D 4: Commitment to Participation in equal and quality Higher Education

“I am sure that one secret of a successful teacher is that he has formulated quite clearly in his mind what the pupil has got to know in precise fashion. He will then cease from half-hearted attempts to worry his pupils with memorising a lot of irrelevant stuff of inferior importance.‎” – Paul Ramsden (1992)

The increase in students looking for specialized quality higher education became obviously apparent once I began my readings and research for the various assignments that were required as a part of my PGCHE learning. I now had facts and figures showing me that over the years the growth of the number of students entering the universities is increasing phenomenally year on year. This is also apparent from the newspaper reports on ‘cut-off’ percentages required by students to gain admission into a college of their choice to read a subject of their choice every year!!! The sad truth of the situation is that more often than not many of these young people end up doing a programme more as a means to get a qualification that would become an entry ticket into their working lives, rather than because of their interest or passion for learning a subject.

Accidental careerist!!!!

Having traveled down that route myself, my empathy for these young ‘accidental careerists’ is very strong. I was not fortunate enough to be able to enroll in a college of vocational higher learning when I had to make an alternative choice, because at that time such institutions did not exist in India. My learning journey was tough. Along the way I made many mistakes, faced the wrath of many an irate boss/client and learnt my vocation the hard way! Today as a teacher in an institute of higher learning I am continually making the effort to ensure that my learners have a positive and enlightening learning experience in their chosen vocation. One of the ways to do this is, of course, to establish a learning environment that is positive, stimulating and rewarding.

To do this my approach to teaching and learning has been to create a very strong base of the fundamentals of a subject. More often than not, this requires one to resort to using text books on the subject to understand the theory and the definitions; but the learning if kept interactive, discussion and inquiry based can be retentive. I have always believed people remember and recall conversations and discussions better, than a one way instruction or lecture. Student engagement considers the learners prior knowledge and desires and builds on their expectations (Boud & Prosser, 2001). It encourages and facilitates participation of the learners across the group providing equal opportunity for all. Learning of the fundamental principles of a subject needs to be facilitated in a manner that is deep rooted and complete, and in my experience I have found that the interactive, concerted process of student engagement is the best. Interestingly in his book “Learning to teach in Higher Education” Ramsden (1992), talks about class exercises and use of simulations and discussions to create a depth of learning that is long lasting.

The next step in maintaining quality standards is to acknowledge the learning context – integration across subject domains to create a comprehensive and complete learning experience. This requires a strong understanding of the programme objectives and learning outcomes and the ability to chart a teaching and learning journey that is aligned for the learner to achieve the same. Often there is a tendency amongst teachers and learners to isolate the subject of learning and not contextualize it in the larger scheme of things. Higher learning, specifically in the area of professional studies needs to be understood from its broad base of subject perspective without losing its area of focused specialism. Our programmes attract students from a wide and varied background of learning, society and secondary education systems. As a teacher of higher learning it therefore becomes important for me to be able to cross integrate across the varied subject taught on the programme to enable the students to receive both the width and depth of learning needed.

The third and most crucial aspect in the learning journey in higher education is the tutor’s ability to challenge learners. Challenge creates a sense of purpose and achievement, and I have noticed it also creates amongst the learning set a sense of curiosity about their own capabilities. It seeks active participation of the learners, encouraging them to be self-evaluative and reflective. Challenge encourages collaborative and inquiry based learning that is retentive. It allows for peer evaluation while developing perspective and supporting the learners' cognitive and ampliative skills.

Learning arises from what students experience from the implementation of a teaching and learning process. Provision of practice that allows learners to demonstrate and articulate to themselves and their peers what they are learning is thus an important part of the process of higher learning. Application of classroom learning in industry practice, case analysis, research, demonstrations, seminars and trade marts are some of the many tools of practice and application in learning that I have used and continue to use.

In my own professional practice as a teacher I have found that to maintain a high standard of teaching and learning the same principles mentioned above apply to me as well. Engagement is a two way process. My learners come from a wide and varied background and bring with them a minefield of knowledge and information about their environments that I may not always be aware of. To stay abreast of the dynamic and ever changing subject content of my specialism I too, am constantly required to contextualize my subject specialism through discussions with fellow tutors and industry colleagues. Every day of the year is a challenge to keep abreast of the vast field of learning and new subjects and discoveries through reading and research. And last but not the least, practicing what I learn as I go along. Learning from my students has been a great experience in my self-evolution as a tutor and continues to be. In many ways to quote from the film “Jerry McGuire”, I would say to my learners – “You complete me!”

Bibliography:

Boud, D., & Prosser, M. (2001). Key principles for high quality student learning in Higher Education—from a learning perspective. Information and Communication Technologies and Their Role in Flexible Learning. Sydney: AUTC.

Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London: Routledge.

Picture Source: http://www.vcuautismcenter.org/news/print.cfm?id=26