2025 Microgrant Projects

Mathematical skills are essential for nurses and midwives to be able to perform their roles safely and provide quality care. These skills are vitally important in the execution of accurate calculations when determining medication preparation and administration.

Recent research demonstrates that medication administration errors within Australian health care settings continue to be significant (Isaacs et al., 2021). It has been hypothesised that these errors are often compounded by clinicians experiencing maths anxiety (Williams & Davis, 2016). Williams and Davis (2016, p.140) state that,” maths anxiety refers to “a feeling of tension, apprehension or fear that interferes with math performance” (Ashcraft, 2002)”. It is acknowledged that this may develop from negative experiences with mathematics in the past (McKenna et al., 2022). McKenna and colleagues (2022) highlight that while proficiency in performing mathematical calculations as they relate to medication administration is an integral component of health professionals’ education, maths anxiety may hinder students’ capability and confidence in this area.

Our 2024 Students as Partners project explored the experiences and perceptions of our N&M students in relation to maths competence, confidence and anxiety. Our student partners elicited that many students experience maths anxiety, with this manifesting in a variety of ways. During the sit and chat sessions, students described physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, palpitations, and stomach pains when they were experiencing maths anxiety.

Similarly, they described feelings such as stage fright, brain block, uncertainty, imposter syndrome, pressure and dread, manifesting in behaviours such as avoidance, inability to think and practising maths calculations in secret when unobserved. Our 2024 student partners also facilitated discussions with N&M students around strategies or ideas for maths resources and supports. From these discussions, students proposed more opportunities for maths practice and exposure, with consistent maths content available across the course. They flagged the need for resources and supports to be N&M specific, so that they could make the connections between the theory and clinical space, and also have the opportunity to have their maths learning from university replicated when they are on clinical placement.

Project Aims

1. Successful and respectful collaboration and partnership between the project team academics and student partners to co-design this M4N+MSx2 project.
2. Co-design nursing and midwifery specific learning resources aimed at supporting maths confidence and competence, cognisant of diverse learning styles and backgrounds.
3. Co-create nursing and midwifery specific learning resources encapsulating diverse learning styles, aimed at supporting maths confidence and competence.

Past research has emphasized the usefulness of personas in enhancing student engagement, providing a basis for the current project (O’Brien & Chawke, 2022). According to O’Brien and Chawke (2022) integrating personas into the curriculum design process has further developed a better understanding of student needs which assists staff in tailoring their teaching to suit different learner identities. As a result, developing personas allows a shift in the focus from delivering content to enhancing student engagement, by allowing a greater understanding of cohort needs (O’Brien & Chawke, 2022).

Additionally, personas assist in promoting inclusivity through creating an understanding how diverse and equity-student profiles interact with each other to then shape learning environments (Salminen et al., 2022) and how they prevent educators from making assumptions about what students want by involving students in the process of communicating their needs (Karolita et al., 2023).

Project Aims

1. Engage current psychology students to co-design learning experiences based on persona profiles.
2. Adhere to the DEAP’s initiative “Respect. Belong. Thrive” by co-designing the experiences with students so they are able to provide their input, help us understand their needs, and ensure they feel respected and safe to voice their opinions.
3. Validation of profiles and learning experiences with current staff teaching in the School of Psychology through a staff focus group.
4. Refinement of 3-5 persona profiles based on feedback from our students as partners, and development of unique learning experiences and communication strategies for each persona. 

Recently the School of Medicine underwent a review process and a new Strategic Guidance Document 2023-2026 was developed and released. In line with the School’s overarching purpose, aspiration and values the School is committed to redressing health inequity. The School has a particular focus on strengthening the rural and regional healthcare workforce and prioritises addressing inequity stemming from geographical remoteness, economic disadvantage and diverse backgrounds.

Students with non-science backgrounds or who are returning to study after a significant period tend to find the return to study more challenging and this can also become apparent in their performance in the medical science assessment tasks in the first semester. While we know this doesn’t impact in the long term it can lead to significant stress, intermission and imposter syndrome. Students can feel as though they are always trying to catch up to the rest of the cohort.

Students receive a link to a recommended resource amongst their other enrolment and orientation details prior to commencing the course. The current suggested resource is an open access text, and we refer students to the first four chapters. Anecdotal evidence indicates that students have not accessed this resource before they commence the course.

Project Aims

1. Identify knowledge gaps or areas of weakness that impact on student success in semester 1 of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Course
2. Co-design and curate effective resources to provide to students that will address these gaps
3. Identify an accessible delivery system for sharing these resources with students prior to commencement and access to CloudDeakin. 

In healthcare, it is well established that there are significant benefits for patient health and wellbeing if the make-up of the workforce reflects the diversity of the community it serves. To fully realise the goal of increasing diversity of the health workforce, educators must be equipped to understand the diverse minds and needs of the student cohort, to promote student retention and wellbeing.

Currently, the needs of neurodivergent medical students are not well understood, despite this student group representing up to 30% of the cohort. Reflecting this lack of understanding, neurodivergent medical students have been reported to experience higher rates of mental health concerns than their neurotypical peers.

In the clinical placement environment, neurodivergent students have reported feelings of alienation when they were unable to conform. These students have resorted to adopting unsustainable survival strategies, such as masking, to avoid being ostracised.

This is particularly troubling, as many of the personal qualities which are common in neurodivergent individuals are highly valued across a range of healthcare professions, such as high levels of empathy, attention to detail, high-level problem solving skills, and big picture thinking. These attributes are likely to promote improved patient care, and the development of novel innovations in the field. Their lived experiences also bring unique insight into the needs of neurodivergent patients. 

Improving the learning environment, particularly in the context of clinical placements, is essential for supporting neurodivergent learners to thrive, and increasing the likelihood that they will continue on to have successful and rewarding careers in healthcare.

Project Aims

The aim of this project is to develop a practical guide/toolkit for clinical educators and placement coordinators, to support them in providing a neuro-affirming learning environment which will empower neurodivergent students to thrive.

Although toolkits have been developed for campus/online learning environments, there is currently a lack of resources to support students and educators working in the clinical placement environment. This learning environment is distinctly different from campus/online learning, and there are physical, social, and structural challenges which need to be navigated when learning in this environment.

This guide will be co-created by the project team (BMc, SE, LG), neurodivergent MD students, and the clinical educators and placement coordinators who are involved in the organisation and delivery of the clinical learning components of the MD course.

The preparation of nursing students for the reality of real clinical practice is paramount for quality and safe clinical patient care. Historically, students have experienced challenges when implementing clinical care for patients in the clinical setting, using knowledge and skills developed in the classroom. The separation between the clinical and academic environments creates a lack of understanding of the clinical practice context and affects the professional integration of a student (Kim et al., 2013).

The implementation of simulation enables a student to practice their clinical and professional skills in a way that enhances the student’s confidence and self-esteem to support learning (Koukourikos et al., 2021) and transition to the clinical practice environment. A recent meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies further reinforces these findings identifying that simulation-based learning significantly develops knowledge, collaboration skills and self-competency compared with traditional activities (Li et al., 2022).

Brown et al., (2017) suggest that involving students in the design and creation of simulation-based learning may improve their perceptions of its relevance for their professional practice.

Project Aims

1. Develop a successful partnership and collaborate with students as partners in their learning

2. Co-design a project approach with student partners that will support evaluation of the simulation program in the undergraduate entry-to-practice courses and using student voices

3. Identify actual and/or potential challenges that impact on student learning considering diversity and learning needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, Regional or rural students and students from a low socioeconomic status (SES) background.

3a) Identify how well the intended simulation activities meet the learners needs considering elements identified above.

3b) Implement required change and create new or revised simulation scenarios with students as partners addressing needs raised.

4. Evaluate the revised simulation experiences for suitability in meeting the needs raised by students as partner.

The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) requires social work students complete 1000 placement hours, a requisite that has contributed to low completion rates due to financial and emotional pressures (Morley, et al. 2023). As student circumstances become more complex, particularly amid rising living costs, there is a growing need for more flexible and responsive field education programs (Hodge et al., 2021; Morley, et al. 2023). This project aims to enhance the Social Work Field Education program by actively involving students in decision-making to improve accessibility. The project will partner with priority first students and then apply an intersectional analysis to identify student groups who experience additional barriers.

The increasing numbers of Social Work students who are neurodivergent or work within disability support plans combined with the limited literature on the needs of these students on placement highlights the need to learn more about how to support these students, what are the reasonable adjustments, and what are the strengths these students bring. There is also a need to explore how placement organisations (not discussed at all in the literature above) fit. The voices of students are vital to this research as they know best what they need and what they can bring (Major et al 2024). This SAP project will address this.

Project Aims

1. Partner with four students as decision makers to identify barriers to inclusivity and accessibility in the Field Education program (pre and during placement) and apply an intersectional analysis to identify student groups within equity first groups who may experience compounding barriers.
2. Develop and facilitate three Design Thinking Workshops with twelve students as influencers to identify actions and changes to improve accessibility and inclusivity in the Field Education program.
3. Record the insights and outcomes from the Design Thinking Workshops and overall SaP project in a format to be shared with others (including the social work academic/field education team/industry partners).
4. Prioritise the outcomes and recommendations from the Workshops and implement at least two actions from the plan in partnership with the four students as decision makers.

These eight units sit within the Bachelor of Arts (BA), designed initially to provide a theoretical knowledge base for students seeking to go on post-undergraduate study to complete the MTeach becoming qualified as secondary school teachers in the humanities disciplines.

Enrolments are steady, with students choosing to take them as popular electives as well as minor and major areas of study. This is notable given the decline in enrolments in the BA, as result of significantly increased fees for most units available. There is an opportunity to promote the EDU units more strongly as a cost-effective option for students studying a variety of majors given the breadth of knowledge foci, spanning history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, communications and humanitarian studies. Working directly with students familiar with these units provides invaluable insights that will strengthen the ongoing sustainability and delivery of these units.

We propose to establish this project in a non-hierarchical manner, providing requisite supports to allow our student partners to lead this review. This project is necessary and timely. These units were originally developed when the secondary teaching became a master’s level qualification in our Faculty. The MTeach has recently undergone major course review. They provide a unique theoretical introduction to the discipline of education, offering Deakin students a competitive market advantage equipping them to become critical, agile thinkers with a solid grounding in education theory and the tools to begin to apply this knowledge.

Project Aims

1. To build partnerships with students who have, or who are undertaking Education Major units to learn from and support each other to design and redevelop authentic and meaningful student-led learning and teaching opportunities for all students undertaking units in the BA Education Major.
2. Develop and foster student and educator capability for student-led curriculum design and redevelopment. 
3. To build the foundation of the BA Education Major redevelopment on the voices and experiences of the students undertaking these units. 

This project is essential for increasing the effectiveness of WIL communication and programs, ensuring they resonate with a diverse student population. Research indicates that graduates who engage in WIL experiences demonstrate significantly improved employability outcomes, with higher full-time employment rates reported among those with practical work experience (Social Research Centre, 2024; Australian Collaborative Education Network [ACEN], 2022). However, for these benefits to be fully realised, WIL communication and programming must be inclusive, accessible, and tailored to meet the needs of all students, including those from underrepresented and neurodivergent backgrounds, international and mature-age students.

The current landscape shows that students from diverse backgrounds often face barriers that impact their engagement with WIL. Programs that promote equity and inclusion are essential to bridging this gap. According to the National Centre for Vocational Education research (NCVER, 2023), targeted outreach and support can significantly increase participation rates of these students, leading to improved academic and career outcomes.

By conducting a student-led review of WIL communications and offerings, this project aims to directly address these disparities and foster a more inclusive environment that empowers all students.

Project Aims

1. Review: Evaluate all online and email communications related to WIL, participate in focus groups, and identify areas of ambiguity and inaccessibility.
2. Consult: Analyse feedback, collaborate with the WIL team to propose and prioritise improvements, and develop content that informs and inspires student engagement.
3. Create: Co-create new content and enhance existing materials, update website and email communications, and ensure all content is inclusive and accessible.

Graduate employability skills are an increasingly important metric for Australian universities (Senate Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers, 2018). The term “employability skills” speaks to the capabilities a person has in addition to their discipline specific knowledge, that enables them to gain and maintain employment (Baron and McCormack, 2024). Work integrated Learning (WIL) programs are learning experiences that bring universities, industry and students together, and have been seen as a key driver in curriculum for the development of employability. Following the National Priorities Industry Linkage Fund (NPILF) changes, the Deakin Business School (DBS) (alongside Arts and Education) looked to incorporate compulsory WIL into undergraduate courses.

There is substantial literature that explores the many ways in which WIL can be systematically discriminating to students from equity group (Jackson, Dean and Eady 2022).  Different WIL experiences can contribute to employability in different ways, but how do we ensure that students from equity groups can participate in the style of WIL that they choose?

Project Aims

 1. Partner with students to review, explore, and develop a range of new supports, resources and programs that enable regional, rural and remote students to better engage with Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs as part of the Deakin Business School WIL suite.  

2. Prioritise partnership with neurodiverse students (including ADHD) to review and audit the supports provided prior, during, and after a DBS WIL experience that enable or inhibit them to successfully completed their preferred WIL experience. 

The Deakin Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) program is a weekly peer support group running over 6 sessions in Trimester 1 and 2 in which topics relating to the ADHD experience are discussed at each session. It is designed to provide psychoeducation and strategies to Deakin students with ADHD to better manage their learning experience and overall academic achievement. The program is also designed to foster peer support. The outcomes from this project will significantly benefit current and future students who participate in the ADHD Peer Support Group, as well as CAPS and DRC staff.

Project Aims

1. Integrate lived-experience perspective in the design and delivery of the ADHD group program at the Warrnambool campus.
2. Position students with lived experience as experts.
3. Improve program outcomes specifically in relation to inclusivity, sense of student connection and enhancement of a peer support community.
4. Increase resources for students with ADHD at Deakin Warrnambool, to enhance equitable access and improve student retention.