First year students’ perceptions of the importance of good teaching: not all things are equal.

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Author(s)
Zimitat, Craig
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2006
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First year undergraduate students at Griffith University were surveyed to explore their perceived importance of various aspects of good teaching typically used to assess course quality. There were significant differences between males and females, disciplines, passing and failing students, and native and non-native English speakers in terms of the strength of rated importance of different aspects of good teaching. These differences could influence CEQ ratings for courses depending on the enrolment profile. From the students' perspective four aspects of good teaching consistently emerged as the most important (i) being good ...
View more >First year undergraduate students at Griffith University were surveyed to explore their perceived importance of various aspects of good teaching typically used to assess course quality. There were significant differences between males and females, disciplines, passing and failing students, and native and non-native English speakers in terms of the strength of rated importance of different aspects of good teaching. These differences could influence CEQ ratings for courses depending on the enrolment profile. From the students' perspective four aspects of good teaching consistently emerged as the most important (i) being good at explaining things, (ii) being approachable, (iii) having enthusiasm for the subject matter, and (iv) providing helpful feedback. The next most important aspects were: making expectations clear, making subject matter interesting and using assessment strategies that did not reward memorisation.
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View more >First year undergraduate students at Griffith University were surveyed to explore their perceived importance of various aspects of good teaching typically used to assess course quality. There were significant differences between males and females, disciplines, passing and failing students, and native and non-native English speakers in terms of the strength of rated importance of different aspects of good teaching. These differences could influence CEQ ratings for courses depending on the enrolment profile. From the students' perspective four aspects of good teaching consistently emerged as the most important (i) being good at explaining things, (ii) being approachable, (iii) having enthusiasm for the subject matter, and (iv) providing helpful feedback. The next most important aspects were: making expectations clear, making subject matter interesting and using assessment strategies that did not reward memorisation.
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Conference Title
Critical Visions: Thinking, Learning and Researching in Higher Education, Volume 29
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Copyright Statement
© 2006 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Inc.