The Task Force on Educating for Excellence in the MPA Degree acknowledged the essential role of active learning when it advocated the use of pedagogical strategies such as classroom exercises and collaborative projects with agencies. The extent to which these strategies foster reflexivity and praxis is limited by stimulus-response learning, i.e., students deciphering what the instructor wants and producing the appropriate responses/materials. To measure the students' preferences for stimulus-response learning, the authors developed a questionnaire that was distributed to students enrolled in MPA courses at a mid-western university. The findings suggest the students' strong preference for stimulus-response learning arises from a fixation on maximizing grades within the allotted time for studies. Given this finding, a program's success in cultivating reflexivity and praxis is impacted by the adoption of strategies that counteract the preference for stimulus-response learning and thereby encourage students to become more self-directed. Several of these strategies are discussed in the paper's final section.

No abstract

No abstract

The study developed and distributed a survey to measure students' preference for stimulus-response learning. The responses of undergraduate and graduate students suggest the desire to maximize grades fosters a strong preference for instructors who tell students what they need to know and exam questions that incorporate terms and keywords similar to those used in course materials. Although graduate students exhibit a strong partiality for additional elements of stimulus-response learning, they are less likely than undergraduates to prefer courses in which complex assignments are accompanied by step-by-step instructions and most of the required readings are covered by lectures. They also are less prone to focus their exam preparation on items discussed in class. Given the students' predisposition to replicate information and problem solving strategies conveyed to them, the development of creativity and critical thinking is dependent on students assuming greater responsibility for learning. Instructional strategies for achieving the outcome are discussed.

No abstract