Responsibility for Learning

One challenge of instructors in higher education today (and perhaps since the dawn of our profession) is instilling in students a sense of responsibility for their own learning. Alongside the rise in active learning and learner-centered instruction in higher education, we have seen a parallel rise in student resistance to learner-centered instructional approaches. Students might roll their eyes when you ask them to get in pairs or form groups of three. Why is this? Often, at the heart of the issue are a few core student concerns:

1. My peers won’t do the same caliber work as me and I’ll end up doing everything.
2. I pay tuition, so shouldn’t the teacher just teach me!
3. It’s just easier if the teacher lectures and gives me the PowerPoint slides in a handout that I can study for the exam. Continue reading →