Abstract

This chapter presents a literature overview of the student voice in higher education, the main results from a three-year research project conducted at five Italian universities with the aim of investigating students’ voices in higher education and how they offer insight into fostering Faculty Development

Highlights

  • The report on Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Europe’s Higher Education Institutions (European Commission 2013) delivered a strong message that highlighted key issues for universities in Europe

  • This approach is defined in American literature as Work-Related Learning (WRL) (Dirkx 2011) and in Australian literature as Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) (Cooper, Orrell, Bowden 2010; Gardner, Barktus 2014)

  • The aim of this chapter was to share with the readers some of the results of the research developed within the PRIN EMP&Co project, in particular, the findings of the University of Padua unit, which was in charge of investigating teaching methods in our Italian university system

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Summary

Introduction

The report on Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Europe’s Higher Education Institutions (European Commission 2013) delivered a strong message that highlighted key issues for universities in Europe. When considering this recommendation in relation to Italian Universities, despite their long and prestigious history of scholarship and research, the teaching approaches predominantly reflect traditional transmission model practices (e.g., Pratt et al 1998), with little direct and active participation by students in course design and curriculum development This lack of participation is reflected in the classroom by an over-reliance on didactic teaching practices, highly formal student/faculty relationships, and little access for student input in course curricula. Counter to this historical tradition and like other universities in Europe, there is a growing interest in Italy for a better understanding of what faculties are really doing in the classroom and the degree of innovation that might be taking place. One of the more relevant needs that has emerged is to break the students’ silence, to listen to their views on classroom teaching, and to include them in the innovation process

The Student Voice: an overview
The Student Voice: suervey design
Course organization
Creation of a participatory environment
Methods and resources for teaching and learning
Feedback and assessment
Work-Related Learning and University-Business dialogue
The Student Voice: making sense of the findings
10. Implications for Faculty Development and the Student Voice
Findings
11. Conclusion
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