Academic Personal Best
The Program: Creating Academic Success by Engaging the Learner Within |
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Swinburne's Academic Personal Best (APB) program assists students to develop the skills they need to reach their individual goals both for their academic learning and their overall higher education experience. Through the program, students discover their potential and acquire the tools they need to achieve their true personal best. The program is based on the work of Professor Andrew Martin from the University of Sydney and his significant body of research into student motivation and engagement. |
It works by providing students with mentors who support them through their journey and facilitate weekly group sessions for discussion and reflection. Students are also encouraged to support one other throughout their journey. At the weekly sessions, the groups work through each of Professor Martin's motivation and engagement factors, guided by the expertise of Swinburne postgraduate psychology students, who serve as their mentors and as a valuable resource and support for the students. |
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The Concept
Swinburne's Academic Personal Best (APB) program was designed using the sporting concept of achieving 'personal bests' to enhance performance in the academic arena and was developed using data from more than 1000 students who completed the self-assessment tool, "Academic Personal Best Motivation and Engagement Survey". The program was designed to improve academic performance by focusing the student's learning goals towards improving individual standards (personal bests) rather than focusing on external standards (expectations from family, society and peers, perceptions of peer achievement, test scores and subject grades). This approach is supported by Professor Andrew Martin's research which shows that a focus on achieving ‘personal bests’ helps to improve a student's motivation and engagement, which in turn makies academic study more fulfilling.
The APB Experience
Media Coverage
- Speech by Kathy Bowlen at the August 2011 Launch of the program (PDF, 20KB)
- Media release: Swinburne launches personal best program
- Media release: Swinburne pilots 'personal best' program
- August 2011: Higher Education Bulletin
- February 2011: Higher Ground blog – Personal bests for students’ success
- November 2010: Swinburne Magazine - PBs to raise the achievement bar
For more information
Sean Tinker
Industry Engaged Learning
T: 03 9214 5565
E: sptinker@swin.edu.au
