Funded Research Project

The influence of disciplinary cultures on approaches to undergraduate teaching and learning: extending higher education theory and practice

Chief Investigator: Professor Richard James

Funded by: ARC Discovery Project grant 2005–2007

Project Summary: Improving the quality of teaching in higher education is an important priority for Australian universities. There has been rapid growth in the number of training programs for university teachers. This study will directly support these efforts. It will investigate the effectiveness of the diverse approaches to teaching and learning traditionally adopted within different fields of study'across the sciences, the arts, the humanities and the professions. The findings will be used to develop new training programs for university teachers that are tailored towards best practice in the particular areas of knowledge in which staff are teaching. Enhanced training of university teachers will lead to better teaching and better student outcomes.