Doing it better or doing it differently?

Higher education today is faced with the pressure to improve the quality of teaching and often to do more teaching with less resources. Class sizes are increasing, the student population is increasing in diversity, and students are in the education marketplace as 'paying customers'. There are lots of new buzzwords and strategies that come through the literature as ways of enhancing student learning. Innovation in teaching is being promoted both within and external to the University. Innovation and flexible delivery are more often than not equated with the introduction of technology or Internet-based teaching which have lead to significant changes in the way education is delivered. As some teachers, departments, faculties and institutions forge ahead in embracing major changes to teaching in an attempt to meet the challenges of change, others feel the pressure to follow.

Faced with this pressure, it is worthwhile to consider whether 'doing it differently' (e.g. replacing traditional teacher-led tutorials and labs with computer-based learning activities) results in 'doing it better', i.e. whether the innovation actually results in improved learning outcomes for students. A bad traditional lecture 'done differently' by using PowerPoint or made available on the Web with graphics or sound is still a bad lecture. Computer-based marking of exams might be more cost effective and provide students with feedback more quickly, but if the exam is poorly constructed and focuses more on recall and recognition than critical thinking, the innovation does not result in better learning. In a similar vein, introducing assessment for participation in tutorials may not improve the quality of the discussion or improve students' communication skills.

Taking 'doing it differently' one step further, lectures might be done away with altogether in a particular unit or programme and replaced with self-directed Web-based learning activities, problem-based learning tutorials, or student-led tutorials. Such an innovation has the potential to improve student learning outcomes significantly, promote the development of generic skills and independent learning, and improve employer satisfaction with our graduates. On the other hand, particularly in the early stages of an innovation, students may feel like the subjects of an experiment, teachers may feel ill-equiped and be reluctant to take on their changed roles, and assessment practices may not have changed in response to changes in the curriculum and intended learning outcomes.

How do we know we're doing it better and not just differently?