Experiential Student-Centred Learning and Teaching

Abstract

Student-centred learning and teaching (SCLT) is gaining interest internationally in tertiary education institutions. SCLT is an indicator of quality assessment in higher education, and scholars and educators are seeking ways to implement SCLT to boost engagement, participation, agency, and confidence in students. This paper considers some of the practical benefits of SCLT and discusses a unique inter-departmental experiential project, used to augment assessment in an international tertiary campus. Working through stops and starts with conversations and agile pivots presented many perspectives on experiential SCLT approaches. Evidence is mounting that active student learning practices facilitate more meaningful or deeper learning, that is retained longer. The novel contribution of this paper is the experiential link with SCLT paradigms used with diverse, agile student-led teams. With planning and perseverance, exceptional real-life learning can be achieved. Moreover, the underlying capabilities that are developed, support students to be highly employable graduates.