Teaching for Effective Learning in Higher Education: Focusing on Learning and Moving from a “Based Learning” Mind-set

Abstract

Recent educational reforms in universities, and other institutes of higher education, have pressured educators to select newer content delivery methods and move away from “traditional” modalities. Whilst this is a favourable shift towards introducing a student-centred approach, it has led to the emergence of a culture of based learning techniques, with a strong emphasis on the method, rather than applying and understanding the pedagogical underpinnings – i.e. theories of learning. This issue has been exploited by the use of persuasive “marketing” techniques by the proponents of based learning. The popularity of such methods to busy teachers lies in the ready availability of a convenient “off the shelf ” content delivery method. This article discusses the strengths, and limitations, of some popular based learning methods, and focuses on how to integrate the three important principles of learning when applying based learning methods or delivering content.