Trends and Issues in Improving University Teaching

This study reports the trends and issues related to the teaching improvement efforts at the National University of Singapore as a whole and in the Medical Faculty in particular. The university‐wide study is mainly based on the returns of a questionnaire evaluating the Teaching Methodology courses conducted in conjunction with the Institute of Education, Singapore in the past seven years (1981 – 1987). The perceptions and meanings regarding teaching improvement efforts that are derived from interviews with a purposive sample of Medical Faculty members confirm the advantages of the developmental approach of instructional and faculty development. The main issues derived from the study centres around questions about academic staff needs of educational courses, the effects of improved teaching on learning, and the ability of media and information technology to improve the quality of teaching. The study shows the emergence of the following trends: 1) There is an increasing recognition that all lecturers need some basic teaching methodology courses. 2) Improved teaching that emphasizes the education of the whole person especially in professional programmes rather than on specific vocational training produces better educated professionals. 3) The integration of various alternative media and modern technology with large and small group teaching has been increasingly used to improve instruction.