A new dimension to understanding university teaching

Abstract

This paper reports the outcomes of a study, undertaken from a phenomenographic perspective, of academics' ways of experiencing or understanding being a university teacher. A range of understandings was found, representing in particular a varying focus on the experience of teaching as a: teacher transmission focused experience; teacher–student relations focused experience; student engagement focused experience; and student learning focused experience. This work builds on previous studies of university teachers' conceptions of teaching. However, the focus taken in this study on the experience of being a teacher, rather than engaging in teaching, has highlighted new aspects of university teaching.

Notes

* Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia. Email: [email protected]

As is common with phenomenographic research, I use terms such as experience, awareness, meanings, conceptions, understandings, perceptions, views, etc., interchangeably.

An internal relationship implies that neither object would be the same without the other (Marton & Booth, 1997).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gerlese S. Åkerlind *

* Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia. Email: [email protected]