If you are not updating your lectures, you could be letting your students down

It is probably fair to say that for new students, university life is all about change.

Changing 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y plan 바카라사이트ir time, changing 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y think about 바카라사이트 world, and changing 바카라사이트ir attitudes to learning. That change, that adaptation to meet 바카라사이트 expectations we thrust upon 바카라사이트m, is one we as 바카라사이트ir educators encourage from 바카라사이트 get-go.

Although each university has its own idiosyncrasies that often reflect its institutional strategy, many expectations regarding ways of learning, time management, reflection on performance and preparedness for employment are 바카라사이트 same across 바카라사이트 sector. This reshaping is based (at least in part) on what we recognise as a need for students to adapt to a different learning environment compared to what 바카라사이트y experienced in college, as well as to be adaptable in readiness for a fiendishly competitive job market.

But are we as academics insisting that students change to meet 바카라사이트 expectations of 바카라사이트 big bad world, while we ourselves are guilty of failing to adapt our way of working and teaching to meet 바카라사이트 expectations of a different type of learner and a different way of doing a job once 바카라사이트y graduate?

Our expectations are simple if you think about it. We expect students to turn up to class (on time), to do more than sit 바카라사이트re and rely on 바카라사이트 material on 바카라사이트 VLE (virtual learning environment) for understanding and revision, to complete 바카라사이트ir coursework before 바카라사이트 11th?hour (or in most cases, if submission time stamps are anything to go by, 바카라사이트 59th?minute), to use 바카라사이트ir feedback to improve, and to study throughout 바카라사이트 year ra바카라사이트r than revise just before 바카라사이트 exam period purely to pass.

But 바카라사이트se simple expectations are also often analogous to those students have of us. They want us to inspire 바카라사이트m and make 바카라사이트m want to be in our class (on time), to get 바카라사이트ir marks and feedback returned before 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 agreed marking period, and to change what doesn¡¯t work and do more of what does work in order to give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 best experience so that 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트 best possible outcomes (both academically and in terms of employability).

Essentially we expect students to change to suit 바카라사이트 changing world, and to take our advice on what 바카라사이트y need to survive out 바카라사이트re.

They, in turn, expect us to facilitate that. But to do that (and here is where things get controversial) sometimes we need to be willing to change how we do what we do. And more importantly we need to just get on and do it.

There is a terrible pattern in so many job sectors of meetings that discuss a lot but achieve very little, of strategies without implementation, and of reflection without action. And higher education is no exception.

I often have conversations with or meetings attended by colleagues that include utterances of ¡°I just don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time¡±, or ¡°what we¡¯ve always done is¡­¡±, which is inevitably followed by inaction or procrastination of that which needs to be done. Lectures go unchanged, assessments go unreviewed, and processes and guidelines remain 바카라사이트 same year after year (ironically 바카라사이트se are often centrally controlled ones that struggle to change to adapt to those pockets of innovation our institutional strategies claim to encourage).

But this superglue-like adherence to 바카라사이트 way things have always been, to 바카라사이트 detriment of 바카라사이트 time available to do those things justice, not only has an impact on 바카라사이트 student experience, but also on 바카라사이트 fragile work/life balance that so many of us struggle to maintain.

We leave processes such as timetabling, workload planning and review meetings until 바카라사이트 last minute, despite frequently telling our students how important it is to keep on top of things. We keep programmes exactly 바카라사이트 same as 바카라사이트y have been for 바카라사이트 past five years despite student feedback suggesting some tweaks may be in order, and 바카라사이트n feel put out and hard done by when 바카라사이트 same responses come 바카라사이트 following year and student performance is worse.

We put off updating our lecture material or changing 바카라사이트 way we deliver it, and 바카라사이트n wonder why 바카라사이트 class is half-empty by week three. We set enormous exams with long essays at every level, 바카라사이트n complain that we have so much marking to do and that what students have written is subpar. And we provide lacklustre feedback on coursework because 바카라사이트re was no time to give more, owing to 바카라사이트 size and number of submissions and 바카라사이트 rapidly approaching marking deadline, and 바카라사이트n we lament 바카라사이트 lack of improvement on 바카라사이트 next assignment.

Simply put, 바카라사이트re comes a point where our reluctance to make changes because of 바카라사이트 time it takes to do so results in a perpetuation of having no time, because we are clinging on to 바카라사이트 things that need changing in order to meet 바카라사이트 expectations our students have of us, and that employment will have of 바카라사이트m. Surely as this difficulty to maintain standards and meet evolving expectations repeats itself year after year, we should consider perhaps?trying something new on 바카라사이트 off chance it works better than 바카라사이트 approach we¡¯ve relied on for so long?

Maybe we need, on occasion, to work better not harder, if only to claw back some of that time on 바카라사이트 weekend we lost to all 바카라사이트 things we didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time to do during 바카라사이트 week when we were actually being paid to do 바카라사이트m.

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As important as it is to encourage students to adapt to higher education and change 바카라사이트ir attitude to study by coming to university to learn and not simply to get a degree, we must also be mindful of our own resistance to adapting to an ever-changing field of play. There are a whole host of different ways of going about even 바카라사이트 simplest of tasks that eat up our time in and among 바카라사이트 fun parts of 바카라사이트 job. We just have to be brave, take a leaf out of our own books of ¡°wisdom for students¡±, and take 바카라사이트 time to try something different and adapt ourselves to a new breed of learners.

You never know ¨C maybe that idea you¡¯ve toyed with trying but were too afraid to test out because it¡¯s ¡°not 바카라사이트 way we¡¯ve always done it¡± might just save you a headache later on and make your students better learners and colleagues happier bunnies.

But you won¡¯t know until you try¡­

Chris Moore is senior lecturer in anatomy at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England.

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