Intended Learning Outcomes for Participants

 

 

Academics undertaking this study module should aim to have, by the end of their studies:

a) developed an awareness of the central position of the perceptions of students in developing their approaches to teaching;
b) developed a capacity to use the higher education literature on teaching and learning (particularly that which is available in their own discipline areas) together with appropriate experience of colleagues, to inform their ideas about teaching and learning;
c) reflected upon up to four key aspects of their own experience of teaching
(viz. *development of learning aims and/or *choice of teaching methods and/or *designing assessment for students' learning and/or *evaluation of all these processes) from a perspective that takes into account students' perceptions of their study task and their study environment.

Texts
In addition to this web site, the module relies heavily on the ideas in three texts which together illustrate conceptions and strategies associated with scholarly teaching.

Ramsden, P. 1992. Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London & New York: Routledge.
Prosser, M. & Trigwell, K. 1999. Understanding Learning and Teaching: The Experience in Higher Education. Open University Press.
Gibbs, G. and Habeshaw, T. and S. 1984-88. Interesting Ways to Teach Series. Technical Education Services: Bristol.
(Summarised in 253 Ideas for your Teaching. 3rd Ed. 1992)

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Why and how can teaching be scholarly?

Project Aims

The "Scholarship in Teaching Project" consists of two self-directed learning modules which together address the key aspects of scholarship of teaching. This is the first of those modules.

We have based the project on a three dimensional model which describes scholarship of teaching in terms of:

a) the extent to which the teacher engages with the scholarly contributions of others, including the literature of teaching and learning;
b) the amount of and focus of the reflection on teaching practice; and
c) the focus of the dissemination or communications of teaching ideas and practice

 

We describe teachers who are not engaging in the scholarship of teaching as tending

to be using informal theories of teaching and learning to inform their practice
to engage in little reflection on what they do in teaching,
to engage in reflection focused on what they do, not on what students experience,
to keep their ideas to themself and see teaching as a personal, private activity.

Teachers who are engaging in scholarship of teaching seek to understand teaching

-by consulting the literature on teaching and learning,
-by investigating their own teaching,
-by reflecting on their teaching from the perspective of their intention in teaching and students' perceptions of their context; and,
-by formally communicating their ideas and practice to the peers.

This module addresses the first three points in the paragraph above. The other module addresses the issues of communication outlined in the fourth point.

The two positions described above are at the extremes of the range of scholarship of teaching. Included within these extremes are most teachers. They may develop their teaching using the literature as a guide, they may informally discuss their teaching with their peers and they may think about their teaching in terms of what they do in their teaching. This module has been prepared with these teachers in mind, and with the aim of extending their scholarly activities.