University Teaching: International Perspectives

Preface

The primary scope of this book is to address the question of what is going on in the world of university teaching. University and college teaching and the assessment and reward of teaching are among the most important topics in higher education worldwide, and increasing in importance. However, surprisingly little has been done towards collaboratively presenting the growing wealth of quality research on university and college teaching from around the world. A cross-cultural perspective in research on higher education helps us extract from a set of different social arrangements that which, if not universal, is at least true in a large number of cases. Even when a researcher attempts to enhance our understanding of a single nation and its uniqueness, this is often best accomplished through comparison with other national contexts. Thus, this book offers for consideration several comparative and international perspectives on teaching in postsecondary education.

Additionally, under the conviction that faculty in one country can learn a great deal from the experiences of their colleagues in other parts of the world, this volume incorporates an international collection of engaging case studies on various topics of college and university teaching. This collection of essays and case studies is not meant to provide a comprehensive overview of university teaching and learning around the world. Such a task would require more than a dozen volumes for the English-speaking nations alone. Rather, the intent of this volume is to contribute a diverse set of perspectives on the many dimensions of university and college teaching, including preparation, assessment, reward, and the cultural and social influences that reside within each of these dimensions. However, while the book provides a considerable richness in diversity of topics and authors, a main concern is to provoke the reader to observe the many commonalities in the thinking and approaches towards college teaching that pervade higher education systems worldwide, and from these shared elements derive the insights needed to address the challenges of today's higher education environment.

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE MATERIAL

The chapters of this volume are loosely grouped under four categories: issues of instruction; research and perspectives on student learning and assessment; the training and development of current and future university teachers; and institutional policy, structure and organization. The first two chapters of the volume provide comparative perspectives on university teaching from two markedly different approaches. W. Alan Wright's research involves an international survey of 331 instructional developers, while David Watkins presents his research on what students in different countries perceive to be "good teaching." This is followed by James Forest's general overview of several dimensions of university teaching encountered by faculty worldwide.

Section 2 begins with Noel Entwistle's essay on the usefulness of research on student learning, incorporating concepts derived from research on student learning, carried out mainly in Europe and Australasia. France Mugler and Roger Landbeck provide a discussion on learning conditions and strategies of students in a distance learning environment, and Kari Smith contributes her observations on the benefits of using portfolios in classroom assessment. Further perspectives on student learning are provided in chapters by Ted and Patricia Panitz and by Kyle Smith, Seyda Türk Smith, and Iain K.B. Twaddle.

Returning to focus on faculty issues, Graham Gibbs and Michael Herrick each provide their own thoughts and research on how to improve the preparation of faculty for classroom teaching. This section is rounded out with John Dwyer's discussion of how one university in Canada developed a university practicum to train graduate students-our professors of the future-in the art and skill of teaching.

The final section of the volume provides an international collection of perspectives and studies on institutional policies, structures and organizational attributes which impact university teaching, beginning with Margaret Robertson's observations on the growing use of benchmarks in evaluating teaching. Terry Hyland discusses the relationship between work-based learning and professional higher education in British universities, followed by Tronie Rifkin's observations on the changes in Denmark brought by the introduction of a 3-year baccalaureate degree structure. Rifkin notes that the pressures of this new expedited system have the effect of convincing both faculty and students that productivity and efficiency of the system are more important than the quality of the learning produced by their efforts. Howard Fergus presents the organizational history, policy implications and future directions of distance teaching and learning in the West Indies, and Sheila Vance and Glenda Crosling discuss various methods of integrating writing skills development into the curriculum of most any discipline. Yung Che Kim's discussion of the relationship between student activism and college teaching in South Korea leads us to the conclusion that policies and methods of college teaching simply cannot completely ignore the moral or social realities or conditions that students face. And this section ends with a chapter from Marcela Mollis and Daniel Feldman on the role of contested academic appointments at the University of Buenos Aires, addressing the issue of how institutional policies impact the culture of academic departments in ways that affect teaching.

It is hoped that this international collection of perspectives will be useful in enhancing our understanding of the multiple dimensions that reside under the general rubric of university teaching. Obviously, a volume such as this must be limited in scope and breadth and cannot address the somewhat overwhelming multitude of topics or dimensions of university teaching and learning worldwide. Indeed, as every cultural context is unique, readers are encouraged to explore further the issues raised by these authors, particularly in the context of their own academic surroundings. Additionally, many of the concepts and suggestions presented in this volume are not tied to any particular culture or groups of cultures; thus it is important to recognize the value of comparative studies in these areas.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

It is feasible that many readers of this volume might question how we can synthesize these authors' work to form a collective approach to understanding and enhancing university teaching. This is not the intended outcome of presenting these chapters together as a collection. Each author in this volume, from various corners of the world, has provided us with their own perspective about this important topic. Indeed, this collection of chapters covers a broad spectrum in terms of focus, orientation, and narration. However, there are several commonalities, the most general of which is that they are all concerned with some aspect of university teaching. Indeed, the entire volume reflects a commitment to recognizing and improving our understanding of teaching in universities worldwide. This in turn is an effort to reflect on the global pervasiveness of the belief in university teaching and learning as a means for personal, social and economic development. In these chapters, authors have presented case studies of student learning, of teaching development programs for faculty and graduate students, and of institutional polices and structures that can impact-either positively or negatively-on university teaching and learning. Many of the authors have also offered research-based suggestions on ways to enhance university teaching efforts in ways that promote both teacher and student learning.

Certainly, a cross-national perspective helps to establish the validity of generalizations that are derived initially from studying something in only one country. One approach for future studies in university teaching could look at nations as components of larger international systems-in this case, the increasingly globalized world of higher education. Seeing the nation as a context in which events take place helps us to recognize how we can learn from our colleagues in other nations and how they approach dilemmas in university teaching in different ways. However, searching for commonalities is not the only suggestion for future research in this area. Comparative and international approaches should seek not only the similarities but also the differences in the way things work in different national settings.

Many differences in theoretical and practical approaches to particular situations are rooted in cultural and social contexts, and this raises a number of questions for future research. For example, consider Kari Smith's discussion of using portfolios as a tool for assessing learning in her classrooms. One immediate question that comes to mind is whether portfolio assessment is applicable outside the particular historical, cultural, and political context of Israel. Are portfolios a useful learning assessment tool for countries that have capitalist economies or those characterized by Western culture, which places a relatively higher value on self-direction?

This collection of perspectives is thus intended mainly as an introduction to the possibilities in terms of bringing an international flavor to the discussions of teaching and learning that occur with great frequency at departmental meetings, at academic conferences, and in the halls of legislatures. It is nowhere suggested that a comparative perspective can solve local problems. It is, however, proposed that looking internationally, one may find similar problems, and by learning how others address those problems we gain new insights for forming our own strategies. University teaching and learning is a phenomenon which exists worldwide. Thus, looking beyond our traditional boundaries provides us with a rich resource of knowledge, just waiting to be explored.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In closing, I sincerely commend and thank the contributors for their diligence, hard work, and patience in this project. As well, the warm reception that many of them offered me upon being approached for their contributions will always be greatly appreciated. I owe a considerable debt of gratitude to Professor Philip G. Altbach, my guide through the labyrinth of academe and the General Editor of the Garland Series in Higher Education. And finally, to all college and university teachers-and particularly those who put a little extra time, heart and soul into their work-I offer my deepest respect.

James JF Forest
July 1997

Forest@higher-ed.org