Browsing by Subject "university teaching"
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(2015)Aims of the study The goal of university teaching is to foster student learning. The current constructivist learning theory highlights students' active role in learning and so the students' point of view of their learning situation becomes important. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about how university students understand excellent university teaching. The study was guided by the following question: What kind of perceptions do the students have about excellent teaching in university? The research question was elaborated from four perspectives: How do the students describe the teacher, expertise in subject knowledges' and pedagogical content knowledge, pedagogic relation and didactic relation? As a baseline for the study was the concept of scholarship of teaching, pragmatist constructivist learning theory and didactic triangle, which construe the core elements of teaching. Method The data of the study consisted of written suggestions by students of Aalto University of which teacher from their university should be rewarded, considering Aalto University's students' unions (AYY) contest "Teacher of the Year". The data of the study were collected during 1980-2011 by AYY. The data of the study was analyzed with a qualitative theory guided content analysis in which the theoretic aspect used was the didactic triangle's elements and relations. Results and conclusions In students' experience the didactic relation was emphasized. Therefore, in teaching, the students value and recognize most teacher's practical teaching action. In students' descriptions of excellent university teaching, teacher's characteristics, skills and action were more highlighted than the learning of students, although it also emerged in the data. From the aspect of the study's results, which represent the students' point of view, it becomes important to emphasize the following aspects in developing university teaching: teaching should be seen as a dynamic continuous process; in teaching and learning the close personal and learning interaction between teacher and students should be emphasized; individuality: the previous experiences of students should be considered and teacher's sufficient subject's control should be guaranteed.
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(2009)The starting point for this study was university teaching and teachers and specifically their changing role when confronting the Finnish University Reform and the student-focused theories of learning. Teachers' pedagogical thinking and pedagogical content knowledge were also part of the theoretical framework. In the research of conceptions of and approaches to learning and teaching, the qualitative classifications of Säljö and Marton (1976; 1997), Ramsden (1992), Kember (1997) and Trigwell and Prosser (1999) were utilised. Two study questions were raised (1) What kind of conceptions of and approaches to learning do engineering science teachers have? and (2) What kind of conceptions of and approaches to teaching do engineering science teachers have? The relationship between teachers' conceptions and teaching was also examined. The research material was collected in autumn 2008 by interviewing teachers and by observing teaching in the Department of Energy Technology at Helsinki University of Technology. Altogether two tutorials and ten lectures were observed. Each teacher of the observed lectures was interviewed once. The interviews were carried out as semi-structured theme interviews. In the analysis of the research material phenomenographical approach was adapted. The study revealed many kinds of conceptions of and approaches to learning and teaching in the teachers' speech. On the basis of the research material, the conceptions and approaches that the teachers declare do not always reflect their actions in the teaching situation. The surface approaches to learning and teacher-focused approaches to teaching and conceptions of receiving and transmission of knowledge were parallel. Instead the teachers' declarations of the deep approaches to learning and student-focused approaches to teaching were partly in conflict with how the teacher taught. When striving towards student-centered teaching culture attention should be paid to the development of teachers' pedagogical thinking and pedagogical content knowledge. The culture and the structures of the educational institution should also be considered.
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