Teaching: what to expect in Higher Education
Teaching methods differ but you can expect at Seminars/workshops
least some of the following. These usually involve group discussion of material
Lectures presented either in a lecture or in set reading.
Often, a student (or a group of students) is asked
to begin the discussion by making a presentation.
It is important to prepare for seminars by reading
OOekorae through lecture notes and background reading,
even if you are not asked to make the presentation
yourself.
These vary according to course and subject but in
general, expect:
• size: 50-300 people
• length: 1-3 hours
• weekly: 5-20 hours
• no individual attention. • size: 12-30 people
See also page 183. • length: 1-3 hours
There is usually a set of lectures for each module, • weekly: varies (perhaps 1-3 each week).
unit or option. You are likely to study with See also Chapter 10, Working with others.
different students for each module. Lectures are
used to give an overview of the topic. Usually,
students listen and make notes whilst lecturers
Other teaching methods
speak or read from notes, write on a board, or
project information onto an overhead screen.
Croupwork and collaborative learning
Some lecturers encourage questions and include This could range from contributing in class and
activities; others do not. Occasionally, lectures are small-group discussion work to undertaking
delivered on video or transmitted from another group tasks and projects. You might be asked to
campus. complete a class blog or wiki or contribute to a
discussion board. Students are often expected to
form their own study and support groups. (See
Tutorials Chapter 10.)
These are used to give feedback on your work
and discuss your general progress. It may be the Work-based learning and work placements
only time that a lecturer is able to help you with
study problems, so it is important to prepare your Foundation Degrees, sandwich courses and
questions in advance. other vocational courses require students to be
employed or on placement. While there, they may
• size: in small groups or on an individual basis
be supervised by a lecturer from the college or by
• length: usually an hour at most somebody at the workplace - or a mixture of the
• frequency: possibly one or two per term. two.
I^^^9 Success
si as a student
Laboratory work, studio work and practicals provided through a mixture of set appointments,
Science students may spend most of their time surgery-hours or drop-in times, a help desk, online
doing practical work in laboratories; fine arts contact or specialist student support departments.
students may work predominantly in studio space
they are allocated. The amount of practical work of
Lecturers' varied approaches
this kind will depend on the course. Different subject areas or departments have their
own traditions, and even individual lecturers may
Distance learning have strong personal tastes in how things should
Students on some courses study mostly at home. be done. You need to be alert to this and notice
Materials are sent by post or over the internet. your lecturers' preferences.
Contact with tutors may be by letter, email, video
conferencing, Skype, or in local meetings. !Now let me get this
straight. Mr Jiff wants
Independent study work on both sides
This is the most common and possibly the most of the paper, Drlank
challenging feature of university study. Apart from on one. Ms Snape
timetabled elements such as lectures, almost all wants everything
courses expect students to work independently for word-processed. Mr Kip
wants essays sent by
the rest of the week. (See pages 18-19.)
email. Ms Snape wants
Technology-enhanced learning sub-headings...
Most programmes now supplement class-based
teaching with a variety of online activities and
resources. Depending on the lecturer, a range of The study week
technologies may be incorporated into class-based
Most full-time courses are considered to be
teaching too. (See pages 20-1.)
the equivalent of an average working week in
employment. This means that you are expected
Seeing your lecturers
to study for 35-40 hours a week, in a mixture
For a variety of reasons, lecturers are likely to be of independent study at home or in a library,
less available on demand than at previous levels scheduled classes and activities and, if relevant,
of education. Typically, a good range of support is in the workplace. The way that time is divided up
varies greatly. For more details, see pages 18 and
127.
It is worth
booking an
appointment in
advance ...
Success as a student
mm
The role of independent study
What is independent study? Keeping going
Independent study is a feature of most For independent study, it is important to stay focused and
courses at this level. Typically, this maintain your motivation. Motivation levels can wane over
means managing your own study in time so it is good to give this some advance thought and to
between taught sessions. For distance enlist the support of others. See Motivation (page 11 7) and
learning courses, all study may be by Study groups (page 257).
directed independent study.
Making wise choices
Guiding yourself It is up to you to make smart choices for study options and
At earlier stages of study, teaching staff extra-curricular activities. These have an impact on the
often provide much guidance on which coherence of your study and, potentially, on your future
pages to read, how to interpret reading career. That can feel rather daunting. However, it can also
material and assignment titles, the feel empowering to make such decisions. Guidance will be
information to include in assignments, available, but it is up to you to find out what is on offer.
and how to structure your answers. In
Higher Education, you do this yourself. Activity What does Independent study' suggest
As you become more experienced, to you?
you gain increasing amounts of
responsibility. This self-direction 1 In pencil, underline all the words you associate with the
generally culminates in a dissertation, phrase 'independent study'. ienlatifUl
research project or extended essay.
Freedom not enough contact (
Varies by programme with teachers I
There is less independent study on being \n control J ,
trust in good study management
courses that schedule many hours in
labs or work-related activity. There
is more independent study in arts,
humanities, social sciences, business
and creative subjects which require
reading, writing and practice that do
not require a tutor present.
less help responsibility pursuing my own interests
working on my own
Greater freedom en)oy
finding support maki
"g my
Independent study can feel lacking ess
own
in structure, but is also liberating. To Wtorc/
take full advantage of this, it helps to
understand well how you study most
effectively. (See Chapter 3.) going it alone
^A managingmy time
Time management
Using a bright marker pen, circle all the words that
Managing your own study time can
describe how you would like independent study to be.
be challenging at first, especially as Use the bubbles to add words of your own.
excuses for missed deadlines are rarely What do the phrases you select tell you about your
accepted. Good time management attitude to independent study?
skills are essential. (See Chapter 5.)
Success as a student
m
Independent study: benefits, challenges, risks
Benefits Challenges Risks
More control over • To manage time effectively. Losing a sense of time. Wasting time.
your study time • To meet deadlines. Underestimating how long study tasks
take. Forgetting things that must be
done. Missing essential deadlines.
More control over • To use spare time effectively in Using all your spare time for study.
your spare time building your personal profile. Mistaking time not spent in taught
• To recognise the difference between sessions as 'spare time'. Missing
spare time and independent study opportunities to develop a wider
time. personal profile that will benefit you
• To put time aside to relax, rest and later when applying for jobs.
enjoy yourself.
More choice about • To create structures for your day. Not getting down to study. Not
when and where • To organise a place to study. creating a place that allows you to
to study • To work out the best places and study without interruption.
times for you for different kinds of
study activity.
More choice about • To identify your learning style for Not bothering to explore and develop
how you study different types of tasks. your learning style. Doing what you
• To take responsibility for your enjoy most rather than what works
learning and achieving your goals. best for you, if these are different.
More responsibility • To identify barriers to your learning Failure to understand previous barriers
for your own and to address these. to learning. Not addressing weaknesses
successes • To identify ways of improving your in your performance. Giving up too
own performance. easily. Ignoring feedback. Becoming
• To make effective use of feedback despondent at early failures rather than
and to learn from mistakes. using these to guide improvement.
More choice about • To find the right balance between a Devoting too much time to topics that
how much energy broad set of interests at a superficial interest you at the expense of those
you devote to level and too much depth in a needed to complete the programme.
topics that interest narrow range of topics. Becoming specialised in too narrow a
you • To broaden your range of interests. range of topics.
There isn't a • To keep on target with little Letting things slip. Falling behind in
teacher looking guidance. your work. Losing motivation. Losing a
over your shoulder • To keep yourself motivated. sense of what you are supposed to do.
all the time • To take responsibility for pursuing Not asking for help, not finding out
solutions to problems on your own. what help is available, or not using it.
• To recognise when you need help Running for help too soon instead of
and to ask for it. trying to solve the problem yourself.
More control over • To create a coherent programme of Choosing topics that do not fit
choice of topics study that interests you and meets together well, or that do not contribute
your goals. towards your goals.
Success as a student