Met de uitkomst kan iedere docent zijn voordeel doen, zo
schrijft Tim-Patrick Limmer (UvA-student).
Does university teach for mediocrity? In their recent Ph.D.-thesis
The Meaning of Learning and Knowing, Erik Jan van Rossum
and Rebecca Hamer put forward arguments that support this
assertion. By using their 6-stage model, the authors reveal how
higher education is geared towards superficial learning.
Van Rossum and Hamer conducted research to investigate how each
of these stages is represented in Dutch higher education finding
that 75 % of their sample understands learning as a means for
simple reproduction of knowledge. The education system itself
leaves little room for students to develop a deeper understanding
reaching for stages 4 till 6. Even more, some research gives
evidence that "students may become less likely to employ a deep
approach" starting their tertiary study after high school.
Instead of teaching for excellence, higher education teaches for
mediocrity. Especially on bachelor level, students are being
assessed superficially with standardized multiple choice tests. The
teaching style itself is mostly didactic with the teacher standing
in front of 100-200 students and flipping through
PowerPoint-slides. Since no deeper understanding is required to
pass courses, students do not even have to read in depth the
material that is given out by the professor.
6-Stage Model
So what do these stages entail? On stage 1, learning is
understood as the mere transmission of knowledge. Teachers teach
without interacting with students who then simply memorize
information 'sentence by sentence'. Learning on stage 2 involves
the first quantitative reflection of the knowledge taught. Students
memorize specific parts that are considered important for
examinations later on and have certain possibilities to ask
clarifying questions during classes. Like the first two stages,
stage 3 also only involves reproductive learning. Here, students
reflect even further what knowledge might be useful for practical
applications later on in their life.
Most university education is based on those first three stages.
Higher education, however, should entail more than superficially
memorizing information. Van Rossum and Hamer see a watershed
between stage 3 and 4 where students shift their concept of
learning from reproducing knowledge to constructing meaning. In
stage 4, students develop the capability to think within a
scientific theory and gain a critical awareness of its
assumptions.
But only at stage 5, students start to expand their thinking
beyond disciplinary borders and apply their knowledge to give
meaning to their reality. This involves teachers functioning
predominantly as guides who are specialists in their respective
fields. The topic is explored in group discussions where professor
and student represent equal partners. Such teaching techniques lose
their relevance once teaching proceeds to stage 6. Van Rossum and
Hamer state that here the focus shifts from 'learning-to-know' to
'learning-to-be'. Students develop an increased self-awareness and
see learning as key element of answering the question 'Who am I?'
In order to achieve this stage, professors have to truly find their
'inner voice' and create an atmosphere of mutual trust and sharing
in their class.
Teaching for Mediocrity
This mindset of "just studying what is necessary" contributes to
another phenomenon widespread in Dutch universities: the
'zesjescultuur'. In an environment where you are not challenged to
learn in a deeper fashion you may also lack the ambition to do much
for your studies in the first place. Dutch universities have
responded to this trend by implementing more study components such
as Honours programs. Students that reach a certain average are able
to take additional courses resulting in an extra qualification for
your degree. However, what course designers should keep in mind is
that reaching excellence does not mean to simply teach more.
Instead, it is about the way students are taught and the
environment that is created to create true learning.
Tim-Patrick Limmer studies Economics at the University of
Amsterdam and worked as an editorial intern for
ScienceGuide.