©Commonwealth of Australia 1998
ISBN 0 642 23756 5
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This report is funded under the Evaluation and Investigations Programme of the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs.
The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs.
Executive Summary
The project ‘Doers and Thinkers: An Investigation of the Use of Open-Learning Strategies to Develop Life-Long Learning Competencies in Undergraduate Science Students’ has examined the range of teaching/learning strategies used by individuals and institutions with a commitment to the principles and practise of opening learning. These strategies have been critique for their effectiveness from both the staff and students perspective and the support, both personal and institutional, required for their effective and continued delivery. The valued characteristics of such programs have been identified to serve as a guide to the effective development of future courses.
Of the original target population of 30 academic staff (20 National Teaching Development Grants recipients and 10 individuals engaged in distance delivery) and 60 students, 36 academic staff and 50 students responded. Distance delivery students from Monash were problematic to access due to institutional concerns over student confidentiality, and although the authors provided all material as requested, no student responses were received from that institution.
As would be expected the greatest diversity of teaching strategies was seen amongst the National Teaching Development Grants recipients. Whilst there was a manifest dominance of technology dependent approaches with 66 per cent of projects using some form of computing, video or multimedia based delivery, more individualistic approaches were evident with problem-based learning, games and peer mentoring being seen in 20 per cent of projects studied. In contrast, academics involved in distance delivery felt more constrained by institutional imperatives and the diverse needs of their student population. One hundred percent of academic respondents in this category used print media as a delivery vehicle, but in association with a range of electronic resources. The unique strategies identified by this cohort encompassed electronic bulletin boards (20 per cent); student-led workshops (10 per cent); fieldwork (20 per cent); and residential schools—some 80 per cent of courses used residential schools and, in the light of its perceived success, had adapted this mode of delivery for on-campus students as well.
Student satisfaction varied. Whilst 78 per cent of students taught by National Teaching Development Grants recipients indicated a high degree of satisfaction with their learning experiences, only 44 per cent of distance students felt the same way about their experiences. Seventy-seven percent of this latter group, however, considered their distance course had unique qualities whilst 67 per cent expressed the belief that delivery could be improved. These responses, from distance students, could be a reflection of their greater maturity and experience in the workplace, although given the numbers of respondents in this category it is hard to draw firm conclusions.
Successful teaching strategies identified by National Teaching Development Grants students were characterised by a student-centred collaborative approach, with lecturers seen as facilitators of the learning process: an element of fun—something different—and a non-threatening environment. For some, it was a chance for autonomy, for others increased support. For distance students, successful teaching was viewed more in terms of skills acquired including development of research skills, organisation of study and increasing understanding through integration of material. One consistent theme emerged from both cohorts of students—the pivotal role played by the academic in the learning process and the notion that students and staff were a team working toward a common objective.
From the staff perspective, support, both from their peers and their institution, at both a physical and psychological level, was seen to be crucial. Both in providing the impetus to start and to continue. On the whole, National Teaching Development Grants respondents did not feel they received such support or recognition for their endeavours. On the other hand, distance deliverers often had peer support through shared burden but felt an ever diminishing level of institutional support. For successful implementation and continuation of effective open-learning strategies, it is imperative that these issues of support be addressed.
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