14TH EDINEB Conference
Vienna, 2007
Teaching, learning, and risk
in a non-elite environment*
*Project funded by the Economics Network, Bristol:
www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Frank Forsythe
School of Economics & Politics
University of Ulster
Northern Ireland
[email protected]
[email protected]
The Economics Network
Supporting university teachers of
economics
www/economicsnetwork.ac.uk
[email protected]
Teaching, learning, and risk
in a non-elite environment
The risky route
innovate
student-centred
regimes
emphasis on learning
The safe route
‘auto-pilot’
teacher-centred
regimes
emphasis on teaching
High opportunity costs
-- Research v teaching
SOME OF THE RISKS
INVOLVED
Assessment issues
-- group v individual
-- examination performance
Potential for Litigation
-- Fee paying students
Learner characteristics
- rogue learners
-- poor commitment
-- mixed ability
Pressure from colleagues
-- Ability to progress
to next level
SOME OF THE RISKS
INVOLVED
Learner characteristics
- rogue learners
-- poor commitment
-- mixed ability
SOME OF THE RISKS
INVOLVED
Assessment issues
-- group v individual
-- examination
performance
SOME OF THE RISKS
INVOLVED
Pressure from colleagues
-- Ability to progress
to next level
SOME OF THE RISKS
INVOLVED
High opportunity costs
-- Research v teaching
SOME OF THE RISKS
INVOLVED
Potential for Litigation
-- Fee paying students
Externally moderated
student questionnaires
‘Assessment of teaching’
… AND A FEW MORE
Staff-student consultative
Committee meetings
management quality-control
measures
Externally moderated
… AND A FEW MORE
management quality-control
measures
… AND A FEW MORE
management quality-control
measures
Staff-student consultative
Committee meetings
student questionnaires
‘Assessment of teaching’
… AND A FEW MORE
management quality-control
measures
Proposition 1
High ability students excel under ANY learning
regime
Proposition 1
High ability students excel under ANY learning
regime
Proposition 2
High ability students LEARN more in a
student-centred regime
Proposition 3
weaker students LEARN more and PERFORM better
in a student-centred environment
Summary Proposition
a student-centred regime:
 does not harm high ability students
 will raise the performance of weaker students.
FIRST YEAR MODULE: MICROECONOMICS 1
COHORT 1
FEATURES
2006-07
MIXED ABILITY

GROUP WORK – 2

INDIVIDUAL WORK

Final year students acted as group facilitators

Code of conduct governing group sessions

Worked harder & showed more commitment than
in other 5 modules

Rogue learners present
FIRST YEAR BSc ECON
STUDENT-CENTRED
(PBL)
presentations, 3 written reports, 1 quiz
– personal development report, final year
examination
FINAL HONOURS MODULE: THE LABOUR MARKET
COHORT 2
COHORT 3
2005-06
2006-07
MIXED ABILITY
MIXED ABILITY
FINAL YEAR BSc ECON
FINAL YEAR BSc ECON
STUDENT-CENTRED (PBL)
TEACHER-LED (LECTURE-SEMINAR)
COHORT 4
2006-07
HIGH ABILITY
FINAL YEAR (BA LAW with ECON)
STUDENT-CENTRED (PBL)
Teaching, learning, and risk
in a non-elite environment
REFERENCES:
Forsythe, F (2002), ‘The role of problem-based learning and technology support in
a ‘spoon-fed’ undergraduate environment’, in Tor A. Jojannessen et al
(Eds.), Educational Innovation in Economics and Business VI:
Teaching Today the Knowledge of Tomorrow, Kluwer Academic
Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp 147-161.
Forsythe, F (2002), ‘Problem-based learning’, in Davies, P. (Ed.), Handbook for
Economics Lecturers, Chapter 3, available at
www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/publications/handbook/pbl