ERIC Number: EJ829964
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Feb
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0260-2938
EISSN: N/A
Assessing Learner-Centredness through Course Syllabi
Cullen, Roxanne; Harris, Michael
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v34 n1 p115-125 Feb 2009
One attempt to revitalise undergraduate education has been by shifting the dominant pedagogy to a learner-centred focus and supporting an emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and learning. The discussion regarding efforts to refocus undergraduate education to be more intentional by moving towards a learner-centred paradigm is encouraging, yet it is crucial to acknowledge that most of the effort and literature on the learner-centred paradigm and the scholarship of teaching and learning have necessarily focused on strategies for the classroom. It is equally important for administrators to consider the impact of the paradigm shift on their roles. Assessment and evaluation are the very core of the learner-centred paradigm. Assessment is both the single-most important gage of learning that drives the educational process and the most effective means of implementing institutional change. In this article, the authors offer a means of assessing the degree of learner-centredness in current teaching practices through a systematic review of course syllabi. Using a rubric developed for this purpose the authors have reviewed course syllabi in order to develop a benchmark for the degree of learner-centredness present in current teaching practices and employed the results as a vehicle for planning professional development. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Undergraduate Study, Models, Scholarship, Organizational Change, Course Descriptions, Teaching Methods, Higher Education, Administrators, Evaluation, Scoring Rubrics, Faculty Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A