JOLT 2012 - PAPER 5

Journal of Learning and Teaching

Do Undergraduate Students Still Value Seminar Learning? Assessing and Responding to Changing attitudes.

Tim Brindes, History Abstract In recent years, UK universities have been required to accommodate increasing student populations. Contemporary scholarship implies that due to a cultural shift, a proliferating proportion of this student body perceive themselves as ‘customers’ of higher education; as a result of these factors, many students potentially feel disinclined to contribute to discussion and activities in crowded seminar classes. To assess student attitudes towards seminar teaching and learning, a case study has been carried out in a West Sussex University. This has revealed that that it is not only imperative for tutors to facilitate learning in small groups but also to provide early guidance for students, highlighting the benefits of group work, and to use developing information sharing technology to consolidate their professional relationship with students.

Introduction

into a new social and academic culture (Christie et al., 2008), yet

Contemporary literature concerning learning and teaching at university level places increased emphasis on the perceived commodification of education in the UK, United States, Canada, Australia and other European nations, and the associated changes in student expectations of the university experience (James, 2002; White, 2007). Students have been likened to ‘customers who are aware of their...rights’ (Sander et al., 2000) with higher education establishments compelled to meet ‘consumer’ demands in an increasingly competitive ‘market’.

Student expectations

of higher education are frequently related to the rising financial encumbrance of degree level study, and it is suggested that students understandably demand ‘value for money’ (Coaldrake, 2002), wishing to ensure that their enrolment at university is time and money well spent. Financial motivation is not the sole contributory factor behind student expectations however. Increased marketing from higher education establishments competing for student applications influences the initial expectations that prospective students will formulate (James, 2002), while technological developments alter their preferred ways of transmitting and receiving information in both a social and academic environment.

Desire for integration into ‘university life’, both educationally and socially, is a manifest component of student expectations.

Undergraduate students have been described by authors in the field as ‘strangers in a strange land’ who are exposed to unfamiliar people, surroundings, practices and responsibilities in their initial experiences of higher education (Mann, 2001; McIlroy, 2003).

The sense of displacement and anxiety that new students might experience is tempered by the optimistic anticipation of integration 2012 Series: Paper 5

for many this represents a challenging emotional and intellectual transition. Younger students are expected to enter a world of ‘adult’ learning where they must adopt levels of responsibility for their own education unfamiliar from school or further education; indeed university staff are often dispirited by the perceived desire for academic ‘spoon-feeding’ among new university intake (James, 2002). Ultimately, a failure to integrate oneself into the new academic or social environment represents an evident disparity in the expectations and actualities of university life, and is identified as one of the principal causes for undergraduate non-completion in the UK (Yorke, 1999). Furthermore, integration into life at university appears to be intrinsically related to the expectations that new students harbour towards tutors. Empirical research reveals that students expect a learning environment that places them in close contact with university staff, from whom they desire a personal academic relationship (Hovdhaugen & Aamodt, 2009).

Such

personal attention is recognised as being of crucial importance in facilitating a beneficial learning experience for students (White, 2007), while the failure to generate such a relationship can result in alienation from, and disinterest in, studies (Mann, 2001).

In light of the factors surrounding student attitudes and expectations described above, it is logical to examine whether or not universities are sufficiently accommodating the needs and desires of the student body by investigating tangible examples of student experience. The following study was therefore designed to investigate - by means of a limited case study - student attitudes towards seminars, an environment that should ideally offer undergraduate students the chance to integrate and interact with both tutors and peers at a personal and academic level,

Journal of Learning and Teaching and at the same time expose them to a variety of teaching and

participate in lectures and seminars is thus minimal (White, 2007).

learning approaches. An analysis of seminar experience should

Due to the aforementioned increase in tuition fees, one would

thus effectively measure whether learning needs and expectations

assume that a similar result could be observed in England.

were being met, and what beneficial changes could potentially be made to teaching and learning approaches.

In recognition of the above-mentioned factors, a questionnaire was assembled with the intention of measuring three specific

Assessing the ‘Value of the Seminar’

areas of student expectations and learning:

Essentially seminars, referred to commonly as ‘discussion groups’

• Is student participation in seminars largely pragmatic and

to segregate them from more intimate tutorials (Griffiths, 1999), provide opportunities for students to learn in a co-operative, informal atmosphere. Commonly seminars will consist of fewer individuals than a formal lecture and will address topics inspired by or related to those introduced in lectures.

Students are

encouraged to engage in discussion in seminars, and variable learning approaches, such as student led presentations, mindstorming, and role-playing, are often adopted. Facilitating learning in the seminar environment is recognised to be challenging; not only must tutors ensure that students are benefitting from valid learning outcomes, but they need also to balance contributions from vocal or diffident students, and maintain a coherent structure in a voluble setting (Griffiths, 1999; McIlroy, 2003).

related to assessments?

• Does class size and an associated reluctance to participate from students affect learning?

• What learning approaches do students favour?

The questionnaire was distributed in the second semester amongst 72 first and second year undergraduates studying humanities subjects at the University of Chichester, West Sussex. Third year students were not asked to participate in recognition of the fact that the advanced stage of their studies might result in an emphasis on pragmatic concerns. Students were asked to specify if they were young or mature, though no gender distinctions were made.

A series of statements were listed on the questionnaire related

Perhaps a more significant predicament facing tutors, however, is

to the three themes outlined above, with respondents asked to

the steady increase in attendees of higher education. In England,

mark their agreement or disagreement to each statement on a

the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) statistics

five-stage sliding scale; additional relevant comments were also

reveal that university applicants have increased yearly since the

invited. Limited staff and spatial resources at the university meant

Higher Education Act (2004), which introduced a higher cap on

that the majority of participants who completed the questionnaire

tuition fees, had caused a slump in 2006. Faced with increasing

had experienced seminars consisting of the same number of

numbers of students, universities potentially lack both the human

individuals as lectures (upwards of 40 individuals amongst the first

resources to supervise small seminar classes, and the practical

year, and upwards of 25 individuals amongst the second year),

spatial resources to accommodate such groups.

often hosted in the same room as lectures, and had been exposed

Furthermore, studies from Australia suggest that the supposed ‘commodification’ of higher education in has been linked to a change in student attitudes towards involvement in lectures and seminars. Whereas once many students could be characterised as ‘idealists’, whose learning was inspired by interest and enjoyment, an increasing student body since the 1970s are perceived to be ‘pragmatists’, seeking sufficient learning only to achieve desired grades (Dolnicar, 2005). Such pragmatism is an arguable result of the financial investiture that students make in higher education; grades are the tangible ‘product’ of such financial commitment.

Many students therefore consider that they are paying for an educational service from the tutors, and their obligation to

2012 Series: Paper 5

to a variety of teaching strategies in seminars, including student led sessions, small group work and mind-storming.

Questionnaire Findings The participating students were allocated time during a seminar to complete the questionnaire, which resulted in an encouraging 100% response rate. The opening statement, designed to judge whether students perceived educational benefits in seminars, found a 74% majority agreeing or strongly agreeing that the opportunity to participate in seminar discussions was of genuine academic value, revealing that a majority of students continue to recognise the learning benefits of seminars. Subsequent statements sought to assess whether a shift towards ‘pragmatism’ could be identified

Journal of Learning and Teaching in students; 52.7% of students agreed or strongly agreed that

university intake means that facilitating small group seminars is

more time should be given to discussing assessments in seminars

problematic. Large seminar groups also cause logistical problems:

(although only 20% disagreed with this statement, the others

tutors who favour rearranging furniture so that students can sit

remaining unsure), while 48.6% agreed or strongly agreed that they

in a circle to encourage discussion find that there is neither time

were primarily interested in seminar discussions relating to topics

nor space to do so. As a result, the tutor continues to occupy

they wanted to write essays about. This latter statement revealed

a dominant position at the head of a class of neatly organised

a disparity between the first and second year students, with

rows of students, and the teaching/learning relationship is one of

only 28% of second years adopting this pragmatic perspective,

transmission/reception of information, rather than an interactive

compared to 59.6% of first years, and also between mature and

environment involving the entire class.

younger students, with only 33.3% of the former agreeing or strongly agreeing in comparison with 50.8% of the latter.

Tutors must therefore consider what teaching methodologies might encourage integration and participation despite the above

These results reveal that pragmatic concerns surrounding

mentioned difficulties. One such approach might be to arrange

assessments form an evident - but not dominant – student

independent learning via student led seminars, whereby students

expectation regarding seminar content, perhaps supporting

are divided into syndicate groups and encouraged to work by

suggestions that students themselves do not believe that

themselves before presenting their research and findings to the

academic substance and intellectual challenge should be diluted

class. However, only 22.2% of students considered that student

in favour of ‘quick and easy’ degree programmes (Byron, 2002),

led seminars provided a beneficial learning approach. A possible

and undermining any general proposition that ‘pragmatism’ has

reason for this lies in the relative inexperience of working in groups

replaced ‘idealism’ in student attitudes (particularly amongst mature

that young students have:

students). It is perhaps surprising that pragmatic attitudes in the second year students were less evident, but this may theoretically represent an increasing enjoyment in topics among students as they settle into their studies; notably though, only 20% of students

‘...students offering advice to lecturers say that lecturers too often assume that they, the students, know how to work in groups’ (Griffiths, 1999, p. 99).

disagreeing (none strongly) that more time should be given to

Furthermore, where syndicate groups can be implemented,

discussing assessments reveals an underlying concern amongst

their size is of crucial importance; other empirical research has

students about what is expected of them, arguably confirming the

revealed that in larger groups working independently from tutors,

suggestion that students and tutors have different expectations of

mature students frequently dominate proceedings (Kniveton,

the effort that should be invested in assessed work (White, 2007).

1992) - indeed, none of the mature students participating in the

An emphatic 68% agreed or strongly agreed that seminars were negatively affected by a lack of student participation, with a mere 5.5% disagreeing with this statement. A frequently voiced comment from both first and second year students was that their participation was inhibited by class size: ‘Smaller seminar groups make me feel more confident in voicing my views’ (second

questionnaire disagreed that they were confident in speaking in seminars.

This antipathy towards student led seminars might

also be linked to the aforementioned financial investment that students are required to make to gain a university education, and the sense that less responsibility for learning should rest with them as ‘customers’.

year, 20); ‘I find seminars difficult...(it is) hard to talk in front of a

While student led seminars appear to have little favour amongst

lot of people’ (first year, 18). Indeed, 40% of first year students

students, 77.7% of students agreed or strongly agreed that

agreed or strongly agreed that they were confident in speaking in

visual and interactive materials, such as the internet, films and

seminars, a number which rose to 52% of second years; however,

slide shows helped to maintain their interest in seminars. This

an overall total of 44.4% evidently infers that students require a

significantly favourable response gives a strong indication of

more intimate seminar environment to confidently interact. While

students’ preferred methods of receiving learning, and can

it has long been recognised that class size inevitably affects

perhaps be harnessed to the tutors’ advantage, as will shortly be

the contribution of students (Exley & Dennick, 2004), increasing

discussed.

2012 Series: Paper 5

Journal of Learning and Teaching Conclusions: Managing Expectations and Rethinking Seminars It has been suggested here that seminars are a crucial opportunity to integrate students both into the social and academic aspects of university life, but for many this is problematised by class size and a resultant reluctance to participate. Furthermore, despite recognising the value of seminars, concerns over assessments and grades means that students require greater advice of what is expected of them, and perceive the seminar room as an environment to facilitate this. Essentially, ‘uncertain expectations’ becomes a recurrent theme of the questionnaire results, as while students have apprehensions of student led seminars, this is potentially because they simply do not know what is expected of them – one student commenting on a student led seminar suggested that the ‘...group presentation...caused stress for many...’ (second year, unspecified age), despite the fact that this

they believe that the tutor is not intimately involved with their studies. A potential response to such a situation is revealed by students’ increasingly favourable attitudes towards visual and interactive materials and media, evidenced by the questionnaire.

Developments of social networking websites mean that younger students especially are familiar with the concept of sharing information and learning online.

Tutors might therefore take

advantage of this by means of operating ‘online’ seminars via group blogs (Beetham & Oliver, 2010). This need not signal a decline in tutor involvement in seminars and group work, but could rather provide a means by which tutors can reinforce their relationship with students by remaining in consistent contact with them. While such an approach is doubtlessly already adopted by numerous higher education tutors, in years to come it may provide a valuable way for all tutors to engage with students.

‘presentation’ was merely an informal opportunity to engage in

Concerns regarding the size of seminar groups in English

discussion about their research.

higher education institutions might diminish following the

Evidently, university staff must not assume that students enter higher education with a concept of what is expected of them in terms not only of assessed work, but also seminar participation and learning approaches. It has been revealed that student attitudes and expectations towards higher education are commonly formed during the initial stages of university experience (James, 2002), and it is logical to thus suggest that tutors should invest attention at the early stage of degree programmes to explaining such expectations in greater detail. If the educational benefits of student led seminars can be communicated to students, syndicate groups might provide a solution to overcrowded and non-participatory seminar classes. An advisable approach might be for students to undertake a Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) upon the start of a module to assess the intellectual, emotional, environmental and social factors – or in the words of Griggs and Dunn (2000) the ‘cognitive, affective, physiological and sociological patterns’ - which influence their learning. The LSQ, can assist the tutor

recommendation of the Browne Review (October 2010) to remove the current cap on tuition fees in England, which is anticipated to cause a decline in university applications. Yet as this study has highlighted, students still value seminar learning and the spirit of ‘idealism’ has not been erased. Until any effect of the Review is realised, it seems necessary for tutors to find means of facilitating smaller seminar groups that encourage integration, and to provide greater guidance at an early stage of the expectations that are made of students in terms of their academic involvement and independence.

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