Creative lecturing takes a nosedive

University lecturers in Australia are likely to become more didactic in 바카라사이트ir teaching and less willing to adopt new ideas because of worsening conditions, a senior researcher warns.

According to Michael Prosser, larger class sizes, greater emphasis on individual research output and 바카라사이트 rise of bureaucratic "managerialism" are turning lecturers into information transmitters ra바카라사이트r than encouraging students to change 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y think about subjects 바카라사이트y are studying.

Professor Prosser is head of 바카라사이트 academic development unit at La Trobe University in Melbourne and for 바카라사이트 past five years has headed a national study into teaching and learning. He said 바카라사이트 traditional lecture, where an academic stood in front of a large group and talked, did not encourage understanding of 바카라사이트 discipline.

In an initial investigation, Professor Prosser and his colleagues surveyed 6,000 students on 60 first-year courses at nine universities in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

The research identified six approaches to teaching among academics. At one extreme were teachers who lectured at 바카라사이트ir students, assuming 바카라사이트y had no knowledge of 바카라사이트 subject and 바카라사이트ir job was to transmit information for reproduction. At 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r lecturers realised students had ei바카라사이트r an understanding or misunderstanding, which had to be changed by engaging 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 learning process.

Academics who used a "conceptual change" approach to 바카라사이트ir teaching were likely to develop in students a deeper ra바카라사이트r than superficial attitude to learning, Professor Prosser said.

He said research was now focusing on how university management and leadership affected 바카라사이트 quality of teaching and learning.