Excellence in teaching

Dr Richard Lockwood, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Movement, has 28 years' teaching experience. He currently teaches in the areas of motor control and learning, physical activity and disability, and research methods. His area of specialism is the neurophysiology of motor control. Richard received a 1995 grant from the Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching (CAUT) to develop a project titled Giving students a choice: learning through preferred instructional methods and was assisted in its development by Sue Stocklmayer and Roger Dickinson from the Development Unit for Instructional Technology (DUIT).

For many students lectures may be the least preferred learning method. Research indicates that some students prefer small group work, others directed self-study, and many others computer-based learning (CBL). This CAUT-funded project was designed to offer a large group of tertiary students a choice of different learning modes.

A six-week module within the Motor Control and Learning unit was chosen as the target course. This multi-disciplinary unit links knowledge in psychology, neuroscience and education, to address the way humans control posture and movement, and acquire complex motor skills.

The major task for the project was the development of CBL modules, which were prepared by DUIT staff, and writing of a self-study guide. Students were given a 'taste' of the four study options in the first semester.

Interesting, only five of the 140 students chose the small group method. Half of the younger women chose self-study, while many younger men chose lectures. Mature-age students generally chose CBL. The remaining students were mixed in their selection, mainly between CBL and self-study.

Students who chose lecture mode mainly stuck with lectures, looking only briefly at other modes. Perceived lecture strengths included clear directions about expectation, detailed handouts and regular times, although the latter was also seen as a weakness.

Those in the small group saw benefits in interactions and personal attention, and the compulsion to produce work for each sessions was also seen as an advantage.

Many students in the self-study mode also attended lectures. Mature students in this group all ranked self-study first. Most students indicated that they would try a mixed mode next time, with multimedia being preferred choice of mix. They saw the strength of self-study as offering the opportunity to pace oneself and the guide as giving a clear indication of what was needed, and they valued the materials for their style and content.

The CBL group seemed to be the most satisfied. Many female students in this mode also attended lectures, as did half the male students. They predominantly ranked multimedia as their preferred mode post-treatment, 90 per cent of women placing it first. Mature-aged students proposed a mixture of modes in future units. Several saw the strength of multimedia in its style and content, its self-testing quizzes, and the flexibility of access.

In conclusion, students were very supportive of the notion of choice and want to see it extended and introduced to other units. The authors are now examining other ways of extending this project within Human Movement.