, Singapore.
Tucker, R., Fermelis, J. and Palmer, S. (2007), Online Self-and-peer-assessment for Teamwork in Architecture and Business Communications, Australia and New Zealand Architectural Science Association 41st Annual Conference, Geelong.
Palmer, S. and Holt, D. (2007), Moving a unit online - a quantitative evaluation of student responses, 24th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, Singapore.
Ferguson, C. and Palmer, S. (2007), Australian Mechanical Engineers: Industries and Attributes, 18th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Melbourne.
Fermelis, J., Tucker, R. and Palmer, S. (2007), Online self and peer assessment in large, multi-campus, multi-cohort contexts, 24th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, Singapore.
Palmer, S., White, R. and Holt, D. (2007), New conceptions of academic integrity in online teaching in the field of engineering, ED-MEDIA 2007, Vancouver.
Zhang, J., Palmer, S. and Wang, X. (2006), Objective Pilling Evaluation of Wool Fabrics, 2006 China International Wool Textile Conference, Xi'an.
Palmer, S. (2006), The rise and fall of management: undergraduate engineering management education in Australia, 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Auckland.
Palmer, S. (2006), Internationalisation and culturally inclusive curricula - an engineering management unit audit case study, 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Auckland.
Palmer, S. and Hall, W. (2006), Online student portfolios for demonstration of engineering graduate attributes, 23rd Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, Sydney.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2005), Assessing the likely impact of mandatory residential sessions for engineering and technology students, 4th ASEE/AaeE Global Colloquium on Engineering Education, Sydney.
Palmer, S. (2005), Review of First-year Engineering and Technology Units Based on Student Unit Evaluations, 4th ASEE/AaeE Global Colloquium on Engineering Education, Sydney.
Hall, W., Ferguson, C., Jones, T. and Palmer, S (2005), Improving On- and Off-Campus Student Performance in Structural Mechanics, 4th ASEE/AaeE Global Colloquium on Engineering Education, Sydney.
Palmer, S. and Wang, X. (2005), Objective Assessment of Pilling of Non-woven Fabrics Using the Two Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform, 17th International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation World Congress, Paris.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2004), Why do Deakin students elect to study engineering?, 15th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Toowoomba.
Palmer, S. (2004), On-line support for students studying engineering management off-campus in summer semester, 15th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Toowoomba.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2004), Comparative Academic Performance of Lifelong Learners in Engineering and Technology, Lifelong Learning Conference 2004, Rockhampton.
Tucker, B. and Palmer, S. (2004), Integration of information literacy training into engineering and technology education, Victorian Association for Library Automation 12th Biennial Conference and Exhibition, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. and Bray, S. (2003), Academic performance and persistence of on- and off-campus engineering and technology students, 14th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. and Tucker, B. (2003), Information literacy for a sustainable career in engineering and technology, 14th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. and Wang X. (2003), Classification of Fabric Pilling by Image Analysis, 5th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics / 6th Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference, Sydney.
Palmer, S. (2002), Changes in Computer Usage in Engineering Education , Proc. Australasian Association for Engineering Education 13th Annual Convention and Conference, Canberra.
Husband, S. and Palmer, S. (2002), Quality Methods in Australian Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: A research framework, Proc. 7th International Conference on ISO 9000 & TQM, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. (2001), Graduate Evaluation of Engineering Management Studies at Deakin University, Proc. Australasian Association for Engineering Education 12th Annual Convention and Conference, Brisbane.
Palmer, S. (2001), Usage of a computer conferencing system by on- and off-campus engineering students, Proc. 4th UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education Annual Conference on Engineering Education, Bangkok.
Lloyd, B. and Palmer, S. (2000), A systems approach to the engineering workforce, Proc. International Conference on Systems Thinking In Management 2000, Geelong.
Palmer, S. (2000), Recent developments in management education in Australian engineering undergraduate courses, Proc. 3rd UNESCO Centre for Engineering Education Conference on Engineering Education, Hobart.
Palmer, S. (2000), Usage of a Computer Conferencing System by on-and off-Campus Engineering Students, Proc. International Conference on Engineering Education 2000, Taiwan.
Palmer, S. and Tulloch, W. (1999), The evolution of on-line teaching and learning in engineering at Deakin University, Proc. Australasian Association for Engineering Education 11th Annual Convention and Conference, Adelaide. (Also at 1999 Forum of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, Geelong).
Palmer, S. (1999), A comparison of on- and off-campus student computer usage in engineering and technology education, Proc. 2nd Asia-Pacific Forum on Engineering and Technology Education, Sydney.
Palmer, S. (1999), The inflexibilities of flexible teaching and learning in engineering and technology, Proc. 2nd UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education Conference on Engineering Education, Auckland.
Palmer, S. (1998), Mature Age Engineering Students' Perceptions of Engineering Management, Proc. Australasian Association for Engineering Education 10th Annual Convention and Conference, Gladstone.
Palmer, S. (1998), Considerations in the Design of Undergraduate Engineering Management Programs for Flexible Learning, Proc. Seventh Annual Australasian Conference of Engineering Management Educators, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. (1998), Responses of Final-year Engineering Students to Assessment Tasks Designed to Develop Generic Professional Practice Skills, Proc. 1st UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education Conference on Engineering Education, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. (1997), Engineering Education for Primary School Students, Proc.Australasian Association for Engineering Education 9th Annual Convention and Conference, Ballarat.
Palmer, S. (1997), Current Issues and Limitations in using the Internet for Teaching and Learning in Engineering and Technology, Proc. 1st Asia-Pacific Forum on Engineering and Technology Education, Melbourne.
Palmer, S. (1997), A World Wide Web-based Active Tutorial in Accounting Principles for Engineering and Technology Students, Proc. Sixth Annual Australasian Conference of Engineering Management Educators, Adelaide.
Baliga, B. & Palmer, S. (1996), Use of the Internet for Flexible Delivery and Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Proc. Australasian Association for Engineering Education 8th Annual Convention and Conference, Sydney.
Palmer, S. (1996), The Development and Use of Atomic Weapons - A Case Study in Ethical Issues for Engineering Students, Proc. Australasian Association for Engineering Education 8th Annual Convention and Conference, Sydney.
Grognard, R., Ostry, D. & Palmer, S. (1987), The Use of Prolog in the Realisation of Digital Transfer Functions, Proc. IASTED International Symposium on Signal Processing and Applications, Brisbane.
Other
Palmer, S. (2008), Developing and assessing graduate attributes, Deakin University, Geelong.
Palmer, S. (2008), Using Student Evaluation of Teaching (SETU) and the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) to enhance teaching and learning, Deakin University, Geelong.
Palmer, S. (2002), Authenticity in assessment: Reflecting professional practice, invited case study in assessment for the Australian Universities Teaching Committee funded Assessing Learning in Australian Universities project.
