Towards A Pedagogy Of Higher Education

Towards a Pedagogy of Higher Education illustrates how international policy shifts, primarily the Bologna-process, have affected debates around both the purpose and organisation of higher education at different levels. This book formulates a theory of teaching in higher education which is grounded in educational theory, contributing to a critical perspective on current ideal forms of higher education and a deeper understanding of the pedagogical role of the university. It illustrates how international policies affect conceptualizations of the purpose of higher education and critically examines the pedagogy of higher education in order to develop a comprehensive educational theory for teaching in higher education. The book illustrates the consequences of discursive ideals of education on teaching practices and provides a theoretical framework for new thinking on higher education. Offering a unique contribution that combines policy analyses, curriculum theory, and educational theory, this book will appeal to academics, scholars and post graduate students in the field of higher education research and teaching, educational theory and educational policy.

Towards a Pedagogy of Higher Education illustrates how international policy shifts, primarily the Bologna-process, have affected debates around both the purpose and organization of higher education at different levels. This book formulates a theory of teaching in higher education that is grounded in educational theory, contributing to a critical perspective on current ideal forms of higher education and a deeper understanding of the pedagogical role of the university. It illustrates how international policies affect conceptualizations of the purpose of higher education and critically examines the pedagogy of higher education in order to develop a comprehensive educational theory for teaching in higher education. The book illustrates the consequences of discursive ideals of education on teaching practices and provides a theoretical framework for new thinking on higher education. Offering a unique contribution that combines policy analyses, curriculum theory, and educational theory, this book will appeal to academics, scholars, and postgraduate students in the field of higher education research and teaching, educational theory, and educational policy.

This book advances a re-imagined view of caring in higher education. The author proposes an argument of rhythmic caring, whereby teachers hold back or release their judgments in such a way that students’ judgments are influenced accordingly. In doing so, the author argues that rhythmic caring encourages students to become more willing and confident in articulating their understandings, judgments and opinions, rather than being prematurely judged and prevented from re-articulating themselves. Thus, rhythmic caring can engender a different understanding of higher education: one that is connected to the cultivation of values such as autonomy, justice, empathy, mutual respect and Ubuntu (human dignity and interdependence). This book will be of interest and value to students and scholars of caring within education, as well as Ubuntu caring through the African context.

Co-creation of learning and teaching, where students and staff collaborate to design curricula or elements of curricula, is an important pedagogical idea within higher education, key to meaningful learner engagement and building positive student-staff relationships. Drawing on literature from schools’ education, and using a range of examples from universities worldwide, this book highlights the benefits of classroom-level, relational, dialogic pedagogy and co-creation. It includes a focus on the classroom as the site of co-creation, examples of practice and practical guidance, and a unique perspective in bringing together the concept of co-creation with relational pedagogy within higher education learning and teaching. Critical Practice in Higher Education provides a scholarly and practical entry point for academics into key areas of higher education practice. Each book in the series explores an individual topic in depth, providing an overview in relation to current thinking and practice, informed by recent research. The series will be of interest to those engaged in the study of higher education, those involved in leading learning and teaching or working in academic development, and individuals seeking to explore particular topics of professional interest. Through critical engagement, this series aims to promote an expanded notion of being an academic – connecting research, teaching, scholarship, community engagement and leadership – while developing confidence and authority.

Universities face the prospect of becoming redundant unless the way teaching and learning takes place changes. This book explores the idea of transformation and pedagogy, In particular, it will highlight how universities are transformed through a set of pedagogical interventions and stances that integrate a sense of moral and ethical purpose to learning. Actively integrating cultural pluralism in developing knowledge and understanding aspires to liberate the learner from existing power structures by fostering a desire to challenge and change the social system in which we live and connects the reality around us and its many problems to the knowledge generation process.

This edited volume addresses the potential of Cultural Historical Activity Theory as an analytic tool in debates over higher education reform.

In this new collection, contributors from a variety of disciplines provide a critical context for the relationship between feminist pedagogy and academic feminism by exploring the complex ways that critical perspectives can be brought into the classroom. This book discusses the processes employed to engage learners by challenging them to ask tough questions and craft complex answers, wrestle with timely problems and posit innovative solutions, and grapple with ethical dilemmas for which they seek just resolutions. Diverse experiences, interests, and perspectives—together with the various teaching and learning styles that participants bring to twenty-first-century universities—necessitate inventive and evolving pedagogical approaches, and these are explored from a critical perspective. The contributors collectively consider the implications of the theory/practice divide, which remains central within academic feminism’s role as both a site of social and gender justice and as a part of the academy, and map out some of the ways in which academic feminism is located within the academy today.

This book explores how the concepts of social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion can be understood within the context of higher education. While terms such as these are often in common use in universities, they are not always used with clarity and precision. The editors and contributors offer a serious and detailed examination of pressing contemporary concerns around ‘social justice’ across politics, practice and pedagogy in order to encourage hard thinking and practical agenda setting for social-justice oriented research, teaching and community engagement. Drawing upon new theoretical work, research projects and innovative university teaching, this book offers both useful theoretical insights and practical possibilities for action. This collective and collaborative volume will be of interest and value to all those interested in promoting social justice, in particular how it can be promoted within the university setting.