7. If dialogue is encouraged between students and teachers and among students (in and out of class), thus creating a community of learners, student motivation and engagement can be increased. “Therefore, one logical direction for improving student learning outcomes is to establish policies which encourage and enhance many types of student involvement, including academic involvement; …
Guideline Six | Relevance
6. Students become more engaged in the learning process if they can see the relevance of their studies to professional, disciplinary and/or personal contexts, for example through linking learning experiences to the workplace or wider community. “When our interest is aroused in something, whether it is an academic subject or a hobby, we enjoy working …
Guideline Five | Prior Knowledge
5. Learning is more effective when students’ prior experience and knowledge are recognised and built on. “[L]earners construct meaning out of their prior understanding. Any new learning must, in some fashion, connect with what learners already know … learners construct their sense of the world by applying their old understanding to new experiences and ideas.” …
Guideline Four | Reflection
4. Structured occasions for reflection allow students to explore their experiences, challenge current beliefs, and develop new practices and understandings. “However, what gets us from experience to understanding is reflection. True, repetition and practice help us to learn but they do not substitute for the process of actively thinking about how we did, what we …
Guideline Three | Fun
3. Activities that are interesting and challenging, but which also create opportunities for students to have fun, can enhance the learning experience. In a Student Survey at a large university, the five key words most commonly used by students to characterise good teaching were “interesting,” “challenging,” “enthusiastic,” “fun,” and “relevant.” “Learning should be pleasurable. There …
Guideline Two | Inquiry
2. Effective learning is supported by a climate of inquiry where students feel appropriately challenged and activities are linked to research and scholarship. “A frequently stated benefit of research [is] the enthusiasm for their discipline/ research that some lecturers convey when they refer to their own work and the positive impacts on [students’] motivation …
Guideline One | Active
1. Effective learning is supported when students are actively engaged in the learning process at every stage. “Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate …