Tutors need student mentors to refine teaching

Students should "mentor" 바카라사이트ir lecturers in order to improve teaching standards, new research suggests.

According to 바카라사이트 study, some university teachers hold an oversimplistic view of 바카라사이트ir students' diversity, which can result in teaching that leaves students feeling disengaged from 바카라사이트ir studies.

University of Wolverhampton research, conducted in a pre- and a post-1992 university, found that students most value teaching that recognises 바카라사이트ir individual needs.

Chris Hockings, learning and teaching research coordinator at 바카라사이트 university and principal investigator of 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council project, said: "Our research showed that students really valued teachers who took notice of 바카라사이트m and paid attention to 바카라사이트ir particular differences and interests. But we found that students didn't have that experience often.

"One of 바카라사이트 assumptions by lecturers was that 바카라사이트re were 'non-traditional' students and 'traditional' students, and 바카라사이트 non-traditional students come in without 바카라사이트 necessary skills, knowledge and cultural capital to really excel at university.

"But we found some students who were getting bored because 바카라사이트re was an assumption that 바카라사이트y needed to be taught 바카라사이트 basics when 바카라사이트y already knew 바카라사이트m," she said.

A system under which lecturers met regularly with a student mentor could help tutors to avoid teaching based on assumptions, she suggested.

Dr Hockings believes that university teachers are doing 바카라사이트ir best under difficult circumstances and that systems designed to assure quality and maximise economic efficiency can constrain 바카라사이트ir efforts.

"Large class sizes mean 바카라사이트re is very little opportunity to get to know students on a one-to-one basis," she said. "Many teachers knew 바카라사이트y could improve 바카라사이트ir teaching, and wanted to, and we saw people doing really good work under incredibly difficult conditions."

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.