1. George MacDonald Ross PRS Subject Centre Leeds L&T Conference, 07.01.11 WHAT’S THE USE OF LECTURES? - 40 YEARS ON

2. Programme Presentation: –Why lectures? –What’s wrong with lectures? –Why do we still give lectures? Discussion: –What alternatives are there? 7 January 2011University of Leeds2

3. 7 January 2011University of Leeds3

4. Newspaper Headlines “Professors now thick on the ground” (The Lecturer, 06/07 1994) “Spoonfed, lazy and bored witless” (Independent, 29.12.94) “Surge in lecturers on £100k plus” (Daily Mail, 27.02.10) (Photo taken AY 1992/93) 7 January 2011University of Leeds4

5. Why lectures? For medievals, books were too expensive, so the lecturer read the text to be memorised Other forms of learning highly participative (e.g. disputations) Since the invention of cheap paper and printing, lectures are redundant 7 January 2011University of Leeds5

6. What’s wrong with lectures? Fine as an occasional, stimulating performance, bringing together a community of students No better than other methods for conveying information Useless for anything else (e.g. conceptual or attitudinal change) 7 January 2011University of Leeds6

7. Donald Bligh Donald Bligh, What’s The Use of Lectures? (London: Bligh, 1971) Recommended in Leeds induction courses in the 1970s Little sign of reduction in lecturing in 40 years (I stopped only in 1993) 7 January 2011University of Leeds7

8. Philip Thody Famous video: How not to lecture Defended in “In praise of bad lecturing”, THES 21,7.1978, p.12 If there’s anything more harmful than a bad lecture, it’s a good one (my words) 7 January 2011University of Leeds8

9. Purpose of a (UK) university Defined in QAA qualifications frameworks: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/fheq/default.asp http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/fheq/default.asp Independent thinking and critical engagement with current research Lectures and sat examinations encourage passive memorisation and regurgitation 7 January 2011University of Leeds9

10. Current crisis Lectures retained out of custom and habit, not empirical evidence Students need more interaction and constructive feedback Interactive lectures ineffective Cuts are likely to increase lecturing and reduce interaction 7 January 2011University of Leeds10

11. Discussion Imagine that the V-C has decreed that there will be no lectures next year How would you ensure that the students on your modules received at least as good or a better education than before? 7 January 2011University of Leeds11

12. Thank you for participating George MacDonald Ross Senior Adviser Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies of the Higher Education Academy g.m.ross@leeds.ac.uk http://www.philosophy.leeds.ac.uk/GMR/index.html 7 January 2011University of Leeds12