Philosophy in Scottish Universities (Issues in Learning and Teaching) QAA Report 1995/96

Mary Hayward

Summary

QAA Reports for Philosophy in six Scottish universities are currently available [for Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews, Stirling]. These reports are of limited use in identifying issues that PRS-LTSN may address, not least because five and a half years have elapsed since the assessments were made and the QAA brief extended rather more widely than learning and teaching. A reading of the reports is suggestive of broad issues for PRS-LTSN consideration, some of which are already part of its brief. Whilst a number of the issues emerge in all the reports, it is inappropriate to generalise from such a small sample and to see these issues as representative of philosophy concerns in the UK as a whole. And is it QAA concerns or philosophy concerns that are apparent in the reports? Or is it now inappropriate to make such a distinction? Reports from the current round of inspections of philosophy departments are not yet available; when they are we may gain a fuller picture of national concerns.

The identified issues emerge from a consideration of what is affirmed and what is the subject of criticism in the reports; bear in mind that these are not matters of shared concern that cut across all the reports:

  1. The question of what constitutes a balanced/appropriate/'relevant' Philosophy Course/Programme in view of mixed ability groups; importance of what one report identifies as 'a shared organising conception of its content and rationale' which is communicated to students.
  2. Use of Handbooks. Philosophy reports frequently affirmed these - in context of Distance Learning Access course specifically; more generally, their value in communicating nature, intentions (objectives) of course(s) to students (and staff!)
  3. Meeting the needs of the adult returner to education/the mature student.
  4. How to teach/sustain difficult elements e.g. Formal Logic, Metalogic in mixed ability groups; if dropped as a result of student evaluation losing important tools for the development of critical thinking.
  5. Need for strategies for the development of independent thinking on part of students? How to ensure development of critical thinking? Provision of guidance for students on philosophical study, learning, writing.
  6. Methods for the conducting of tutorials; how to ensure student contribution. How assess tutorial performance?
  7. The role of graduate teaching assistants; appropriate training. [cf comments re. code of practice under TRS above].
  8. Use of ICT in teaching. Use of IT packages by students [was already happening in some departments in relation e.g. to Logic; to textual analysis in Greek Philosophy].
  9. Relation of research/teaching. [Student access to new research].
  10. Development of cross-curricular links e.g. re. shared issues in arts, humanities or sciences.
  11. General/transferable skills development and post-university life.
  12. Developing assessment methods: How assess student oral presentations?

By way of postscript on teaching and learning in HE, you may enjoy this comment - seemingly written with a degree of surprise - on a Philosophy department:

'The governing idea seems to be that the Department was a collection of scholars who wished to be free to pursue their academic interests, including communicating their ideas to students'


Created on: April 17th 2007

Updated on: April 24th 2009