• University of New South Wales

Introduction to Enhancing Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Learn about enhancing learning and teaching in this third course in the Foundations of University Learning and Teaching program.

6,579 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

This course provides an introduction to approaches and methods used to evaluate and enhance your teaching, and your students’ learning. The key question we answer is “How do you know you are doing a good job?”. In this course we will help you to improve your practice and the student learning experience to make learning and teaching in higher education more effective.

Explore a model to help you with the enhancement and evaluation process

In the course we will present a systematic approach to enhancing learning through evaluating your teaching using a model that guides you through a number of questions including:

  • What is the purpose of evaluation?
  • How can you evaluate your teaching, educational materials or courses?
  • What is the context of the evaluation?
  • Who are the stakeholders affected by the evaluation process?
  • What evaluation tools are already be available to you?
  • How can you design your own evaluation tools?
  • How can you best reflect on the whole evaluation process to enhance your teaching and your students’ learning?

Reflect on your own teaching

Through the course we will encourage you to reflect on your practice, carry out a mini self-evaluation and share your findings to demonstrate the variety of methods and tools that can be used to evaluate practice.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Describe ways to evidence quality in learning and teaching
  • Compare different approaches to evaluation
  • Evaluate forms of feedback for enhancing educational practice
  • Demonstrate the application of an evaluation process in your practice
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Skip to 0 minutes and 4 seconds BOB FOX: How do you evaluate your teaching, your course design, and educational materials? How do you know that the assessment that you’ve created provides students with an appropriate opportunity to really demonstrate achievement? How do you know you’re doing a good job as a teacher? I’m Bob Fox. And these are some of the questions that we will explore in this course to help you reflect on and evaluate and ultimately enhance your students’ learning. We will present a model that guides you through the evaluation process. We encourage you to reflect on your practice, carry out some mini evaluations, and share your methods and findings with peers.

Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds Whether you’re new to teaching, an experienced teacher, or working more broadly in education, this course will help to develop your own educational practice, enhance your students’ learning, and potentially influence the practises of others. I welcome you to this introductory course on enhancing learning and teaching in higher education from UNSW-Australia. We look forward to taking this journey with you.

What topics will you cover?

  • Defining evaluation
  • Role and purpose of evaluation
  • Reflective practice
  • Sources of feedback
  • The student experience
  • Ways of measuring the student experience
  • Evaluation tools and methods
  • Designing and running a mini evaluation
  • Broader quality assurance and enhancement contexts

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe ways to evidence quality in learning and teaching
  • Compare different approaches to evaluation
  • Evaluate forms of feedback for enhancing educational practice
  • Demonstrate the application of an evaluation process in your practice

Who is the course for?

This course is suitable for teachers, educational designers and those supporting teaching and learning within higher education.

Who will you learn with?

I am an Academic Career Developer in the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education)'s Unit at the University of New South Wales. My interests are in curriculum design and enhancing the student experience.

Marina is a Principal Fellow (Higher Education Academy), an Australian National Teaching Fellow and has received national and university citations for outstanding contributions to student learning.

Who developed the course?

UNSW Sydney

Established in 1949 with a unique focus on the scientific, technological and professional disciplines, UNSW is a leading Australian university committed to making a difference

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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