When I began my postdoc at the Centre for Teaching and Learning the director Heather Kanuka handed me a report titled Reinventing Undergraduate Education. It was a shocking revalation for me. I had already begun to explore critical pedagogy but I had not spent much time considering what it meant to teach in a research university. I knew what it could mean. I was attracted to the University of Alberta precisely because of the research that is undertaken here. I had completed my undergrad in a liberal arts based university that did little in the way of original research. But even there I sought out the few profs who were actively engaged in writing and original research.
But I had not given much thought to what was different about a research university education. Why enroll at the UofA instead of one of the other universities in Alberta. Reading this report changed all of that. It provided me with a vocabulary and a conception of what a research university education might be. I have since implemented some of these ideas. I strive to teach research methods at every level including the large 100 level class (400 students!). There are many gems in this report. The most moving for me was the description of the research university as an “ecosystem of learners” (pg.9). From this I have begun to think of myself as a senior learner able to sometimes work with more senior learners and help junior learners develop their own ideas. All of us together contribute to a community or ecosystem of learning. How beautiful and poetic!
But this vision of the university is also a struggle. The classroom is a demanding place with a lectern which seems to transform my most exciting classroom ideas into lectures. Sure the students are attentive, but often-times passive. We have internalized a set of rules for how the classroom will work. I talk and they listen. But a research university might be more than this. Lectures are very important but perhaps not everything and perhaps the classroom might not be a great space for learning. At the 400 level I talk about the space as a workshop.
But often our collective enthusiasm stumbles. Midway through this semester in a very exciting and boisterous class of 400 level learners I made a request: ”I will show up 5 minutes after the beginning of class and I want you to take that time to decide how to organize our room and where I will be situated for the discussion.” I should say that I intentionally arranged to have a classroom in the education building with moveable desks as it was a class on music and urban space. The space of the class was an important aspect of my teaching plan and this request, as odd as it might sound here, fit into our classroom discussions about the impact of space on experience. So the class was ready for this experiment.
To my surprise when I arrived 5 minutes after the start of class all of the students were sitting quietly at their desks in neat rows. My first question was about their decision making process, “How did you decide to arrange the desks?”. The discussion was exciting, challenging and a little bit humbling. We agreed that while we all know that there are better ways to organize the classroom, and indeed many of the students had exciting ideas, no one had the courage to take the first step. There was a general agreement that being the first one to move the desk was an overwhelming obstacle. Everyone (at least those that remembered my request) would rather wait to see if someone else would begin before jumping in. This was a really important lesson for me. Not only do I need to teach research methods I have to also find a way to help my students find approaches to self-empowerment. This is central to critical pedagogy.
Reading the Boyer Commission is a good place to start. As senior learners we all know how emotionally difficult it is to come up with a new idea, to articulate a new concept, to struggle with a new approach. Perhaps the education at a research university is precisely the life education central to original research and an examined life. Here is the link to the full report: download pdf. And here is a small sampling:
A New Model
WHAT IS NEEDED NOW IS A NEW MODEL OF UNDERGRADUATE education at research universities that makes the baccalaureate experience an inseparable part of an integrated whole. Universities need to take advantage of the immense resources of their graduate and research programs to strengthen the quality of undergraduate education, rather than striving to replicate the special environment of the liberal arts colleges. There needs to be a symbiotic relationship between all the participants in university learning that will provide a new kind of undergraduate experience available only at research institutions. Moreover, productive research faculties might find new stimulation and new creativity in contact with bright, imaginative, and eager baccalaureate students, and graduate students would benefit from integrating their research and teaching experiences. Research universities are distinctly different from small colleges, and they need to offer an experience that is a clear alternative to the college experience. It is obvious that not every student should, or would wish to, attend a research university. Without attempting to characterize students at other kinds of institutions, it might be said that the undergraduate who flourishes at a research university is the individual who enjoys diverse experiences, is not dismayed by complexity or size, has a degree of independence and self-reliance, and seeks stimulation more than security. A research university is in many important ways a city; it offers almost unlimited opportunities and attractions in terms of associations, activities, and enterprises. But as in a city, the requirements of daily living may be taxing, and sorting out the opportunities and finding like minded individuals may be difficult. The rewards of the ultimate experience, however, can be immeasurable. (pgs.7-8)
