lecturers have their say: what informs pedegogy?
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Lecturers have their say: what informs pedagogy?
Fiona O’RiordanDr Kevin Casey
Dr Larry McNuttDr Sue Bergin
Background
• ICEP 2010• Conference Committee• Armchair Sessions• Capture voices of lecturers• Objective:– Forum to collectively discuss challenges facing
lecturers today
Methodology
Appreciative Inquiry
Grounded Theory
Appreciative Inquiry
Grounded TheoryPreliminary Findings of Collective Voice
Views on student engagement
Main challenges faced
Motivating values and beliefs
Views on student engagement
“no gadgetry, no technology, just
really good discussion’
“bring students into the debate…and to bring
their [the students] own personal experiences into it [the debate]
“...it [technology] is a tool like your pencil was years ago and your book”.
“The perception of everybody here seems to be that we are teachers, not lecturers…that
being a lecturer creates a kind of a barrier between you and the students, whereas a teacher is much more kind of egalitarian and I much prefer that word
teacher to lecturer”
Flexible and responsiveSocratic approach with small groups
Encourage dialogue…debate…exploration and critique of knowledge
Collaborative teaching and learning relationship
Technology to enhance sound pedagogy
Main Challenges Faced“I mean it is made quite
clear that one of the priorities is the retention
of students. As that would be a marker for even resources in the
future”.
Because we’re losing students we tended to dumb it down to a
certain extent I think in order to get them there [graduate]. What we give them is not as
engaging as it used to be or it can be”
“I suppose if we are successful in engaging students, hopefully fewer should drop out, if they feel like they are involved”.
““…post-grad becomes just the norm, and we know it is the norm, but you
do have to have certain levels to access that sort of learning and that
isn’t always taken into any sort of consideration when the institution is promoting higher learning without
looking at the qualifications and trying to have the base learning in
place as well”.
‘Irish government actively looking for
international students
Changing landscape of HEStudent retention and recruitment
Resources allocationGreater diversity of learners
QA and Admin dutiesTechnological advancements
Values and Beliefs“I mean it is made quite
clear that one of the priorities is the retention
of students. As that would be a marker for even resources in the
future”.
“You want to make it more fun…and more engaging…you don’t
want to bore them to tears”.
“You want to make things better and improve things all the time”
““completely change a person’s life….to completely change their generations lifestyle” and to be “even a small part of it [lifestyle change]” is very rewarding”.
“…just enjoy learning – to move away from ‘I
need a grade’”
Fun learning environmentsMove away from assessment driven learning
Meet student in their comfort zoneBe guided by own moral compass
In conclusion
Despite the challenges
Huge commitment and passion
To engage learners