3. Teaching Methodology, Strategies, Objectives

Teaching strategies

I teach in a number of different contexts which can vary by class size (small to large), level (1st year undergraduate, final year undergraduate, and postgraduate programs), and discretion (compulsory classes and optional classes). Thus, my teaching and learning strategies arise from the intersection of my aims and objectives of teaching, and the contexts in which I teach.

Amongst the teaching and learning strategies I have employed in the last year or so are:

  1. Case studies: Each week students have to prepare a position on an assigned case. The case is then discussed in class, and the quality of student contribution to the discussion is assessed. This application of problem based learning is similar to a Harvard style case class.
  2. Learning journals: Students keep a weekly record of the reading they have done, and the experiences leading to learning; that is, what they now do differently; what has resulted from it.
  3. Student peer review, feedback and assessment: Students provide peer reviews of each other's work, both written work and performance in activities, in order to reflect on other's behaviours and to get feedback on their own behaviour. In some cases this forms the bases of students assessing and awarding marks to each other.
  4. Pre-testing: In order to provide students with a some theoretical background, I have adopted pre-testing before discussions as a way from them to acquire low level learning (e.g. recall and comprehension), before discussing/debating the material with them at a higher level (e.g. application, synthesis, etc.). Overall, as can be seen from student comments, they appreciate being kept 'on-track' in this way.
  5. Self assessment: Students are encouraged to reflect on their own work and to assess its worth. The students can then compare this with my evaluation and the way in which I reflect on their work. This facilitates them reflecting more deeply on their work.
  6. Scholarly reflections: Together with another lecturer, Darl Kolb, in class, we reflect on and debate the material the class is mastering. We engage in a scholarly discussion of the material, linking it to our own experiences, and draw students into the discussion so that they can link it to their experiences too.
  7. Business simulations: Business simulations are used to provide a 'practice field', where students can experiment and experience being in a managerial team. As a problem-based learning approach, this offers them the opportunity to deal with very complex situations in a team environment (where the team works together for an extended period of time, i.e. the whole semester).