Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Student-centered learning (SCL) is an educational philosophy grounded in the assumption that students have diverse needs, interests, and experiences that require diverse instructional and relational approaches. Some stakeholders consider SCL to be essential in higher education’s efforts to develop responsible, democratically engaged citizens. In 2009, the Bologna Process endorsed SCL, urging European higher educational institutions to focus on improving teaching, providing student guidance structures, and supporting individualized education. The globalization of higher education and its commodification in the international marketplace make calls for SCL even more salient. As the classroom increasingly “comes to feel like a microcosm of the whole world,” professors are expected to adjust how they relate to students. Likewise, students must adapt to various cultural norms regarding power and the role of the professor. In this session, we will examine the challenges and opportunities associated with the student-centered learning agenda embraced by European and American higher education institutions since the “End of History.” To stimulate the conversation, we will consider the following questions: How have student-instructor relationships and the role of the professor changed “Thirty Years On?” Has the classroom become too democratized? How do students see themselves in relation to professors (e.g., as customers, friends, employers)? How do professors see themselves in relation to students (e.g., as service providers, surrogate parents, employees)? To facilitate the discussion, the facilitators will draw on their twenty-five plus years of research on student-instructor relationships and their international teaching and learning experiences.