Understanding Our Students

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Understanding Our Students
PREPARING TO TEACH Introductory Programme for
New Teaching Staff

• Kam-Por Kwan
• Senior Officer (Educational Development)
• 2766 6287
• etkpkwan_at_polyu.edu.hk

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Objectives

• To develop a better understanding of our students
  in terms of
• what they want from university education
• their general academic ability
• how they normally go about their studies
• what they expect from their teachers
• To discuss the implications of the student
  characteristics for teaching

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What are our students like?
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Identifying profile of PolyU students

• Task 1 Paired discussion (10 minutes)
• Based on either your experience or expectation,
  draw up the profile of a typical student in your
  own course
• Why do they enroll in your course?
• What able are they academically?
• What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• How do they go about their studies?
• What do they expect from their teachers?

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What students expect from university education?
What do students want to get from university
education ?
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Goals of university education
1 little importance 2 some 3 high
importance
Source SAO, PolyU (1998)
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Understanding students goals

• Students have multiple goals
• Passing exams / getting a qualification
• Gaining social approval / status
• Acquiring subject /professional knowledge and
  skills
• Developing generic skills interpersonal skills,
  problem-solving, creativity, etc.
• Achieving personal development self confidence,
  sense of achievement, moral development, etc.

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Students goals are not fixed

• Students goals have important effects on their
  learning
• Students goals change in the course of their
  study
• Goals are affected by the students feeling of
  his/her achieving the goals or otherwise in a
  particular learning situation
• If students are denied the chance to achieve
  higher-level goals, they may turn to lower-level
  ones

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Helping students to achieve goals

• Task 2 Group discussion (10 minutes)
• What can we do to help students realize and
  achieve the desirable goals of university
  education?

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Helping students achieve their goals

• Explain the whys of learning tasks
• Emphasize thinking and problem-solving rather
  then memorization and recall
• Focus on process as well as outcomes of learning
• Encourage collaborative group learning
• Give students autonomy and choice
• Ensure reasonable workload

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General academic ability
A 5 B 4 C 3 D 2 E 1 F 0
Score point average of the best 2 subjects of
admitted students Source MIO, PolyU (1996)
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Self-perceived ability
1 lowest
4 highest
Source SAO, PolyU (1998)
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Helping student to learn

• Task 3 Group discussion (10 minutes)
• What are the major things we need to consider in
  planning our teaching? How can we help this group
  of students to learn effectively at university?

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Some strategies

• Have a realistic expectation of the ability of
  your students
• Check initial knowledge
• Help students to bridge their knowledge
• Give appropriate reading materials
• Proceed progressively in teaching
• move from fundamentals to more complex
• from more guidance to more independent
• Teach students how to learn
• Help students develop confidence

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How students go about their studies

• Hong Kong students are heavily assessment-driven
  in their learning
• Students may approach their learning differently
  in different subjects depending on their
  perception of the demand of the learning
  situation
• surface approach
• deep approach
• achieving approach

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How students spend their time
Average no. of hours per week spent on various
activities Source A Week in the Life of a
Hong Kong Student Project
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Getting students engaged

• Students are more likely to engage in learning
  task that they are interested in and have
  confidence of successful completion
• Clear instructions on what, how and when
• Manageable tasks and reasonable deadline
• Appeal to personal interest or needs
• Choice and autonomy
• Feedback on progress

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What students expect from their teachers
What do students expect from their teachers?
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Good university teaching in the eyes of students

• Head
• Knowledge and expertise
• Personal experience and insights
• Able to help students understand
• Hand
• Teaching skills presentation and questioning
  skills, etc.
• Teach students to think
• Heart
• Concern for students learning and well-being
• Empathy and support

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Conclusion

• Teaching is about helping students learn
• Teaching is most effective when
• it is pitched at the right level for the students
• it matches with students goals and expectations
• it encourages the engagement of the students in
  the learning process
• students feel respected and achieving
• Need to consider the characteristics of your
  students