14TH%20EDINEB%20Conference%20Vienna,%202007%20%20Teaching,%20learning,%20and%20risk%20in%20a%20non-elite%20environment*

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14TH EDINEB ConferenceVienna, 2007 Teaching,
learning, and risk in a non-elite environment
Frank Forsythe School of Economics
Politics University of Ulster Northern
Ireland fp.forsythe_at_ulster.ac.uk
Project funded by the Economics Network,
Bristol www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
fp.forsythe_at_ulster.ac.uk
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The Economics Network

• Supporting university teachers of economics

www/economicsnetwork.ac.uk fp.forsythe_at_ulster.a
c.uk
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Teaching, learning, and risk in a non-elite
environment
The risky route
The safe route
innovate
auto-pilot
student-centred regimes
teacher-centred regimes
emphasis on learning
emphasis on teaching
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High opportunity costs -- Research v teaching
SOME OF THE RISKS INVOLVED
Potential for Litigation -- Fee paying students
Assessment issues -- group v individual --
examination performance

• Learner characteristics
• - rogue learners
• - poor commitment
• - mixed ability

Pressure from colleagues -- Ability to progress
to next level
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SOME OF THE RISKS INVOLVED

• Learner characteristics
• - rogue learners
• - poor commitment
• - mixed ability

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SOME OF THE RISKS INVOLVED
Assessment issues -- group v individual --
examination performance
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SOME OF THE RISKS INVOLVED
Pressure from colleagues -- Ability to progress
to next level
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High opportunity costs -- Research v teaching
SOME OF THE RISKS INVOLVED
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SOME OF THE RISKS INVOLVED
Potential for Litigation -- Fee paying students
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Externally moderated
student questionnaires Assessment of teaching
AND A FEW MORE management quality-control
measures
Staff-student consultative Committee meetings
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Externally moderated
AND A FEW MORE management quality-control
measures
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AND A FEW MORE management quality-control
measures
Staff-student consultative Committee meetings
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student questionnaires Assessment of teaching
AND A FEW MORE management quality-control
measures
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Proposition 1
High ability students excel under ANY learning
regime

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Proposition 1
High ability students excel under ANY learning
regime High ability students LEARN more in
a student-centred regime

Proposition 2
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Proposition 3
weaker students LEARN more and PERFORM better
in a student-centred environment

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Summary Proposition

• a student-centred regime
• does not harm high ability students
• will raise the performance of weaker students.

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FIRST YEAR MODULE MICROECONOMICS 1

• FEATURES
• GROUP WORK 2 presentations, 3 written
  reports, 1 quiz
• INDIVIDUAL WORK personal development
  report, final year examination
• Final year students acted as group
  facilitators
• Code of conduct governing group sessions
• Worked harder showed more commitment than
  
• in other 5 modules
• Rogue learners present

COHORT 1 2006-07 MIXED ABILITY
FIRST YEAR BSc ECON STUDENT-CENTRED
(PBL)

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FINAL HONOURS MODULE THE LABOUR MARKET
COHORT 2 2005-06 MIXED
ABILITY FINAL YEAR BSc ECON STUDENT-CENTRED
(PBL)
COHORT 3 2006-07 MIXED
ABILITY FINAL YEAR BSc ECON
TEACHER-LED (LECTURE-SEMINAR)

COHORT 4 2006-07 HIGH
ABILITY FINAL YEAR (BA LAW with
ECON) STUDENT-CENTRED (PBL)
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Teaching, learning, and risk in a non-elite
environment
REFERENCES Forsythe, F (2002), The role of
problem-based learning and technology support in
a spoon-fed undergraduate environment, in Tor
A. Jojannessen et al (Eds.), Educational
Innovation in Economics and Business VI
Teaching Today the Knowledge of Tomorrow, Kluwer
Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands,
pp 147-161. Forsythe, F (2002), Problem-based
learning, in Davies, P. (Ed.), Handbook for
Economics Lecturers, Chapter 3, available at
www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/publications/handbook
/pbl