Student-Centered Learning Environments in Higher Education Classrooms

Abstract

In the context of the Bologna Process European higher education institutions (HEIs) have started to engage in curricular and pedagogical renewal to increase not only the quantity but the quality of their graduates. A paradigm and culture shift from teacher-centred to student-centred learning and instruction is proposed among other measures in order for HEIs to successfully prepare their students for life and work in the knowledge society and economy of the 21st century. How can instructors design and bring to life student-centred learning environments (SCLEs) that provide students with opportunities for deep learning? In answering this research question, this EU-funded research project advances the understanding of theoretical concepts and practices within a theoretical framework of a situative constructivist perspective on knowing and learning. The findings further inform the development of a coherent instruction model for the design and enactment of SCLEs in higher education classrooms. The ethnographic case study research (empirical study) investigates three authentic university courses (seminars with 25 up to 38 students) for prospective educators enrolled in a 1-year Master’s programme at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA. Exploring authentic classroom learning, teaching and interaction practices provides rare and detailed glimpses into student-centred classrooms in order to carve out and systematise characteristic course design elements, instructional strategies, and teaching and learning challenges these classrooms present for the instructors and/or the students. For data collection and analysis purposes several instruments are used to access rich empirical data that allow for thick descriptions and interpretations in the context of single and cross case analyses: participant observations, half-standardised student evaluation surveys, semi-structured instructor and student interviews and class videotapes. The qualitative coding process is informed by categories and codes iteratively developed based on theory and data. Event sampling, a constant-comparison approach and interaction analysis are used to identify underlying patterns and shared practices that emerge consistently in the naturalistic classrooms under study. The empirical case study findings produced the following core components of powerful SCLEs: (1) The learning environment embodies aligned curricular design elements and related quality features that allow the students to engage with relevant and challenging content (e.g., questions, tasks) and achieve high-level learning outcomes; (2) Students are positioned for active participation in knowledge construction and interactions – as accountable authors, active and vocal participants, and responsible co-designers; (3) Instructors apply adaptive instructional strategies to support students’ participatory processes of knowledge construction and to cultivate a productive and supportive classroom community of learners. The study also discusses challenges to the implementation of student-centred learning and instruction and draws implications for higher education classrooms and institutions to foster high-quality education and ultimately high-quality graduates.