SETU and units

This unit was well taught / I was satisfied with the quality of teaching from this teacher in this unit

What is good/quality teaching? The exact answer, of course, is context dependent - it depends on the discipline, the level of study and, like all assessments of quality, is made by each individual student. However, there is general advice from the literature. In a Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching (CAUT) project to devise criteria for recognising and rewarding good teaching in Australian higher education, the following characteristics required for good teaching were distilled from an extensive review of the related literature:

• Good teachers are also good learners; for example, they learn through their own reading, by participating in a variety of professional development activities, by listening to their students, by sharing ideas with their colleagues, and by reflecting on classroom interactions and students' achievements. Good teaching is therefore dynamic, reflective and constantly evolving;
• Good teachers display enthusiasm for their subject, and a desire to share it with their students;
• Good teachers recognise the importance of context, and adapt their teaching accordingly; they know how to modify their teaching strategies according to the particular students, subject matter, and learning environment;
• Good teachers encourage deep learning approaches, rather than surface approaches, and are concerned with developing their students' critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and problem-approach behaviours;
• Good teachers demonstrate an ability to transform and extend knowledge, rather than merely transmitting it; they draw on their knowledge of their subject, their knowledge of their learners, and their general pedagogical knowledge to transform the concepts of the discipline into terms that are understandable to their students. In other words, they display what Shulman has termed "pedagogical content knowledge";
• Good teachers set clear goals, use valid and appropriate assessment methods, and provide high quality feedback to their students; and
• Good teachers show respect for their students; they are interested in both their professional and their personal growth, encourage their independence, and sustain high expectations of them (Ramsden, Margetson, Martin & Clarke, 1995).

In assessing nominees for Australian Awards for University Teaching, the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) uses the following five research-informed criteria:

1. Approaches to the support of learning and teaching that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn. This may include fostering student development by stimulating curiosity and independence in learning; contributing to the development of students’ critical thinking skills, analytical skills and scholarly values; encouraging student engagement through the enthusiasm shown for learning and teaching; inspiring and motivating students through high-level communication, presentation and interpersonal skills; and enabling others to enhance their approaches to learning and teaching.
2. Development of curricula, resources and services that reflect a command of the field. This may include developing and presenting coherent and imaginative resources for student learning; implementing research-led approaches to learning and teaching; demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of the field of study in the design of the curriculum and the creation of resources for learning; communicating clear objectives and expectations for student learning; providing support to those involved in the development of curricula and resources; and contributing professional expertise to enhance curriculum or resources.
3. Approaches to assessment, feedback and learning support that foster independent learning. This may include integrating assessment strategies with the specific aims and objectives for student learning; providing timely, worthwhile feedback to students on their learning; using a variety of assessment and feedback strategies; implementing both formative and summative assessment; adapting assessment methods to different contexts and diverse student needs and learning styles; and contributing professional expertise to enhance assessment and/or feedback.
4. Respect and support for the development of students as individuals. This may include participating in the effective and empathetic guidance and advising of students; assisting students from equity and other demographic subgroups to participate and achieve success in their courses; and influencing the overall academic, social and cultural experience of higher education.
5. Scholarly activities and service innovations that have influenced and enhanced learning and teaching. This may include showing advanced skills in evaluation and reflective practice; participating in and contributing to professional activities related to learning and teaching; coordination, management and leadership of courses and student learning; conducting and publishing research related to teaching; and demonstrating leadership through activities that have broad influence on the profession. (Office for Learning and Teaching - Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, 2011)

These two sets of good teaching criteria are very similar, as are other like lists that can be found elsewhere in the literature. The link between these criteria and the core items on the CEQ should be plain to see - these are the characteristics that students generally are looking to see in their learning at university. They can help inform plans to improve students' perceptions of teaching in a unit. It is also implicit in these criteria that 'good teaching' goes well beyond what happens in the classroom, and is inclusive of depth of subject knowledge, course material development, preparation and organisation, assessment, interaction with students beyond that which is formally timetabled, and personal reflection, evaluation and development to improve teaching. One very practical way of using these lists of good teaching criteria is to choose one that you are comfortable with (there are many), and taking each point in turn, ask yourself the two open-ended questions that are included on the CEQ/SETU:

• what are the best aspects of this unit?; and
• what are the aspects of this unit most needing improvement?

Honest, reflective answers to these questions, coupled with SETU results may provide a rational basis on which to prioritise work for enhancing the content and delivery of your units.

Activity

In addition to the criteria included in the 'good teaching' frameworks of Ramsden, et al. and the OLT, are there any other characteristics of good teaching that you would identify? What are they?

Forward to: The course materials in this unit were of high quality