Effects of Academic Departments on Students' Approaches to Studying

Abstract

SUMMARY. 2208 students from 66 academic departments in six contrasting disciplines from British universities and polytechnics completed an 'approaches to studying' inventory and a course perceptions questionnaire. Factor analyses of these instruments confirmed the factor structures previously reported. Approaches to studying can be described in terms of three main factors-orientations towards personal meaning, reproducing, and achieving. In the present analysis the final factor split into two: achieving orientation and a factor labelled 'disorganised and dilatory' which showed a close relationship with self-rating of academic progress. The course perceptions questionnaire produced two main factors. One described formal teaching methods, vocational relevance, and clear goals and standards, and the other represented a favourable departmental evaluation with the highest loadings on good teaching and openness to students. Subsequent analyses examined links between students' perceptions of their main academic departments and their reported approaches to studying. Departments with highest mean scores on meaning orientation were perceived as having good teaching and allowing freedom in learning. Departments with the highest mean scores on reproducing orientation were seen to have a heavy workload and a lack of freedom in learning. The implications of these statistical findings are discussed in relation to continuing analyses of interview data which clarify the ways in which the organisation of teaching and courses may affect students' approaches to learning.

Disciplinary Differences in Student Ratings of Teaching Quality

“…This distinguishes it from CTEQ-type instruments which focus at the level of individual teachers or courses. The most common equivalent is probably the Course Experience Questionnaire, originally developed by Ramsden and Entwistle (1981) and subsequently adapted for use nationally in Australia and the UK. The SEQ evaluates a broadly conceived teaching and learning environment (Kember and Leung 2009).…”

Lessons in Effective Practical Chemistry at Tertiary Level: Case Studies from a Chemistry Outreach Program

“…It is well known that the method of assessment will play a major role in determining whether the students' approach involves deep level learning or surface level learning (Marton, 1975;Pask, 1976;Laurilland, 1979;Ramsden and Entwistle, 1981;Gibbs, 1992;Glasner, 1999). In this case study the assessments, while challenging, did not count towards an important qualification.…”

Concevoir Un Cours Hybride en Français Des Affaires

“…En effet, des chercheurs ont noté que les cours hybrides sont susceptibles de renforcer le sentiment de contrôle qu'éprouve l'étudiant, de favoriser la participation de celui-ci, d'augmenter son intérêt pour le cours et sa compréhension des concepts de base (Miller, Risser et Griffiths, 2013). Cela dit, l'apprentissage actif aide l'ancrage des connaissances dans la mémoire de l'apprenant, il [lui] "permet de faire siennes les connaissances et d'atteindre un niveau de compréhension et d'intégration qui en favorise l'utilisation dans les situations appropriées" (Ramsden et Entwistle, 2015). Les différents outils que nous avons proposés aux étudiants, tels forums (discussions synchrones ou asynchrones), clavardage, ateliers, Google Docs, Wiki, leur permettent de continuer à échanger sur la matière étudiée en dehors de la classe pour la clarifier et mieux l'assimiler.…”