Against ‘teaching excellence’: ideology, commodification, and enabling the neoliberalization of postsecondary education

Saunders, Daniel B.; Ramírez, Gerardo Blanco

doi:10.1080/13562517.2017.1301913

Cited by 61 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, our findings have indicated that excellence in the context of our teaching innovation is more complex and is likely to be perceived differently not only by staff and students but also amongst students depending on their level of sophistication as learners. In the scope of this discussion, we assume that terms including 'excellent teaching', 'teaching excellence' or even 'excelling in teaching' as set out by Saunders and Blanco Ramirez (2017) are synonymous with an excellent teaching experience for students resulting in learning. As a result, we focus on the implications of differing perceptions of excellence for both designing and evaluating pedagogical innovation in the current context of metrics-driven TEF ratings rather than further attempting to define excellence per se.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is intrinsic tension around constructions of teaching excellence embedded in individual perceptions of the tangible and intangible aspects of education. In the TEF environment where attention is focused on measurable metrics for comparison, overall excellence is likely to be eroded as the intangible elements of higher education are overlooked in a competitive market system relying on the commodification of education (Saunders & Blanco-Ramirez, 2017). Furthermore, by measuring institutional quality through TEF metrics such as the National Student Survey, teachers are likely to become risk averse and unwilling to introduce any elements into their teaching which may adversely affect their own professional or institutional ratings (Gibbs 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing teaching excellence through team-based learning

Cohen

Robinson

2017

Innovations in Education and Teaching International

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing teaching excellence through team-based learning

Cohen

Robinson

2017

Innovations in Education and Teaching International

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“…Contested political b and ballooning student debt unsettle social mobility pre more online or blended delivery. Another is sharper busin [5]. Notwithstanding competitive pressures or technolog psychology, social structure, culture, built and instituti factors would improve learning outcomes, optimize the facilitate communication between different cultures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning Dispositif and Emotional Attachment: A Preliminary International Analysis

Huston

Kozłowski

2019

Education Sciences

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This research investigated the significance of learning dispositif (LD) and emotional attachment (EA) on perceived learning success (LS) across a diaspora of Western, Russian, Asian, Middle Eastern and Chinese student cohorts. Foucault’s LD captures the disparate socio-cultural contexts, institutional milieus and more or less didactic teaching styles that moderate learning. EA is a multi-dimensional notion involving affective bonds that emerged in child psychology and spread to marketing and other fields. The sequential explanatory research reviewed the learning and EA literatures and generated an LD–EA framework to structure the quantitative phase of its mixed investigations. In 2017 and 2018, the research collected 150 responses and used a range of statistical techniques for quantitative analysis. It found that LS varied significantly across cohorts, intimating that dispositifs influence learning. Nonparametric analysis suggested that EA also influenced learning, but regressions were inconclusive. Exploratory techniques hint at a dynamic mix of emotional or cognitive motivations during the student learning journey, involving structural breaks in student/instructor relationships. Cluster analysis identified distinct student groupings, linked to years of learning. Separately, qualitative analysis of open-ended survey questions and expert interviews intimates that frequent teacher interactions can increase EA. The synthesis of quantitative with qualitative results and pedagogical reflection suggests that LD and EA both influence learning in a complex, dynamic system. The key constituents for EA are Affection, Connection, Social Presence (SP), Teaching Presence (TP) and Flow but student emotional engagement is conditioned by the socio-cultural milieu (LD) and associated factors like relationships and trust. Unlike in the Community of Learning framework, in the EA framework Cognitive Presence (CP) is an outcome of the interaction between these EA constituents, associated factors and the socio-cultural milieu. Finally, whilst awareness of culture and emotions is a useful pedagogical consideration, learning mainstays remain inclusive educational systems that identify student needs and support well-designed programmes. Within these, scaffolded modules should include a variety of engaging learning activities with non-threatening formative and trustworthy summative feedback. We acknowledge some statistical study limitations, but its tentative findings make a useful preliminary contribution.

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“…However, like Saunders and Blanco Ramirez (2017), they raise questions about the extent to which 'excellence' can be seen as a generic measure, in this case in a postcolonial context characterised by social injustice. They argue that teaching excellence must contribute to the transformation of society and inclusivity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Writing from a US perspective, in the first article in the issue Saunders and Blanco Ramirez (2017) point out the prevalence of claims of excellence in higher education, and the manner in which this construct is presented as an a priori ideal. They remind us that a concept such as 'excellence' requires measurement, leading to fragmentation of the complex into the discrete.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%