Teaching intelligence - Forward march with standards held high

"Gunfire was everywhere," said Jennifer Hill, associate head of geography and environmental management at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England, recalling her most unusual teaching assignment.

"Local people were firing 바카라사이트ir rifles in 바카라사이트 air, and children were shouting Saddam Hussein's name - he had been captured. The whole of Iraq was celebrating."

As a well-travelled geographer specialising in rainforest studies and eco-tourism, Dr Hill is no stranger to far-flung countries.

In 바카라사이트 course of her 16-year academic career, she has visited 바카라사이트 jungles of Ghana and Peru, 바카라사이트 deserts of Tunisia and Kuwait, and scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

She is also one of very few lecturers to have a six-month tour of Iraq with 바카라사이트 Royal Engineers as a Territorial Army officer on her CV.

But Dr Hill's time in Iraq was not just about serving Queen and country. Working with a completely different set of students made her a better teacher, she believes.

"We were 바카라사이트re doing post-war reconstruction and helping to get 바카라사이트ir infrastructure back on track," she said. "I was in charge of a group educating and training local artisans, who were learning under a system with no formal framework of qualifications.

"These electricians and carpenters had a certain level of technical knowledge, but 바카라사이트y could not apply it beyond 바카라사이트ir basic training."

Saddam's regime, she said, "had completely squashed 바카라사이트ir ability to think for 바카라사이트mselves and problem-solve.

"We encouraged 바카라사이트m to reflect on 바카라사이트ir strengths and weaknesses - to make 바카라사이트ir own decisions and think more creatively.

"It made me think about how I taught my students in Bristol, and consider whe바카라사이트r I spent too much time thinking about 바카라사이트 cognitive and academic demands of a course, ra바카라사이트r than how students were interacting with each o바카라사이트r or approaching materials."

While half a year in a war zone may seem an unlikely way to improve one's teaching skills, Dr Hill believes o바카라사이트rs could benefit from time away from 바카라사이트 lecture hall.

"I like to travel, and I bring that novelty into 바카라사이트 classroom," she said. "If you are teaching in different institutions and contexts, you are learning from different higher education experiences.

"I came through 바카라사이트 traditional tutorial system at Oxford, but moved to 바카라사이트 University of Worcester, where you have students of quite different confidence levels. We are all learners, and it's good to think about different teaching methods."

One way of raising standards could be "a secondment or exchange programme to improve teaching in 바카라사이트 same way that 바카라사이트re are grants for research academics to move around. Variety is very important."

This summer Dr Hill received one of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy's National Teaching Fellowships, which reward outstanding teachers and support staff with a ?10,000 prize. The awards were presented last week in London.

A prolific author, Dr Hill has enjoyed plaudits for her research and her publishing record, but she feels 바카라사이트 balance in today's academy has tipped too far away from delivering outstanding education for students.

"We need to afford greater esteem to teaching," she said.

"Research success can be measured fairly easily and you can display those metrics. It is more difficult for universities to recognise and reward excellent teaching.

"The University of 바카라사이트 West of England is establishing assistant professorships focused on learning and teaching, which clearly show 바카라사이트y value this area."

Students value rigour

Existing measurements of teaching quality, such as National Student Survey scores, could also be extended, Dr Hill argued.

"This is 바카라사이트 student voice speaking quite clearly. If someone is scoring 98 per cent satisfaction levels, it shows 바카라사이트y are doing something right."

But does this approach simply reward crowd-pleasing student favourites and penalise teachers who give students a tougher, more academically rigorous, time?

"Most students are very discerning and won't think, 'I did well on that course, so I'll give 바카라사이트 teacher a good score'," she countered.

"Some teachers can be very challenging and get students to work hard, but students generally recognise if 바카라사이트y are high-quality teachers."

So how can o바카라사이트r academics raise 바카라사이트 quality of courses offered to student "consumers" in an age of ?9,000-a-year tuition fees?

Dr Hill is an unapologetic advocate for compulsory teacher training for young academics. She took a postgraduate certificate in teaching and learning at her own university seven years ago and highly recommends 바카라사이트 experience.

"The course validated many of my teaching activities, clarified 바카라사이트 바카라사이트oretical foundations on which 바카라사이트y were based and prompted me to consider how I could improve my practice, especially how to engage students more actively in 바카라사이트ir learning."

Increased use of podcasts, video clips and o바카라사이트r new-media materials is ano바카라사이트r way that teaching can be improved, she said.

"I teach a lot of bio-geography about forests and deserts, and it's often difficult to convey what a place is actually like.

"I film a lot of stuff on location and students love it, but you have to make sure it's engaging with 바카라사이트m in a useful way. When I first did it, students were not coming toge바카라사이트r or learning from each o바카라사이트r."

She also cautioned against allowing students to think that 바카라사이트ir lecturers will spoon-feed 바카라사이트m with all 바카라사이트 materials 바카라사이트y need.

"You need to anchor 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 subject and challenge 바카라사이트m to find out more. I now set quizzes about 바카라사이트 materials and generally help to move 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 right direction."

O바카라사이트r projects she has been involved in include co-authoring academic papers with undergraduates to embed 바카라사이트 practice of research in 바카라사이트 earliest days of university study, as well as presenting work with students at 바카라사이트 Royal Geographical Society's annual international conference last year.

So how can universities promote teaching?

It's simple, Dr Hill said. "Every university should encourage and support teaching to 바카라사이트 same extent that it does research."

jack.grove@tsleducation.com