Some considerations about teaching in Higher Education

Carlos Cortinhas and Juliette Stephenson

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”

Socrates

“Numerous are the academic chairs, but rare are wise and noble teachers.”

Einstein

Why talk about Teaching (Quality)?

• Student satisfaction is becoming increasingly

important• N.S.S., M.A.C.E., League Tables, …• £9,000 fees: students as customers

• Increasingly important for career progression

• Rewarding

Challenges about Teaching (Quality)

• Economics Departments/Business School tend to

be larger recruiters so classes tend to be larger

than average• Larger number of EU/International Students than

other degrees• Variable attendance/effort• Heterogeneous background of students• Time pressures (Research)

Teaching

• Teaching is not the same as presenting

• Presenting:• Informed (and homogenous) audience• Aim is to relay information• Naturally interested and attentive

• Teaching:• Uninformed (and heterogeneous) audience• Aim is to develop understanding

Teaching

• Lecturing Vs Small Group Teaching

• Lecturing:• Mostly one-way communication• Interaction possible but not always easy

• Tutorial/Seminars:• Two way communication is desired and expected• Often based on small group activity

Teaching:

• “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” Einstein

• Avoid “death by PowerPoint”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck

• Do not make strong assumptions about student’s past knowledge of the topic – Investigate the background/knowledge of your students

• Understand that different students have different styles of learning (E.g., Visual – Auditory – Kinaesthetic); Bloom’s Taxonomy

• ‘Real world’ applications

Engaging and Motivating students: Using technology-enhanced learning experiences

Audience Response Systems

Audience Response Systems (also known as “clickers”):

Audience Response Systems

Audience response systems are devices that allow interaction

between a presenter and his/her audience.

TurningPoint is a free software that is built inside Microsoft

PowerPoint and allows you to create multiple-choice, multiple-

response questions with minimum effort.

University of Exeter Business School

Main technology-based tools already implemented at the Business School:

Particularly useful for:

Increasing participation and motivation in (large) classes

Getting immediate feedback on whether students are

learning

Getting immediate feedback on students preferences on

specific topics

Stimulating discussion in large group teaching

Conduct Classroom Experiments

University of Exeter Business School

If elections were held today, who would you vote for?

1. Conservatives2. Labour3. Liberal Democrats4. Others5. Do not know/would

not vote

Turningpoint Reports:

TurningPoint generates a large number of different user

reports through Microsoft Excel and Word.

University of Exeter Business School

Engaging and Motivating students: Using technology-enhanced learning experiences

Using Smartphones in the classroom (ResponseWare)

ResponseWare Login

ResponseWare

Web Address: http://www.rwpoll.com/Session ID: STATS

In which area would you say your research falls into?

1. Microeconomics2. Macroeconomics and Monetary

Economics3. International Economics4. Financial Economics5. Public Economics6. Labour Economics7. Others

Micr

oeconomics

Mac

roeco

nomics and M

o...

International E

conomics

Financia

l Eco

nomics

Public Eco

nomics

Labour E

conomics

Others

32%

15%12%

15%

9%

12%

6%

Numerical: What is the current Bank of England Official Bank Rate ?

1 2 3 4 5 6

50%

10% 10%10%10%10%

Rank Responses1 0.52 0.253 0.64 0.755 26 Other

Values: 0.5, {0.5, 0}Value Matches: 10

Essay:What is Trefler (1995)’s “Missing Trade” Puzzle ??

Recommendations:

• Attend a (free) Residential Workshop for new

Economic Lecturers (Economics Network) • Next will take place on April, 16 and 17 at Bristol University• http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/events/newlecs

• Consult the Handbook for Economic Lecturers (http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/handbook)

• Become a Fellow of the Higher Education

Academy• https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professional-recognition/hea-fellowships/become-fellow-hea

THANK YOU

Any questions?C.Cortinhas@exeter.ac.uk

J.Stephenson@exeter.ac.uk

ResponseWare: Examples The lecturer posts a PowerPoint slide with a questionAfter the vote the results appear both on the lecturer’s presentation and on the smartphone/tablet/laptop...

And it appears on the mobile device’s screen...

ResponseWare: Examples Unlike clickers, you can also have numerical responses slides....

ResponseWare: Examples And essay slides....