Teaching For Quality Learning at University

by John Biggs

"...full of downright good advice for every academic who wants to do something practical to improve his or her students' learning...there are very few writers on the subject of university teaching who can engage a reader so personally, express things so clearly, relate research findings so eloquently to personal experience." (Paul Ramsden)

Since the first edition of Teaching for Quality Learning at University, the tertiary sector has changed dramatically. Individual teachers, as reflective practitioners, still need to make their own decisions about how they are going to get students actively involved in large classes, to teach international students, and to assess in ways that enhance the quality of learning. But now that quality assurance and quality enhancement are required at the institutional level, the concept of constructive alignment is applied to 'the reflective institution', where it becomes a powerful underpinning to quality enhancement procedures.

Also since the first edition, educational technology has become more widespread than expected, leaving some teachers apprehensive about what it might mean for them. A new chapter elaborates on how ET can be used to enhance learning, but with a warning that any tool, electronic or otherwise, is as good as the thoughtful use to which it is put.

This is an accessible, jargon-free guide to all university teachers interested in enhancing their teaching and their students' learning, and for administrators and teaching developers who are involved in teaching-related decisions on an institutional basis.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Academic, Teaching, Research

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

Reviews

[Simon Atkinson]

Seminal

[Yzobelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide to creating instructional design that is constructively aligned with an outcomes-based teaching model! One-of-a-kind book! Very scientific and systematic! ... Though many claim that teaching is an art, I would say it is more of a science. Teaching is never easy. It is not simply based on one's gift of gab. Teaching demands so much expertise from its practitioners if they want to do their craft right.

[Bor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik lees zélden "zelfhulpboeken" (in de breedste zin van het woord) maar deze werd mij door meerdere collega's aanbevolen toen ik met een onderwijskundige case study aan de slag ging. Het is bij ons op het instituut vooral bekend als "het gele boek van F." omdat collega F. er 50 van gekocht heeft om aan alle vaste academische staf uit te delen — ik kreeg het exemplaar van mijn begeleider.

Hoewel ik moet toegeven dat ik zeer sceptisch was is dit een van de meest nuttige boeken die ik in lange tijd heb gelezen. Het boek draait in hoofdzaak om een nieuwe / moderne methode om vakken op de universiteit mee in te richten, maar behandelt ook allerlei andere aspecten van het onderwijs. Hoewel er heel krachtig voor een bepaalde onderwijsvisie wordt geageerd (hoorcolleges zijn ouderwets! schriftelijke tentamens hebben geen nut!) wordt dat nooit tunnelvisie ('als je dan om wat voor reden dan tóch een tentamen wil/moet afnemen, dan behandelen we nu hoe je dat het beste kunt doen...') Er zijn ook een enorme hoeveelheid casestudies en voorbeelden uit de praktijk.

Dit boek heeft voor mij echt de manier waarop ik naar onderwijs kijk veranderd, en ik hoop dat ik in mijn verdere carrière veel van die geleerde lessen toe kan passen. Daarnaast: het boek is echt een pageturner… Ik kan het iedereen die in het hoger onderwijs werkt sterk aanbevelen!

[Alexandru · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book written for university professors interested in getting better at what they do and university management. It is useful, but the language used is very complex, with a lot of abbreviations and this makes it cumbersome for readers. I've plenty of new ideas, but at the same time, it needed a lot of time. A book suitable only for those that are interested in making their students learn.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaching, essentially, is complicated as is learning; however, this book granted me tips for both. There is a lot of personal experience in this book, and oftentimes it becomes complicated, based on strong theory which seems to be biased towards one school of teaching.

Would I recommend it? Yes. It is a good guide to get started as a university professor.
Will I come back to it? Definitely!

[Tommi Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, only minus (not their fault) - discernible to me - is the outdated web links.

[Alberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly useless

[Yen]

Buen libro para conocer sobre cómo se formaliza la calidad en el aprendizaje universitario

[Waldo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much like health-care, education is a field that is extremely complex and non-linear, and therefore highly susceptible to unintended consequences in policy-making. It is not difficult to argue that any useful insight into what does and doesn't work in education can only be credibly sought through large-scale empirical trials in real-life settings.

Which is why this book is complete garbage. It is the antithesis of empiricism; it bases all its arguments on laughably simplistic assumptions that it does not even attempt to back up with evidence (like, say, the fact that failing to learn is never the student's fault), and then proceeds to make recommendations that are rooted in nothing but dogma. I don't think there is a single suggestion in this book that is based on any research whatsoever.

If you're a fan of "trust me, it works!", then this is the book for you. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

[Joseph Sverker]

This is an immensely helpful book for the university teacher. One could argue that it is very one-sided since it exclusively promotes the idea of constructive alignment. But I happen to think that that idea is essential for teaching, particularly when it is tied in with a work out use of formative assessment, or assessment for learning.

The idea is that course goals (intended learning outcomes) should be linked with the teaching and the examination. The focus is then on the student to be an active learner so that s/he reaches an awareness for the learning outcomes and is able to know that s/he is learning what is intended to learn and when examination comes it will be no surprise.

The book is helpful, however, since it is full with practical advice and real life situations. I got really enthusiastic about the portfolio model of examination for example when I read about Biggs own experience with it.

I would only want to add one thing to the book and that is that Biggs and Tang make quite a distinction between formative and summative assessments. I think they are right in stating that the student should know when an examination is summative (in other words, when they are graded on it), but I think that the summative assessment can then most certainly be used in a formative way (if there is still time in the course). This is argued well in Black and Wiliam, Inside the Black Box.

[Esther Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written but extremely dense. I found it too technical for my purposes, (my interest is more in theory than in practice), but can see how it might be extremely useful as a course book or for someone who is modifying/creating an educational plan for a university department.

[Arnoud Visser]

Briggs has a clear vision. Sometimes this vision is based on research, but quite often just on personal experience. Anyway, the idea of alignment (give the exams about what you want the students to learn) is a good idea.

[Said A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "must read" for anyone who is interested or related to teaching...

[Jonwillum Duurnenbol · Rating 5 out of 5]

mind changing