Wetenschap - 26 oktober 1995

Msc teaching and learning process reviewed

A heavy workload already appears to be a major concern among MSc students just two months after the start of their courses in Wageningen. One of the main reasons for this is the vast amount of reading material they receive. Students apparently have difficulties in making a selection from the literature they are offered. Furthermore it is often not very clear what the specific assignments are for the following lectures and the final exams. Students want their performance to be tested and evaluated throughout the courses and not only on the basis of the final exams. Finally, many foreign students seem to be inhibited about speaking up during a lecture in order to ask for further information on or clarification of the lecture content.

These are some of the main conclusions of a workshop on Intercultural Learning and Education, held last Friday, October 20. This workshop, organised by the Dean's Office and the Department of Agricultural Education, brought together first year MSc students, programme directors and teachers. This was a follow-up to the intercultural communication workshop. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the influence of the aspects specific to international education on the teaching-learning process and consequently on the mutual expectations of teachers and students. The conclusions and evaluation of this workshop will be sent to all teachers involved in international education. Jan Steen, of the department of Agricultural Education, believes that a lot of problems can be circumvented by introducing practical improvements such as clearly written course information. However, Steen is also planning to investigate if there is a need among teachers for specific kinds of training.