DISCIPLINARY DIFFERENCES AND STUDENTS’ LEARNING PREFERENCES

Jim Ellis

Abstract: The provision of education at scale with finite resources almost inevitably means there will be an abundance of common approaches that aim to provide best-fit solutions for subject matter, teachers and learners. This paper considers differences in the characteristics of subject matter across academic disciplines, and how those differences affect not only on how subjects are best taught and assessed, but also the nature of those who are drawn to different fields, either as students or teachers. For the growing number of distance or online learners (purely, or as part of a blend), technology is having an increasing effect on their learning experiences, and evidence is presented to show some notable differences in learner preferences across the disciplines, such that institutions should consider if the pedagogic penalties may sometimes outweigh the apparent benefits and efficiencies of blanket ed-tech solutions.

Keywords: Disciplinary differences, student preferences, educational technology, learning design, online learning

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2017.0615005