Just Teach What I Need to Know?

Ask a lecturer what they teach and they may well surprise you. “Leadership, Humanity, Initiative and Responsibility” could be their answer. Ask a student what they are learning and they are likely to be more specific: “Bachelor of Communication” or perhaps, “Public Sector Management and Law”. The perceptions of what is being taught/learnt differ. An obvious explanation seems to be that as the lecturer is delivering Public Sector Management and Law they concurrently deliver life lessons on Leadership and Responsibility. This could be true, especially if they answered on behalf of Massey the University.

The question now is; do we want Massey to deliver life lessons on Leadership, Humanity, Initiative and Responsibility? This may suit younger students but may not be ideal for mature students. In a recent conversation at a University Council Session it was agreed that Massey does teach these skills, but not explicitly (unless you take the paper). Further to that, the question was asked if Massey could market this as a part of its defining learning experience?

In order to differ from other universities Massey will have to strengthen the connections between content and life lessons. One way of doing this is to deliver a broader undergraduate degree with compulsory out-of-College papers. Would this benefit the students learning experience and improve Massey’s reputation?