THE FEASIBILITY OF STUDENT-CENTERED TEACHING APPROACHES IN LARGE CLASSES : A SURVEY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS

Abstract

The role of the student can be expected to change as management practices at the workplace evolve. Coupled with an expected increase in university student enrolment, educators will be challenged to maintain the quality of teaching while not absorbing additional resources. Educational institutions could re-define the student to that of customer and employee of the learning process. It is suggested that this market orientation in higher education could lead to deeper learning and greater student satisfaction. Specifically, a student-centered teaching approach is recommended as a possible complement to existing teaching practices to maintain, if not improve, educational standards. It is not the aim of this thesis to suggest that teaching methods currently practiced have not been effective. This market research is designed to merely determine the feasibility of innovation in teaching.

With student-centercd teaching practiced, there will be increased collaboration between students and teachers. Students get to decide on course objectives, teaching methods and even assessment procedures. Being motivated from experiencing ownership of the learning process, an improved performance can be expected. Research shows that the approach has met with mixed responses in different disciplines, in large and small class sizes.

The purpose of this study is to determine if teachers as service-providers perceive student-centered teaching approaches as feasible in a large class. It also seeks to establish reasons for and against its possible adoption and the relative degree to which teaching staff are willing to practice student autonomy in the class. A survey designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data was conducted on a sample of teaching staff from the Department of Economics and Statistics al the National University of Singapore.

Analysis of the quantitative data shows that respondents do not find student-centered approaches feasible in a large class. Qualitative data indicates that there is a strong case against the possibility of its implementation. There is a resistance to change as respondents would still like control of the learning process - teacher-centered practices are considered more effective.

The feasibility study concludes that University teaching staff are not ready for a market orientation in promoting higher education. It is suggested that the successful implementation of the student-centered teaching approach could be dependent on situational factors, that is, the educational level of students and the nature of the course.