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This study examines the quality of teaching in higher education. It highlights and analyzes the fundamental issues which influence and underlie the quality of teaching in higher education. In particular, it focuses on students' and tutors' perceived needs, requirements and practices. It also addresses the question of whether, and in what ways, it is possible for teaching in higher education to meet the requirements and to satisfy the needs and preferences of both students and tutors.
E-Book Content
TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
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Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Linda Evans and Ian Abbott
CASSELL London and New York
Cassell
Wellington House 125 Strand London WC2R OBB
370 Lexington Avenue New York NY 10017-6550
www.cassell.co.uk © Linda Evans and Ian Abbott 1998 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. First published 1998 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN
0-304-70102-5 (paperback)
Typeset by BookEns Ltd, Royston, Herts. Printed and bound in Great Britain by Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wilts
Contents
Acknowledgements
vi
Introduction
1
PART I: BACKGROUND
5
1 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Context 2 The Research PART II: THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
7 19 29
3 The Knowledge
31
4 Getting Involved
48
5 Meeting Students' Needs: A Framework for Course Design and Delivery
66
PART III: THE TUTOR PERSPECTIVE
79
6 Tutors' Work
81
7 Chasing the Ideal
96
8 Tutors as Teachers
114
9 Meeting Tutors' Job-fulfilment Needs: A Framework for Institutional Policy
127
PART IV: POLICY IMPLICATIONS
145
10 Compromising Policy
147
References
168
Appendix: Copy of letter sent to law students, requesting participation as research interviewees
173
Name Index
175
Subject Index
177
A cknowledgemen ts
We would like to thank our colleague, Ann Lewis, for her very helpful comments on earlier drafts of some of the material in this book. Thanks also to Sandra Dowse and Glyn Evans for the parts they have played in helping to put the manuscript together.
This book is dedicated to the late Dr Graham Stiles
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Introduction
This book is set within the context of the changing face of higher education in the United Kingdom. It is a book about compromise: about making changes, moving forward and adapting to unfamiliar climates in ways which incorporate consideration of different perspectives. It develops ideas for improvement out of an understanding of the day-to-day realities of the environment which is its focus. As higher education has shifted to centre stage in the wider arena of educational reform in the UK, teaching and learning have come under the spotlight. 'Innovation' has become the byword and there is a growing movement towards radical change in the ways in which knowledge, understanding and skills are passed on to students. There is no sh