Abstract
Recent work on student perceptions of skills development and engagement with different teaching and learning approaches have provided useful evidence bases for practitioners aiming to enhance the student learning experience. Although there has been some useful research on student expectations in non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines, there remains an opportunity to measure and analyse the expectations of students in STEM disciplines, particularly chemistry. The aim of this study was to measure the expectations that first year undergraduate chemists have of the types of learning experiences that will be included in their degree programmes, the amount of time per week that they will devote to different aspects of study and the types of learning behaviours they will adopt. Data was collected using questionnaires deployed at the Universities of Leicester and Sussex in the 2017/18 academic year. The study has shown that many students overestimate the amount of lecture based (59%) and small group based (57%) contact time they expect to have. Students appear to place a high value on the importance of feedback in the learning process but the proportion of students who agree they will read and act on feedback decreases over the course of the academic year. A number of factors feed into student reflections on the difference between expectation and reality including the quality of student life (e.g. quality of accommodation and social activities), value-for-money concerns (e.g. the amount of contact time and the quality of teaching) and matters related to workload and learning support.
Highlights
In order to accommodate the needs of learners who enter higher education with a wide variety of educational backgrounds, strategies used to support student learning in chemistry have undergone a transformation since the start of the 21st century
What types of learning experiences do new undergraduate students expect in a chemistry degree programme? How much time do new undergraduate students expect to be dedicated to different types of learning activities in a chemistry degree? How do student learning behaviours and attitudes change over the course of the first year of study?
A 2013 Quality Assurance Agency commissioned study (Kandiko & Mawer, 2013) into student perceptions and expectations of higher education in the UK highlighted the development of a ‘consumerist ethos’, where students may seek out programmes which offer a high level of perceived value-for-money. This focus on value-for-money may influence students’ expectations of the number and type of contact hours they will receive as part of their education. These insights on the expectations of undergraduate students in other disciplines informed the key research questions addressed in this paper: what types of learning experiences do new undergraduate students expect in a chemistry degree programme, how much time do these students expect to dedicate to different types of learning activities and how do learning behaviours and attitudes change over the course of the first year of study?
Summary
In order to accommodate the needs of learners who enter higher education with a wide variety of educational backgrounds, strategies used to support student learning in chemistry have undergone a transformation since the start of the 21st century. These insights on the expectations of undergraduate students in other disciplines informed the key research questions addressed in this paper: what types of learning experiences do new undergraduate students expect in a chemistry degree programme, how much time do these students expect to dedicate to different types of learning activities and how do learning behaviours and attitudes change over the course of the first year of study?
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