Higher education is characterized by increasing interdisciplinary and flexible education (IFE). This impacts our disciplinarily trained teachers, who need to be equipped with the competences, skills and attitudes necessary to shape the education of the future.

Background information

The saying from ‘sage on the stage’ to ‘guide on the side’ represents the proposed changing role of the teacher in the 21^st century. As the role of the teacher shifts, the role of the student should shift from passive recipient to active participant. However, it can be questioned whether facilitating teachers and participating students lead to successful learning. After all, teachers are not used to teaching in such a way. Next to that, the question arises whether our teachers are equipped to facilitate learning in an interdisciplinary context, as they themselves are the disciplinary experts. Three design principles for innovative teaching and learning in higher education within the context of interdisciplinary and flexible education (IFE) are integrative learning, emergent learning communities and programmatic assessment. This project will research both teachers’ needs and these proven yet innovative design principles.

Project description

This project conducted   a literature review and tested the outcomes with experienced teachers in interdisciplinary and flexible education (IFE). On top of that, this project prepared a competence framework that made the move from knowledge provider to knowledge (co)producer, and centered on skills, roles and attitudes of teachers.

Aims

The aims of this study are:

• Mapping the necessary competences, skills, roles and attitudes for the different roles of teachers in interdisciplinary and flexible education (IFE).
• Designing a research proposal to develop ways of getting equipped and evaluating success.

Results & Conclusions

Click here to have a look at the findings of this project.

References

• King, A. (1993). From sage on the stage to guide on the side. College Teaching, 41(1), 30-35.
• McWilliam, E. L. (2009) Teaching for creativity: From sage to guide to meddler, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 29(3), 281-293.
• Morrison, C. D. (2014). From ‘sage on the stage’ to ‘guide on the side’: A good start. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 8(1), article 4.
• Fischer, E. & M. Hänze (2019). Back from “guide on the side” to “sage on the stage”? Effects of teacher-guided and student-activating teaching methods on student learning in higher education. International Journal of Educational Research, 95, 26-35.