A typical challenge in university teaching, especially with first and second year students, is to find ways to respond to the tension between the teacher's desire for students to "get learning" and the student's intention to "get the grades." (1) Many of the comments cited in the preceding article are illustrative of this tension.
As teachers, we know that it is sometimes difficult to resist pressures from students to help them get a qualification as easily as possible. We know that such a surface approach to learning is unlikely to lead to long-term success. What we try to promote instead is a deep learning (2), whereby students approach their studies with the intention of understanding rather than memorizing the material. For deep learners, the learning task involves making sense of what is to be learned, thinking, looking for connections, and trying to make meaning by playing with ideas and concepts. Surface learning tends to be experienced as an uphill struggle, characterized by feelings of frustration and depression; deep learning is experienced as exciting and a gratifying challenge (3).
Course characteristics that are likely to foster a surface approach to learning have been identified through several different studies involving thousands of students across a wide range of disciplines. These include: a heavy workload; an excessive amount of course material; a lack of opportunity to study course material in depth; a lack of choice over topics; a lack of choice over methods of study; an anxiety provoking assessment system; and assessment methods which tolerate regurgitation. Knowing this is helpful to teachers who want to make changes in their course design in order to move students towards deeper conceptions of learning.
Deep learning is more likely to occur when students' motivation is intrinsic and they experience a need to know. Courses designed to provide students with choice in what they study, and clearly stated learning objectives and assessment standards help promote a deeper approach to learning (4). One way to achieve this is through problem-based learning, where students are presented with problems or issues to resolve, and provided with resources and support for self-directed learning. Providing a positive, supportive climate for learning is key to establishing the motivational context for fostering a deeper approach to learning.
Students need to be active rather than passive participants in the learning process if deep learning is to occur. Deep learning is associated with doing, but doing is not enough by itself – activities must be planned, reflected upon, processed and related to abstract conceptions. Teaching methods that allow time for information gathering and reflection, and link course material to students' lives and aspirations can encourage deeper learning.
It is easier to negotiate meaning and manipulate ideas when working with others than when alone. Teaching methods that make use of active and interactive strategies and encourage collaborative projects and small group work in class and outside of class are important ways to engage students with each other and with the teacher.
New knowledge must be built on existing concepts and experience and taught in integrated wholes rather than bits and pieces. Teaching methods that make connections with what students already know, and use tasks that require students to integrate information from a variety of sources can help promote a deeper approach to learning.
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