A practical approach to student-centred learning

Coauthor Edwards has developed and delivered an undergraduate first year course in which students were encouraged to take more responsibility for their own learning. The techniques used included giving students responsibility for:

• 1

  setting their own objectives, and working at their own pace
• 2

  making self-assessments of their own work, and the marks to be awarded for it
• 3

  arranging their own visits, individually or in small groups, to public or private organisations
• 4

  liaising with external lecturers, and agreeing the content of their lectures with them
• 5

  keeping their own diaries of work plans and achievements
• 6

  arranging and moderating their own computer-based electronic conference.

Coauthor Sutton was invited to be an external observer of the operation of the course. He met the students in large and small groups on several occasions; observed the processes involved in self-assessment; and used two questionnaires to help elicit the students' feelings about the course. This article discusses the course, its content, the learning methods used, the students' reactions, and the results obtained.     

A democratic and student-centred approach to facilitating teamwork learning among first-year engineering students: a learning and teaching case study

This work examines an innovative and evolving approach to facilitating teamwork learning in a generic first-year mechanical engineering course. Principles of inclusive, student-active and democratic pedagogy were utilised to engage students on both the social and personal planes. Learner opportunities to facilitate, direct and lead the learning direction were emphasised. This emphasis encouraged a rich learning process and motivated students dismissive of the need to examine their communication skills and those who initially perceived the topic as a personal intrusion. Through a sharing of curriculum decisions, a climate of trust, ownership and shared value arose. Students chose from a range of tools across personality-type indicators, learning style indicators and hierarchies of human needs, to assist their capacity to express and discuss engineering designs and concepts. Peer teaching and collaborative exercises were incorporated to provide an authentic learning context and to further the student's sense of ownership.     

Reflections on student-centred learning in a large class setting

In many institutions increasing priority is being given to the educational goal of intellectual independence with course objectives placing more emphasis on the processes of learning and less on course content. While such objectives are readily achieved in the small class setting, this remains difficult in large class settings. In this paper we describe an attempt to pursue the student-independence agenda in a large, first year management course and discuss the processes used, outcomes achieved and critical success factors perceived. While results to date show a pleasing increase in the use of effective learning strategies for independent learning by students, a significant minority of students have not responded positively to the independence goal. Concluding comments develop this aspect.     

Blended teaching and learning: a two-way systems approach

A first-year tertiary-student structural equation modelling approach builds understanding of blended learning. The Biggs' 3P teaching-and-learning-systems model displays significant two-way interactions between each of its presage, process and product constructs. This study validates the Biggs' approach as a dynamic interactive learning system. The student learning processes occur through teacher contributions, mixed with learning interactions and feedback systems. Greater learning, knowledge and skills transfer is possible when students are suitably pre-prepared/pre-skilled for their ensuing learning experiences and for the varieties of teaching/learning interactions that they encounter.     

Using a scholarship of teaching and learning approach to award faculty who innovate

This study examines a college-teaching award that uses a scholarship of teaching model focusing on learning outcomes. Through questionnaires the researcher examined two groups’ perceptions: award recipients and academic leaders. Respondents described the award and indicated the perceived effect on faculty and programs. Both groups highlighted faculty incentive to innovate for promoting student learning, a strong impact on performance evaluation, and recognition of exceptional teaching. Respondents recommended better communicating the award’s rigor and learning focus to increase its impact. Recipients reported the award’s influence on continued innovation, engagement in teaching scholarship, and leadership opportunities. Over half have presented their work in peer-reviewed venues.     

关于教会学生学会认知的若干问题

学会认知是国际21世纪教育委员会提出的未来教育所必须形成的四种学习能力的首要能力,它侧重于学生对发现问题和解决问题的手段和方法的掌握。教会学生学会认知要求在教学中做到“三个结合”“两种学习”“一种训练”。同时,教师和学生在教学中要有正确的角色定位。     

Some instructional strategies for improved learning from distance teaching materials

In distance teaching we are usually concerned with indirect methods of interacting with learners, using for the most part, the written word. Quality of learning in distance education ought therefore to be closely related to the quality of textual materials provided to students. In this paper we examine some ways of facilitating learning at a distance. We begin by noting the current dearth of models for teaching through text and make a plea for diversity and experimentation in this area. Some traditional instructional strategies (including advance organizers, overviews, pretests, objectives and inserted questions) from the dominant approach to distance teaching are examined along with devices in typoraphy and graphics. Guidelines for their use are developed, based on research, everyday rationality, and from an embryonic conceptualization of distance learning.     

英语教学系统法论纲

英语教学法的新趋势是走向综合,然而,研究表明,只有在系统论的指导下才能做到科学地综合,取得最佳教学效果,因此,作提出一种以“系统法”命名的新英语教学法。这种教学法,与其说是一种方法,不如说是多种方法的系统组合,即动态开放体系。它由三个层次的内容组成,其第一层次是总方法或方法论,第二层次是分方法,第三层次是各种具体的技巧性方法。系统教学法不仅对我国的英语教学,而且对世界各国的非本族语教学,都有重要的理论意义和应用价值。     

A constructivist approach to change in elementary science teaching and learning

Constructivism is a set of beliefs that can be used by teachers to think about learning and teaching and to plan and enact a science curriculum. This paper is a fictional account of an elementary science teacher and her use of constructivism as a referent for her various roles as a science teacher. The paper also describes how the teacher came to teach in this manner, describing her involvement in staff development activities and an evolution in her thinking from an ojectivist to a constructivist system of semantics. Implications are presented for the reform of science education.     

A foot in both camps: lessons learned about without-prejudice teaching and learning from cross-cultural experience

This paper articulates lessons learned about without-prejudice teaching and learning from a researcher-practitioner who has experience in both developing and developed contexts. Developing countries often look to Western countries for education standards, but Western countries rarely look to developing contexts where theory is being generated about divisions and access to education. This comparative study integrates lessons learned from both contexts. It uses an auto-ethnographic methodology and draws upon phenomenographic research and critical theory. The need for emic (insider) without-prejudice teaching and learning practices is articulated in three lessons: 1. culture privileges for or prejudices against students’ access to education; 2. beliefs systems allow or deny access to learning opportunities and environments; and 3. student–teacher relationship can interrupt prejudice.     

Adopting an active learning approach to teaching in a research-intensive higher education context transformed staff teaching attitudes and behaviours

The conventional lecture has significant limitations in the higher education context, often leading to a passive learning experience for students. This paper reports a process of transforming teaching and learning with active learning strategies in a research-intensive educational context across a faculty of 45 academic staff and more than 1000 students. A phased approach was used, involving nine staff in a pilot phase during which a common vision and principles were developed. In short, our approach was to mandate a move away from didactic lectures to classes that involved students interacting with content, with each other and with instructors in order to attain domain-specific learning outcomes and generic skills. After refinement, an implementation phase commenced within all first-year subjects, involving 12 staff including three from the pilot group. The staff use of active learning methods in classes increased by sixfold and sevenfold in the pilot and implementation phases, respectively. An analysis of implementation phase exam questions indicated that staff increased their use of questions addressing higher order cognitive skills by 51%. Results of a staff survey indicated that this change in practice was caused by the involvement of staff in the active learning approach. Fifty-six percent of staff respondents indicated that they had maintained constructive alignment as they introduced active learning. After the pilot, only three out of nine staff agreed that they understood what makes for an effective active learning exercise. This rose to seven out of nine staff at the completion of the implementation phase. The development of a common approach with explicit vision and principles and the evaluation and refinement of active learning were effective elements of our transformational change management strategy. Future efforts will focus on ensuring that all staff have the time, skills and pedagogical understanding required to embed constructively aligned active learning within the approach.     

Leveraging competency framework to improve teaching and learning: A methodological approach

A number of engineering education programs have defined learning outcomes and course-level competencies, and conducted assessments at the program level to determine areas for continuous improvement. However, many of these programs have not implemented a comprehensive competency framework to support the actual delivery and assessment of an individual course. This paper highlights how a competency framework can be used across the life cycle of a course to effectively deliver and assess course content, and give valuable, timely feedback to students thus, improving teaching, student motivation and learning. A framework for leveraging course competencies during course design and delivery is presented, and addresses the following five phases of a course, namely, content design, assessment design, content delivery and assessment, assessment results analysis and feedback, and content review. Using a large first-year core course of the BSc (Information Systems Management) program, at School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University, Singapore—called Information Systems Software Foundation (ISSF)—as an example, this paper shows how course competencies support the framework’s five phases. Data from a student survey indicates that the framework has contributed to enhancing their motivation to learn, provides enhanced learning experiences in terms of helping students prepare for each assessment, providing better feedback by raising awareness of what they know and do not know, and revisiting topics that relate to competencies that have not been fully acquired. Results from interviewing instructors revealed that the competency framework provides valuable and timely feedback on how students are performing, and additionally what changes are required to both the content and method of delivery in order to improve teaching. This contributes towards more effectively closing the “teaching and learning loop”.     

Understanding school districts as learning systems: Some lessons from three cases of complex transformation

We report on a study of three school jurisdictions in the province of Alberta. The original premise for the research on which this report is based was to investigate the diverse ways that school districts had administered resources that were provided through a major initiative to improve learning in the province. This account is not centrally concerned with how funds were utilized; rather, we report on how districts?? strategies and emphases within the initiative offer windows into the their systemic characters. The range of manifest characters, we argue, is a useful construct to inform policy, ensure the presence of necessary supports and structures, implement appropriate accountability measures, and set reasonable goals for large-scale initiatives in education.     

A blended approach to learning: added value and lessons learnt from students' use of computer-based materials for neurological analysis

This paper examines BSc Physiotherapy students’ experiences of developing their neurological observational and analytical skills using a blend of traditional classroom activities and computer‐based materials at the University of Birmingham. New teaching and learning resources were developed and supported in the School of Health Sciences using Web Course Tools combined with a wide range of video clips of patients with neurological disorders on CD‐ROM. These resources provided students with the opportunity to observe “real patients” prior to clinical placements, thus bridging the gap between their theoretical understanding of these disorders and their practical experience of evaluating abnormal movement in the clinical setting. This paper considers how this blended approach to learning enhanced students’ experiences of developing their neurological skills and of preparing for their clinical placements. This paper also discusses the lessons that have been gained from students’ experiences to provide future or similar projects with the opportunity to learn from these experiences.     

Understanding and influencing teaching and learning cultures at university: a network approach

Academic cultures might be perceived as conservative, at least in terms of development of teaching and learning. Through a lens of network theory this conceptual article analyses the pattern of pathways in which culture is constructed through negotiation of meaning. The perspective contributes to an understanding of culture construction and maintenance with a potential to aid academic developers and others in the endeavour to influence teaching and learning cultures in academia. Throughout the discussion the importance of supporting the weak links between clusters of individuals stands out as a feature to focus upon. We propose that the sheer complexity of culture construction and maintenance in academic organisations is likely to cause any single, isolated attempt for change to fail Instead, we argue that a multitude of inter-related initiatives over a long period of time is likely to distinguish strategies that are successful in influencing academic teaching and learning cultures.     

Equity and lifelong learning: lessons from workplace learning in Scottish SMEs

Workplace learning is identified by UK and Scottish governments as an important means of achieving social mobility, and therefore producing a more equal society. However, there appears to be a patchwork of provision and funding arrangements, making it difficult for employers and employees to identify suitable routes. Analysis of large scale survey data at European and Scottish levels shows that existing inequalities are further entrenched by differential access to and participation in workplace learning, where those with existing high levels of qualification have far greater opportunities. This paper draws on data drawn from an EU Sixth Framework funded study of lifelong learning, focusing in particular on case studies of six Scottish SMEs which are used to identify some of the reasons underlying inequalities in access to workplace learning. Whilst all of the SMEs had a positive approach to employee development, they differed in the type of work they undertook and the composition of the workforce. Employees in knowledge intensive organisations were immersed in a culture where on‐going learning was an expected part of working life, and was driven by both employers’ and employees’ expectations. By way of contrast, more traditional manufacturing and training organisations had a more restricted approach to learning, encouraging employees to undertake courses which would give them the skills to do their jobs more effectively, but with less focus on their wider growth and development. All firms treated lifelong learning with some degree of scepticism, ultimately prioritising company profitability over individual employee development and seeing the two as sometimes at variance. Given the Scottish government’s desire to promote the demand side of skill development, the barriers posed by employers’ attitudes need to be addressed, particularly in relation to lower‐skilled workers in manufacturing firms, who might have less intrinsic motivation, but are also less likely to receive encouragement and support from their employer.     

Psychological knowledge for teaching critical thinking: the agency of epistemic activity,metacognitive regulative behaviour and (student-centred) learning

This study considers the case of a tutor whose students repeatedly evidenced significantly superior critical thinking in summative assessment. For the purpose of surfacing appropriate pedagogical action to promote critical thinking (Bassey, Case Study Research in Educational Settings, 1999), the singularity of one tutor’s reported pedagogical practice was explored through focus-group discussion. Qualitative analysis of the data, theoretically informed by phenomenography, suggested that the tutor’s reported practice, when compared with that of two peers, revealed clear pedagogical intentions to be necessary for teaching critical thinking; and that these intentions can be explained through the literatures on epistemic activity, metacognitive regulative behaviour and student-centred learning. It is argued that a synthesised understanding of the literature that explores the nature and purpose of critical thinking —as outlined in the first part of this paper—is a prerequisite for constructing domain-specific pedagogical intentions for developing learners’ critical thinking, and that it is this extensive psychologically informed knowledge base which attenuates the risk of educationally important aspects of learning being overlooked. (De Corte, Learning and Instruction 10:249–266, 2000).