You Will Learn It Or I Will Teach You

Abstract

Higher education has experienced a paradigm shift away from teaching and toward learning. This focuses on students, and defines learning as “significant long-term changes in knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes or beliefs.” This focus calls for androgogy — adult education — which focuses on collaboration, inquiry, and self-direction. Principles of this new learning focus include active learning, focus on the learner, ensuring links between new and previously learned knowledge, effective feedback, and scaffolding to help learners organize learning experiences. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is one approach which responds to this change in focus. Examples are given of how the University of Newcastle has addressed this new focus in their curriculum, graduate profiles, and evaluations.