Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The
Learning-Centered
College
UNIT1 The Learning-Centered College
Learning Outcomes
2. Discuss the ways in which learner-centered and learning -centered practice are
different yet complimentary
Introduction
In the early 1970s, a small mid-western American liberal arts college began a long
process of redefining and redesigning itself. Over the decades since that time, Alverno
College in Wisconsin has become a mecca for educators wanting experience with,
amongst other things, abilities-based education and thoughtful assessment-as-learning
practices. Alverno based its remarkable evolution on one central conviction that what
learners achieve – not what teachers provide - is at the center of the educational
enterprise. Student learning was and remains the focal point of all programs and
services at Alverno.
In 1995, a seminal article by Robert Barr and John Tagg suggested that colleges have
not been focused so much on learning as on instruction and meeting the bureaucratic
needs of the institution. These authors pointed out that this dominant paradigm
mistakes the means for the end. Barr and Tagg invited all educators to refocus, to shift
to a new paradigm, one that sees the ultimate goal of the college as the facilitation of
learning. In the decade since the Barr and Tagg article was published, this idea of the
learning paradigm has become the rallying cry for a change in the focus and direction of
post-secondary education.
For a more in-depth discussion of the learning paradigm, read Robert Barr’s article:
From Teaching to Learning: A New Reality for Community Colleges
www.league.org/publication/abstracts/leadership/labs0395.htm
With recent attention to increased educational costs, colleges are being asked to be
more accountable. Likewise, there is much greater competition for our traditional
learners. If we cannot provide the means for students to learn and succeed, another
institution will take up the challenge.
As colleges move towards putting learning first, we can expect to see changes in
processes and focuses. The graph below shows tendencies of the two paradigms.
Teaching-Centered Learning-Centered
Education Education
Program Design
Elements Knowledge-based, subject- Learning-based, outcomes-
based. based.
Time
Relationships
Student to student Individual, competitive Cooperative, collaborative.
The teacher is probably the most crucial person to the success of the learning
enterprise. The teacher is the designer, the instructor, the guide, the advisor, the
motivator, the taskmaster, and evaluator.
Learning-Centered Teachers:
• Have relevant educational, employment-related, technical and other expertise in
designing and creating learning options that meet the needs of learners
• Clearly articulate learning outcomes for students
• Demonstrate well-developed interpersonal skills in their mutually respectful
relationships with learners
• Create supportive, collaborative environments for learning.
• Guide, coach, and mentor learners throughout the learning process
• Understand learning theories and use innovative practices when designing
learning options, activities and methodologies
• Maintain and continuously update the relevancy of their content/discipline
expertise.
• Participate in continuous self-assessment based on feedback from students and
colleagues.
The efforts of faculty members are critical to the transformation of the college, at a
broader level, to become more learning-centered. Faculty are influential players in the
governance of their institution, therefore can help redefine the college’s purpose to
continually recognize the importance of student learning. Faculty can help ensure that
planning and operational decisions are made to impact student learning positively.
3. What, do you think, are the pros and cons of viewing the
student as a customer?
A Learning-Centered College:
∗
“Student” refers to both a student and a prospective student. A student is an individual who has a
formalized relationship with Camosun College while pursuing his/her educational goals. A prospective student
is an individual who comes in contact with and/or expresses an interest in pursuing his/her educational goals
through Camosun College
Principle 1: People who access Camosun College are diverse
Members of the team involved in the development of this document are: Marc Bissley, Kevin Carter, Janine
Chesworth, Linda Cross, Doug Crowther, Faye Ferguson, Julie Martin, Barbara McCallum, Eleanor McKenzie, Paul
Merner, Bob Priebe, Bryan Teixeira, Lynda Warren
Self-Test: Module 2 - Unit 1
This test has been designed to help you recall some of the major content covered in
this unit. Use the self-test only if it seems useful to you. Answers appear on the
adjoining page.
Teaching-Centered Learning-Centered
Education Education
Relationships:
Student to student Individual, competitive Cooperative,
collaborative
Student to college Primarily face-to-face Supported by all available
contact with teacher resources, facilities and
technology
Roles
Student roles Passive learner Active learner – plan,
organize, reflect, self-
assess, etc.