Nine Learning Principles

Nine Principles Guiding
Teaching and Learning
The framework for a first-class university teaching and learning environment
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Nine Principles Guiding Teaching and Learning is a statement on the scholarship of teaching and learning in the University of Melbourne and a reference guide to good practice. It was developed on behalf of the Academic Board by Richard James and
Gabrielle Baldwin of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education and originally adopted by the Academic Board in 2002. It was revised in 2007 by Kelly Farrell, Marcia Devlin and Richard James.

Contents

Maintaining an environment for first-class higher education

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The Attributes of University of Melbourne Graduates

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Principle 1: An atmosphere
In most universities, student diversity has re-focused attention on the need to inform students explicitly about what is expected of them and of what they can do to be successful. In practical terms this attention has meant not merely providing students with lists of aims and objectives, but also permeating the day-to-day teaching and learning with discussion of intentions, purposes and desired outcomes. While an excessive focus on assessment requirements is undesirable, assessment tasks that are designed and scheduled in appropriate ways are an especially powerful means of confirming the expected learning outcomes.
Explicit efforts to clarify objectives involves treating students as active participants in their learning. A body of research has established the efficacy of assisting students to be aware of how they learn. This involves an attention to the processes of learning in the context of clearly articulated goals, and self-evaluation of the effectiveness of learning strategies. In technical terms this is the concept of meta-cognition – not just
Implications for practice
• Students are provided with clear statements of subject objectives, couched in terms of student learning outcomes. • Students are provided with clear statements of anticipated generic skill outcomes.
• Students are provided with clear statements of assessment requirements, particularly the criteria by which their work is judged.
• Subject content is presented in a coherent manner and at an appropriate level.
• Learning experiences are designed to be consonant with course objectives and assessment criteria.
• Courses are structured so that students can plan their learning effectively.
• All administrative details of courses are conveyed in a timely, accessible and unambiguous fashion.
• Research students are supported by procedures which require them to clarify the nature of their projects, methodological procedures, schedules and research outcomes early in their candidature.
• Assessment is congruent with the subject objectives and teaching and learning