Institutional perceptions of quality teaching and comparison with teachers’

The above section has reported how 15 teachers at UGG perceive quality teaching. The

institution’s perceptions of quality teaching were also sought to see if the teachers’ and the institution’s perceptions were aligned (D'Andrea & Gosling, 2005; Skelton, 2005; Watty, 2003). The following section presents findings from the institutional managers supported by

documents from the managers’ respective departments. The institutional managers were from

the Department of Pedagogical Training (DPT), the Department of Quality Assurance (DQA), the Department of Human Resource (DHR), and the Department of Organisational Planning (DOP). The managers are named M1, M2, M3 and M4 based on their interview sequence.

The most frequently mentioned perception of quality teaching is teaching that has managed to achieve student understanding of the lesson (three managers: M1, li. 1710; M2, li. 1272; M4, li.

1038). M2 related success in achieving students’ lesson understanding with “good scores” in

the student evaluation of teaching (M2, li. 1272-1273). M4 related student understanding in the lesson to learner-centred teaching.

[Teaching] can be learner-centred. It can be the lecturer giving a problem or situation where learners are supposed to have discussions and do small research on a given task and present it to the class and the lecturer (M2, li.1041-1043).

Two other perceptions of quality teaching are similar to those mentioned by the teachers: being well-equipped with content knowledge and communicating knowledge effectively. However, they were only mentioned by one manager (M1, li. 1709).

Interestingly, one other perception of quality teaching, identified by one manager, deserves to be highlighted because evidence of a similar perception is found in the documents. Outcome-

Based Education (OBE) was mentioned by M3 who believed that it is a “comprehensive way of

looking at [particular course to teach] (M3, li. 478) based on the different levels of course

outcomes and the assessments that follow.The manager indicated that OBE was management’s

preferred way to support teaching and learning at UGG.

Researcher: I would like to get the management’s perspective on this. In your opinion, what is good teaching?

Manager: I think the approach we have taken in Engineering, we have implemented Outcome-Based Education… It’s a good

approach… It’s actually based on IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology). It’s based on their

requirements. (M3, li. 405-424)

Analysis of the institutional documents revealed that OBE was indeed an approach to teaching and learning that the institution has adopted and implemented, not necessarily as quality teaching but to meet industry needs.

Gemilang has adopted Outcome-Based Education (OBE) in its academic programmes... in its efforts to ensure that the changing needs of the stakeholders are addressed in a systematic method and to guarantee that

the graduates produced meet their requirements [sic]. (Department of Quality Assurance, 2009b, p. 83)

The implementation was confirmed in another institutional document that stated,

all programs are moving towards implementing Outcome Based Education (OBE) framework. For instance, (*name of a faculty) has started the ball rolling and the other colleges are following suit. (Department of Quality Assurance, 2009d, p. B7.3)

Industry-driven goals of OBE were apparent in the institution’s corporate strategy which was

“to delight our customers - our students - through programmes designed to make them resilient and industry-savvy” (Department of Quality Assurance, 2009b, p. 144). It suggested that the major stakeholder perceived by the institution is the industry the students would be engaged in, in their future professional careers.

Further analysis of the institutional documents confirmed that the institutional perception of quality teaching was industry-driven. The institution’s statement of goals contained references to “unique and enriching learning experiences”(Department of Vice Chancellor, 2009, p. 3) which might be delivered through one of the quality objectives stated in the same document - to provide teaching and learning experiences that “prepares graduates for lifelong learning and equips them to make a positive contribution to society” (Department of Vice Chancellor, 2009, p. 5). This evidence revealed that the kind of quality teaching and learning promoted at the institution prepared the students for the institution’s perceived major stakeholder – the industry.

The institution’s Teaching and Learning Policy is an important document that can provide evidence of institutional perceptions of quality teaching. The policy outlines 15 attributes of the

academic staff in “making explicit the value-base of effective teaching” (Department of Pedagogical Training, 2009, p. 6). The attributes are to:

i) demonstrate a high level of knowledge and understanding of the subject material they teach through genre approach;

ii) demonstrate in their teaching knowledge and understanding of how students learn; iii) use methods for teaching and learning which are appropriate for the subject area and

for the level of the academic programme;

iv) use pedagogic learning technologies which are apposite to the context of learning; v) demonstrate clearly the linkage between teaching, learning outcomes and student

assessment;

vi) use teaching practices which are inclusive and non-discriminatory, as well as being deferential of, and responsive to, differences among students;

vii) scrutinise and appraise their own teaching activities; viii)search for novel ways to help student learning;

ix) actively share ideas on teaching with other academic staff members; x) work as members of an educational team with shared goals;

learning;

xii) avow respect for individual learners, entailing commitment to their development and empowerment.

xiii)commit themselves to the development of learning communities, including students, teachers, and all those who support learning activities.

xiv) commit themselves to scholarship in teaching, both generically and within their own discipline.

xv) commit themselves to encouraging participation in higher education and to equality of educational opportunity.

Among these 15 attributes of effective teaching, attribute (i) regarding knowledge and subject

expertise relates to the teachers’ perceptions of quality teaching, and was mentioned by one

manager. These similarities suggest that content knowledge is the most important aspect of quality teaching perceived by both the teachers and the institution. Attribute (iv) relates to the use of technology in teaching also mentioned by the teachers as part of good delivery of knowledge. Other attributes like (ii), (iii) and (viii) and (xii) relate to being concerned with

students’ learning and personal growth which were indirectly implied in the teachers’

perceptions of quality teaching. Likewise, attributes (vii), (ix) and (x) to do with efforts in sharing teaching experiences and in improving teaching were demonstrated by some interviewed teachers. This suggests that the teachers were already endorsing the effective teaching attributes outlined by the institution whether they realise it or not. Interestingly, no reference was made by either the teachers or the managers to attribute (vi) which focuses on inclusive education despite the fact that the institution has international students and local students of diverse cultures and languages.

Three other attributes were also unrecognised by the teachers since they were not cited in the teacher interviews which are attributes (v) related to OBE (although OBE was not directly mentioned in the Teaching and Learning Policy) and (xiii) and (xiv) to do with learning communities and the scholarship of teaching. Attribute (v) was cited by only one institutional manager who suggested OBE as a comprehensive way of looking at a course. Although attributes (xiii) and (xiv), regarding learning community and the scholarship of teaching, were not explicitly mentioned by either the teachers or the managers the attributes bring to mind the teacher perception that teachers should be actively engaged in research. The lack of mention of learning community and the scholarship of teaching when the teachers discussed doing research was noted.

Many of the attributes of effective teaching contained in the Teaching and Learning Policy were already demonstrated in teacher interviews, though not widely for some. That some attributes were not frequently mentioned suggests that the institutional perceptions of quality teaching

needed to be promoted and aligned with the teachers’. It was possible that some of the

institution’s ideas about quality teaching have not reached the teachers.