Using Student Voice in Creating Learner-Centred Course Design

Abstract

This study explores how to design a learner-centred undergraduate business course based on student voice. A pretest was adopted to identify existing course-related problems and students' writing products were collected and analysed; the instruction and activities were deliberately designed to address learning issues identified in the pretest and help students achieve the course requirements. By the end of the course, students took the posttest and conducted critical reflections about their study. All 111 Thai students who enrolled in the course participated in the study in trimester two in 2016. The paired t test results indicate significant progress during the learner-centred course. Moreover, the success of the course design was demonstrated by the students' enhanced confidence levels shown in their critical self-reflections. This work has theoretical and practical implications in combining concepts of student voice, creating learner-centred environments, and proposing an effective undergraduate course framework to which educational practitioners can refer.