Developing tailored study plans for the new higher education environment : letting go of control : final report.
The higher education sector of the education system is at a crossroads. The approaches used for the better part of the last thousand years are no longer working or engaging students, and the problem is only likely to get worse not better. Given this, it is timely that the higher education sector exa...
| Institution: | Flinders University |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Publicado: |
Australia. Dept of Education
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Acceso en liña: | https://ltr.edu.au/resources/FS14-0213_Final_Report_19.pdf https://ltr.edu.au/resources/FS14-0213_Achievmentsstatement_19.pdf |
| Summary: | The higher education sector of the education system is at a crossroads. The approaches used for the better part of the last thousand years are no longer working or engaging students, and the problem is only likely to get worse not better. Given this, it is timely that the higher education sector examines paths forward to address and indeed engage in the new environment in which it will work in the future. This fellowship explored two approaches to engage students more deeply in their education. The first approach is generally termed ‘interdisciplinary studies’ where students define their own program of study; the second approach focuses on topic structure where students are given a wide range of choice and in effect can build a topic that suits their interests. An interdisciplinary studies degree essentially gives students the chance to customise their program of study. Although most university programs feature required topics that must be taken, the reality is students feel that many topics do not relate to what they want to study or, even more concerning, what they want to do with their degree. Added to this concern is the fact that skills being developed in degrees are likely not those that will be required in the workforce. The university system should be concentrating on delivering thought leaders and students who have progressed through restrictive content-heavy programs. The program of work explored the systems of delivering these programs in the United States. The framework of developing an interdisciplinary study plan is student driven and in fact very strict and well developed. Although students are given significant support, they are also expected to undertake considerable work in defining their program. In effect, students can propose a program that contains any package of topics within the confines of still meeting prerequisites and finishing with a program that leads to a degree. Most interestingly, these degrees are most often taken by ‘struggling’ students. These students use the program to define a degree program that is of interest to them. They are far more engaged and there are some great success stories. Finally, many institutions use these programs as test cases for programs they might introduce into their mainstream offerings in the future. The second aspect of the program explored the impact of delivering a topic with no lectures, a variety of activity choice and assessment largely through discussion. This first year topic, Modern Chemistry was first delivered at Flinders University in 2016 and has been delivered three times. There is little doubt in the rise of the fraction of students who successfully complete the topic, but this certainly comes at the cost of the extra resourcing. Many students are apprehensive at the start of the topic given it is a complete unknown. However, exit interviews of students show an understanding of the value of the approach and many feel far better prepared for future study. [Executive summary, ed] |
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| ISBN: | 9781760517793 (PDF) 9781760517809 (DOCX) 9781760517816 (print ed) 9781760517793 (PDF) 9781760517809 (DOCX) 9781760517816 (print ed) |
