Teaching the Discipline of History in an Age of Standards

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

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2. The Three Contexts of Writing About History Teaching

   • Jennifer Clark, Adele Nye

   Pages 1-19

3. Issues in Contemporary History Pedagogy in a Standards Environment

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 21-21

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   2. Snapshot: The Discipline of History in British and Australian Universities

      • Marcus Collins, Adele Nye

      Pages 23-41

   3. Passion: The Place of Passion in History Teaching in a Standards Environment

      • Alan Booth

      Pages 43-58

   4. Teaching the History Threshold Learning Outcomes to First-Year Students

      • Jennifer Clark, Adrian Jones, Theda Thomas, Pamela Allen, Bronwyn Cole, Jill Lawrence et al.

      Pages 59-87

   5. Delivery: Relics of the Past? Rethinking the History Lecture and Tutorial

      • Paul Sendziuk, Thomas C. Buchanan

      Pages 89-111

   6. Progression: Principles and Practice

      • Geoff Timmins

      Pages 113-129

   7. Compliance: Built to Fail, Negotiating the Compliance Paradox

      • Sean Brawley

      Pages 131-153

   8. In the Shadow of Bologna: Teaching and Learning Outcomes in the USA and Europe

      • Leah Shopkow

      Pages 155-183

   9. Leadership: Enabling Leadership in the Teaching and Learning of History in Higher Education

      • Adele Nye, Jennifer Clark

      Pages 185-195

4. Unpacking the Threshold Learning Outcomes

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 197-197

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   2. TLO 1: Demonstrate an Understanding of at Least One Period or Culture of the Past

      • David Ludvigsson

      Pages 199-216

   3. TLO 2: Demonstrate an Understanding of a Variety of Conceptual Approaches to Interpreting the Past

      • Zora Simic

      Pages 217-231

   4. TLO 3: How Historians Influence the Present and Future

      • Gareth Pritchard

      Pages 233-249

   5. TLO 4: Identify and Interpret a Wide Variety of Secondary and Primary Sources

      • Adrian Jones

      Pages 251-268

   6. TLO 5: Examine Historical Issues by Undertaking Research According to the Methodological and Ethical Conventions of the Discipline

      • Nathan Wise, David Andrew Roberts, Lorina L. Barker

      Pages 269-280

   7. TLO 6: Examine Historical Evidence, Scholarship and Changing Representations of the Past

      • Sean Scalmer

      Pages 281-295

   8. TLO 7: Construct an Evidence-Based Argument or Narrative in Audio, Digital, Oral, Visual or Written Form

      • Paul Sendziuk

      Pages 297-312

   9. TLO 8: Identify and Reflect Critically on the Knowledge and Skills Developed in the Study of History

      • Penny Russell

      Pages 313-323

This book discusses the discipline standards of History in Australian universities in order to help historians understand the Threshold Learning Outcomes and to assist in their practical application. It is divided into two sections: The first offers a scholarly exploration of contemporary issues in history teaching, while the second section discusses each of the Threshold Learning Outcomes and provides real-world examples of quality pedagogical practice. 

Although the book focuses on the discipline of history in Australia, other subjects and other countries are facing the same dilemmas. As such, it includes chapters that address the international context and bring an international perspective to the engagement with discipline standards. The innovation and leadership of this scholarly community represents a new stage in the transformation and renewal of history teaching.

• Australian university sector
• History in universities
• Curriculum standardisation
• Discipline studies
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• History standards
• Threshold Learning Outcomes
• Interdisciplinary research
• Compliance with standards
• Methodological conventions in History
• History teaching
• learning and instruction

• The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

  Jennifer Clark

• School of Education, University of New England, Armidale, Australia

  Adele Nye

Jennifer Clark is Head of Humanities at the University of Adelaide. She has taught history in universities for over 25 years. She is a recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and a national Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. She was a partner on the ALTC funded project After Standards and the OLT funded project In the Beginning: Renewing first year curriculum for social sciences and humanities in the context of discipline threshold standards.


Adele Nye is a senior lecturer in Contextual Studies at the School of Education at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW. For more than two decades, her research has focused on historical thinking and history education in the Australian higher education sector. She was the primary investigator in an ALTC funded national project called Historical Thinking in Higher Education. Her current research examines perceptions of evidence, theory and influence in the disicipline in Australia and Northern Europe.  She is a member of the Australasian HIST-SoTL committee.

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