The
increasing focus on student learning as the central indicator
of institutional excellence challenges many tacit assumptions
about the respective roles of college students and faculty.
In student-centered education, faculty take on less responsibility
for being sources of knowledge, and take on greater responsibility
as facilitators of a broad range of learning experiences.
For their part, students are called on to take on more responsibility
for their own learning.
As
shown in the following table, the responsibilities of students
and faculty and the relationships between them are quite different
in the two models:
Domain
Teacher-centered
Learner-centered
Knowledge
Transmitted
from instructor
Constructed
by students
Student
participation
Passive
Active
Role
of teacher
Leader/authority
Facilitator/partner
in learning
Role
of Assessment
Few
tests, mainly for grading
Many
tests, for ongoing feedback
Emphasis
Learning
correct answers
Developing
deeper understanding
Assessment
method
Unidimensional
testing
Multidimensional
products
Academic
culture
Competitive,
individualistic
Collaborative,
supportive
Beginning
with Bloom's
taxonomy for educational objectives, and continuing with
considerable research on teaching and learning, over the last
thirty years many detailed lists of "best practices in
teaching" have been compiled. Most lists of important
"best practices" include the following:
Engage
students in active learning experiences
Set high, meaningful expectations
Provide, receive, and use regular, timely, and specific
feedback
Become aware of values, beliefs, preconceptions; unlearn
if necessary
Recognize and stretch student styles and developmental levels
Seek and present real-world applications
Understand and value criteria and methods for student assessment
Create opportunities for student-faculty interactions
Create opportunities for student-student interactions
Promote student involvement through engaged time and quality
effort
As shown in the figure below, the best student learning outcomes
follow from a combination of activities: encouraging faculty
development as teachers using the best practices in teaching
and learning; engaging students with high levels of involvement
in their studies, with other students, and with faculty; and
implementing regular, thoughtful, and periodic assessment
procedures to provide ongoing feedback: to students about
the progress of their learning, to instructors about the efficacy
of their teaching, and to program faculty about how well their
program is meeting its objectives.
