What are effective approaches to student-centred teaching and learning at UM?

Student-centred or learner-centred education is a buzzword that encompasses a wide range of teaching approaches and activities, including greater opportunities to participate in class or gain real-life skills that can be used outside of the classroom (Bremner, 2021). Aspects of student-centred learning that are prioritized by educators, e.g., peer-to-peer interaction, real-life skills, formative assessment, etc., may vary depending on the subject matter taught or context in which learning takes place. 

At the University of Macau (UM), student-centred education takes place not only in classrooms, lecture halls, and laboratories but around the campus, in Residential Colleges, student organizations, and even online. Educators from UM shared, at a recent interactive online seminar held by CTLE, examples of strategies for blended-learning in their context. Yet, the challenge of educators to constantly improve the quality of education and to identify the essential aspects of effective learner-centred pedagogy persists (Li, 2021). 

Join us at an upcoming seminar in which Prof. Cecilia Chun, the Director of the Centre for Learning Enhancement and Research of the Chinese University of Hong Kong will share her insights into why active learning is essential and several strategies to engage students. 

References 
Bremner, N. (2021) The multiple meanings of ‘student-centred’ or ‘learner-centred’ education, and the case for a more flexible approach to defining it, Comparative Education, 57:2, 159-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2020.1805863 

 Li, J. (2021). Learner-centred learning tasks in higher education: A study on perception among students. Education Sciences, 11(5), 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050230